Not only was the horse painter Zhang Mu (1607–1683) acclaimed in his native Guangdong region, but he is also awarded high recognition in the mainstream of the history of Chinese painting. Keeping his own stable, he observed his horses closely in order to capture their distinctive characteristics and spirit. In this painting, Horse under a Tree , in which a vertical composition is adopted, the horse is portrayed with slender and refined brushstrokes, while the fine definition of the skeleton and the subtle tonal gradation of the horse's coat give a quality of anatomical accuracy. This realistic approach follows the painting tradition developed by famous horse painters such as Han Gan (ca. 710–780) of the Tang dynasty (618–907) and Li Gonglin (1049–1106) of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127).

In the early Qing period, the most representative figures of the Guangdong art world were a group of "leftover" literati whose works were full of patriotic sentiment. Among them, Gao Yan (ca. 1616–1687) was an outstanding painter who was noted for his dry and forceful brushstrokes inspired by the styles of Ni Zan (1306–1374) and Shen Zhou (1427–1509), the great masters of the Yuan and Ming dynasties respectively, who provided Gao and his contemporaries not only with artistic models to follow but also with a moral stance to emulate. Gao adopted Ni Zan's style to express his admiration for this master who had refused to serve under the Mongolian conquerors. In the same way, Gao expressed his uncompromising stance through his art – with more than a nod of the head to Ni and Shen – in which he reflected his determination to refuse the summons from the Manchu court and revealed his nationalist fervour.

In Strolling in Autumn , Gao depicts a lonely scholar walking through an autumn forest. The trees with dry leaves in the foreground and the mountain ranges extending horizontally in the background echo the typical schema of Ni Zan's paintings to convey a sense of loneliness, while the forceful brushwork with bold ink dots also reflects the influence of Shen Zhou. From these features, it is easy to imagine the passion of the artist and his admirers who had suffered the fall of their country.

Wang Houlai (1678 – after 1747) was the most outstanding figure in Guangdong art in the early Qing period. He served as a military officer and helped to crack down on bandits in his early career, but with his versatile talents he also enjoyed a reputation as a scholar poet who led literati gatherings, and after resigning from his civil post he devoted himself to travelling, reading and painting. This work, Landscape in Autumn , was painted in 1740. The mood of desolation and the appearance of the steep mountains are reminiscent of the works of Hongren (1610 – 1664), who is regarded as the master of the School of Mountain Huang . Wang was originally a native of She District, where Hongren's hometown is also located, and we also know that Wang once travelled to Wuyi Mountain in Fujian where Hongren had lived for many years. The dry brushwork and the light colouring of the texture of the rocks in the hanging scroll allow Wang's artistic roots to be traced back to Hongren. Wang's paintings were also influenced by the styles of Ni Zan (1301 – 1374), which, however, he treated more as a source of artistic inspiration than as a symbol of disaffection.

Li Jian (1747–1799) was a typical literati artist who cultivated the classical arts, especially poetry, calligraphy, painting and seal carving, and he attracted high acclaim in each of these fields. This work, painted after he had recovered from a bout of sickness during a visit to Guangzhou , reveals his versatility both in depicting forms and in using different techniques as he blends the styles of Shitao (1642–1707) and Ni Zan (1301 – 1374) . A group of trees is planted in the foreground, while the trees and small cottages in the clearing in the middle of the painting are rendered with a similar degree of richness; the arrangement of dots on the distant mountains is reminiscent of Shitao. Li Jian is credited with establishing the distinctive characteristic of Guangdong painting.

Together with another late Qing artist, Su Renshan, Su Liupeng (1791 – ca. 1862) is acclaimed as one of the "Two Sus". Renowned for his figure paintings, his subjects were mostly common people; his works reveal great empathy for the lower classes and also indicate that Guangdong painters were pioneers in portraying the victims of contemporary society. Su Liupeng also painted historical figures and legends, and this painting, Su Wu Herding Sheep , has a narrative overtone that finds inspiration in the story of Su Wu of Western Han, who lived in the 1st century BC. Sent by Emperor Wu of Han (140 – 87 BC) as an envoy to the Xiongnu, Su Wu was held captive by these enemies in the north for nineteen long years. But despite suffering many hardships, he refused to give up his Han identity, and the figure of Su Wu accompanied by his sheep became a popular iconic image of an unyielding hero. This massive hanging scroll portrays this loyal figure in large proportions, yet without making him larger than life. Su Liupeng has used thick outlines in typical, angular brushstrokes, while the realistic rendering of the facial features – which could almost have been taken from life – adds a strong presence to the painting, bringing this historical figure much closer to our own lives and times.

Though praised by some modern art historians as "the genius of painting through the ages", Su Renshan (1814 – ca.1850) found no appreciation among his clansmen because of his eccentric personality. But it is this personality that shaped his artistic style. He began his care er by painstakingly studying woodblock-printed painting manuals: in his circumstances it was difficult to gain access to genuine works. Travellers in Mountains is representative of his meticulous style: featuring no colouring, it reveals a close relationship with the style of woodblock prints. In his late years, Su developed a spontaneous style, while also painting more abnormal representations.

The calligraphers in this album of collected works were all loyalists of the late Ming Dynasty. Usually scholars or government officials, loyalists were people who were unwilling to serve under the new government after the previous dynastic regime had collapsed and who chose instead to become monks or recluses. The artists featuring in this album include famous poets, calligraphers or painters such as Qu Dajun (1630–1696), Liang Peilan (1629–1705), Chen Gongyin (1631–1700) – collectively known as the "Three Masters of Poetry" in Guangdong in the late Ming – Wang Sun (1644–1700) and Zhang Mu (1607–1683). The majority of the works are written in running or cursive scripts, revealing the essential characteristics of calligraphy at that time.

Calligraphers in the Guangdong region often attempted to break away from traditional boundaries and establish their own artistic styles. Chen Xianzhang ( 1428 – 1500) was well known among his contemporaries in Guangdong in the middle of the Ming dynasty as a calligrapher who invented a new writing instrument that made use of straw to create a personalised brush. In the early Qing, Song Xiang (1756 – 1826), another famous calligrapher, followed the pioneering trend initiated by Chen, boldly executing his works by means of bamboo leafs or sugar cane brushes; he also followed the cursive script calligraphic styles of Li Yong (678 – 747) and Mi Fu (1051–1107). In this work in which Song transcribes the poem Preface to Taoliyuan (Plum and Peach Garden ) composed by Li Bai (701 – 762), his lines are filled with a vigorous strength and rhythm. Though Song might not necessarily have employed personalised brushes to complete this work, the heroic stance of the calligrapher is revealed in the composition and the fluency of this hanging scroll.

The large number of ancient steles excavated during the late Qing period generated a boom in the study of the scripts used on them. He Shaoji (1799–1873), an official of the late Qing, incorporated the ancient, rhythmic characteristics of the steles' inscriptions with the bold and energetic quality displayed in the works of the renowned Tang calligrapher Yan Zheqing (707–784). This fusion was commented upon by a Qing critic, who compared He Shaoji's calligraphy to competing wrestlers and a galloping horse brought to a sudden halt: the wrestlers reveal the rhythmic flow of powerful energy, while the horse, galloping freely at first, is abruptly reined in by his rider. The critic went on to say that only those familiar with the writing of diverse forms of scripts could grasp the essence of He's calligraphy.

Luo Shuzhong (1898–1969), who lived in Hong Kong in his later years, excelled in wonderfully diverse forms of scripts. The characteristics of his clerical script are derived from the inscriptions on the steles of the Northern dynasties (386–581), but unlike the rhythmic approach adopted by He Shaoji (1799–1873), he followed the orderly quality of the calligraphy. Luo is credited with the invention of the "black tiger" style, which requires a higher degree of spatial co-ordination and actually imitates the effect of ink rubbing. Achieved by filling the void space with ink to highlight the characters, the "black tiger" style reverses the traditional spatial concept of Chinese calligraphy.

Ju Lian (1828–1904), courtesy name Guquan, studied painting under his cousin Ju Chao (1811–1865). One of the masterpieces among his extant works, A Hundred Flowers , a monumental handscroll measuring over six hundred centimetres, is a comprehensive composition that is exquisitely executed and meticulously coloured with vividly depicted flowers. The elegant bird-and flower tradition, which prospered at the Song Painting Academy, was first refined by Chen Chun (1483–1544) and further enhanced by Ju Lian using a method known as water and pigment infusion, a special technique that he himself developed. Taking the traditional boneless method as his basis, Ju deposited water and pigment onto the wet painted surface, and this then dried to form a clearly defined boundary, similar to the effect gained with the outline method. A Hundred Flowers is one of the best examples of this technique.

Gao Jiangfu, original name Lun, courtesy name Jueting, was a native of Panyu in Guangdong province and is credited as one of the "Three Masters of the Lingnan School". He learnt painting with Ju Lian (1828–1904) in his early years and then studied in Japan, where he was influence by the Japanese mater Takeuchi Seiho (1864–1942). This historical building in Guangzhou, commonly known as the "Five-Storeyed Pavilion", was originally a watchtower built on the city wall in the 14th century. It was destroyed and rebuilt many times over the past six hundred years and in 1926 when this painting was finished it was in ruins. The painting is executed with vigorous and rough brushstrokes which differ from those of traditional techniques. Gao used atmospheric effects learnt during his time in Japan, depicting the building at sunset to express his melancholic feeling at passing time and decay. He inscribed on the painting these words: "After endless devastation, this pavilion has turned into a desolate ruin with nothing left but overgrowing weeds and smoke in the fading sunset."

A native of Panyu in Guangdong province, Gao Qifeng (1889–1933), original name Weng, was the younger brother of Gao Jianfu (1879–1951), with whom he learned painting in his early years before also going to Japan , in 1907, to study under Tanaka Raisho (1868–1940). He is also acclaimed as one of the "Three Masters of the Lingnan School ". This painting is one of the finest examples of Gao Qifeng's work. A couple of chickens are depicted sheltering peacefully under a birch-leaf pear tree. Falling petals and a colour-washed background, together with the two resting chickens, create a romantic, poetic and dream-like visual impact. Exquisitely executed, the chickens and the birch-leaf pear are vivid and solid, yet the artist is able to capture a transient moment of nature. Gao successfully combined the poetic element of Chinese painting, Japanese plein-air painting and Western techniques to develop a unique personal style.

With the Gao brothers one of the "Three Masters of the Lingnan School", Chen Shuren (1884–1948), original name Shao, literary name De'an Laoren or Ershan Shanqiao, was also a native of Panyu in Guangdong province who learned painting under Ju Lian (1828–1904) in his early years and later pursued his studies in Japan . The banana tree has always been a perfect subject for expressing the subtlety of ink and brushwork, but this hanging scroll by Chen differs from more traditional paintings thanks to its spontaneous use of charming colours and the application of a Western perspective. Although working with a simplified form, Chen is still able to capture the essence of the tree, as he contrasts a small bird resting on a branch with the large banana tree and its central setting in the composition. Chen's simple and spontaneous personal style makes him the most lyrical literati artist of the "Three Masters of the Lingnan School".

A native of She county in Anhui province, Huang Binhong (1865–1955), original name Zhi, courtesy name Pucun or Yuxiang, showed a passionate interest in painting from an early age. The handscroll Crisp Air in Mountains and Lakes was executed in 1951 when he was eighty-eight years old and his eyesight was seriously impaired by cataracts, but despite this handicap Huang gives great substance to the visual effect by rendering the painting with dark and dense ink. As in abstract expressionism, the intermingling of ink and water is charged with expressive characteristics. Huang successfully applies the traditional techniques of "ink accumulation" and "overnight ink" to create the heavy, foreboding mountains, which are highlighted by dots of mineral green and very dark ink. Densely packed brushstrokes conjure a blurred vision of natural forms, creating the effect of what Shitao (1642–1707) called "boundless heaven and earth in masses of dark ink".

Zhang Daqian (1899–1983) is one of the best-known Chinese artists of the 20th century. A native of Neijiang in Sichuan province whose original name was Yuan, he developed a keen interest in painting at an early age and studied painting, calligraphy and literature under Zeng Xi (1861–1930) and Li Ruiqing (1867–1920). In the 1940s he stayed at Dunhuang to copy and study the old masterpieces, before synthesising their traditions to develop a personal style that is characterized by elegant brushwork and a subtle palette to attain a mood of tranquillity and loftiness.

As the title suggests, the artist is painting in the style of Juran of the 10th century. The mountains and the cliffs are composed of parallel, long ‘fibre-hemp' brushstrokes, while the peaks are made of heavy ‘moss dot' brushstrokes; the trees in the valley are almost parallel, which is suggestive of ancient works of art. But the painting is no mere ‘copy' of the old masters; it is rather a reinterpretation of classic styles, and Zhang allows his own artistic sense to come through, as can be seen in the rhythmic interpolation of thick and fine brushstrokes and the refreshing dynamism of the entire composition

A native of Meixian in Guangdong province, Lin Fengmian (1900–1991), original name Fengming, went to France in 1918 to study Western art, where he was considerably influenced by the avant-garde painting surfacing in Europe at that time, in particular Impressionism, Fauvism and Cubism, and began to advocate "blending Western and Chinese painting in a harmonious way". A dense composition, this painting is executed with swift and fluent brushwork and coloured with a rich palette against a colour-washed background to capture the golden autumn scenery. His paintings are rendered in a Western manner, but their childlike quality and the tranquillity they convey remain very close to the spirit of traditional Chinese painting.

A native of Tianjin , Zhang Yu (born 1959) graduated from the Tianjin Academy of Arts and Crafts in 1988. As an avant-garde Chinese artist, he uses Chinese ink and paper as the major media for his experimental creativity. By exploring the spirituality of the materials, he re-examines and re-posits the role of traditional techniques , thus extending Chinese ink painting to new horizons. In his Light of Spirit Series, a new schema is applied to bridge the gap between Chinese and Western painting. Zhang retains the traditional format of Chinese paintings in this scroll, yet transmutes the simple and recognisable forms into a textual feature. The visual expression in this work reflects not only Zhang's interest in traditional Chinese philosophy, but also his ambition to reconstruct fragmentary reality, thus revealing his consideration of humankind's ultimate concerns.

A native of Yixing in Jiangsu province who studied in France in 1947, Wu Guanzhong (born 1919), also named Tu, places great emphasis on sketching and advocates the concepts of formalism and abstraction. His works are characterised by a unique vision that reveals his study of and acute sensitivity to the natural world.

Two Swallows is one of Wu's best known works, perfectly capturing the scenic beauty of Jiangnan with its simple representation of a real life scene. Looking at the black roof tiles, the whitewashed walls, the tree and the swallows in flight, there are no superfluous objects to be found in the composition. The white space and the lean and sparse use of geometric forms both reflect the artist's sharp eye for the beauty of simplicity.

The theme colours are black, white and grey, and even the colour pigments on the tree seem muted. The tall, white wall takes up two-fifths of the frame while the narrow dark openings that indicate the doors contrast with the picture's austerity, but the careful distribution of these doors adds an important dynamic to an otherwise static scene. What's more, the lively branches of the tree, the pointed eaves (top left) and the hazy shadows in the water all complement the whiteness of the wall. The pair of swallows flying in the distance breaks the stillness and adds movement and life to this beautifully simple scene.

Nie Ou (1948 -)
Village Life  
Not dated, album of 14 leaves, ink and colour on paper,
each 22.5 x 32.5 cm

A native of Shenyang in Liaoning province, Nie Ou (born 1948) studied the free and spontaneous style of figure painting under Li Keran (1907–1989), Ye Qianyu (1907–1995) and Li Kuchan (1899–1983), before going on to excel in ink painting and picture books. Forced to live in the countryside during the Cultural Revolution, she was deeply moved by the simple life she encountered there and has since derived much inspiration for her subsequent painting career from her experiences of village life. In this painting, she returns to her favourite subject to present a vision of harmony, as her casually executed brushstrokes and freely rendered images of peasants, trees and animals create a rustic and simple atmosphere.

Wu Guanzhong (1919 – 2010)
Former residence of Qiu Jin
1988
Ink and colour on paper, horizontal scroll
Donated by Mr. Wu Guanzhong
FA2002.0017

Two swallows (1981) is a prelude for a more radical variation of the painting Former residence of Qiu Jin. Qin Jin (1877-1907) was a martyr of the democratic revolution that sought to overthrow the corrupt Manchu dynasty in China in the early 20th century.

Unlike Two swallows, Former residence of Qiu Jin is a reversal of the predominant linearity and void. The appropriation of shapes in moist broad washes and dry scratchy strokes are even more sparing than the Two Swallows. Sparrows perching on electric wire are emphatic of the lapse of time between the legendary heroine and the artist who has paid her tribute. The diminutive definition of the sparrows against the broad shapes of black and white further bespeaks the weight of history testifying to the propensity of the legacy that Wu Guanzhong has taken on to transmit.

Wu Guanzhong (1919 – 2010)
Two swallows
1981
Ink and colour on paper, horizontal scroll
Donated by Mr. Wu Guanzhong
FA2002.0006

Wu Guanzhong was one of the most influential artists at the end of the 20th century because of his highly individualistic painting style and views on art.

The prototype of the Two swallows was finished in 1981. The work shows a linear predominance. Brushed lines function as contours, stroked lines form shapes that penetrate into shallow space. Two swallows fly into infinite space and the fluttering transparent washes on the river completes the perspectival schema of the composition.

Wu Guanzhong painted the villages of Jiangnan tirelessly because of his passion to the hometown. His paintings show houses in Jiangnan with their white walls and black tiles. In analyzing the formal elements of these paintings, of greatest importance is the contrast between black and white, and the combination of geometrical shapes, squares, rectangles, shallow cubes, triangles, verticals, and horizontals…… complex combinations of simple elements achieving a formal beauty based on unity in diversity. This perhaps is the explanation as to why the plain and elegant houses of Jiangnan are such stirring images.

Wu's paintings of Jiangnan thus became a luminous vision that has to be recognized as an icon of 20th century Chinese painting on a par with Qi Baishi's shrimps and crabs and Xu Beihong's horses.

Wu Guanzhong (1919 – 2010)
Reminiscence of Jiangnan
1996
Ink on paper, horizontal scroll
Donated by Mr. Wu Guanzhong
FA2002.0018

This painting by Wu Guangzhong in 1996 marked a new zenith in his evolution of abstraction, as seen in the economy of visual components, abbreviated pictorial symbols and purity of colours. In the sparse layout, the whiteness of the xuan paper forms the dominating element in the composition.

There is perfect balance and a sense of harmony in Reminiscence of Jiangnan. Almost totally abstract, the unmodeled planes and transparent washes are nonetheless sharply evocative of the artist's presence and of the memories of his hometown. The two swallows at the upper left corner and the swirling lines are schematic clues for the spatial relationships of the forms in the landscape. Wu's perspectival cues and the subtle variations in his grey washes are always present to offset the flatness of pictorial planes, a dimension that his contemporary abstractionist Western counterparts always try to ascertain.

Lin Fengmian (1900 – 1991)
Autumn landscape
1977 – 1978
Ink and colour on paper, square scroll
FA1991.0010

Born in 1900, Lin Fengmian was contemporary with the 20th century. He went to France in 1919 and later graduated from L'Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris. In 1926, he returned to China to become the Director of National Beijing Fine Art School and founded The National Academy of Art, which is the predecessor of the China Academy of Art, in Hangzhou in 1928. During the Sino-Japanese War, he went to Chongqing, and after the War, he moved to Shanghai where he lived alone and led a frugal life painting. He spent four years behind bars during the Cultural Revolution for no justified cause, which also saw the destruction of all his paintings. He resettled in Hong Kong during the later years, where he led a reclusive life. But that was also his most prolific years. Lin not only added an important chapter to the history of Chinese art as an artist, but had also cast seminal influence on later great artists like Li Keran, Wu Guanzhong, Zao Wou-ki and Zhu Dequn. He was therefore highly esteemed as an epoch-making master of Chinese painting.

By using the square frame for his landscapes, Lin established a new presentation format that was quite different from the Chinese traditional landscape paintings, which had invariably been on scrolls. He also favoured a backlight treatment for his landscapes. In this painting, he first applies a background of black wash. Then he dots on the ochre shades of autumn foliage, and adds a touch of peacock blue and mauve on the undulating line suggesting distant mountains. It is his exploration of improving the values of colour against light in Chinese painting, in another attempt at merging Chinese and Western painting techniques.  Autumn landscapes like this were inspired by a trip to Tianpingshan in Suzhou in 1953, after which Lin expressly told his students that he wanted to create "new landscapes", and scenes of autumn featured highly in his oeuvre.

This one was done after Lin settled in Hong Kong. In it, we can see although he retains his favourite square frame and the use of perspective for the country homestead amongst autumn woods, the meticulousness of the 1950's up to the 1970's has given way to total abandon expressed in splashes of colours.

Ding Yanyong (1902 – 1978)
After a good nap (leaves 5, 9, 7, 12)
1977
Double-sided album of 16 double leaves, ink and colour on paper
Donated by Mr. Wong Yi
FA2009.0066

Ding Yanyong went to Japan in 1920 to study western painting at the Tokyo Fine Arts School. He was passionately attracted to the art of Matisse and the Fauves. When he returned to China, he actively engaged himself in the making and teaching of art. Ding resettled in Hong Kong in 1949. In 1956, he was one of the initiators of the art programme of the New Asia College, which later evolved into the Department of Fine Arts of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He remained on the faculty until he passed away in 1978. From oil painting to Chinese ink painting, then onto Chinese calligraphy and seal-carving, Ding was able to assimilate them all into his oeuvre. Lauded as "Matisse of the East" and "Bada Shanren of modern times", Ding adds a new page to 20th Century Chinese art. 

This first eight pages of this album were done one afternoon when the artist woke up from a nap and gave art lessons to his students. As a demonstration, he drew various species and genera of birds, insects, fish and flowers. The pictorial compositions are all simple and uncluttered, with blank spaces to leave room for imagination. The subjects are vivid and lively, and the brushstrokes as well as calligraphy terse and firm. The frogs, shrimps, crabs and chicks seem to come alive with just a few childlike strokes. The variegated ink tones and washes, reminiscent of Qi Baishi, show masterly control. The fish swimming and the eagle resting remind us of the art of Bada Shanren. The album leaf showing the mouse and the melon is typically done in the style of a "one-line drawing", the genre that Ding invented and made famous. The lines are fluid, crisp and full of a kinetic charm. But one can see that behind the seeming ease and relaxed ink play, there is the virtuosity of a lifetime of a true master in art.

Zhang Daqian (1899 – 1983)
Hehuan Mountain
1970
Ink and colour on paper, hanging scroll
FA1986.0006

Chang Daqian was born Zhang Yuan. "Daqian" was his monastic name after he went into Buddhist retreat and became a monk for a short time. He spent many months between 1941 and 1943 at the Dunhuang Grottoes copying the murals. He resettled in Hong Kong in 1949 before emigrating to Brazil and the United States, and spent his last years in Taiwan. Chang is one of the best-known Chinese artists of the 20th century. Distinguished in intellectual as well as artistic pursuits, he was able to assimilate many influences – both ancient and modern, Chinese and Western – to create his own unique style. From copying and imitating the ancients to creating original works of art, from Western Abstract-Expressionism to Eastern ink and pigment washes, Chang displayed a signature excellence in all his works.

Stylistically eclectic, Chang experimented with a broad array of artistic forms, first concentrating on traditional brush and ink, particularly in imitating the brushwork of Shitao. Then he changed to splashed-ink landscapes, using blues and greens to achieve the rich, moist tones. The subject of this painting done in Chang's late years is Mount Hehuan in Taiwan. The paper was first splashed with ink to form the focus of the picture. Texturing of the rocks and boulders was later added; so were the trees. The infusion organically bound the abstract and the concrete together. Although Chang maintained that his "splashed ink" technique originated from Chinese traditional painting, it is clear that he had already incorporated Abstract Expressionism into his art.

Huang Bore (1901 – 1968)
Victoria Peak
1958
Ink and colour on paper, hanging scroll
FA2010.0009

Born in Dongguan and brought up in Guangzhou, Guangdong, Huang Bore (Wong Po-yeh) spent the latter part of his life in Hong Kong. From 1949 when he settled in Hong Kong up to 1968 when he passed away, he was an active figure on the local cultural scene. He was also a keen hiker. From the early 1950's on, he would join the Yung Sheh hikers on weekly trips to various parts of the Island, Kowloon, the New Territories, and the outlying islands. He was keen to explore the many landscapes and scenery of Hong Kong and transform the sketches and drawings en plein air into Chinese paintings. They show the signature style of this hiker-painter, and made him the forerunner of a school of artists who use the Chinese painting idiom to capture the landscape of Hong Kong.

A landmark of Hong Kong, the Victoria Peak used to be called the "Red Censer Peak" before it was renamed by the British. A hike around the peak along Lugard Road offers a captivating view of the Victoria Harbour, Lei Yue Mun in the east and the Green Island in the west. A descent southwards leads to the Pok Fu Lam Reservoir or the Aberdeen Reservoir via Keung Fa Kan. Huang Bore's Victoria Peak of 1958 shows a section of a hillside pathway seen from the western end of Lugard Road with the lighthouse of the Green Island in the distance The "blue green landscape" style Huang uses here comes from an ancient tradition that dates back to the Tang and Song periods, and demonstrates his successful rendering of fusing a modern landscape with ancient use of colour and technique.

Goa Jianfu (1879 – 1951)
Sepia
Not dated
Ink and colour on paper, hanging scroll
FA1978.0026

Gao Jianfu (1879 – 1951), born Gao Lun, courtesy name Jueting, was a native of Panyu in Guangdong province. He is credited as one of the Three Masters of the Lingnan School. Gao learnt painting with Ju Lian (1828 – 1904) in his early years before he went to Japan, where he was influenced by the Japanese master Takeuchi Seiho (1864 – 1942).

This is an ink painting by Gao Jianfu, a representative figure of the Lingnan school. With his keen perception and consummate technique, he has created an exceptional work of art. At first glance, one might think that is a rather traditional subject of a Chinese dragon emerging from behind a dark cloud. But when one looks closer, it is actually a shoal of squid trying to escape capture by shooting sepia ink into the water. The artist's ink-wash technique has allowed the ink to diffuse into a nebulous mass. By ingeniously adding a few tentacles and outlines here and there, he has turned it into a vivid scene of action and movement. And rather than painting the details, he has allowed the diffused ink to dominate, turning something merely incidental into something meaningful. The result is a unique and dynamic picture. Perhaps this is what art is all about. By using minimal strokes to optimal effect, the artist has given us unlimited space for imagination. The subject of the painting also demonstrates once again the revolutionary philosophy of the Lingnan school, namely that "anything - just anything - can be used in art".

Huang Binhong (1865 – 1955)
Crisp air in mountains and lakes (details)
1951
Ink and colour on paper, handscroll
Donated by The Friends of the Hong Kong Museum of Art
FA1996.0221

Huang Binhong is generally acknowledged as the most important painter of the scholarly tradition in the 20th century. In the course of his artistic career, he devoted himself to the study of traditional painting and learnt to copy the ink and brush techniques of the ancient masters, first modeling on the Huangshan School, then the ‘four monks' – Zhu Da, Hongren, Shi Tao and Kun Can - and lastly Wang Yuanqi of the Qing dynasty. He did not develop his own distinct style until much later in life, after which he himself became highly respected as a master of his art.

"The ‘darkness' in Huang Binhong's landscapes was the crystallization of his wisdom; the ‘denseness' was his brushwork made more profound by his artistic explorations; the ‘fullness' was the mystical transformation of his use of ink in old age." His paintings, whether of mist and rain in Jiangnan, mountains and valleys in the still of night, or steep gorges in deep seclusion, are all "masses of ink within masses of darkness, expanse of earth and sky within masses of dark ink', as Shitao had described in a poem. When we look at any of Huang's paintings done in his late years, we see layer upon layer of dots, and layer upon layer of washes. The dots were not done for their own sake, or merely to enrich the surface of the painting. By the time he was 70, Huang had already grasped the relationship between dot and wash on the one hand and vitality and resonance on the other, as he revealed in a poem: "With texturing and dotting strokes, I have recreated the mountains in their magnificence. Discovering this technique at the age of seventy, I can now say my artistic sojourn since my enlightenment on Jialing River is not in vain."

Wu Guanzhong (1919–)
City Night
Horizontal scroll, ink and colour on paper
96.3 x 179.8cm
Donated by Mr Wu Guanzhong

A modern night-time cityscape may seem like an unusual subject for a Chinese ink painting, but artist Wu Guanzhong has created a mesmerizing composition using ink wash.

Cityscapes are often considered too angular and too dense to be a suitable subject for fine art, with the interlocking geometry of a city difficult to capture on a scroll. Wu Guanzhong has used the night sky and glittering city lights to dispense with unnecessary details: only skeletal criss-cross lines remain, interlocking and piling on top of the other. The white-and-black grids are lights shining from the city's many buildings, while in the darker spaces the head and taillights of the evening traffic can be made out.

What the artist captures is not simply how our city looks at night, but also how it pulsates with energy and rhythm. It is this innate dynamism that has inspired and moved the artist: under Wu's brush, night-time in the city is not quiet and sleepy, but rather momentous and scintillating with life.

Ma Xiaojuan (1955–)
Warm Spring
Square scroll, ink and colour on paper
66 x 65cm
Donated by Ms Linda Chang

This scroll by Ma Xiaojuan will perhaps remind the viewer of the painter's native Jiangnan, the scenic waterlogged region south of the Yangtze River that is also a recurrent theme in all her paintings, both portraits and landscapes. The young women in the painting are mulberry pickers taking a rest after work. The stylized form, the muted tones, the poetic mood and the childlike features of the young women come together to create a dreamy world. The women in Ma's paintings seldom give the impression of any affectation, they are not posing; rather, their femininity is accentuated by their gentleness and quiet, unspoken sadness. Of the two women portrayed, one is sitting and one is lying down. The pastoral setting is contrasted with their distorted form, with their squarish contours, disproportionate physiques and the geometric curves of the drape of their clothes suggesting Western influences, perhaps Cubism or Surrealism, on the painter's treatment of metamorphosing forms.

Pan He (1873-1929)
Sunshine after Stormy Days
1923, hanging scroll, ink on paper
93.7 x 42.5cm
Donated by Mr Wong Po-yeh

Pan He was a native of Guangdong and, as one of the founders of the Guihai Painting Co-operative and a core member of the Chinese Painting Research Society, an active figure in the modern Chinese painting movements in the region. Born into a family of scholars, he showed a keen interest in the landscape paintings of Wang Shimin, one of the famous 'Four Wangs' of the early Qing period, while his enthusiasm later grew to include the famous masters of the Song and Yuan periods, Shi Tao in particular. Despite these influences, he was formally trained in Western techniques of sketching and drawing from life. But he drew on the experience of his hybrid background when he taught painting to demonstrate the innovative techniques and revolutionary ideals of the Chinese Painting Research Society.

Sunshine after Stormy Days was painted in 1923, a landmark year in the history of contemporary Chinese painting in Guangdong. For this was the year that Pan He and other like-minded artists founded the Guihai Painting Co-operative, issuing a clarion call to other artists to invest new energies in the genre in order to rebuff the criticism that traditional Chinese painting was stagnating under too much conservatism. With its diffused ink washes creating an atmospheric effect, bold textured strokes providing the rocky land form, and accentuations of dotted vegetation that are reminiscent of Shi Tao, this landscape provides a wonderful example of how traditional techniques can be put to innovative use in modern Chinese painting.

Li Keran (1907–1989)
Herdboy and Ox
1980, handscroll, ink and colour on paper (section)
31.5 x 1750cm
Taiyilou Collection; donated by Mr Lau Siu-lui

Li Keran graduated from the Shanghai College of Fine Arts in 1925. He then entered the National Academy of Art at West Lake to study sketching and oil painting, where his teachers included Qi Baishi and Huang Binhong. Li was widely recognized as a master of traditional Chinese painting, but it was to Western art that he owed his innovative style, especially the use of light and shade, in which he was inspired by a 17th century Dutch painter, Rembrandt, and Impressionist paintings of the 19th century. In his landscapes, he often applied large areas of black ink to form rolling mountains, while leaving a thin white space like an outline to distinguish one mountain range from another in a technique comparable to the backlight effect in photography. The introduction of lighting effects into Chinese painting has thus become the hallmark of Li Keran's paintings. In addition to landscapes, the ox was also one of Li's favourite subjects. In this painting, the ox is depicted vividly with a chiaroscuro effect in a light ink wash.