Object Details
Artist
Ding Yanyong
Date
1962
Medium
Hanging scroll: ink on paper
Dimensions
Image: 26 x 13 1/2 inches (66 x 34.3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of A. Walter Socolow
Object
Number
84.128
Born in Guangdong Province, Ding Yanyong studied painting and calligraphy with a private tutor, went(…)
Born in Guangdong Province, Ding Yanyong studied painting and calligraphy with a private tutor, went to Japan to attend the Tokyo Art Academy, and even learned Western oil painting techniques. He soon rejected the latter in favor of Chinese ink-monochrome painting and was also an accomplished seal-carver. He eventually settled in Hong Kong.Describing his approach to art, the artist said:I love reading painting; I love reading calligraphy. These are my constant occupations. But I never used any work of art as a model. I do not copy painting or calligraphy as preparatory to self-expression as most art teachers persuade us to do. Once you start modelling your work on anyone, you lose your individuality. However, by reading the art of the masters, you imbibe their spirit, which becomes part of you. Then lifting your brush, that spirit flows from its tip!
