Curriculum Vitae
1963
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Born in Guangzhou - Southern China
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Education
1975-81
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Selected to study fine art at the Youth Arts Centre, Guangzhou, China |
Solo Exhibitions
2006
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Reeves Contemporary, New York, Chelsea, New York City
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Awards and Prizes
2000 |
The Allied Artists of America 2000 Gold Medal of Honor
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Grants
2006 |
Artist in Residence, Neuhauser Kunstmühle, Salzburg, Austria
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Juried Exhibitions
2005 |
Allentown Art Museum 29th Juried Show, Myth, Magic, and
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Group Exhibitions - selected
2004
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New York City in Art, Spanierman Gallery, New York
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Publications
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New York Reviews, Artnews, May 2002 - Click here to view the article
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Collections
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Hilton International, Sydney; Shell Chemicals, Melbourne; Camberwell Civic Centre, Melbourne; Mobil Oil, Melbourne; Pioneer International, Sydney; Private Collections in Australia, United States of America, Japan, England
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Thoughts on the Practice
“The perception in the grey zone where psychology overlaps with landscape - where soul seeks both inspiration and liberation from environmental constraints ..."
The medium, watercolor is delicate enough, in opposition to the scene, which contains the narration of the existing human condition. The steel, depicted in my work, is provocative and brutal, in opposition to a New York state of mind. And the motion, perhaps, is the realization of a displacement, and the effort, restlessness in the on going search of the sublime mental idealism …
The reason I keep my focus in the urban cityscape, is for the sake of revelation - we go to the living space of a person, instead of just the person, as he or she may have a natural disguise when confronted with the intention of inquiry.
The truthful knowledge of ourselves, the urban spaces and their human stains are the best resources to create the realms in my work.
So as not to be so "wishy-washy", I apply multiple layers of glazing to some areas (up to 40 or 50 coats if need be). For the atmosphere, I apply white pigment. For the visual tension, I increase these opposites: wet and dry, light and dark, working intensely and delicately – sometimes using just one layer (or even bare paper) and sometimes using multiple layers in opposition...
I am only a part of the work I have created. I strongly sense that time and space have been playing their incontestable roles, through me, on to the work.
My practice in the medium is about building up watercolor, and then to dematerialize it to the parallel notion of material (visceral) and immaterial (cerebral), which is also reminiscent of the eastern philosophy - between like it and not like it.
Paul Ching-Bor
Writings of the Museum Directors
"Watercolor more than any other medium is marked by a long established tradition. Making the medium "behave" has been an often quoted tenet - those painters who rank on most lists of historically important practitioners of the art have been anything but traditionalists.
The power of John Marin's work, for example, is drawn from the kind of risk-taking which has moved generations of artists to accept alternative solutions.
Paul Ching-Bor has taken and pushed the watercolor medium through a century of powerful influences, including abstract expressionism. What emerges is a totally fresh approach, a watercolor painting which rivals in vision, form and execution any work on paper done since the 1950s.
At first glance Ching-Bor's paintings present a barrage of intense brush work recalling on one level the bold angular gestures of Franz Kline yet on another, the dark and mysterious images associated with the block prints of the German Expressionists.
Yet while art historical references can be seen - Paul Ching-Bor is an original. Drawing principally upon such linear structures as bridges and other constructivist - like subjects, the paintings reveal a content that surely extends well beyond "realist" tradition.
Ultimately the true content of Ching-Bor's work is the process of painting itself. This is an art about art. This is an art which underscores the fact that great and endearing art contains a magic which Kandinsky once referred to as "the spiritual".
The fact that Paul Ching-Bor is of Chinese heritage and education at first glance does not seem to be a factor in the work. I do not see the "East meets West" character that one might find in the ethereal and romantic works of the legendary master Chen Chi who finds strength in balancing East-West traditions.
If Ching-Bor's work pays any homage at all to the land of his birth it is in his understanding of the seductiveness of paper and how the fluid personality of the medium of watercolor must be accommodated.
Ching-Bor is an expressionist who looks back at a century of painterly painting and approaches it with a freshness that stops us in our tracks. This is Kirchner as he might have been at century's end. This is a young painter's response to the final chapter of the 20th century and perhaps what Kirchner and his circle confronted at the close the 19th century. Essentially both stood up and proclaimed that "vision" is not only about optical focus - it is about the focus of the heart as well."
Louis A. Zona
Director
The Butler Institute of American Art
Writings of Fellow Artists
PAUL CHING-BOR: EAST MEETS WEST
The rich history of Chinese painting with its decisive, bold and stylized brush strokes has now been transformed into a contemporary style through the work of Paul Ching-Bor.
My initial introduction to Paul's painting was on the occasion of The Allied Artists of America annual exhibition in New York City in 1997. When Paul unwrapped his work, I was immediately enthralled with the power of the subject and the boldness of his technique. Paul won the Gold Medal of Honor for "The Bridge" the highest honor presented by the organization. I had the pleasure of presenting the award to him and had a chance to get to know him. It was the beginning of a long friendship. Being associated with art organizations for many years has given me the opportunity to see literally thousands of works by as many artists. What brought Paul's work to my attention is his direct approach to painting almost to the point of being expressionist. He has a very unorthodox technique, yet sensitive approach to watercolor.
Paul is a man of great vision. Transforming the real world, the real structures into his own personal and powerful statement. In his bridge series, the boldness of his brush strokes is very evident, unveiling his true understanding of form and color. Void of unnecessary detail, he makes suggestions with a sweep of the brush, thus elevating his subject to a new level of experience.
He is a modern realist in every sense of the word, integrating elements of pure abstraction and expressionism into his own world. He overcomes the authority of subject matter and finds his own creative resolution. There is a sense of excitement in viewing his watercolors and he is guided by no rules or formulas. In fact, his work is spontaneous, thus creating his own language of forms, colors and texture.
Paul's paintings need no interpretation as they are more about painting than subject. He is the quintessential painter's painter. Personally, I have always admired the works of the great master Rembrant, less for the subject and more for his virtuosity in painting. I respond equally when viewing Paul's work.
All those fortunate to see his exhibition will be enriched.
Gary T. Erbe
President
The Allied Artists of America