pianomania: PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION: TAN LIP SENG: A LIFE IN COLOUR @ OBJECTIFS CHAPEL / Part 2

Just another look at the stunning and evocative photography of Tan Lip Seng, who was awarded the Cultural Medallion for Visual Art in 1985. The secret of photography is capturing a moment in time, under the right settings, a process that is unique and unrepeatable. It is unlikely that his subjects knew they were being photographed, but they have become a little bit part of history in the life of Singapore. (These days, you need to get their permission before snapping away. By the time permission is granted, all spontaneity is lost forever. So f**k that.)

Sometimes, you need someone
to stand out in life.

Back on the theme of men

(and women) at work:

My photos of Mr Tan's photos can never reproduce the freshness and immediacy of his shots. Funnily, they even distort the original images, which is itself another way of looking at art. The textured details of some of his photographs now take on a pointillist quality, an impression that was not lost on artists like Georges Seurat. I can only pretend to have their eyes for detail, but can only hope nonetheless.