Crow 1980

Huang Yongyu made this lovely Crow with ink on paper, though we don't know exactly when. Look at the way the ink pools and bleeds, creating depth and form with what seems like such simple, quick gestures. It's all about process, isn't it? The way the brush moves across the paper, the pressure and release, the happy accidents. It's like the artist is having a conversation with the ink. I'm especially drawn to the spiky, almost punk-rock quality of the feathers on the crow’s head. They're rendered with such energy, such playful abandon. It reminds me a bit of some of the gestural abstraction of Franz Kline, but with a decidedly Eastern sensibility. There's a boldness in the mark-making that invites us to see the world with fresh eyes, to appreciate the beauty in the unexpected. It’s a reminder that art is an ongoing exploration.