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- Traditional Chinese painting in Taiwan has held its own special place with artists like Pu Ru (1896-1963) [48] and Huang Junbi (1898-1991) [30], both of whom moved to Taiwan as a result of the Communist takeover of the mainland. Pu Ru, the grandson of Prince Gong of the Qing imperial family, had achieved a considerable reputation in China, comparable to that of Zhang Daqian, before he moved to Taiwan. He was famous for his nostalgic landscapes in the style of the painters of the Song and Yuan dynasties. Huang Junbi, a noted connoisseur of ancient Chinese paintings, painted in typical traditional fashion with a loose handling of the brush and frequently placed waterfalls in his landscapes.
Painting in Hong Kong reflects the cross cultural currents of their environment with East blending with West in a free, rapidly changing and prosperous urban metropolis. Probably the most interesting painting group which formed in Hong Kong was the Xin Shuimo (New Ink Painting) group started by Lu Shoukun (1919-1975) [44]. Lu Shoukun, who started out as a traditional painter in China, later turned to an abstract style of �Zen painting� which created a significant stir in art circles in Hong Kong and abroad. His abstract works were built up by simple dots, lines and patches in red and black. His style evolved over time into two distinct types of work. One style made use of a broad brush with dense black ink dragged over absorbent paper and the other method involved sprinkling water drops and diluted ink and colour in an unrestrained manner. Wang Wuxie (Wucius Wong) (b. 1936) [66], a student of Lu Shoukun and now living in the USA, is another outstanding artist influenced by Western art styles and design concepts. Wang has used tonal variation and dense textual strokes to create an incredibly individualistic style with a sense of perspec�tive. Some of his landscapes, which are divided into enclosed areas with thin malleable lines, are highly original.
Hong Kong artist, Luis Chan (1905-1995) [I] faced the challenges of contemporary art and became one of the most innovative forces in the modern Chinese art movement. His multitude of innovative styles are too numerous to summarize. Jackson Yu (b. 1911), who co-founded the Circle Art Club and founded Hong Kong�s first modern art gallery, the Chatham Gallery, in 1963, is another artist exploring abstraction, using bright colourful figures in an abstract manner.
Two other Hong Kong artists worthy of note for their somewhat traditional styles are Fang Zhaoling (b. 1914) [13] and Harold Wong (b. 1943) [33]. Fang Zhaoling has a very bold, primitive and innovative painting style with spontaneous and unpretentious brush�strokes. She has had numerous one-woman shows around the world. Harold Wong uses radical brushstrokes and built-up compositions to create powerfully tense and rugged landscapes. His style is filled with frenzy and offers a wonderful departure from conserva�tive depictions of calm landscapes.
Of the Chinese painters working abroad, the two greatest and most innovative with a truly international world view are Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) [82] and Wang Jiqian (b.
1907) [B]. Zhang was a world traveller, who lived first in China then South America, the US and finally Taiwan. Zhang was thoroughly familiar with Chinese painting techniques before he left China. Of this century he is probably the leading exponent of the traditional school of painting and his skill rivalled the most celebrated masters of the past. His extraordinary talent at copying the old masters has dazzled and has frustrated experts in the field. While in the West in the late 1950s and 60s, he was one of the most successful Chinese artists in integrating Western ideas with Chinese styles and with combining modern and traditional aesthetics. The innovative splashed ink and luminous colour technique, which he devel�oped in his semi-abstract modernist landscapes, was a landmark in Chinese painting of the 20th century, and it was critically acclaimed by art historians around the world. Wang Jiqian, who lives in New York, also achieved greatness with innovative ideas and his assimilation of Western ideas. His wrinkled paper technique used to make textured landscapes in a somewhat abstract pattern is sheer genius. To some, Wang is considered the most successful overseas Chinese artist to modernize and Westernize Chinese art.
Chang Yu or Sanyu (1901-1966) was one in the first waves of Chinese artists to study in Japan and Paris. Unlike his contemporaries, he remained abroad. He was a cosmopolitan
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