A Westchester County park beloved for its miles of walking trails and acres of natural habitat just a few miles north of New York City, is also a regular host to a variety of artists. Recently, curator Audrey Leeds hung a show of contemporary art by the Chinese artist, Huang Yue. This invitational exhibition evokes the spirit and imagery of traditional Chinese brush painting, but with a contemporary twist. Nature is very much the focus of this artist’s work, but on closer examination, delves deep into human consciousness and aspiration.

​

​

​

​

Artist, Huang Yue with examples of his work Chinese brush painting is an ancient art form, developed in China hundreds of years ago and has remained remarkably consistent over the centuries. The recent emergence of China on the global economic market has opened the doors for a new level of awareness and appreciation for the time-honored techniques of Chinese artistry, but has also served as an opportunity for tradition-bound methods to find new directions in the face of Western influences.

​

​

​

 

So, while the style and technique of Chinese painting have varied greatly over the years, the opportunity for experimentation has made room for personal experimentation and development. What Huang brings to his work is a blend of rich and broad traditional methods and subject matter, but allowing room for execution in new ways.

​

​

 

Typical motifs in Chinese brush painting include flowers, birds, animals and landscapes, painted with large brush strokes. And at first blush, Huang’s paintings appear to be running this predictable gauntlet—particularly with dozen-or-so watercolor scroll painting that occupy the curved wall at the far end of the gallery. Here, birds and flowers dominate, in a bold, but delicate hand. They seems startlingly contemporary, even as they capture the essence of traditional motifs.

​

​

​

​

 

Like Monet's late-life Nymphia series, the images appear realistic from a distance. But on closer examination, are in fact, composed of abstracted brush strokes of the most elemental form. Small, mythical birds and insects inhabit these works, animating scenes in which the natural world seems a wondrous and magical place. A close up painting of a cluster of peaches, still on the branch, dominates the center panel of this section, looking teasingly delectable behind a sheaf of dark green foliage— mildly sensual and exposed for the picking in their florid red, pink and yellow splendor.

​

​

​

 

But even more important than the visual image is the message behind the painting: it expresses the inner spirit of the subject or the feelings of the artist. Many of Huang's paintings contain calligraphic inscription which, according to the artist’s brother and interpreter, were drawn from 12th and 13th century monastic poetry. One shortfall of the exhibition is that there is not more text panel support for the narrative portion of each work, as it would help shed light on the intended 'message behind the medium.' These beautiful poems were often intended to extoll nature, or provide a poetic description of the subject. The gallery might consider broad interpretations of some of the text to help bring a deeper sense of context for the work to Western eyes.

​

​

​

 

Huang’s oil paintings represent a more radical departure for traditional methods, as he layers textural underpainting to his canvases before rendering his final subject matter. Birds and flowers dominate his surreal landscapes, as dense atmospherics drip and swirl around his figures; they seem more protective than threatening, reinforcing the notion that nature’s wonders are often secreted behind walls of rocks, misty brooks and low-lying morning haze. Buddha makes an occasional appearance, as though to reinforce the timeless connection in Chinese culture between the secular and aesthetic worlds.

​

​

​

 

Philosophy and symbolism play a huge part in Chinese art. Every animal has its own meaning and can be used to convey an artist’s message. Different flowers can symbolize a number of things, such as good fortune, good luck, wisdom, summer, old age, renewal, purity and sweetness. As Huang’s interpreter explains, “My brother’s work is intended to raise the spirits of the viewer. Elements in each painting of flowers and birds elevate the eye upward, away from the trails here on earth and toward a more ideal existence. Over the centuries, Chinese art has meant to inspire one toward happiness and well-being, and away from the cares of daily existence. The lotus blossoms and the tiny birds and butterflies are symbols of perfection and freedom, both of which we, here on earth would aspire to. These are painting designed to help the viewer escape to a better place.”

​

​

​

Thus, Chinese brush painting is more than a representation of an object; it is also a symbolic expression. This is why a full flower is never painted, only a few blossoms representing the subject in its entirety, and all of life (a TAO principle). Rather than looking at a subject as one paints, the artist finds the subject within, thus becoming part of nature.

​

​

 

The mastery of Chinese brush painting requires many years of dedication, serious study and self-discipline. It is one of the world’s most demanding art forms. Ironically, Huang is a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy, and worked for several years as a cartoonist. He also studied in the U.S. in 1996. He turned his attention to painting in 2000, hoping to break away from the prototypical Chinese style of painting static representations of still life, portraits and nature. Instead, as he explains, “I want to use birds and flowers as symbols, to reflect mankind’s spirit, sensation and ideology. I wanted to apply a new conception of Western oil painting to create a new visual genre.”

​

​

​

And while the astonishing fact about Chinese brush painting—evidenced in Huang’s scroll paintings—that each brush stroke is a defining move that cannot be improved on or corrected. No sketch is prepared and no model is used; the artist paints with rapid, instinctual strokes transporting a mental image to mulberry or rice paper. His oil paintings exhibit less of that spontaneity, but no less the expertise needed to construct the narrative framework that is so much a part of Chinese painting. For all the skill brought to bear in his watercolors, Huang’s oils are patient expressions of devotion for nature and the power of color, construct and message that resonate effectively in the modern world.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Richard Friswell

 

Author and cultural historian Richard Friswell is on the faculty of Wesleyan University’s Lifelong Learning Institute. He is also the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of ARTES, an international fine arts, architecture and design e-magazine. He is an elected member of the Association Internationale des Critiques d’Art (one of only 450 individuals in the United States), and an award-winning writer, with two national medals from Folio:Magazine for his editorial contributions in the field of art journalism. 

​