Category: Local

Edged between the cultures of East and West and the passage from the past to the present, the artist Ding Yanyong (1902-1978) and his life experiences shed light on the triumphs and tribulations of a nation in a tumultuous era.

Ding studied Western painting in Japan and returned to China to join the art scene in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing. He became a motivating force in the New Art Movement that spearheaded the changes to revolutionize Chinese art, in the company of such masters as Xu Beihong, Liu Haisu and Lin Fengmian. As an art educator, he achieved the pinnacle of his career as President of the Guangdong Provincial Art Academy in Guangzhou between 1946 and 1949.

The political turnover in 1949 forced Ding to flee to Hong Kong, leaving behind an illustrious career in mainland China to come to an island where he was a complete stranger. All alone without his family and suffering extreme financial hardship, Ding persevered in the apathetic artistic environment of Hong Kong during that period. His revolutionary efforts to blend Western Fauvism with Chinese traditional literati painting and archaic seal-carving,formed his signature style. His comical and yet mystical art will be unfolded in the drama of his personal life, which has been intimately interwoven in the complex artistic milieu of Hong Kong.

Professor Mayching Kao is the former Chair Professor of Fine Arts and the Director of the Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She specializes in Chinese painting with an emphasis on the Ming, Qing and modern periods, as well as cross-cultural influences and art education. Her publications include European Influences in Chinese Art, Sixteenth to Eighteenth Centuries, Lin Fengmian: A Butterfly Broken Free from Its Cocoon,The Art of Wu Guanzhong, The Mei Yun Tang Collection of Paintings by Chang Da-chien, Celebration of Nature: The Life and Art of Chao Shao-an, Gao Jianfu and the Ceramics Industry in Modern China, Ding Yanyong: His Life and Art and Fang Zhaoling: Her Times, Life and Art.

Born to a family of artists, Nigel Szeto (司徒乃鍾) is the son of Lingnan Painting School master Szeto Kei and grandson of the famous poet Szeto Mei.

In the early 1960’s and 70’s, Szeto studied art under masters Chao Shao An, Guan Shan Yue, Li Xiong Cai, Yang Shan Shen, Chang King Hung and Chan Shu Soo in Hong Kong and China. Later, he attended Capilano College, Emily Carr College of Art & Design in Canada and graduated with highest honors.

His artworks have been collected and exhibited extensively around the globe, including the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Hong Kong Heritage Museum; the Museum of Civilization of Ottawa, Canada; the Nanjing Museum, Jiangmen Art Museum, and the Memorial Museum of Lingnan School of Painting, China; and many corporate and private collections.

Nigel Szeto is currently a member of the China Artists Association; Director of the Hong Kong Cang Cheng Art School and Founding Chairman of the Cang Cheng Art Association,Canada; Professor of Fine Arts Faculty, Director and Vice-Principal of Lingnan Art Study in Guangzhou Art Academy; Vice-Director of the Zhejiang Museum West Lake Academy of Chinese Painting in Hangzhou; Honorary Consultant of the Asia Program, University of Indianapolis, USA; Associated Member of The Federation of Canadian Artists; and Vice-Chairman of the Lingnan Art Study Association of Macau.

During this morning’s visit to his studio, Szeto discussed and shared with us his work that exemplified his personal style and philosophy in art. He demonstrated his unique ink painting style that had received wide acclaim. In addition, we were able to view his eclectic collection of ink stones, brushes and antiques. It was an informal occasion to enjoy Chinese art in a relaxed, cozy atmosphere over tea and cake, with dim sum lunch after.

In Chinese, the literal meaning of collecting (shou cang) is “to acquire and to hide”, but the collectors of these museum quality artworks has given shou cang a new meaning. It is “to acquire, to exhibit and to share”. This unique art collection has been acquired by three generations of passionate art lovers of the Wong family. Selected with discerning eyes, it is permanently exhibited in the Parkview Clubhouse on the hilltop of the Tai Tam Country Park and is open to all visitors of this facility.

The Parkview Art Collection showcases a wide range of disciplines in world art. Without favoring any particular genre, it is comprised of the following:

– Modern and contemporary Western art – includes works from famous artists
– Picasso, Andy Warhol, Miro, Chagall, Monet, Van Gogh and others. This collection has a focus on the sculptures of Salvador Dali.

– Asian contemporary art’ includes works by artists who stood at the forefront of contemporary art in China – Yue Minjun, Zhang Xiaogang, Wang Guangyi,Zeng Fangzhi and others. There are also many artworks of emerging artists
from China as well as newly acquired works from Korea and Indonesia.

– Chinese classical paintings and calligraphy – formed part of the earlier collection,including a large number of famous literati paintings and calligraphy (Wang Yuanqi, Wang Hui and Bada) as well as imperial hand scrolls.

– Buddhist sculptures – a unique collection with some very rare pieces dating from Northern Wei to Qing dynasty. This collection has been exhibited at the City University of Hong Kong and has also been well documented by established international scholars.

– Chinese antiquities and curios – include early bronzes from the period of the Warring States, a mix of distinguished pieces of cloisonn-, jade ruyi, ceramics,seals and other artifacts from around the world.

In-house Curator Lucie Chang Yu (MA from SOAS, University of London) or her colleague will guide us through the collection. We will enjoy a leisurely lunch at the Clubhouse after the viewing.

Lecture Synopsis:

This lecture will review the cultural significance of the traditional Chinese courtyard house; tracing its philosophical foundation to the harmony of man and heaven, and the ways in which the Confucian ideal of a family is being institutionalized in this physical built form. It makes reference to houses found in the New Territories and the Pearl River Delta.

The Speaker:

A registered architect by profession, Professor David Lung ( 龍炳頤教授 ) is the Professor of Architecture and the Founding Director of the Architectural Conservation Programme at the University of Hong Kong. With over thirty years of work researching, teaching and publishing in the area of cultural heritage, he currently holds the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Heritage Resource Management and the Associate Deanship in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Hong Kong.