Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1999

W hat is d i f f i c u l t about capturing the University's landscape on canvas? Mr. Wang said, 'Th e Un i v e r s i ty is no doubt beautiful but the lines of its buildings are all straight. As this is incompatible w i t h the style of traditional Chinese p a i n t i n g , I had to use a different style. Here on thi s campus modern building s with distinct forms li e side by side natural foliage. How to express the harmony between the two also required careful consideration.' Landscape painting was a new undertaking for Mr. Wang, whose specialities are portraits and paintings of f l owe r s, b i r d s, f i s h, and insects. Hence he planned and researched meticulously before putting brush to canvas. Time posed another limitation for he had to finish all 13 pieces in 21 days. Right after his arrival in Hong Kong, he made use of every opportunity to tour the University campus, immersing himself in its ambience, and busily taking snapshots and s k e t c h i n g i n hi s n o t e b o ok as he made observations and awaited inspiration. Some o f these were eventually transformed into the subjects of his paintings when he returned to his hostel on campus. Mr. Wang decided on an impressionistic painting style to soften the linearity of the University's building s and to bring out the 'poetry' of a scene rather than try to represent it realistically. In the painting of United College (Figure 1 )， for example, the palm trees in the foreground had been artistically 'transplanted' there from their actual location beside the University Library for the purpose of mitigating Figure 1 Figure 2 Artist at Work — Wang Mingming's Rendition of the University 27