Rising with the Clouds

Huang Zhongfang (Harold Wong) has the ability to distill the vast repertoire of traditional painting down to a few fundamental elements. His compositions and technique comprise a dialogue between light and dark, solid and void, wet and dry. Concentrating on layers of color washes and scattered ink, Huang builds up certain areas while covering others minimally or even leaving them blank. When we look at one of his works, it is as if we are seeing a cropped image, part of a whole that alludes to its mammoth overarching structure. The mountains, trees, and rocks he chooses to depict are made up of carefully controlled brushstrokes that upon close inspection seem to devolve into indeterminate array of squiggles and dots.

Born in Shanghai in 1943, Huang moved to Hong Kong with his parents in 1948. In 1977, after living in England and Europe, Huang set up his own art gallery in Hong Kong. He relinquished his duties at the gallery in 1990 and began to paint full time. While he is aware of trends in Western art, his paintings are the result of a dedication to the study of classical Chinese paintings. Rising with the Clouds is an example of the personal and introspective style Huang developed in the 1990s. The inscription on this painting reads: Rising with the Clouds. Summer of 1996.