PANG TSENG-YING (1916-1997)
You, He, and Me
Scroll, mounted and framed, oil on paper
39 x 53.3 cm. (15 ³⁄₈ x 21 in.)
Inscribed and signed by the artist
Dated 1961

NOTE:
Born in Tokyo in 1916, Pang Tseng-Ying grew up in Beijing, where he studied calligraphy under his mother and received training in traditional Chinese painting from an early age. At 18, he entered Jinghua College of Art, specializing in Western painting, and later pursued further studies in Japan at Nihon University. After graduation, he returned to teach in Beijing. He relocated to Taiwan in 1949, teaching at Taipei First Girls High School, National Taiwan College of Arts, and Fu-Hsin Trade & Arts School. His first solo exhibition, held at Argent Gallery, New York in 1954, brought him international recognition and laid the foundation for his later career in the United States. A key participant in Taiwan’s modern art movement of the 1950s–60s, he received the Chiang Kai-shek Award in 1965 and moved to the U.S. in 1966.

Pang’s artistic philosophy emphasizes that painting must unite creation with truth, sensibility, and reality. His early oils reveal a surrealist tendency, employing brushing, smearing, dripping, and flowing techniques to form dynamic abstract compositions. His richly decorative bird-and-flower paintings, inspired by Five Dynasties aesthetics as well as embroidery and textile traditions, are marked by vibrant color and intricate patterning. His watercolors integrate Western realism with the subtle, philosophical qualities of Chinese ink painting.

Selected exhibitions: 1954 Argent Gallery, New York; 1961 Chi Hsiang Studio First Exhibition, Taipei; 1967 Church Center for the United Nations, New York; 1983 National Museum of History, Taipei; 1987 St. John’s University Gallery, New York; 1997 Taipei Gallery, New York; 2000, 2006 Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei.

Christie's Hong Kong, 20th Century Chinese Art, 27 October 2002, Lot 115.