paintings
September 29, 2008
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Related Pages
“South of the Border, West of the Sun” “Paint it Black” “Recent Ink and Colour Paintings” “Grasslands”
YANG GANG
A highly versatile artist who has experimented with a wide variety of media and styles in the course of his 30-year career, Yang Gang is best known for his distinctive works in Chinese ink on rice paper, executed in a bold, calligraphic style. The grasslands of Inner Mongolia are a favourite source of inspiration: works depicting horsemen beneath lowering skies, camel trains and herdsmen evoke nostalgia for the beautiful wide-open spaces of the prairie. More recently, Yang Gang has also revealed other passions in his paintings of musicians and sportsmen, always characterized by powerful brushwork, which creates strong, yet sensitively rendered images.
Yang Gang was born in Huaiyang, Hunan province, in 1946. In 1963 he entered the high school of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, but in 1966 the Cultural Revolution halted his education. In 1969 he realized a childhood ambition by going to Inner Mongolia, where he lived for a year as a herdsman in a tent, herding sheep and horses and enjoying the quiet solitude. There and later, while on farm labour in Hebei and Shaanxi, he built up a rich fund of memories and sketches. After graduating in 1973, he returned to Mongolia, again drawn by the beauty of the landscape and affection for the people. In 1978 he entered the Master’s programme at the Central Academy, focusing on various periods of Chinese painting, calligraphy and music. Han dynasty (206 BC-AD220) stone carving and murals, Northern Dynasty (420-589) music and Tang Dynasty (618-907) line tracing have all influenced his work. Yang Gang has worked at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing since 1981.
As a contemporary Chinese ink painter, Yang Gang sees himself between the extremes of realism and abstraction. In the 1980s, he gained recognition as a gongbi painter with minutely executed works in bright colours. Later he moved towards xieyi or free-hand painting in ink and wash. A further development has led to his current paintings of figures and horses in a forceful, energetic style. With deft brush strokes and sharp contrasts in black and white that recall the cut-out works of Matisse, his free, semi-abstract paintings are full of life and movement. Recently, Yang Gang has also been working in oils, adding new variety to his artistic repertoire.
Biography
| 1946 | Born in Huaiyang, Henan Province |
| 1963 | Entered the high school of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing |
| 1973 – 78 | Worked at the Cultural Centre, Xiling Haote, Inner Mongolia |
| 1978 | Entered the Master’s programme in Chinese Painting at the Central Academy of Fine Arts |
| 1981 | Senior Artist at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing |
| 1994 | Lecture tour to USA: UCLA, Berkeley and University of Harvard |
Solo Exhibitions
| 1990 | National Art Museum, China |
| 1993 | Zee Stone Gallery, Hong Kong |
| 1996 | “The Long and Winding Road”, Zee Stone Gallery, Hong Kong |
| 1998 | “Grasslands”, Zee Stone Gallery, Hong Kong |
| 1999 | “The Art of War”, Zee Stone Gallery, Hong Kong |
| 2001 | “Paint it Black, Zee Stone Gallery, Hong Kong |
Group Exhibitions
JIA HAO YI
Jia Hao Yi (b. 1938) is a senior Chinese artist renowned for his paintings of horses. He follows in a long line of distinguished Chinese artists who have treated this subject, from the earliest dynasties to modern masters such as Xu Beihong (1895-1953) and Huang Zhou (1925-1997). However, Jia Hao Yi’s style is unique. It has been commented that while others use ink to depict horses, Jia Hao Yi uses the horse’s form to show the strength and intensity of his pen and ink.
Pioneers of 20th century Chinese ink painting, like Xu Beihong, brought back Western ideas from Europe to reinvigorate the stagnant Chinese painting tradition. But while the permeation of concepts and techniques from Western modern art into traditional Chinese art became increasingly common, the use of the medium of ink remained a symbolic mark of China’s tradition, spirit and culture. Just as Xu Beihong’s paintings are imbued with distinctive nationalistic characteristics, Jia Hao Yi’s horses are a dynamic symbol of power and might, filled with tremendous vigour and energy.
Born in 1938 in Zunhua County, Hebei Province, Jia Hao Yi studied at the Art Faculty of the Beijing Art Institute, graduating in 1961. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), he was engaged in the production of political paintings and leaflets. Subsequently he travelled widely in China, visiting Sichuan, Inner Mongolia and Gansu Province. In the 1980s and 1990s his work was exhibited internationally, in Singapore, Switzerland, Germany, Romania, USA, Canada, Hong Kong and Japan. By 1987, critics acclaimed him as a first-class artist and his work was collected by major museums in China.
Jia Hao Ji deliberately does not dwell on too meticulous a depiction of the horse’s physique; rather, he prefers to emphasise its power and energy. To this end, he has simplified the application of ink, depicting his horses by a series of bold brushstrokes. After Xu Beihong, Jia Hao Ji’s horses have created another milestone in the history of Chinese painting.
Biography
| 1938 | Born in Hebei Province, China |
| 1958 | Studied at Art Faculty of Beijing Art Institute |
| 1961 | After graduation, stayed on as lecturer |
| 1962 | Transferred to Beijing City Chaoyang District Art Museum, responsible for public art work |
| 1964 | Published “Letters to the Public Art Workers” in the journal “Art” |
| 1966 | Printed leaflets at the Red Army Reception |
| 1970 | Invited by China Revolution Museum to create a Party historical painting; took part in the group creation of the scroll painting “Yan Yang Tian” |
| 1975 | Became an officer of the Intellectual Youth Corps |
| 1978 | Went to Gannanjiang District for real life sketching |
| 1979 | Went to Sichuan |
| 1982 | Went to Inner Mongolia |
| 1983 | Visited Fujian, Gansu and Qinghai Provinces |
| 1984 | Went to Guilin Lijiang |
| 1985 | Went to Inner Mongolia |
| 1986 | Visited Singapore and Xinjiang |
| 1987 | Went to Inner Mongolia. Critics acclaimed Jia Hao Yi as a first-class artist |
| 1989 | Went to Guizhou, Yunnan Province |
| 1990 | Went to Ningxia, Gansu Province |
| 1993 | Quarterly journal “Chinese Paintings” published an article on Jia Hao Yi’s work |
| 1997 | The Lao Jia Museum officially opened in the northern outskirts of Beijing. Invited by the Asian Art Museum of Korea to visit Europe and learn about European art |
| 2000 | Invited by the Asian Art Museum of Korea to visit Russian to learn about 20th century Russian art Went to the Nanyang region of Henan Province to sketch Large-scale painting donated to the National History Museum of China A DVD of Jia Hao Yi’s works published by Hua Sheng Publication Company. Paintings selected for the leading Chinese art publisher’s catalogue and DVD entitled “Contemporary Chinese Art” “Rong Hao Yu” published 17 paintings by Jia Hao Yi, as well as his essay “My Freedom” |
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