Tony Yin Tak Chu

Born in China yet raised in a Western European Hong Kong, Tony Yin Tak Chu strives to find the balance in his artwork between a traditional Chinese style, and a contemporary style. He is influenced by the traditional style of literati painting developed in China during the Imperial Dynasty. The literati style is recognized by its sparse use of ink washes to depict landscapes. You can also see the strong influence of contemporary western styles of mixed media and collage in his work. Since his arrival in Canada in 1996, his work has revolved around his desire to express his cultural identity as a Chinese immigrant by pushing the boundaries of the literati art form as a tool of expression while incorporating his more contemporary training in the arts.

Developed in China, literati style of painting is steeped in tradition, where Scholars, whom were not formally trained as artist, but highly skilled in calligraphy, transferred their expertise with the brush using ink washes to convey the idea of a landscape or other stylized subjects. These paintings were often more revered by collector’s then representational work done by formally trained artist. The emphasis of this style lies in how it is a reflection of the artists’ inner character and the use of their distinct brush strokes not in the actual depiction of a representational landscape. Thus, the focus is on the artist interpretation of a landscape not an actual depiction of a real place. Another distinction of the literati tradition was writing on the paintings by either the artist or, someone of great distinction or, a friend. Writings would include short dedications or prose, and there are examples of text being added hundreds of years after as a way of communicating with the artist.

Firmly grounded in the tradition of the literati, yet pushing the boundaries of this tradition by using contemporary techniques and media. Tony has merged these two distinct styles. Tony is able to draw you into this landscape of his own design, where one can reflect on the vastness of nature, and how minute we are as the viewer. He incorporates the tradition of writing in some of his works by including the phrase in calligraphy "What's a Wonderful Mountains and Rivers?" This emulation is his response to Mao's famous writing on a literati stylepainting in the People's Hall in Beijing "Beautiful Mountains and Rivers.” Thus, continuing in the tradition of the literati Tony reveals to us his inner character through his enigmatic landscapes. He continues to combine his contemporary background in arts while working within the model of the traditionalliterati style, using these two distinct styles as a jumping off point.