Huang Yuanqing

One of the most representative artists in the field of abstract art in Shanghai and even throughout China, Huang Yuanqing has developed a uniquely distinctive visual philosophy of his paintings. This book features 113 representative works. On the surface, they may appear close to Western action painting, but in fact they embody the rhythmic logic of wild cursive script (kuangcao) from traditional Chinese calligraphy. In particular, the seemingly casual brushstrokes on the canvas are actually a tightly controlled form of improvisation. Moreover, each work requires repeated layering—sometimes over several months—achieving a dynamic balance between improvisation and continuous revision. Huang Yuanqing’s practice is rooted in the tradition of calligraphy, integrating seal carving, music, and other artistic forms. His works at times emphasise colour and space, at other moments lean toward writing and graffiti, yet he has never abandoned calligraphic creation independent of his paintings. The result is a new form of abstract art that fuses various script styles as its structural backbone, with colour and space as its flesh—achieving a cross-dimensional integration of two different art forms: painting and calligraphy.