Pang Jiun Enormous Irresistibly Awesome Beacon in the Storm
Pang Jiun unquenchable artistic flame
Vin de Fleurs, 2019, Pang Jiun
Legacy Ignited Echoes of the Storm Society
Pang Jiun doesn’t just paint; he breathes life onto canvas. “It’s an inexhaustible passion,” he declares, and this passion is on full display in the Asia Society Hong Kong Center’s Beacon in the Storm: The Art of Pang Jiun.
Three broad categories of works by this oil painting master are on display. The first collection is of sketches drawn by Pang Jiun in the 1970s.
A selection of work by Pang Jiun
Then there are landscapes, more recent works, which emphasise his concepts and the sentiment of the Chinese literati. Third, his still-life paintings with a focus on colours and contrasting elements.
7 decades of art by Pang Jiun
These artworks are a small sampling of the hundreds of paintings created by Pang Jiun over seven decades.
A Room with a View, 2023, Pang Jiun
Older works are shown alongside newer paintings in a purposeful arrangement to unveil the development and progress of Pang Jiun’s style.
Poem of Spring, 2023, Pang Jiun
Some paintings are more meticulous and pensive with sombre tones. Others are loosely drawn, freely painted, impressionistic and colourfully expressive
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Pang Jiun has repeatedly painted similar scenes and subject matter. These successive attempts, he says, allow him to innovate and show progress in artistic expression and techniques.
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Although 87, Pang Jiun feels compelled to continue, “As I age, my future paintings should surpass those of my past.”
His passion and desire to push himself were on display as he painted a large-scale work on-site at the Asia Society’s Chantal Miller Gallery.
Work in progress painted on-site
For over a month in November and December last year, the octogenarian painted several hours a day, six days a week.
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The painting and his impromptu studio were cordoned off at the back of the gallery. With tubes of paint neatly lined up and multiple brushes at the ready, the virtuoso silently built onto the pictorial narrative of his room-sized artwork.
Elements and expressive techniques on show
Visitors and art students watched in awe as he publicly demonstrated his expressive painting techniques, layering marks, symbols, icons and vibrant colours onto the canvas.
This new work combines elements from throughout his career, resulting in a composition that appears to be a blend of multiple paintings.
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Pang Jiun expressed the magnitude of the exhibition in his program introduction, “Beacon in the Storm holds a significant weight for me”, in acknowledgement of the impact of his parents, who were both painters from a pioneering generation of artists, and the lifelong effects their legacy has had on him.
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His father, Pang Xunqin, studied oil painting in France. His mother, Qiu Ti, studied oil painting in Japan. After completing their studies, they returned to China with a vision to promote innovation in the arts.
Family legacy in arts
In 1932, they founded the Storm Society, which marked the emergence of a new generation of young artists who had studied abroad and were eager to introduce bold and new artistic ideals to China, inspired by Western culture.
Passage to Yangshuo, 1978, Pang Jiun
They aimed to ignite a new creative current that would update the arts scene in China.
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This was an awakening and marked a pivotal and transformative moment in the development of modern Chinese art.
A turbulent time in China
Pang Jiun was born in Shanghai in 1936 during a tumultuous period in China’s history. The government was facing siege, and warfare was erupting.
Gallery view of exhibition
As a result, his childhood was marked by constant struggle, and his family had to evacuate and relocate frequently.
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Despite his parents having founded the Storm Society, the chaos effectively disrupted their artistic journey.
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“My father, he painted too infrequently. My mother, who dedicated her life to taking care of our family, found little time for her artistic pursuits.”
Simple Joys of Life, 2021, Pang Jiun
Although their artistic careers were curtailed, they fostered creativity in Pang Jiun. His mother taught him literature and poetry. His father encouraged his and his sister’s creative endeavours.
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Within this inspired environment, Pang Jiun began painting portraits at age five. In 1948, at age twelve, he held his first painting exhibition with his sister. In 1949, he had another painting exhibition and entered a Chinese art college at age thirteen, becoming the youngest student there.
Pang Jiun flowed with China’s development
From the 1950s onwards, Pang Jiun studied and worked, and his life flowed along with the ups and downs of the developing new China.
Pang Jiun doing live demonstration of his working methodology
He taught courses on drawing and watercolour in Beijing, worked as a landscape painter, and organised group exhibitions. In 1980, he relocated to Hong Kong and later, in 1987, accepted a teaching position in Taiwan.
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Painting has been the constant focus of his life despite changes in circumstances throughout seven decades.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 2023, Pang Jiun
Pang Jiun noted that he didn’t expect to spend his whole life painting. However, he considers his creative pursuit a natural part of his being.
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“Every painting represents my experiences, my feelings: they depict everything I have ever witnessed or scenes that have deeply moved me.”
Natural display of being
He desires to create countless more artworks. “I cannot afford to stop; I have to keep painting all my life. So, for me, painting is not a laborious obligation; it is a natural display of my being.”
An Autumn’s Tale, 2023, Pang Jiun
Not wanting to let his best works be from his younger days, he remains ambitious and yearns to continue.
He insists on continuing to exhibit his works and to move forward on his creative journey.
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Although he admits that his physical strength is waning and “even walking becomes difficult”, nonetheless, “the skill in my hands remain undiminished, still present.”
He demonstrates a tireless pursuit
Pang Jiun’s on-site painting at the Asia Society wasn’t simply a performance; it was an energetic testament to his tireless pursuit of artistic renewal.
Sprint in Blossom, 2020, Pang Jiun
As he layered vibrant hues and expressive marks onto the vast canvas, one could sense the echoes of his parents’ legacy – the ambitious spirit of the Storm Society reincarnated in each brushstroke.
The Elephant Rock, 1978, Pang Jiun
This wasn’t a mere exhibition; it was a beacon of artistic evolution and a showing of the creative fire that still burns bright within him.
Text & photos Cammy Yiu
