DEMOS CHIANG

Since childhood, he has been immersed in the nourishment of Chinese calligraphy, art painting, and educated in the Western environment. In his paintings, he uses a super fusion of poetry, calligraphy and painting, making animals the only, the biggest and the richest artistic theme. Using brush and acrylics to create a realistic sense of detail, he draws portraits of the animals as if they were human beings; then, using almost Western expressionist brushwork, he outlines the landscape with water and paint, and then uses English poems inscribed in paint to murmur the thoughts of the animals without borders; at the same time, it is also a meditation on the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures.

Demos Chiang works express his observation and care for the world through anthropomorphic animals, and at the same time, they are also a record and expression of the artist’s inner feelings. Among the famous Chinese artists of the past, many of them are good at painting animals, such as Zhang Daqian’s tiger, Qi Baishi’s shrimp, Xu Beihong’s horse, Li Keran’s bull, and Li Ku Chan’s eagle, all of which are known for capturing the spirit of animals and their vividness. However, Demos Chiang’s paintings of lions, bears, tigers, leopards, and other animals, even the fierce ones, are full of tender- ness, sadness, and joy, allowing the viewer to read his sensitive and sensitive nature, his heart that all things are equal, and his sincere and persistent attitude towards all forms of life.

In the artist’s creation statement, he said, ‘I like animals. Because they are simple and honest. It is straightforward to get along with them and there is no need for suspicion. Especially the eyes of animals, whether they can see or not, regardless of age or species, are honest.’ In his artworks, Chiang provides a healing power of life by interpreting the deepest emotions and spirituality shared by man and beast, especially the poems in English on each work, which are full of true feelings and philosophical reflections.

If the art creation is a record of his life history, then for the viewer, it is a profound feeling of the life energy shared by animals or human beings.

Text by curator Yuling Wang. Press release courtesy Whitestone Gallery.