East meets West in Calligraphy Art

Wong Thian Fong uses a fusion of watercolours and acrylic in his paintings

If you live near Johor Bahru, Malaysia, you can feast your eyes on the captivating works of well-known calligraphy artist Wong Thian Fong, 67. He is having a three-day solo exhibition.

Wong, who has exhibited locally and abroad, namely, South Korea, China, Japan, and Singapore, started learning Chinese painting and calligraphy since he was in his early 20s.

The solo show will feature 70 pieces of Wong’s works drawn in the past two years.

«Because of my admiration for horses, I have done a series of horses amid Chinese calligraphy. Chinese calligraphy is intricate work as I have mixed traditional scripts with contemporary ones. The medium I use is a fusion of acrylic and watercolours. I have also incorporated cultural themes from East and West. For example, I will draw bamboo and add something from the West to symbolize a meeting of the two cultures,» Wong said.

He added that he was inspired by the strength and resilience of horses.

«In olden days, horses were in great demand, just like cars are today. During war, soldiers needed horses in the battlefield. In this exhibition, I pay homage to horses of the Han and Tang dynasties,» he said.

Source: New Straits Times