Exhibited:

Illustrated:

Robert Moes, Curator of Oriental Art, The Brooklyn Museum, New York has written: Chao's work represents a conscious effort to bring Chinese painting into the mainstream of contemporary world art. He combines traditional Chinese ink painting with certain techniques and ideas of modern Western painting to achieve an increased sense of power and mystery.

(Chao Chung-hsiang, Alisan Fine Arts Ltd., Hong Kong, 1992)

The force and mystique of Chao Chung-hsiang is a personal spiritual world brought about by the influences of eastern and western culture. Shanghai historian Lu Fu-sheng believes that among artists who search for inspiration in western as well as eastern art, Chao is a one-of-a-kind artist. Lu comments, "Chao is unlike most artists who seek the unity and harmony of strange cultures. On a multi-faceted foundation, Chao maintains the original faces of western and eastern culture, allowing the visual-psychological effects of the cultures'intersection, juxtaposition, contrast, and clash to become the major element of his enticing artwork."(Chao Chung-hsiang, vol. 3 Alisan Fine Arts Ltd., Hong Kong, 1999, P.9).

Chao retains the essence of western and eastern art in his artworks, forming a unique visual style. He has special emotions for "ink" in eastern art and believes that innovating Chinese art should be in promoting the core of tradition, that is, the ink painting. When Chao was residing abroad in New York in late 1950, western abstract art was in full bloom. He saw western masters of Abstract Expressionism innovate their works by gaining inspiration from eastern calligraphy and ink painting. This prompted his studies on ink and applying ink to his art. Chinese splash-ink painting, broken ink, and Pollock's 'drip and splash'had certain influence on Chao. After the 80s, his style become more free and unrestrained, expressing the spirit of pure abstract art.

The pivot of Chao's artwork does not deviate from mystical Taoism and philosophies of humanitarianism. From the elements of topics, images, and color, we can discern Chao's compassion. Seeing the World as Such is being auctioned and is the epitome of Chao's art. Critics praise Chao's works in his later years in Taiwan; they believe that his works are painted with great verve and skilled ease. "Seeing the World as Such"originates from one of the last four lines of the Diamond Sutra. The last lines are: "All the doings of the world/ Like dreams and illusions/ Like dew and lightening/Seeing the world as such" All the existence in space and actions done under time in this world are only illusions, like dew that vanishes under the sun, transient as lightening. We should see the world as such, for all are illusions. This consummate, philosophical state permeates Chao's brilliant art and life experiences, translating into an unparalleled significance in his artworks.