Tong Yangtze

executed in 2007
signed with four seals of the artist

USA, New York,Goedhuis Contemporary, New Paintings by Tong Yangtze, 26 March - 19 April, 2008, pp. 12-13, and cover (detail)

Kuo, Jason C., Chinese Ink Painting Now, Distributed Art Publishers, New York, USA; Timezone 8, Hong Kong, China, 2010, p.108

Overall in very good condition. Framed size: 91 x 159.5 cm; 35 7/8 x 62 3/4 in.
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Born in Shanghai, Tong Yangtze began practicing calligraphy at the age of eight. She received her bachelor’s degree in art from the National Taiwan Normal University in 1966, and graduated with a master’s degree in oil painting and ceramics from University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1970. An advocate of classical Chinese philosophy, Tong draw inspiration from moral texts of Chinese history and animates the forms with her cursive style calligraphy. In Be Tolerant, So You Will Be Great, Have No Desire, So You Will Be Strong (LOT 528), Tong borrows words from a phrase by Lin Zexu (1785-1850 CE),  a Qing dynasty official recognised for his moral governance and  played a key role in the fight against the opium trade.

Tong Yangtze, also known as Grace Tong, is an internationally recognized calligrapher known for her bold, expressive and innovative forms. With each calligraphic expression, she expresses words that she aims to manifest and live by such principles in her life and actions. Going beyond traditional practices, she creates works of monumental sizes and collaborates with others in creating installation, performance, and design works, always emphasizing calligraphy as a multi-faceted art form. In her own words, “I was educated in art. I am not [just] a calligrapher. If I were only a calligrapher, calligraphy would have died!”¹

¹Tong Yangtze, Sincerity - A Sculpture in Motion, Commonwealth Publishing Group, Taipei, Taiwan, p. 56