Poem within Painting

Yang Chihung has engaged in his creation for half a century and, although he has established his name as a painter, yet he is actually a well-rounded artist, able to switch from pen to brush，and equipped with a vast expanse of cognitive philosophical coordinates, underpinning both creative methods. Poem within the Painting (Lot 499) is of the most refined language and employs the lexicon most apt at expressing the condition of the soul. Just writing the text is not the same as daring to try out this creative form, but Yang Chihung does indeed dare to grasp his brush and make a poem, and consequently, the painting is replete with his aura. Most of Yang Chihung’s paintings after he turned 60 possess cool palette and are unrestrained in appearance, but exhibit a bold and forceful pattern. The allure of Poem within the Painting, in particular, does not repose within a liberal application of paint onto a large canvas, but rather as a medium-sized work with an exquisite arrangement. This work has a strict composition within the canvas, one which seems eager to explore the depth of the heart, but still wants things to be kept strictly confidential amid the confusion, showing little emotional flux without over-heating, and thus, reflecting to an extent Yang Chihung’s gentle personality.

A blend of Eastern and Western art, a professor of Cornell University Timothy Murray has also characterized Yang Chihung’s works as "reminiscent of the care and precision of brush and ink." Murray describes Yang’s painting style and content as a successful integration of Eastern and Western culture that transcends the boundaries of both, and, just as in the world of abstract expressionist artists,a representative of the "Oriental abstract" model.