NYAB Event - James Wang “Paintings”

James Wang “Paintings”

Gallery 456 in Chinese-American Arts Council

This event has ended.

The body of paintings that I am exhibiting comes from an inspiration in nature.
I’ve always been interested in the element of WATER, and always wanted to make a body of work based on water. Two of my favorite artists, Claude Monet and Leonardo da Vinci have both touched upon this subject matter in an in depth way. Monet with his water lilies and da Vinci with his scientific drawings of water and water works.

I am also fascinated by 山水 SANSUI in Chinese landscape painting. How the ancients were able to depict scenes in landscape with simple abstract brushstrokes. Another inspiration come from the late works of Willem deKooning, the fluidity of the big bold brush strokes and the ease with which he applied paint is as if his hands were touch by deity.

My attempt at this subject matter have resulted in canvases with unique landscape like settings. Elements that can resemble ducts, spouts, cascades or just simply falling water. Albeit abstract, each canvas depicts a scenario of water in nature.

Each painting has a scene and structure that was painstakingly constructed but then they are “Splashed Over” with flicks of brush stroke that resemble falling water that brought results I can not foresee. Just as water flow through bedrocks in a stream or falling over a cliff there is no telling how it will end. On a philosophical note, our life reflect the surprising ways of nature. We are never in complete control of our destiny. In these paintings, an image would come to my mind, but I never know how the image would evince itself. Thus, a chance for discovery and with water as the inspiration.