Irene Chou () (January 31, 1924 – July 1, 2011) was a Chinese artist, one of the most influential exponents of the New Ink Painting movement in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

. A leader in the New Ink Painting Movement, Chou was at the forefront of reinventing traditional ink paintings into a contemporary art form. Her contribution to ink paintings has made an impact both regionally and internationally, making way for modern ink paintings in the global art scene.

Life and work

Irene Chou was born in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, where she studied economics at St. John’s University. Upon graduating in 1945, Chou worked as a journalist for Peace Daily Shanghai. Thereafter she left for

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

and in 1949 for

. Her mother, a professional calligrapher gave her the first leson. She began to learn painting formally in 1954 when she became a student of Zhao Shao’ang, a master of the traditional

Lingnan school of painting The Lingnan School () of painting, also called the Cantonese School, is a style of painting from the Guangdong or Lingnan region of China. This school reflects a style of painting founded in the 19th century in Guangdong province by ''Two Gaos an ...

. In her traditional landscape and bird-and-flower paintings Chou demonstrated a solid grounding in traditional

Chinese painting Chinese painting () is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. Painting in the traditional style is known today in Chinese as ''guó huà'' (), meaning "national painting" or "native painting", as opposed to Western style ...

methods such as qiyun (spirit-resonance) and moqi (ink-play). She said to have found inspiration in the study of qi-gong. Initially Chou drew influences from bright Chinese opera folk paintings and Great Seal Style calligraphy. The use of calligraphic lines in her work was informed by years of studying calligraphy and traditional Chinese ink painting techniques, especially the 'Storm Drum' script, which was first used to inscribe stones during the Qin dynasty (221-206BCE). Although Chou started her career working with more traditional Chinese painting methods and styles through landscape and bird-and-flower paintings, she later experimented with various techniques and paints as she moved away from more conventional ink paintings and the popular Lingnan style. In the late 1960s Chou get touched with

abstract expressionism Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of the ...

. The progressive theories on art and ink painting of her colleague

Lui Shou-Kwan Lui Shou-Kwan ( zh, 呂壽琨 (Lü Shoukun); 1919–1975) was a Chinese painter, one of the most prominent ink painters of the 20th century and a founder of the Hong Kong New Ink Movement. Early life Lui was born in Guangzhou. His father, Lui C ...

of the

Lingnan School The Lingnan School () of painting, also called the Cantonese School, is a style of painting from the Guangdong or Lingnan region of China. This school reflects a style of painting founded in the 19th century in Guangdong province by ''Two Gaos an ...

inspired her to experiment with different techniques and various types of paint, including oil, acrylic and watercolor. Kathy Zhang mentioned that artists working in this vein followed Lui’s precepts and combined Western and Chinese art. Chou explored the “splash ink” technique, the layered “piled ink” technique, and pointillism in her works in the 1970s. However, her signature mark became the “one-stroke” technique she applied to her abstract paintings, which was reminiscent of the New Ink style that was becoming popular in Hong Kong in the 1980s. Through her work, she attempted to combine Western and Chinese art while simultaneously paying homage to Chinese traditional art. Irene Chou was the Hong Kong representative for the United Nation's Women's Liberation. After the death of her mentor

in 1975 and her husband in 1978, the style of Chou’s work changed fundamentally. But this depression gave her enormous energy and so her style became bolder and more spontaneous. Her works from this period were informed by her exposure to abstract expressionism, Neo-Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Her works of the 1980s were representative of the ''New Ink style'' emerging in Hong Kong. Her works in the 1980s demonstrate her mastery of a range of techniques associated with both the ‘impact structural strokes’ – the artist’s distinctive violent and short brushstrokes associated with her ''Impact'' series style and the dense ink associated with her ‘Dark Painting’ style developed in the late 1970s. The artist carefully applied multiple layers of ink wash to both sides of the thin ''xuan'' paper (rice paper), systematically creating a sense of structure and depth, while forming a dark, thick and concentrated ink layer with a luminous surface and soft tones. In the 1980s she won several awards and became a key figure in the contemporary

art scene. At age 67, Chou experienced a life-threatening stroke, and after intensive physiotherapy, she moved to Brisbane, Australia, from Hong Kong to be closer to her son. This experience led her to have a more melancholy approach to her art in this decade as Chou depicted images of rebirth on blackened backgrounds. In the following years she studied

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

and got interested in Aboriginal painting. The paintings were dark " I am not afraid of using black as some people are. ...In fact black is part of me the person". In the early 21st century her work became lighter and clearer with contrasting colors. She died in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, aged 87.

Awards

* 1983: Urban Council Fine Arts Award,

* 1988: Artist of the Year Award by Hong Kong Artists’ Guild

Exhibitions

* 1972: ''Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial'',

City Museum and Art Gallery The Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) is the first and main art museum of Hong Kong, located in Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. It is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong Government. HKMoA has an art collectio ...

* 1973: ''Contemporary Prints by Chinese Artists'',

* 1979: ''Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial'',

* 1983: ''Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial'',

* 1985: ''Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial'',

* 1992: ''Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial'',

*1993: ''The 1st Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art'',

Queensland Art Gallery The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) is an art museum located in South Bank, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The gallery is part of QAGOMA. It complements the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) building, situated only away. The Queensland Art Gallery ...

* 1995: ''Collectors' Choice: The Cosmic Vision of Zhou Luyun'', Cat Street Galleries,

* 2003: ''The Asian Masters'',

The Fullerton Hotel The Fullerton Hotel Singapore is a five-star luxury hotel located near the mouth of the Singapore River, in the Downtown Core of the Central Area, Singapore. It was originally known as the Fullerton Building, and also as the General Post Offi ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

* 2004: ''The Universe is My Heart – Exhibition by Irene Chou'', Pao Galleries,

Hong Kong Arts Centre Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC; ) is a non-profit arts institution and art museum established in 1977. It promotes contemporary performing arts, visual arts, film and video arts. It also provides arts education. Its rival is the government-managed ...

* 2003: ''My Universe'',

* 2003: ''Hong Kong Cityscapers – Ink Painting in Transition'',

Hong Kong Museum of Art The Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) is the first and main art museum of Hong Kong, located in Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. It is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong Government. HKMoA has an art collection ...

* 2003: ''Winter Solstice'',

* 2004: ''Irene Chou at Eighty'', Hanart TZ Gallery,

* 2004: ''From Representation to Revelation: The Transitional Works (1950-1990) of Irene Chou'', Grotto Fine Art,

* 2006: ''Universe of the Mind. Retrospective'', University Museum and Art Gallery,

The University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fir ...

* 2006: ''Creative Spirit: Hong Kong Visual Arts'',

Hong Kong Cultural Centre The Hong Kong Cultural Centre () is a multipurpose performance facility in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. Located at Salisbury Road, it was built by the former Urban Council and, since 2000, has been administered by the Leisure and Cultural Servi ...

* 2006: ''New Paintings by Irene Chou'', Hanart TZ Gallery,

* 2007: ''Life is a Many Splendoured Thing'', The Rotunda, Exchange Square Central, by iPreciation Gallery,

* 2007: ''The New Face of Ink Painting: Modern Ink Painting Group Exhibition'', Central Plaza, Hong Kong * 2007: ''The Norman W. M. Ko Collection of Hong Kong Art'', University Museum and Art Gallery,

* 2008: ''Irene Chou 84'', Hanart TZ Gallery,

* 2008: ''Life is a Many Splendoured Thing'',

* 2010: ''De la Chine, entre Tradition et Modernite'', Galerie F. Hesler,

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

* 2012: ''A tribute to Hong Kong Masters'', Hanart TZ Gallery,

* 2013: ''Hong Kong Masters'', Rossi & Rossi Ltd,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

*2019: ''The Pulse of Ink''
iPreciation Gallery
Hong Kong *2019: ''A Tribute to Irene Chou''
The Ink Society
Hong Kong *2019: ''A World Within: The Art and Inspiration of Irene Chou'',

Hong Kong Jockey Club The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) is one of the oldest institutions in Hong Kong, having been founded in 1884. In 1959, it was granted a Royal Charter and renamed The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club (). The institution reverted to its original name ...

, Hong Kong

Collections

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

Boston Museum of Fine Arts The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fi ...

, * Chinese University Museum,

* Fung Ping Shan Museum,

* Norman W. M. Ko Collection,

* City Gallery,

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

* Melbourne Raya Gallery *

National Museum of History The National Museum of History (NMH; ) is located in the Nanhai Academy in Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taiwan. After the Republic of China government moved to Taiwan, the National Museum of History was the first museum to be established in Taiwa ...

* M+, Hong Kong
M K Lau Collection
Hong Kong

Publications

* ''Chinese Painting by Irene Chou'' (綠雲畫藝), Catalogue, Fung Ping Shan Museum, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (香港): Fung Ping Shan Museum, University of Hong Kong, 1986. * ''Paintings by Irene Chou'' (周綠雲畫展), Catalogue, Hanart 2 Gallery, Hong Kong (香港): Hanart 2 Gallery (漢雅軒), 1989. * ''Irene Chou & Hon Chi-Fun Recent Paintings'' (周綠雲韓志勳近作), Hong Kong (香港): The Hong Kong Land Property Company Ltd. (香港置地物業有限公司), 1991. * Catherine Maudsley (Ed.): ''Collectors' Choice: The Cosmic Vision of Zhou Luyun'' (周綠雲：玄黃天地，繽紛世界), Catalogue Cat Street Galleries, Hong Kong (香港): Casey Company Limited (啟時有限公司), 1995. * ''The Universe Lies Within: Paintings by Irene Chou'' (宇宙是吾心 - 周綠雲的藝術), Catalogue The Rotunda, Hong Kong (香港): The Hong Kong Land Property Company Ltd. (香港置地物業有限公司), 1998. * ''The Universe is My Mind - Irene Chou'' (宇宙便是吾心 - 周綠雲), Hong Kong (香港): Hanart TZ Gallery (漢雅軒), 2000. * Grace Cheng, Margaret Kwokfan Yeung, Kwanlap Chan, Chunyi Lee (Eds.): ''The Universe is My Heart, My Heart is The Universe: The Art of Irene Chou'' (宇宙即吾心，吾心即宇宙：周綠雲作品集), Catalogue Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong (香港): Hong Kong Arts Centre (香港藝術中心), 2003. * Henry Auyeung (Ed.): ''From Representation to Revelation: The Transitional Works (1950-1990) of Irene Chou'' (周綠雲), Catalogue Grotto Fine Art, Hong Kong (香港): Grotto Fine Art (嘉圖藝術有限公司), 2004. * Tina Yeewan Pang (Ed.): ''Universe of the Mind: Zhou Luyun (Irene Chou) a retrospective exhibition'' (游彩人生：周綠雲繪畫回顧展), Catalogue University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (香港): University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong (香港大學美術博物館), 2006. * The Universe is My Heart, My Heart is the Universe. Catalogue, Hong Kong Art Center, February 2003. . * Universe of the Mind, Zhou Luyun (Irene Chou) a retrospective exhibition. The University of Hong Kong. March 2006. .

References

* * *

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chou, Irene Republic of China painters Chinese women painters 1924 births 2011 deaths St. John's University, Shanghai alumni Painters from Shanghai Republic of China journalists Writers from Shanghai Hong Kong women artists Hong Kong artists Chinese emigrants to British Hong Kong