Strokes of Serenity: An Artist’s Exploration

No people are within sight in the empty mountains;
Only the echoes of voices can be heard.
Evening sunlight reenters the deep forest
And shines again upon the green moss.
—Wang Wei

The sublime words of Wang Wei, one of the most respected poets of the Tang Dynasty, come to mind when perusing the incredible details of Taiwanese painter Yang Yi Syuan’s artwork. Yang’s realistic landscape paintings of majestic mountains, lush forests, and serene landscapes in particular, evoke the stunning imagery described in Wang’s poem, The Deer Fence.

Yang’s pieces demonstrate virtuoso technique and artistry, but they are also deeply profound and personal. Every stroke represents a story and a memory, and all the raw emotions that came with them. The artist’s work has become a metaphor for the journey of finding himself and of revisiting his most joyous and painful memories and the sceneries that served as their backdrops.

Most of Yang’s paintings are in black and white. The artist believes that in the absence of colour the relationship between what is present and what isn’t is ever more apparent. His paintings invite viewers into a sense of tranquillity, allowing them to forget about the passage of time. According to Yang, this is a temporary escape, a moment of Zen, from the often chaotic world.

His artistic approach is a combination of Western oil techniques and the inner spirit of Chinese ink-wash painting. While Yang’s medium of choice adheres to Western oil painting, his composition style follows that of the esteemed painters from the Northern Song Dynasty. It suffices to say that it took a great deal of patience, energy, and devotion for him to achieve the distinct and delicate details we find in his brushstrokes.