Au Ho-Nien is widely recognized as one of the world's
foremost artists in Chinese painting today. He is the Huagang Chair
Professor of Art at the University of Chinese Culture in Taipei. This is
a prestigious position and a most eminent accolade for an artist in
Taiwan. Besides being a master painter and calligrapher, he is also an
accomplished seal carver, a connoisseur of Chinese art, and a cultivated
scholar of the Chinese classics.
Born in Guangdong Province in 1935, Au Ho-Nien became a
student of Zhao Shao-Ang, a renowned master of the "Lingnan School" of
painting in 1952. After almost half a century, Au is now himself one of
the great masters of this school of painting.
Among the distinctive elements of Au Ho-nine's style is
a skillful use of the traditional principles of "broken ink" and "dry
brush" harmonized with the technique of water and pigment infusion. He
likes to apply ink tones and color washes directly while sparing the use
of outline, thus achieving an exciting effect which emphasizes dimension
and distance.
In his painting, Au Ho-Nien strives to bring forth the
visual harmony of nature by playing with delicate patterns and by
balancing light and shade. His painting possesses a special quality of
liveliness, elegance, and sublimity.
Au's calligraphy is characterized by vigorous and
forceful brush strokes and is individual in style. His expertise in
calligraphy has increased the dexterity of his brushwork, enabling him
to more easily reach his artistic goals, fulfilling the philosophy of
the Lingnan School: "taking nature as teacher and relying on one's own
intelligence".
