Ink as abstract and vital as Western art, says artist

Ink painter Nai Swee Leng, 79, has been a keen observer of the chirping bird and swaying branch for nearly 60 years. Though he has taught hundreds of students, he still says: "I'm still in search of the essence of ink.

- Clement Yong Correspondent

One of Singapore’s more neglected second-generation artists — as has been the fate of many working in the traditional medium — Nai is one of two honorees conferred the Cultural Medallion at the Istana on Nov 27.

The soft-spoken Nai was still coming to terms with the award when speaking to The Straits Times. He was at a loss for words after receiving the call a few weeks earlier at home, informing him he was receiving the nation's highest honour for artists: “It’s a difficult prize because so many people are competing for it.”

Nai has nursed a lifelong tendresse for Chinese ink, ever since he caught a glimpse of an art exhibition at a clan association frequented by his father. In secondary school, he came under the tutelage of bamboo-master Fan Chang Tien - who, like many Chinese teachers then, took it upon himself to coach promising students free of charge on weekends.

This altruism would be inextricably linked with art in the young mind of Nai, who still believes Chinese ink cannot be discussed separately from personal comport.

He says: “Learning art relates to how to be a human being. How teachers treated people, how they encouraged the younger generation, was a role model for us.”