LOT DETAILS

Materials:

ink on paper

Measurements:

39.96 in. (101.50 cm.) (height) by 18.50 in. (47.00 cm.) (width)

Provenance:

Important Chinese Paintings from the Estate of Yick-Ho Wong (Lots 151-169) Mr. Yick-Ho Wong ' (1923-2011) was a scholar, artist, and avid collector of Chinese painting and calligraphy. Mr. Wong was born in Taishan, Guangdong ', and upon graduating from elementary school, he moved to Hong Kong and studied at Wah Yan college '??. At the outbreak of the Japanese invasion, Mr. Wong moved back to Chongqing, and for the next couple of years, served as an interpreter for the United States military. On the side, he also taught Kuomintang artillerymen how to speak English. After the war, Mr. Wong studied one year at the Southwest Associated University, Kunming '', and then was accepted to the prestigious Tsinghua University ' in Beijing where he majored in economics. While there, he also took courses in traditional Chinese painting under the great Xu Beihong ' (1895-1953). With the impending growth of communism, Mr. Wong returned to Hong Kong and graduated from normal school to become a teacher. He was offered a position with the Hong Kong Government School ' as a woodworking instructor. During his spare time, Mr. Wong continued to learn traditional Chinese painting at the New Asia College '. There he met and studied under several artists such as Zhou Shixin ', and Zao Xuechin '. His fellow students included Pan Weihong ', and Poon Waikong '. Perhaps the best known of Mr. Wong's teachers was Ding Yanyong ' (1902-1978). Ding Yanyong also fled communist China and was living in poverty during his first years in Hong Kong. Mr. Wong befriended Ding Yanyong, and supported the artist by providing him with art materials in exchange for art lessons. The ensuing friendship, artistic dialogue, and weekly painting sessions formed the foundation of Mr. Wong's extensive collection. Furthermore, Mr. Wong opened a shop in 1965 in Tsim Sha Tsui Kowloon called “King Won Court” ' (“Sublime Clouds Shop”). The store was devoted to the visual arts, and he sold arts supplies, antique books and calligraphy. By the mid-1960’s when Hong Kong's political situation became volatile, Mr. Wong looked to Canada for a new beginning. Canada had a dearth of teachers and was looking overseas for skilled workers in the education field. In 1967, Mr. Wong brought his wife, three young children, and collection of paintings to their new home.