Lot 158
Wu Dacheng (1835-1902)
Provenance:
Important Chinese Paintings from the Estate of Yick-Ho Wong (Lots 151-169)
Mr. Yick-Ho Wong 黃英豪 (1923-2011) was a scholar, artist, and avid collector of Chinese painting and calligraphy. Mr. Wong was born in Taishan, Guangdong 廣東省台山, and upon graduating from elementary school, he moved to Hong Kong and studied at Wah Yan college 天主教華仁書院. At the outbreak of the Japanese invasion, Mr. Wong moved back to Chongqing, and for the next couple of years, served as an interpreter for the United States military. On the side, he also taught Kuomintang artillerymen how to speak English. After the war, Mr. Wong studied one year at the Southwest Associated University, Kunming 昆明西南聯合大學, and then was accepted to the prestigious Tsinghua University 清華大學 in Beijing where he majored in economics. While there, he also took courses in traditional Chinese painting under the great Xu Beihong 徐悲鴻 (1895-1953). With the impending growth of communism, Mr. Wong returned to Hong Kong and graduated from normal school to become a teacher. He was offered a position with the Hong Kong Government School 香港官校 as a woodworking instructor. During his spare time, Mr. Wong continued to learn traditional Chinese painting at the New Asia College 新亞書院. There he met and studied under several artists such as Zhou Shixin 周士心, and Zao Xuechin 趙學琴. His fellow students included Pan Weihong 彭惠康, and Poon Waikong 潘偉江. Perhaps the best known of Mr. Wong's teachers was Ding Yanyong 丁衍庸 (1902-1978). Ding Yanyong also fled communist China and was living in poverty during his first years in Hong Kong. Mr. Wong befriended Ding Yanyong, and supported the artist by providing him with art materials in exchange for art lessons. The ensuing friendship, artistic dialogue, and weekly painting sessions formed the foundation of Mr. Wong's extensive collection. Furthermore, Mr. Wong opened a shop in 1965 in Tsim Sha Tsui Kowloon called “King Won Court” 景雲閣 (“Sublime Clouds Shop”). The store was devoted to the visual arts, and he sold arts supplies, antique books and calligraphy. By the mid-1960’s when Hong Kong's political situation became volatile, Mr. Wong looked to Canada for a new beginning. Canada had a dearth of teachers and was looking overseas for skilled workers in the education field. In 1967, Mr. Wong brought his wife, three young children, and collection of paintings to their new home.