Lim Tze Peng

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About the artwork

Lim Tze Peng writes the lines 云边雁断胡天月，陇上羊归塞草烟 - an extract from Temple of Su Wu by Wen Ting Yun (温庭筠) - a lyricist in the late Tang Dynasty. The entire poem reads: 苏武魂销汉使前，古祠高树两茫然。云边雁断胡天月，陇上羊归塞草烟。回日楼台非甲帐，去时冠剑是丁年。茂陵不见封侯印，空向秋波哭逝川。 Translated, it reads: Su Wu accepted his role as an ambassador of Han, betting upon his life. Feeling at a loss, I stand here in front of a shrine in his name that is flanked by lofty trees. As he stood under Hun skies, the moon lingered at clouds' edge where no wild geese flew. He raised his sheep in the desolate north and returned to boundless grasslands which ascended into the mist of sunset. By the time of his second coming all had changed, gone was the decorated altar offering blessings. When he left, he was merely twenty donning a crest and a sword by his side. Regretfully, it wasn't Emperor Wu who bestowed the seal of lordship on him. The sky rippled towards autumn and the current of the creek resembled passing tears.

About the artist

Born in Singapore in 1921, Lim Tze Peng is one of Singapore’s most significant artists and a living legend. Renowned for his Chinese ink creations of post-independence Singapore, he also practices Chinese calligraphy. Alongside local and international exhibitions, his masterpieces are exhibited in prominent Singapore institutions and part of many prestigious collections. Lim has been bestowed several awards including the Special Prize at the Commonwealth Art Exhibition in England in 1977 and the prestigious Cultural Medallion in Singapore in 2003. In May 2012, he broke records with the sale of his works at a Christies auction in Hong Kong.