「東西問道，道是道路，道是道理，有本源，有方向，有平坦，有崎嶇，有轉折，有分歧。道在東方？道在西方？我追尋的不全在東方，也不全在西方。」—— 王無邪，2007。

“East and West, the path is both a route and a principle, with its origins, directions, smooth stretches, rough patches, twists, and turns, as well as forks in the road. Is the path in the East? Is the path in the West? What I pursue lies not solely in the East, nor entirely in the West.” – Wucius Wong, 2007.

Why it matters:
是此展覽題為「水意山情」，將展示近二十幅的畫作，從 1985 年至 2023 年呈現了王無邪四個不同系列的作品。王氏師承水墨大師呂壽琨，是香港舉足輕重的水墨畫家，也是推動香港「新水墨運動」的重要人物。王氏善於在畫作中體現其理性分析能力，巧妙精密地以幾何構圖表達不規則的自然風景。從上回三位女子的工筆畫到王氏的水墨畫，觀眾將繼續透過中國古畫的傳統，看見我城的風貌。

The title of this exhibition is “Water Thoughts and Mountain Visions,” featuring nearly twenty paintings that span from 1985 to 2023, showcasing four different series of works by Wucius Wong. Wong, who apprenticed under the ink master Lui Shou-Kwan, is a prominent ink painter in Hong Kong and a key figure in promoting the Hong Kong New Ink Movement in the city. Wong excels in embodying his analytical reasoning in his artworks, skillfully and precisely using geometric compositions to express irregular natural landscapes. From the fine brush painting of three Hong Kong ladies last week to Wong’s ink paintings, viewers will continue to perceive the city’s charm through the lens of traditional Chinese painting.

4 Hightlights:
．​中國畫家張大千1949後在海外享負盛名，把水墨畫帶往世界各地，與畢卡索、馬松等當時矚目的前衛西方藝術家交流。張後期的轉變，抽象與寫實兼容的畫作，是融合了西方當時的超現實主義與立體主義，還是體現了老子所說的「遺貌留神」？大概是兩者兼而有之。而中國水墨在香港這片殖民地的命運又如何？上世紀六十年代，香港本土先有水墨大師呂壽琨開啟了奠定香港現代藝術基礎的「新水墨運動」，探索水墨藴藏的現代性。藉著一批傳統嶺南畫派藝術家陸續從歐美回港，像香港新浪潮導演，他們帶着西方藝術的思想，改革傳統水墨畫。

．After 1949, Chinese painter Zhang Daqian gained international acclaim overseas, bringing ink painting to various parts of the world and engaging with prominent avant-garde Western artists of the time such as Picasso and Masson. Zhang’s later works, which combined abstraction with realism, reflect a fusion of Western surrealism and cubism, or embody what Lao Zi described as “Leaving the Spirit Not the Appearance” ? It is likely a combination of both.

What about the fate of Chinese ink painting in Hong Kong, a colonial territory? In the 1960s, local Hong Kong ink master Lui Shou-Kwan pioneered the Hong Kong New Ink Movement, laying the foundation for modern art in Hong Kong and exploring the modernity inherent in ink painting. As a group of traditional Lingnan school artists gradually returned to Hong Kong from Europe and America, akin to the Hong Kong New Wave directors, they brought with them Western artistic ideas, reforming traditional ink painting.

．透過早期接觸西方藝術和在設計領域的成就，王無邪對繪畫技巧的深厚掌握使他能夠突破傳統水墨藝術的界限。1970年前後，王第二次赴美，當時美國畫壇已不是抽象表現主義的天下，色域繪畫(Colour Field Painting)和極簡藝術(Minimal Art)大行其道，對王影響深遠。王在M+的訪問中，形容自己的風格在一眾畫家間傾向「理性」與「秩序」，因此美國當時的幾何觀念尤其影響他的畫面處理。呂壽琨的教導讓王氏諳熟以點線來表達情感，因此他的創作過程包括對傳統山水圖像的詳細解構，揭示隱藏在其表象下的複雜幾何框架。

．Through early exposure to Western art and achievements in the field of design, Wucius Wong’s profound mastery of painting techniques enabled him to break free from the confines of traditional ink art. Around 1970, during Wong’s second visit to the United States, the American art scene had shifted away from abstract expressionism, with colour field painting and minimal art gaining prominence, profoundly influencing Wong. In an interview with M+, Wong described his style as embodying a tendency towards “rationality” and “order” among other painters, thus the geometric concepts prevalent in America at the time particularly influenced his handling of pictorial space. Lui Shou-Kwan’s teachings familiarized Wong with expressing emotions through dots and lines, thus his creative process involved detailed deconstruction of traditional landscape imagery, revealing the complex geometric frameworks hidden beneath its surface.

．正如王無邪近二十年前所自述，他追尋的不全在東方，也不全在西方。天地、流水等自然風光當然是水墨畫的主角，但王的視角一反傳統。《秋山》中連綿起伏的山脈不再以和諧壯麗的「大好河山」呈現。融合西方的理性與數學，以幾何抽象的視角重新構想自然世界，彷彿地誌學書籍的圖樣，科技把綠植草皮去除，留下山脈的地形，有賴於王氏早年鑽研的設計學。《水長流卅六》像流水慢鏡定格放大後的波紋，同樣運用鮮明的幾何形式表現自然元素，突顯了流動與結構、有機與建構之間的張力。1996年後王氏定居香港，除了山水，城市亦是他筆下的主角。《窗夢廿八》呈現鋼鐵窗花的規整結構下車水馬龍的流動線條，以現代設計概念詮釋都市環境，描繪我城的景觀。

．As Wucius Wong described nearly twenty years ago, his pursuit lies not solely in the East nor entirely in the West. While natural landscapes such as, natural landscapes and flowing water are indeed the subjects of ink painting, Wong’s perspective diverges from tradition. In “Autumn Mountain,” the undulating mountain ranges are no longer presented in the harmonious and magnificent portrayal of majestic landscapes. Integrating Western rationality and mathematics, Wong reimagines the natural world from a geometric and abstract perspective, akin to geographic figures, as if the technology removes vegetation and turf to reveal the terrain of mountains. These are skills honed through Wong’s early studies in design. In “Running Water Forever 36” which resembles ripples magnified and frozen in time, Wong similarly employs vivid geometric forms to depict natural elements, highlighting the tension between flow and structure, organic and constructed. After settling in Hong Kong in 1996, aside from landscapes, urban environments also become subject of his works. “Window Dream 28” depicts the orderly structure of steel window grilles juxtaposing with the bustling flow of city life. Such a portrayal of our city is an interpretation of urban environments with modern design concepts.

．在現代城市與西方思想的薰陶下，王氏依然不捨中國水墨傳統。書畫同源，書法在王氏的藝術中是舉足輕重的元素。文字不再只是畫作旁的點綴，也是圖像本身，成為畫的主角。王形容文字與背景之間的白線是「旋律」，畫中的點是「節奏」，背景圖像則由自然景觀幻化而成。王氏一直毅然開創中國水墨畫的可能，不甘成為平庸之輩，不斷嘗試新技巧與形式，以及它們的各種組合，樂此不疲。

．Influenced by the modern urban environment and Western thoughts, Wong Wucius remains deeply attached to the tradition of Chinese ink painting. With the belief that calligraphy and painting share the same origin, calligraphy plays an essential role in Wong’s art. Calligraphy are no longer merely an embellishment beside the painting; it becomes the focal point of the image itself. Wong describes the white lines between the words and the background as “melody,” the dots within the painting as “rhythm,” while the background images are transformed from natural landscapes. Wong has steadfastly pioneered the possibilities of Chinese ink painting, refusing to settle for mediocrity. He continuously experiments with new techniques and forms, as well as their various combinations, and thus tirelessly exploring and pushing the boundaries of the art form.

Background – 王無邪:

王無邪，備受讚譽的水墨畫家，香港新水墨運動的重要畫家之一。1936 年出生於廣東省東莞市虎門鎮，自幼移居香港， 1958 年開始隨呂壽琨習畫，期間聯合創辦香港現代文學美術協會，並加入一畫會成為會員。1960 年組織了香港首屆國 際沙龍展之後，赴美國哥倫布美術及設計學院進修，繼而在馬利蘭藝術學院獲得學士及碩士學位。1960 年代至 1980 年 代先後任職香港中文大學校外課程策劃、香港博物美術館助理館長、香港理工學院設計學院首席講師。1971 年獲亞洲 文化協會獎助金，又曾獲頒香港特區政府銅紫荊星章、香港藝術發展局終身成就獎，以及香港理工大學榮譽院士。現 為香港中文大學藝術系兼任教授、中國畫學會香港永遠會長、中國畫學會(全國)理事、香港康樂文化事務署博物館專家 顧問，及香港美術家協會名譽顧問。 

王無邪曾於世界各地舉行個展和聯展八十多次。他的兩次重要回顧展，2006 年於香港藝術館和 2016 年於香港理工大學 舉行。作品獲多家公營美術館收藏，包括英國之大英博物館、牛津大學亞殊慕連美術館;美國之紐約大都會博物館、 費城美術館、明尼亞波利斯美術館、明尼蘇達美術館、芝加哥藝術博物館、波士頓美術館、三藩市亞洲美術館、洛杉 磯郡藝術博物館;德國之柏林亞洲藝術博物館;澳洲之國立維多利亞美術館;內地的上海美術館、東莞莞城美術館; 香港藝術館、M+、香港文化博物館、香港大學美術博物館。 

Born in 1936 in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, China, Wucius Wong is a celebrated ink painter and a proponent of the Hong Kong New Ink Movement. He grew up in Hong Kong, and under the tutelage of Lui Shou-Kwan began studying Chinese ink painting in 1958. He co-founded the Modern Literature and Art Association before becoming a member of the One Art Group. After organising the First Hong Kong International Salon of Painting in 1960, he went on to study at the Columbus College of Art and Design in the United States, before obtaining a BFA and MFA from the Maryland Institute of Art. From the 1960s-1980s he worked as an Extramural Course Coordinator at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Assistant Curator of the City Museum and Art Gallery, and Principal Lecturer of the Hong Kong Polytechnic. He was awarded an Asian Cultural Council Fellowship in 1971 and received Bronze Bauhinia Star Medal of the Hong Kong SAR Government, Lifetime Achievement Award of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, University Fellowship of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Presently, he is an Adjunct Professor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Permanent Chairman of the Chinese Painting Institute Hong Kong, Committee Member of the National Chinese Painting Institute, Honorary Advisor to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong SAR Government, and to the Hong Kong Artists Association. 

Wong’s paintings have been exhibited in over eighty solo and group exhibitions across the globe. Two major retrospective exhibitions for Wong have been held at the Hong Kong Museum of Art in 2006, and at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2016. His works have been collected by numerous public museums, including British Museum; Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, UK; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis; Minnesota Museum of Art, Minnesota; Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, USA; Museum fur Ostasiatische Kunst, Berlin, Germany; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia; Shanghai Art Museum; Guancheng Art Museum, Dongguan, China; Hong Kong Museum of Art; M+; Hong Kong Heritage Museum; University Museum and Art Gallery, University of Hong Kong. 

Final Tips:
王氏受北宋范寬影響甚遠，而巴洛克藝術家，包括林布蘭、卡拉瓦喬、魯本斯的光暗技巧與其創造的戲劇效果，也啓發王氏創作自己的水墨風格。

Wong Wucius was deeply influenced by the Northern Song Dynasty painter Fan Kuan, but he also drew inspiration from Baroque artists such as Rembrandt, Caravaggio, and Rubens, particularly their mastery of light and the dramatic effects they created. These influences have played a significant role in shaping Wong’s own style of ink painting.

王無邪「水意山情」Wucius Wong “Water Thoughts and Mountain Visions”
Date:
2024. 3. 21 – 2024. 5. 16
Venue:
藝倡畫廊-中環空間 Alisan Central
香港中環擺花街 1 號一號廣場 21 樓
21/F Lyndhurst Tower, 1 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong