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拍品专文
The Japanese invasion that threw China into turmoil in the 1930s forced crowds of Chinese to take refuge in Hong Kong, then a small British colony near Guangzhou in the South of China. Among this flux many young artists such as Ng Po Wan and Yee Bon moved their lives and works from the mainland to Hong Kong. Other famous artists such as Ding Yanyong, Gao Jianfu, Li Tie-fu, Feng Gangbai, Huang Xinbo, Lee Byng and Chen Hong were also residing in Hong Kong at the time. Together they hosted joint painting exhibitions despite their temporary and indefinite stay in the city. These artists, together with the local artists like Luis Chan, Xu Dongbai and Zhou Gongli, cultivated an artistic community of immense vitality in Hong Kong.
Works of Ng Po Wan are closely related to the life of the vast population. A series of works depicting the life of the lower class created between the 1950s and 1960s permeate with nostalgic feelings of Hong Kong. The series can be regarded as an important reference material for studying early Hong Kong culture. Reading Comics (Lot 2201) created in 1950 is an early work by the artist. "Take your seat, be the first in line" was a trendy phrase in the 1950s and 1960s in Hong Kong, the idea which originated from kiosks of illustrated story books at the time. Ng paints a group of children sitting on a bench reading comics at a kiosk in an alley in Kowloon Walled City. Due to limited materials, daily activities of children of that generation were fairly simple. It only cost one cent to borrow a few comic books and children could enjoy reading Chinese classical novels such as "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Outlaws of the Marsh", "Journey to the West", "The Creation of the Gods" and "The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants". Many children gathering in groups would spend their leisurly afternoons in this manner. Contrasted with the dark background, the children's excitement and their delightful expressions are brought to life vividly through Ng's intuitive observation and with his skillful, realistic techniques and versatile use of lighting.
From A Vase of Flowers (Lot 2202), painted in 1957, viewers can fully appreciate Ng Po Wan's mastery of oil painting techniques. The painting can be associated with the delicate depiction of the beautiful shapes of Hyacinth and Chrysanthemum painted by Henri Fantin-Latour in the 19th century. The brushstrokes are as precise as the fine brushwork in bird-and-flower paintings of the Lingnan School, yet the painting does not lose its expressiveness. The eye catching complimentary colours of purple, red, yellow and green enrich the vitality of the blossoming flowers. With careful composition, the flowers extend upward and beyond the frame, suggesting prosperity. Emphasizing on the use of lighting, Ng intentionally directs the light reflected from the wall totone down the colour of the lower part of the vase to create a rich contrast between light and dark, the dynamic and static.
In 1957, Ng Po Wan left Hong Kong where he had lived for over 40 years and moved to Canada to reunite with his children; still, he never stopped painting. In the autumn of 1977, Nova Scotia Gallery held an exhibition of Ng Po Wan. Searching for a breakthrough in artistic creation, the 74-year-old Ng Po Wan joined his companion driving on the highway along the Atlantic Coast. Under the sun, the endless mountainous waves of the Atlantic were striking. Fearless of any constraints, Ng Po Wan captured the climactic moment and painted on a rock by the shore. He realistically rendered nature, forever recording the "moment" discussed by Impressionism, creating the renowned Atlantic Coast (Lot 2200). Thick layers of paint bring out the dynamism of the surging wave and enhance the illusion of their depth. Ng Po Wan's brushwork employed short and sharp strokes to draw the contour of the continuous waves. Moving with the propulsion of the waves, straight lines become swirling curves, whirling and smashing against the rock. Eloquent brushstrokes, as if in symphony, touch people's heart. The orange and the blue colours complement each other highlighting the thumping waves and the sparkling sea water. Having rested on the rock, the birds fly again toward the sun; a metaphor for the artist's optimism and accomplishment towards the end of his life.
Works of Ng Po Wan are closely related to the life of the vast population. A series of works depicting the life of the lower class created between the 1950s and 1960s permeate with nostalgic feelings of Hong Kong. The series can be regarded as an important reference material for studying early Hong Kong culture. Reading Comics (Lot 2201) created in 1950 is an early work by the artist. "Take your seat, be the first in line" was a trendy phrase in the 1950s and 1960s in Hong Kong, the idea which originated from kiosks of illustrated story books at the time. Ng paints a group of children sitting on a bench reading comics at a kiosk in an alley in Kowloon Walled City. Due to limited materials, daily activities of children of that generation were fairly simple. It only cost one cent to borrow a few comic books and children could enjoy reading Chinese classical novels such as "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Outlaws of the Marsh", "Journey to the West", "The Creation of the Gods" and "The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants". Many children gathering in groups would spend their leisurly afternoons in this manner. Contrasted with the dark background, the children's excitement and their delightful expressions are brought to life vividly through Ng's intuitive observation and with his skillful, realistic techniques and versatile use of lighting.
From A Vase of Flowers (Lot 2202), painted in 1957, viewers can fully appreciate Ng Po Wan's mastery of oil painting techniques. The painting can be associated with the delicate depiction of the beautiful shapes of Hyacinth and Chrysanthemum painted by Henri Fantin-Latour in the 19th century. The brushstrokes are as precise as the fine brushwork in bird-and-flower paintings of the Lingnan School, yet the painting does not lose its expressiveness. The eye catching complimentary colours of purple, red, yellow and green enrich the vitality of the blossoming flowers. With careful composition, the flowers extend upward and beyond the frame, suggesting prosperity. Emphasizing on the use of lighting, Ng intentionally directs the light reflected from the wall totone down the colour of the lower part of the vase to create a rich contrast between light and dark, the dynamic and static.
In 1957, Ng Po Wan left Hong Kong where he had lived for over 40 years and moved to Canada to reunite with his children; still, he never stopped painting. In the autumn of 1977, Nova Scotia Gallery held an exhibition of Ng Po Wan. Searching for a breakthrough in artistic creation, the 74-year-old Ng Po Wan joined his companion driving on the highway along the Atlantic Coast. Under the sun, the endless mountainous waves of the Atlantic were striking. Fearless of any constraints, Ng Po Wan captured the climactic moment and painted on a rock by the shore. He realistically rendered nature, forever recording the "moment" discussed by Impressionism, creating the renowned Atlantic Coast (Lot 2200). Thick layers of paint bring out the dynamism of the surging wave and enhance the illusion of their depth. Ng Po Wan's brushwork employed short and sharp strokes to draw the contour of the continuous waves. Moving with the propulsion of the waves, straight lines become swirling curves, whirling and smashing against the rock. Eloquent brushstrokes, as if in symphony, touch people's heart. The orange and the blue colours complement each other highlighting the thumping waves and the sparkling sea water. Having rested on the rock, the birds fly again toward the sun; a metaphor for the artist's optimism and accomplishment towards the end of his life.