Prominent Speaker Series: A Thousand-Year Debate on the Imagery of a Plantain Tree in Snow
Prominent Speaker Series: A Thousand-Year Debate on the Imagery of a Plantain Tree in Snow
Prominent Speaker Series: A Thousand-Year Debate on the Imagery of a Plantain Tree in Snow
Speaker: Tan Swie Hian
The Tang poet-painter Wang Wei (王维 699-761) is said to have made a painting depicting the noble man Yuan An (袁安) who, during a snow storm, refused to go out for his livelihood but lay at home, “as the snow is heavy and everyone is hungry, I should not go and trouble people.” In it, Wang also painted a plantain tree in the snow.
The painting Yuan An Reclining in Snow (《袁安卧雪图》) was first mentioned by its collector Shen Kua (沈括 1031-1095) in his Dream Pool Essays (《梦溪笔谈》). Since then, not only has the subject become one of perennial interest but the imagery of the plantain tree in snow has sparked debate for over a thousand years.
How can a plantain tree that only grows in warm climate survive in the snow? Wang’s detractors comment that he cannot “tell cold and hot apart”. But Wang’s appreciators believe that “Wang disregards the seasons when creating”.
Now, join acclaimed artist Tan Swie Hian as he weighs in on why Wang did what he did.
This programme is held in conjunction with Anatomy of a Free Mind: Tan Swie Hian’s Notebook and Creations exhibition. For more information, please visit
http://www.nlb.gov.sg/exhibitions/?p=330.