Figuration and abstraction find balancein the paintings of Calvin Chih Hao Teng.

Enchanting
acrylic and oil oncanvas, 392/5x352/5

by Susan Byrnes

FLUID
NATURE
Viewing a painting by Calvin Chih Hao Teng is likeseeing two distinct works of art in one. Stand close,
and the work is full of texture, with fluid lines merging
into larger organic shapes, flecks and splashes of color.
Soft mists of white obscure faint forms adjacent tobold, high-contrast strokes. Stand at a distance, andthe painting becomes a sweeping vista of jagged peaksemerging from dense clouds.
Teng’s vistas radiate an authenticity equal to realistic depictions ofactual landscapes, but they’re entirely abstract, emanating from thepainter’s imagination. “My work, which is heavily inspired by nature, isfigurative, yet abstract,” says Teng.

AMBIGUOUS NATURE
The artist’s rural studio lies in a peaceful mountain area near Taichung,Taiwan. “I can’t live in the city,” he says. “It possesses too many distractions, and most importantly, it’s too distant from Mother Nature, themain source of my creative inspiration.”
Teng’s compositions, often highly suggestive of landscape forms,
intentionally leave ample room for the viewer’s imagination. With
their ethereal spaces and mesmerizing textures, his paintings emphasize a poetic approach to composition and mark-making—from the
grand gesture to the most delicate detail. Teng suggests mountainous forms in Enchanting (right) by using a wide brush to place color
over fluid, abstract marks. With thin white paint and visible strokes,
he creates peaks and mist. His use of white as negative space in the1Artists Magazine September 2018

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center of the composition creates a stark,undefined area that invites the viewer to see
fields of snow or, perhaps, heavy fog covering amountain lake.
“The inspiration for my work comes fromnature, as well as the method of Chinese splash
ink that employs the natural flow of ink on
paper coupled with the style pioneered byZhang Daqian (1899–1983) who married absolute control of ink wash with harmonious
proportions of splash color,” says Teng. Daqianis among China’s most famous artists, considered the Picasso of the East. Teng’s work is alsostrongly influenced by shan shui, a Chinese
painting style and philosophy that depicts
imagined scenes of water and landscapes. Tengmerges shan shui with the contemporary techniques found in the work of Zao Wou-Ki(1921–2013). A master of postwar abstraction,
Wou-Ki combined Modern and traditional
Chinese styles.

The influence of Chinese splashed ink painting is clearly visible in Pureness (below). The
palette consists solely of black paint on a whitesurface. One doesn’t see brushstrokes, only
streams of black flowing into lakes of gray.
Islands of white emerge from pools of dark pigment to create sharp contrast. The painted
form appears suspended, and its edges dissolve
like tiny capillaries into the white ground.
The titles of Teng’s imagined landscapes often
reference psychological and emotional territories. Compassion and Aspiration (opposite)
suggests a narrative with its warm pigmentationin the lower left becoming increasingly pale as
the composition rises to the upper right. “In
Eastern philosophy,” Teng says, “one must firstsettle the physical body to settle the inner heart.
To create, I bring my body and mind to total
serenity. Only then can I harness the power of
my brushstrokes to freely express my innerthoughts through my paintings.”

Compassion andAspirationacrylic and oil on canvas,
602/3x372/5

Purenessacrylic and oil oncanvas, 59x63

3Artists Magazine September 2018

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Vigorous
Symmetry
acrylic and oil oncanvas, 511/5x55

5Teng paints on large, primed canvases—ideal forhis broad gestures and fine details. Once he’s
prepared himself mentally and physically, heworks quickly. The fast drying time of acrylics isideal for his pace. He starts with scrapers andlarge brushes from Purdy, a brand more commonly associated with house painting. He thentransitions to medium and small brushes as hecompletes a painting.
Traditional ink paintings are created on rice
paper that absorbs water, allowing the ink toflow across the page with ease. To create thislook on his nonabsorbent canvas, Teng invented
a technique that combines oil- and water-based
paints. “Depending on the situation,” he says, “I
may apply shades of black oil and acrylic paintsimultaneously to achieve my desired ink-washlook.” The mixing of the two media causes themuch denser oil to float on the water-based
acrylic paint. “Once the colors start to flow,”says Teng, “they’re in constant motion, and it’sdifficult to control where the colors stop on mycanvas. But with my scraper and brush, I’m able
to create the effects I want.”
Teng uses black primarily and adds hints ofvivid color—blue, green, yellow, pink, orange—Artists Magazine September 2018

but insists that color must remain minimal.
These color choices lend to the quality ofabstraction in his works. “When my colors begin
to populate the surface, my scraper flows on thecanvas, mirroring the movements found in tai
chi—propel, scrape, circulate and pull—to control and guide the colors so as to form mydesired composition.”
For his acrylic colors, he uses the Amsterdam
series from Royal Talens. Vigorous Symmetry(below left) uses a contrasting palette of orange
and cyan against a sharp field of black andwhite. Here, the colors provide oppositional balance to a composition that plays with repetitive
jagged forms zigzagging down the canvas.

TENSION
AND RHYTHM
The generous use of white or blank space as acompositional element is a traditional aspect ofink painting. In Teng’s work, it creates ambiguity
between the figure and the ground as well as thepositive-negative space relationship of forms on
the canvas, enhancing the abstract nature of thepieces. “The control of negative space depicts how
opposing forces contradict one another and yet
are mutually interconnected and inseparable
through the fundamentals of the yin and yang,”says Teng. “These polar opposites
must be present in every painting
to achieve equilibrium in one’s
mind, body and soul.” Serendipity(opposite) is composed with visualelements connecting heavily to thetop edge of the frame and circlingaround to the bottom edge, creating the effect of aerial perspective.
The dense, opaque white sitting on
the surface of the canvas gives way
to deep black pools swirled withtouches of gray, white, violet, blue
and pink.
Teng’s brushstrokes and color
also create visual rhythm. Althoughoriginally trained as a mechanicalengineer, Teng aspired to becomea singer/songwriter prior to his
pursuit of painting. After more than
25 years of painting, Teng is still
strongly influenced by his musicaland theatrical background. “Before
beginning a new piece, I must findmy external and internal rhythm.
I then begin my first strokes ofcolor,” he says. In Vigorous Symmetry(right) the alternating right and left

thrusts of the zigzagged marks create a verticalcadence. Those same zigzags also set up a wavelike
horizontal rhythm.
“I unite the essence of melody and poetic
expressions in my paintings, allowing me todevelop and evolve my current style,” says Teng.
“Eastern philosophy of art crosses all boundaries
of art forms—life, poetry, music and theater.
Therefore, I base my foundation through musi-cality, principles of theater and the philosophyof life—all of which are forged within theessence of my works.”

Serendipity
acrylic and oil oncanvas, 63x59

Susan Byrnes is a visual artist whose work
encompasses traditional and contemporary forms
and practices, including sculpture, multimedia
installation, radio broadcasts, writing andcuratorial projects.
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