I met the oil painting artist Luo Hong when I visited Shenyang in northeastern China. I bought a good number of paintings for my collection and for my friends.
Luo Hong, who uses the pen name Luo Ding in his paintings, is a native of Haicheng, Liaoning Province. In 1960, he served as the Director of Shen Mei’s studio and was elected Director of the Liaoning Oil Painting Research Association of the Chinese Artists Association. In the early 1980s, he was transferred to Shenzhen and founded the China Modern Art Gallery and Shenzhen Oriental Art Research Institute.
On the 10th anniversary of the founding of the PRC, he was invited to create a historical oil painting for the Military Museum of the Chinese People’s Revolution. He has been invited to hold solo exhibitions in the US and Singapore. In 1985 and 1986, he was invited to hold charity exhibitions in Macau and Hong Kong; in 1990, he held a solo exhibition in Taiwan; in 1993, he visited Indonesia and held a solo exhibition in Jakarta and Surabaya. His works have also been exhibited in France, Japan, Canada, and other countries. His oil painting “Heidelberg” won the International Gold Award and was awarded the “World Art Master” title. Many of his works are in state guesthouses, people’s congresses, halls, museums, art galleries and VIP halls, and conference rooms of party and government agencies.
Please enjoy two large paintings about 5 ft wide. One shows a panoramic view of the West Lake with Chinese-style Pavilions at the shore and lotus flowers in bloom in the lake. The other painting shows a beautiful Lijiang (LI River) scene in Guilin. A person is seen herding his cattle in the shallow part of the river. In the distant background are numerous low-rise mountains of varied shapes and sizes.
Please also enjoy two paintings of beautiful winter scenes. One shows a view of the Qianshan (千山 or Thousand Mountains) mountainous region in northeastern China after heavy snow. The trees are covered with hoar frost. You have to enlarge the picture to appreciate the frost-covered branches’ beauty. The region is so named because Qianshan comprises nearly a thousand odd peaks shaped like lotus flowers, and the natural scenery is gorgeous and appears out of the world. The second painting shows a house in a forest after an overnight heavy snowfall.
Tan It Koon
Before retirement, Dr Tan It Koon was, among many appointments, Head of Clinical Biochemistry at SGH’s Dept of Pathology. He was the Deputy Chairman of the National Theatre Trust and Chairman for Grants and Scholarships of the Spore Cultural Foundation. He received the National Day Awards, PBM, and PPA, for his contribution to cultural and community development and excellence in Public Administration.
