HUANG YAO (1917-1987)

HUANG YAO (1917-1987)
Down to Earth
Scroll, mounted and framed, ink and colour on paper
37.5 x 48 cm. (14 ¾ x 18 7/8 in.)
Entitled, inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Dated spring, gengshen year (1980)
PROVENANCE:
Acquired directly from the Huang Yao Foundation, Singapore.

Specialist Note:
Huang Yao (1917 – 1987)was born in Shanghai to a literati family. His ancestral roots can be traced to Huang Xiang, the famous filial son of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Huang Yao’s father, Huang Hanzhong, a calligrapher and painter gave his son early education and exposure to his many artist friends. He taught his son Chinese calligraphy, painting and classical literati studies, including history, literature, philology and philosophy.
The young Huang Yao learned to paint by copying paintings from his family’s collection; including works from Mi Yuanzhang, Liang Kai, Chen Hongshou, Shitao and Bada Shanren. Through constant practice and guided by his father and family friends, he not only mastered painting but acquired a love for all categories of Chinese paintings.
On the strength of his extensive knowledge of Chinese history, literature, philosophy and art as well as his popularity as a cartoonist, Huang Yao was appointed art editor of the Shanghai Post (Xinwen Bao, the largest newspaper for business in Shanghai) when he was only 18 in 1935.
In the Painter Period from 1967 to 1987, Huang Yao produced artworks in a variety of categories with the most important being Wenzi Hua (paintings of Chinese characters) and Ziyou Hua (abstract paintings). He also produced Folk Culture paintings, Calligraphy, foreign subjects using different Chinese painting techniques, children paintings and other traditional topics in landscape, birds and animals.