Artist Chuan Teng exhibited his Chinese calligraphy
a few years ago at the Rainforest Art Foundation’s 80 Plus and Going Strong.
Whereas typical Chinese calligraphy done in ink, symbolizes a few words, Teng
took it up a few notches adding various colors of acrylic paint and poetry. Most noticeable is that the paintings are also
done on canvas vs. the old tradition of applying the calligrapher to rice paper.
With the benefit of the art center in downtown Flushing’s
Chinese community, Teng presented a number of his talented contemporary pieces Saturday,
August 31 and Sunday, September 1. The exhibit’s opening brought a crowd of
what appeared to be collectors, artists, family and friends all invited to view
his works.
It was at the age of 8 when Teng was inspired by
Chinese calligraphy having a father who was an accomplished poet and
calligrapher. During Teng’s school years he racked up many competition prizes,
going on to further awards in Taipai. A scholarship from Ohio University
brought him to the U.S.A.
Throughout his career Teng would practice his form
of art one to two hours per day, resulting in his being invited to many culture
sites to demonstrate his calligraphy in front of live audiences. After retiring
from his job, in a different field, Teng devoted himself to serving the Chinese
community on Staten Island.
It was more recent that Teng started to use acrylic
and canvas as new tools for his work as he had taken advantage of the esthetic
lines from the Chinese characters’ form by extending them to make shapes that
resemble their pictorial origin. Using a group of the characters that adopted a
saying or passage of a poem, he carefully arranged them in a way to have them
stand out in all its artistic beauty.
Following are his bright colored acrylics completed
in 2018-2019. Afternoon Nap – in a tired
afternoon, nap on a rattan pillow; Tower – Climb up the tower to view mountains
after rain; Chat – Good Friends gather together at night to chat near the
bamboo window; Smiling – Smiling in front of flower garden with a cup of wine
in hand; Flute – East Neighbor plays flute under moon; Enlightenment – There
never is a Bodhi tree, nor does the bright mirror exist. Where there begins
with nothing, on what would dust stain; Summer – Soaking feet in cold spring
water during hot summer days; Sail – Sail on shallow clear spring water.
In addition, Teng had taken the symbols of
Longevity, Happiness, Inner peace and Health to total creativity using the
symbols in the middle to be the main point of view surrounded by floral designs
and colors.
Teng’s exhibit also included a series of poems from
several ancient authors using ink on paper, such as one by Tao Yuanming titled
Drinking. “I gladly pick up some mums near the east side fence and the tranquil
Southern Mount scene gently meets my eyes. The evening haze enshrouds the Mount
in fine weather while flocks of birds flying home in company.”
Another poem written by Wang Zhihuan, Climb Up White
Stork Tower reads, “The white sun sets behind the mountain, and the Yellow
river flows into sea. To have a thousand mile view go up another floor.
In
regards to the presentation of the exhibition, Teng remarked. “I am happy to
say that it received
tremendous responses from viewers on three fronts. One was to present the
Chinese characters with their various forms and writing styles side by side,
where viewers can see a whole picture of this art form. Secondly is to link the
Chinese characters and the Chinese poems/sayings to create works not only to
have the individual character’s pictorial beauty but to have the subtle meaning
of the whole work stand out.”
“Thirdly was to use
acrylic-on-canvas rather than traditional brush-ink-paper in order to extend
the lines that forms the Chinese character to create modern art works that
are very appreciable to the eyes of today’s viewers. My works
“Carving Insects” and “Afternoon Nap” have received most enthusiastic comments.
Overall, the success of this calligraphy show inspires me to continue using new
tools to present the Chinese calligraphic aesthetic for more modern viewers.”
Artist and founder of the Rainforest Art Foundation
Marlene Yu remarked about Teng’s work saying, “I had already admired his
artistic talent as a calligrapher. This new form using colors on canvas is the
best I have seen anywhere. I particularly love the soothing colors and hope to
see more of his future works.”
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