EXHIBITED:

Chinese Tradition Representation, Amy Simon Fine Art, Pennsylvania USA, 2008

Yang Chihung's paintings from the late 1980s and early 1990s have been described as embodying a kind of "plant aesthetics." In these works, Yang uses the harmonious structure of the universe and expressive visual imagery to present a romantic atmosphere that possesses its own internal rationality. From the late 1990s onwards, Yang's paintings usually have waving, spreading plants as their subject matter, in a fusion of the brushwork techniques of Chinese ink brush painting with Western art's emphasis on color and light. Here, Yang is seeking to portray a visual sense of time and speed within a two-dimensional space. Yang Chihung has used oils, acrylics, woodblock prints and ink brush painting as his main media. His work has a multi-faceted character, straddling the border between the abstract and the realist, while also containing elements of both the rough-edged and the refined, the primitive and the civilized, the conscious and the sub-conscious. Yang's paintings are multi-layered works that demonstrate great technical expertise, including an impressive unity of color and light; within a freewheeling space, they succeed in capturing the spiritual essence of the subject matter. When approaching the issue of time, Yang uses color and shape to portray on the canvas each individual trace of visual and spiritual flow. At the same time, he employs composition and dynamic motion to transform his thought into a kind of non-visual spiritual depth; through imagery and rhythm, he is able to express his own spiritual contemplation through poetic emotion rather than through didactic, logical exposition. Starting in 1998, Yang embarked on a process of spiritual exploration of his own inner world. As he achieved ever greater understanding of life, his attitude towards form was transformed from a material to a largely psychological approach, and then from a psychological approach to one based on imagery. The overall effect of these works is one of freedom and release.

In 2003, Yang began work on his "Stream of Consciousness" series of ink brush paintings, in which he combined the medium of ink brush painting with his own understanding of the aesthetic tradition of Chinese calligraphy to undertake a spiritual exploration of his inner world. In these paintings, Yang integrated the use of acrylic paints with the techniques and essence of ink brush painting. "Magic Mountain" is one of the most representative works from Yang's "Stream of Consciousness" series. Using the artistic lexicon of painting, Yang portrays the passage of time within the process of natural change as it affects the wind, the mist, and the mountain peaks. Viewers are struck by the power of nature, and by the mysterious depth of East Asian aesthetics. Yang's sweeping use of abstract line somehow embodies the key techniques of traditional ink brush painting – "contouring", "wrinkling", "rubbing", "dyeing", and "dotting" – together with the effective use of blank space and the emotive force of abstract color and line. The overall effect is one of great depth and emotional richness; the painting exudes a romantic, poetic feel that is highly contemporary while also embodying a fusion of Asian and Western styles.