ILLUSTRATED:

The Chinese armchair, an oil painting made by Wang in 1991, entitled "The Great Ming Manner" received a gold medal award in the Annual Exhibition of Chinese Oil Painting held by the National Art Museum of China. This reward marked the turning point in Wang's creation. "The Great Ming Manner" is the transition of the artist in the 90s from the houses of Jiangnan to the furniture of the Ming Dynasty. Wang believes that a classic Ming-style armchair is not only a piece of furniture, but a true craft of art. This furniture on canvas bears a cultural memory and depicts a national beauty. It lasts longer than any human life. Through the representation of the perfect furniture frame, the painter constructs an artistic drama of lines and space.

"The Great Ming Manner" is a dialogue initiated by Wang with a historic relic and culture as well as revealing the soul of Chinese calligraphy. "Separation and Reunion", executed in 1992 is the counterpart of "The Great Ming Manner" through deconstruction and reconstruction. With the interwoven tenons and mortises, Wang conveys the ancient aesthetics and manner of the nation. His round-backed armchair is deconstructed and constructed as well as separated and reunited. By using the post-modernistic deconstructionism and a simple classic piece of furniture, Wang shows the rupture and the reconstruction of contemporary culture.

In recent years, Wang summarizes his creations into three points: irst, blackening the furniture on canvas; second, placing the furniture in an empty background instead of where it should be - the floor; and third, turning a three-dimensional space into a two-dimensional one. In "Separation and Reunion" the furniture is black, not the original wooden colour. It is separated from reality and has become a symbol of eternity. The plain black lines not only present the power of the composition, but also symbolize an abstract art which deconstructs the Chinese characters. The interwoven tenons and mortises are emphasized by white colour and bring life to the entire composition. Wang is obviously aware of the beauty of Chinese calligraphy when composing the picture. The shining colour of ink contains the texture of a stele-style calligraphy as well as the stylistic beauty created by the French abstract painter Pierre Soulages (b. 1919), the so-called "painter of black".

Jia Fanzhou knows Wang's art very well; he once said in 'A World of Contrasts - on Wang Huaiqing's Modern Structure' published in 1999" that: From a philosophical perspective, Wang has taken a middle road of great wisdom: two-dimensional treatment gives rise to spatial depth, abstract spirit runs through figurative expression, rational principle sustains emotional confusion, and distinct Eastern cultural qualities transcend Western techniques of expression. On the other hand, from a stylistic perspective Wang has taken the road of Structuralism. From early works such as "Native Residence" and "Sanwei Study" to the latter "Four Wooden Beams against White Walls", "Splintered Blank", "Ming Style" (The Great Ming Manner), and "Great Breach, Great Unity (Separation and Reunion)", "Structure" has remained a central and guiding element in his paintings. Although his themes have evolved from houses to furniture, primacy of "structure" has remained consistent throughout. (Jia Fanzhou, 'A World of Contrasts – on Wang Huaiqing's Modern Structure', Wang Huaiqing, Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, 1999, p. 2)

"Separation and Reunion" is Wang's best work of deconstruction. The title of the painting has revealed his thought – first to deconstruct and then to reconstruct the cultural fragments as well as the historical scene. Because of his view toward cultural history, he puts a destructive tragic consciousness in painting and his work contains the loneliness of history. The painter mourns for the past historic glory, and anticipates reconnecting the past historic tradition. Wang's paintings are full of Chinese humanistic spirits and modernistic style, which is very rare in contemporary art. In 1992, his teacher Wu Guanzhong visited a museum of contemporary art in England. Standing in front of the work of a master sculptor, he said to his friend, "Wang's oil paintings are not inferior to these." This comment shows Wu's appreciation of Wang's art.