Abstract Expressionism is one of the most important schools in Modernism. It originated in early 20th Century Europe pioneered by artists such as Kandinsky and Malevich. After World War 2 its popularity spread throughout the world and when Abstract Expressionism took hold in the United States, the art capital of the world shifted from Paris to New York. Soon after the appearance of Modernism (which included Abstract Expressionism) it expanded to non- Western countries such as Japan and China. This triggered the Modernist Movement in the East. Last year, the U.S. abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock's work 1948, Number 5 was sold for US$140 million, making it the most expensive art in history. This was also the first time that Abstract act surpassed the masters of Impressionism and Cubism to take the crown. By contrast, the grand masters of Chinese abstract art such as Chao Wu-chi and Chu Teh-chun have in recent years set new records at auctions, laying the groundwork for the day that Abstract Expressionism will become the mainstream in the Chinese world as well.

The techniques of abstract art can be discerned as early as 10 centuries ago at the dawn of Chinese ink paintings. It can even be said that the move towards the abstract was inevitable due to the nature of Chinese ink paintings. So while abstract art was invented by modern Western artists of the 20th Century, its origins may actually be closer to the Chinese artistic tradition. In China's expressive painting and calligraphy tradition, the move towards the abstract was considered the ultimate goal. This is why Western abstract art when viewed through Eastern eyes always seems a little lacking in depth and variety. Since 1973 Chuang Che has been developing his artistic career in the United States. Born 1934 in Beijing, his father Chuang Yen was a renowned calligrapher and the deputy curator of the Beijing Palace Museum. As a child, he watched his father practice calligraphy and was surrounded by the antique paintings of the Beijing Palace Museum. This meant he grew up steeped in the Chinese artistic tradition and this would prove to have a significant effect on his future artistic development. In 1958 he joined Taiwan's renowned May Painting Society. He became one of its key members and was actively involved in the movement to modernize Chinese painting.

Chuang Che's painting style infuses the essence of Chinese calligraphy strokes into Western oil paintings. This fusion of the East and West resulted in his own unique style. He once said that "Through daily contact and experience, the brush strokes and script variations in calligraphy have now become a part of my creative soul. What I want to do is to rediscover the original nature of calligraphy. Wouldn't it be truly magnificent to use the strokes of the running cursive to depict the mountains and rivers?" (excerpt from Cheng Chang-sheng' s The Modern Chinese Painting of Chuan Che art review) The running cursive techniques for forceful/subtle, dense/sparse, ying/yang, thick/pale and dry/wet were inter-mixed with each other to create a new kind of Chinese landscape painting. The unique perception of the mountains and rivers within his mind were given shape on the canvas to create a sense of unlimited energy between the heaven and earth.

In the work "River Mists and Layered Hills", the brush strokes that begin from the right form interwoven layers of color as if the wind had made the river mists and waters overlap with each other before merging into the land on the left. Upon closer examination, the heavy colors in the lower part of the picture seem to hint at rolling hills within the black and dark blue tones. This gives the impression of hidden turbulence beneath the surface, making one feel as if the river was flowing without pause. The white in the upper part of the picture resemble tall peaks covered in white snow. These seem to disappear into the distance and out of sight leaving the audience with an unlimited space for their imagination. In the center of the scenery, Chuang Che' s forceful strokes like the wide cursive in calligraphy lifts, pauses, presses and twists its way across the canvas to give an impression of indescribable majesty. The very use of colors combine restraint with abandon as well as strength with agility. Filled with the poetry of Chinese culture, this was truly one of Chuang Che' s masterpieces from the 1980's.

This year Chuang Che will be holding an individual exhibition at the National Art Mseum of China in Beijing with the theme of "One with the cosmos through brush strokes". After Chao Wu-chi and Chu Teh-chun, he will surely become the next grand master of Chinese abstract art.