Chinese Name: 李重重
Born: 1942
Place of Birth: Anhui, China
Did You Know?
Lee Chung-chung's ink wash art is a beautiful display of freehand brushwork and poetic sentiment. Her works are a refreshing take on the traditional forms of ink wash, while still maintaining the spirit of the traditional art form. Her unique style has earned her a well-deserved place in Taiwan's abstract ink wash painting scene, and her art exudes a charm that is both strong and gentle.
Lee Chung-chung was born in Anhui, China and later moved to Tainan, Taiwan in 1945. Her family has a rich artistic background, with her father, Lee Jin-yu (李金玉), being a renowned ink wash painter who graduated from the prestigious Beijing Academy of Fine Arts. Growing up, Lee Chung-chung was fortunate enough to have her father as her mentor, who taught her the art of calligraphy and painting from a young age. It was through ink wash that she first discovered her passion for the world of art.
The eldest daughter among six siblings, Lee Chung-chung had a difficult decision to make after completing high school. She chose to attend the public-funded Fine Arts Department at the Fuxinggang Political Warfare College (復興崗政戰學校) to ease the financial burden on her family. During her time there, she was mentored by artist Lin Ke-kung (林克恭) and studied oil painting. Lin once remarked that "Art has always been symbolic, abstract, from the beginning to now." The statement piqued Lee's curiosity in abstract art.
In 1966, Lee Chung-chung and her father organized an art exhibition that showcased traditional Chinese ink wash paintings. While her father's works were characterized by delicacy and refinement, Lee Chung-chung’s paintings stood out for their bold and unrestrained style. The following year, she founded the Running in the Rain Art Society (奔雨畫會) with a group of like-minded individuals who shared her passion for art. The name of the society reflects Lee Chung-chung's romantic and youthful nature.
After completing her studies, Lee Chung-chung devoted two to three years to creating oil paintings. However, she soon realized that ink wash painting was better suited to her temperament and emotions. Since then, she has focused on creating ink wash paintings, but she acknowledges that her experience with oil painting made her more daring in her approach to innovation and helped her cultivate a broad perspective that extends beyond traditional ink wash techniques.
Prior to embarking on her artistic career, Lee was employed as a graphic designer for a television corporation. The vivid hues and diverse customs of the city had a profound impact on Lee’s ink wash paintings, making them both dynamic and trendy.
In 1968, Lee Chung-chung became a member of the Chinese Ink Wash Painting Society (中國水墨畫學會), which was established by painter Liu Kuo-sung (劉國松) and others. This marked the beginning of her journey of experimentation and exploration in modern ink wash painting. Lee has commented that her creative inspiration stems from three sources: "nature," "emotion," and "the space of inner exploration." By blending these elements together, she is able to create a spiritual realm on the canvas that is both divine and captivating.
Lee's artistic style was heavily influenced by the abstract techniques of the Fifth Moon Art Group (五月畫會) and the Eastern Art Group (東方畫會) in the 1970s, experimenting with semi-automatic techniques such as rubbing and splashing ink to create new forms of expression in ink wash art. In the 1980s, Lee's works combined the dots and lines of Chinese calligraphy with the blocks and planes of Western painting in an innovative approach that broke through the traditional forms of ink wash art and blurred the line between abstraction and realism. As a result, Lee has earned a representative and important position in modern abstract ink wash art in Taiwan, making her a highly regarded artist in the field.
Lee's ink wash works have been exhibited in various countries since the 1970s, including the United States, Europe, China, Japan, and Korea, and have been collected by prestigious institutions such as the National Taiwan Museum of History, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Tainan Art Museum, Asian Arts Center in Maryland, USA, Fukuoka Art Museum in Japan, and Qingdao Art Museum in China, as well as private collections both domestically and abroad. From 2017 to 2019, her works were showcased at Art Basel Hong Kong. Lee's artistic achievements have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Modern Ink Wash Creation Award from the China Writers and Artists Association and the Gold Medal from the National Museum of History.
As we reflect on Lee Chung-chung's artistic journey spanning over fifty years, we can see that she has remained dedicated to her pursuit of artistic excellence and the creation of abstract ink wash art. Despite the ever-changing trends in the art world, Lee has stayed true to her craft. Her ink wash art is characterized by a natural elegance and charm that is both captivating and approachable. Lee’s contributions to the world of art over the past half-century have been significant, making her an outstanding creator with a landmark significance in the history of modern ink wash art in Taiwan.
(Photo courtesy of Liang Gallery)