A painting that began on Valentine's Day in 2009 and went through a baptism of fire.

Tan Swie Hian is one of Singapore's most successful painters.

In Jan 2013, there was a fire in a unit neighbouring his at Telok Kurau Studios.

Mr Tan did what he could. He grabbed six works from his collection - including a painting of Mr and Mrs Lee Kuan Yew and fled.

Several other works in his studio were ruined when firemen doused the fire with water.

More than a year after the fire, the partially damaged artwork was finally complete in June 2014.

Recalling the fire, Tan, 71, says in Mandarin: "Back then, the water and soot resulted in some of the painting's colours smudging. This artwork has gone through a baptism of fire and water. I'm glad it's finally complete."

Titled A Couple, the painting shows former prime minister Mr Lee and his late wife, Madam Kwa Geok Choo, in their youth. It was inspired by a black-and-white photograph of the young couple on the campus of Cambridge University in 1946.

Tan had started work on the painting in 2009 on Valentine's Day.

He says: "I chose to paint them because everyone can learn from their love, especially in this day and age where life expectancy is rising and divorce rates are high. Here is a couple who entered into marriage and lived together happily."

He adds: "Mrs Lee once said she was a traditional Asian wife who always walked two steps behind her husband. Those words left a strong impression on me."

Mrs Lee died in October 2010 at the age of 89. After her death, Tan, who is also known for his poetry and calligraphy, wrote a poem - in English and Chinese - in her memory. He incorporated the poem into the painting's background to give it an "added dimension".

He says: "I've always felt she was a great woman who, despite her intelligence and capability, was also a humble and dedicated wife."

To further show his admiration for the couple, Tan added two Vanda Miss Joaquim orchids, connected by a twinned stem, next to Mrs Lee.

His biggest challenge was making out the expression on her face as a shadow is cast on it in the photograph. Another challenge was imagining the colours from the black-and-white shot. Tan adds: "The photo's background is also filled with buildings and very complicated. I veiled the background with clouds to bring the figures into full focus."

Source: ST