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Prof. Ng Yuet-lau, a renowned Hong Kong painter and President of the Ling Ngai Association, joined hands with her son, Prof. Philip Chiu, to organize an art exhibition named ‘Lingnan Images—Paintings by Prof. Ng Yuet-lau and Prof. Philip Chiu’. The exhibition is being held at S.H. Ho College, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and is the first stop for their roving exhibition. It presents more than 50 pieces which include  representative Chinese paintings by both professors, as well as paintings by Ling Ngai Association members and students of S.H. Ho College and Christian Zheng Sheng College. The themes cover landscapes, flowers and birds, as well as local customs and human life situations. To promote Lingnan Art, Prof. Ng taught students from S.H. Ho College and Christian Zheng Sheng College the know-how of Chinese painting. Some of his students even accompanied  Prof. Ng on a sketching tour in the mainland. Students’ paintings are prominently exhibited, emphasising the meaning of cultural inheritance. 

The opening ceremony was held today (4 March). Officiating guests include Prof. Ng Yuet-lau, President of Ling Ngai Association and Chairlady of the Hong Kong Lingnan Art Association; Prof. Philip Chiu, Assistant Dean (External Affairs) of the Faculty of Medicine, CUHK; Mr. Zhu Ting, Deputy Director General of the Publicity, Culture and Sports Department, Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR; Ms. Florence Hui, Under Secretary for Home Affairs, HKSAR; Prof. Joseph Sung, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK; Prof. Samuel Sun, Master of S.H. Ho College, CUHK; Mr. Sze Chi-ching, Chairman of the Hong Kong Branch of the Chinese Calligraphers Association; Dr. Samson Sun, Chairman of Sun International Limited; Prof. Josh Yiu, Acting Director, Art Museum, CUHK; and Miss Angela Ng, President of the Student Union Executive Council, S.H. Ho College, CUHK.

Balance Chinese and Foreign; Courage to Explore and Innovate

As one of the most remarkable contemporary Lingnan painters, Prof. Ng Yuet-lau is of the third generation of Lingnan painting, and the last close female disciple of Prof. Chao Shaoang. Her innovative brushstrokes are demonstrated in her paintings of landscapes, animals and flowers. Prof. Philip Chiu was also under the tutelage of Prof. Chao Shaoang. Influenced by his mother’s dedication to painting, he has acquired refined painting skills. His favourite genre is flowers-and-birds painting.

Lingnan painting is known for its pursuit of innovation. The Lingnan painters’ spirit of ‘Balance Chinese and foreign. Blend tradition and modernity’ is akin to the University mission: To Combine Tradition with Modernity, To Bring Together China and the West. With a mission to groom the artistic talents of the next generation, Prof. Ng strives to pass on Lingnan Art. As an Honorary Fellow of S.H. Ho College, she has been teaching the College students painting skills. She even led a group of College students to visit the historical Chinese city of Shaoxing to sketch at sites such as the former residence of Lu Xun, Xu Wei, Wang Xizhi as well as a nostalgic town in Anchang, to enhance students’ aesthetic sense and painting skills. This summer, Prof. Ng will lead a group composed of S.H. Ho College and Christian Zheng Sheng College students to Dunhuang to visit and sketch at  World Cultural Heritage sites like the Mogao Grottoes.

‘Lingnan Painting treasures innovation and exploration, which is in line with the spirit the College has been advocating. We encourage students to widen their horizon and to innovate. To me, Prof. Ng’s care for students is really touching. She has been tirelessly teaching students the way to observe the mundane in life and to appreciate their surroundings, which is valuable to students,’ said Prof. Samuel Sun, Master of S.H. Ho College.

A Heart for Art Education  Proliferates Lingnan Art

In the exhibition held at the College, Prof. Ng’s Running Horse and Goose Pond is the  first exhibit (Please refer to the attached for details), displaying her refined and bold brushstrokes conveying a sense of untrammeled sublimity. She even drew a picture for the College with the theme ‘Inspiring Young Minds in a Home-like College’ in appreciation of its whole person education approach. Prof. Ng said, ‘Filial piety has been the foundation of benevolence since the age of Confucius. Human bonding starts from the closest tie. That’s why ‘home’ is the root of Chinese Culture. As part of S.H. Ho College, I’m in line with its ‘home concept’ and I depicted S.H. Ho College as a cosy home for its students. Faculty members and students live together in such a home-like community, where students are motivated to deepen their learning and have their dreams take flight. This inspiration will be bequeathed to endless generations.’ Prof. Philip Chiu’s Medical Hero depicts the scene in the operating theatre where a surgeon is performing surgery. The theme is a familiar portrayal of a physician’s life-saving role. The artwork is rich in personal style and his heart for doctoring.

Kevin Lee, Student of Chinese Language Studies and Chinese Language Education Programmes CUHK, said, ‘I was lacking confidence in sketching at the very beginning and had been too hesitant to start sketching. But Prof. Ng once told me that sketching was not about skills or perfecting the sketch work, but the sensitivity to observe daily life. Even twigs or leaves were good subjects for sketching. I learnt that each sketching experience was a creation in itself. When I learnt to appreciate the beauty of a leaf and leave it permanently on a piece of paper, the happiness engraved in my heart was invaluable.’

Regina Tse, Student of the Faculty of Law, CUHK, greatly admires Prof. Ng’s passion for Art Education. She said, ‘In the sketching tour, Prof. Ng introduced each historical scenic spot in detail. After a packed schedule visiting various sites, she would invite all students to show her their paintings for comments. The team encountered a rainstorm one day and everyone thought of the “Flowing Cups in Winding Stream” activity in the Orchid Pavilion. But Prof. Ng found the event a precious exposure for the students, and she persisted in giving students  opportunity such as this. All the participants ultimately gained a sense of the world of the literati and the experiences that Wang Xizhi and his friends would have had.’

Art Journey of Prof. Ng Yuet-lau and Prof. Philip Chiu

Prof. Ng Yuet-lau had been under the tutelage of two Lingnan painting masters, Prof. Chao Shaoang and Prof. Huang Junbi in the 1970s. Her exquisite painting skills came to the fore in the 80s and she became a rising star in Lingnan art. Prof. Ng places much focus on sketching in Nature, from which she has been inspired by colouring and the use of ink. Excelling in a wide range of subjects in the traditional media of Chinese ink and colour, Ng has been particularly fond of painting landscapes in recent years. The prominent characteristic of her landscapes is the blending of splash ink patches with textural details in the representation of mountains and streams. This is usually supplemented with shrouding clouds, beams of sunlight and other details to enhance the richness of the pictorial appearance, displaying her virtuosity in the mastery of this traditional genre. Ever since 1986, she has been holding solo exhibitions in mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei, Malaysia, Melbourne, Vancouver, Toronto, London and New York. In 1996, a joint art exhibition with her son Philip Chiu was held in the Guangzhou Museum of Art. Her solo exhibitions were held in the Guangzhou Museum of Art and Shenzhen Guan Shanyue Art Museum. Her artworks were selected to be displayed at the 9th, 10th and 11th National Fine Arts Exhibition of China. Her paintings have been collected by different museums and private collectors. The Prime Minister of Canada, and Richmond City Hall, Toronto presented a certificate of appreciation to Ng in 2013, and Ng was selected to be one of the 100 most distinguished Chinese people in the world in 2014.

Prof. Philip Chiu started to learn Lingnan art under Prof. Chao Shao-ang in 1984, focusing on birds, flowers, animals and insects, and later under Master Koo Mei for landscape painting. His painting titled ‘Loquat’ was selected as one of the prize-winning artworks of the  9th National Art Exhibition of China in 1999. Prof. Chiu held his first solo art exhibition at the Hong Kong Central Library in 2009. In 2011, he held a mother-son art exhibition of more than 60 pieces of artworks and a joint Lingnan Art Exhibition with his mother and other students of Prof. Chao Shao-ang, which received overwhelming support.

Details of the exhibition are as follows. All are welcome.