AFTER five decades of painting Chinese art using ink, Malaysian artist Prof
Dr Cheng Haw-Chien switched back to making paintings with oil medium and held his first solo oil painting exhibition titled Impression.
At the start of his career, Cheng made his paintings using oil and one of his paintings called At Dawn was selected for the Penang State Museum and Gallery’s local artist exhibition in 1968.
The Penang-born artist has spent 56 years of perfecting the delicate art of Chinese ink painting on rice paper, a medium synonymous with his name and has held 164 solo exhibitions thus far.
He is known for pushing the boundaries of traditional Chinese ink painting with his innovative splash ink and colour techniques, introducing a fresh, contemporary dimension to the ancient medium.
He has also worked with watercolour, oil and mixed media.
Art preserves memories
Last week, Cheng held his first solo oil paintings exhibition at Pinkguy Gallery in Bangsar.
The series was inspired by a transformative trip to the Himalayas, particularly Mount Everest. It was an unplanned trip but one that left Cheng simply awestruck.
He marvelled at the majestic snowy mountain scenery, which ignited Cheng’s desire to paint while he was staying at a base camp 5,150 metres above sea level.
Known for his distinct style of blending Eastern and Western traditions, Cheng explored with oil on canvas instead of his usual rice paper, Chinese brush and ink.
The entire collection comprises 21 paintings, which he started in 2019 and completed this year.
Capturing hearts
At the event, the humble artist described his travels in Himalaya as a “good memory”.
“I had my art exhibition not far from Himalaya. From there, I took a train,” said Cheng.
He had travelled to the Himalayas in the 1980s from Nepal, from the south and on the second trip, he travelled through the north, where he was awestruck by a different view.
“I admire (the) Himalayas,” confessed Cheng, despite feeling cold during his stay at the base camp.
On the collection, Cheng called it “Impression” as that stayed in his mind and also describes his imagination.
“It is a record of my travelling and I enjoyed this travel,” recalled Cheng.
Besides different media and techniques, Cheng pointed colours contrast in his paintings, adding that he applied a different expression.
Some of the paintings are left “untitled” as he left it open to interpretation for each visitor.
“To get people to think about it,” said Cheng who admits natural landscapes inspire him.
Within an hour of the official launch, one of his paintings titled Memory and Snowy Mountains 8, which costs RM88,000, was sold.
Former Transport Minister Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy officiated the paintings at Pinkguy Gallery in Bangsar. After unveiling all the paintings, Chan applauded the artist for creating the impressive paintings.
“There is an element of surprise. The oriental elements, especially Chinese art elements in the oil painting, such as the presentation, organisation. You would not see these in an art created by an oil painter trained in the west. That is the advantage (he has),” Chan told theSun post-unveiling ceremony.
Chan also complimented Cheng, stating picking up oil again after all these years is a brave and courageous effort. Chan said Cheng, after years of experience using Chinese brushes, has no fear to try again. It exemplifies the artist’s urge to move beyond comfort zones and to keep pushing the envelope.
“He keeps on trying and keeps on accepting challenges. He is a great (source of) inspiration. Most people would relax or unwind at home at this age but he wants to take up the challenge to reach new heights,” praised Chan.
