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About 40 recent works by an artist of the Lingnan School, Ms Ng Yuet-lau, that show the driving force of artistic exploration will go on display from tomorrow (July 11) until February 7, 2011, at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
"Unrestrained Passions: The Art of Ng Yuet-lau" is part of the new Chao Shaoan "Student Exhibition Series" launched by the Heritage Museum to offer visitors a glimpse into the achievements of Chao¡¦s students in their continuing efforts to explore new horizons beyond the confines of different schools of art and their underlying principles.
The exhibition was opened today (July 10) by the Assistant Director (Heritage and Museums) of Leisure and Cultural Services, Dr Louis Ng Chi-wah; Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Joseph Sung Jao-yiu; Dr Samson Sun; Museum Expert Adviser to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Dr Leo Wong Kwai-kuen; Ms Ng Yuet-lau; and the Acting Chief Curator of the Heritage Museum, Mr Chau Hing-wah.
Born in 1943 in Guangzhou, China, Ng Yuet-lau was exposed to the art of Chinese painting at an early age. But it was not until the 1970s that she devoted herself to an artistic career. In 1972 she became a student of Chao Shaoan (1905-1998) and was inspired by the spirit of creativity of the Lingnan School of painting. In 1976 she further studied with Huang Junbi (1898-1991) who taught her the importance of traditional techniques. Benefiting from this training, Ng burnished her traditional techniques while pursuing the spirit of creativity in her art.
Excelling in a wide range of subjects in the traditional media of Chinese ink and colour, Ng has been particularly fond of painting landscapes in recent years. The prominent characteristic of her landscapes is the blending of splash ink patches with textural details in the representation of mountains and streams. This is usually supplemented with shrouding clouds, beams of sunlight and other details to enhance the richness of the pictorial appearance, displaying her virtuosity in the mastery of this traditional genre.
Ng is also noted for her painting of animals and birds which follows the lineage of the Lingnan School, but to which she adds personal touches. Through her close observation of nature, she has captured the liveliness of the tiger, eagle, golden monkeys and other animals, emphasising their characteristics and at the same time expressing her own feelings towards these creatures. In the genre of flower painting, Ng excels particularly at peonies. Aided by the careful choice of elegant colours and the effect of transparency in the treatment of floral petals, Ng's peonies convey a feeling of purity without a sense of flamboyance.
Ng is a hard-working artist who is always ready to absorb new elements in her art. This is reflected in her experiment of adopting the sharp contrasting effect of light and the dark patterns of woodblock prints in her paintings. In a series of works on plantain trees, such an effect perfectly depicts plantain trees at night by contrasting the white leaves with the dark background. In this way Ng successfully makes her work different from her teacher's work on the same subject.
Succeeding in developing a personal style evolved from the art of her teacher Chao Shaoan, Ng at the same time has followed the footsteps of her teacher by devoting much effort to art education. She started to teach Chinese painting at the School of Continuing and Professional Education of the City University of Hong Kong from 2003, and the next year she established the Ling Ngai Art Association. She has also lectured at Shaoguan, Wuyi, Xiamen, Fudan and Indianapolis universities in the last decade. By doing this, she has joined forces with other students of Chao Shaoan in promoting the art of the Lingnan School, bringing it to a wider audience locally and around the world.
To tie in with the exhibition, a demonstration entitled "Flowing Clouds and Green Mountains" will be held on August 18, at 3pm at the museum. Ng will demonstrate Chinese ink painting skills and tell stories of studying with Professor Chao. Conducted in Cantonese, admission to the demonstration is free and 50 seats will be available on a first-come-first-served basis. For details and reservation of seats, contact the Education Team of the museum on 2180 8260.
Located at 1 Man Lam Road, Sha Tin, the Heritage Museum opens from 10am to 6pm from Monday to Saturday, and from 10am to 7pm on Sundays and public holidays. It is closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays). Admission is $10, with a half-price concession for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and full-time students. Admission is free on Wednesdays.
Paid car parking is available at the Heritage Museum. Those who prefer to use public transport may take the MTR Ma On Shan Line and get off at the Che Kung Temple Station, which is within three minutes' walk of the museum.
For enquiries, call 2180 8188. For details of the exhibition, visit the Heritage Museum's website at http://hk.heritage.museum.
Ends/Saturday, July 10, 2010
Issued at HKT 15:01
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