Ding Yanyong’s accordion album “Figures, Birds and Aquatic Creatures” is painted on both sides. It’s displayed standing up in a tall vitrine so it can be viewed from many angles. It has s tremendous, quirky sense of humour which is a hallmark of the artist. Ding was very important to the development of ink painting in Hong Kong.
Zhang Daqian’s 12-leaf album “Landscapes of Mount Huang” is a rare and delightful work. Mount Huang in Anhui province is one of China’s iconic regions and distinctive landscapes. Zhang has depicted its landforms, topography and regional atmosphere on Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) paper. It takes a lot of courage and confidence to use paper that treasured and rare.
Pu Ru’s 11 metre-long ink on paper handscroll “Lofty Landscape” is a virtuoso piece. It’s unusual to find a handscroll of this length. But length itself isn’t the most remarkable part. It’s the artist’s ability to create a sustained narrative with brushwork of high calibre throughout.