A Life Woven in Ink: Exploring the Art of Song Nian Song Nian, born in Jiangsu Province, China, in 1911, was an artist whose journey spanned continents and traditions, ultimately culminating in a unique voice within Singaporean art. His early life was steeped in Buddhist practice; at the remarkably young age of twenty-two, he embraced monastic life and received ordination, a formative experience that profoundly shaped his perspective on simplicity, discipline, and the pursuit of inner peace – values which would later permeate his artistic endeavors. This initial grounding in Eastern philosop…