Pang Tseng Ying

A venerable Chinese sage is depicted on the left side of Tseng-Ying Pang’s painting, “Dramatic Grouping” (1967). This wise man may well he the artist’s Guiding Spirit, for Pang, after a thorough study of western methods. Visible in his early work, he has returned, at least in part, to the style of his ancestors. He has so ably subordinated western influences to eastern moods that one can only regard his present manner as oriental. Eastern elements in Pang’s inspired paintings include the free composition, the reliance on tone rather than color to establish the basic forms and the use of blank spaces as essential parts of the design. His pictures vary in their degree of reliance on western concepts. “Flowers and Cold Rock” (1967) offers meticulous factual draughtsmanship very western in spirit. In fact, Pang, seemingly preoccupied with oriental feeling, has actually advanced in his mastery of western technique. Yet the East remains in the blank spaces where the viewer uses his own imagination, to carry on the imagery and in the misty, atmospheric sections which are poetically evocative rather than scientifically descriptive. Pang’s paintings come close to Abstract Expressionism which, on its part, comes close to Pang. The work of Franz Kline, for example, has been greatly influenced by oriental calligraphy. There are other parallels between the work of Pang and Abstract Expressionism.

He has abolished the fixed point of view of traditional occidental perspective, encouraging the viewer’s eye to move over the whole picture. His imagery is often subject to change as the viewer creates his own configurations. Pang brings his own personal qualities to his version of Abstract Expressionism. His mood is predominantly poetic and leads to philosophic meditation. He has a greater variety of brushstrokes at his command than the average western artist. Note the light delicacy of his snow scenes and the powerful heavy spotting in his “Maelstrom.” With remarkable economy of means, Pang’s magic brush expresses grace, strength, elegance, abruptness and freshness as the occasion may require. These are qualities that all nations can admire and understand. Pang has made a splendid contribution toward the internationalization of art while retaining rich values that are national and personal.

Gordon Brown,
Senior Editor. ARTS Magazine