The Artist
Prof. Anita Yan Wong, M.F.A.
American Chinese Artist, Educator and Founder
pseudonym: 大白菜
Artist Name changes from 小白菜 to 大白菜 and one day to 老白菜
The Artist works are archived by:
AAA.org (Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong China)
AAAC (Asian American Arts Center, New York City U.S.A.)
Widewalls.ch (World leading Contemporary and Urban Arts database)
Founder of:
Silicon Valley Art and Technology Meetup
Asia Team Behance (Adobe)
Guo Hua Modernist Movement 國畫型人
Professorship & Faculty:
UC Berkely Extension, SF
(Lingnan Style Chinese Painting Instructor)
School of Visual Arts, NYC
Maryland Institute College of Arts
Tyler School of Arts, Temple University
The Art Institute
Member of:
Asian American Women Artists Association
A Chinese Culture Foundation of San Francisco Program
Hong Kong International Art Society
Hong Kong International Photography Society
California Artists
Artist Bio
Anita Yan Wong, M.F.A., M.A., is an American Chinese Impressionist painter best known for her distinct dynamic brush works and unique style of Contemporary Traditional paintings that defies tradition and modernity. The artist is a long time pupil of Hsin Pengjiu, a World-renowned Lingnan style master (嶺南畫派) and first pupils of Chao Shao An and Pu Hsin-Yu (Aisin-Gioro Puru), cousin of Pu Yi, the last emperor of China. Her works are currently featured Internationally in over 40 cultural magazines including N.Y. Arts, cover story of Works & Conversations 2017 (displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, SFMOMA, the Kandinsky Library at the Pompidou Center, Paris and Harvard library), Art Dependence Magazine; selected illustration arts for Emmy award winning Magazine by Adam McKay and Mike Farah. She was awarded first place wall art by “Design within Reach” in Design Philadelphia Award. Wong has taught at the School of Visual Arts, Temple University , the Maryland Institute College of Art and is currently teaching at UC Berkeley Extension fine art department in San Francisco, California. Wong's efforts and innovation as an 21st Century leading Lingnan painter is recognized and researched by Art historians and Phd students Internationally, such as University of Naples "L'Orientale, Italy and the Phd Department of history of art and archaeology, University of London. She has collaborated with MAHB, Stanford University with the goal of preserving Lingnan Guo Hua and the beauties in nature. Yale University's China Hands Magazine described her paintings as “Traditional art form that questions the modern minds.”
Anita Wong received her first western art education – B.A. (Honors) in Graphic Design from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London after graduating from Hong Kong Polytechnic University Art and Design department; her M.F.A. and M.A. in Digital Photography and Digital Arts from Maryland Institute College of Art. Wong served as a electronic media and cultural professor for over thirteen years before returning to a sole focus on her art in 2015. During this time, she was awarded Excellence Scholars from Maryland Institute College of Art and “Teaching excellence honor” from the Art Institute. Throughout the years the artist took part in an array of non profit artistic projects around the world including Baltimore international rhythm festival, Academy of Natural History Museum insects show and Action AIDS. Wong's "Contemporary traditional paintings" are a major breakthrough for a new generation of Lingnan Arts– her art, although traditional but contemporary, speaks to the Millennials, which differs her art from Chao's pupils and forgeries. The artist works are currently featured Internationally on both traditional and Hip Cultural magazines, with her cross platforms interest like film and electronic media – she has also served as a guest speaker for many events, including film and television director Bob Giraldi (best known for the creator of Michael Jackson music video).
Nature is the main inspiration for the artist who equally admires works by Abstract Expressionists such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning; the Impressionists such as Claude Monet and the beautiful and expressive brush works found in Asian rice paper paintings. With her background in creating moving imagery, Anita explores the movements of subjects and passage of time with her fast moving brush, which is why animals and natural elements represent recurrent topics in her work. Seemingly alive– tigers and birds in full flight experience a certain level of abstraction but still retain their natural appeal. Perception is also recurrent topic in her paintings as the artist tries to explore various ways individuals perceive her imagery. Inspired by Duchamp, Wong believes her Contemporary Traditional paintings is not intended to please the eye, Instead it could be used as a tool to serve the mind.
Artist Statement
My current works have been dealing with movement and emotions occured in nature; individualism in the viewer’s eyes and the role and future of traditional art form (in particular Lingnan Style Chinese Painting) in the Millennium. My current abstract ink painting series "Tigers", "Jumping kittens", "Roosters" and "Dogs" explores the movements of subject and passage of time through the use of fast "Bǐ" (Brushwork) and unique Lingnan brush technique 雙 鉤. I see "Bi" as my handwritings, an expression highly individual. Brushworks I create identify me from any other human beings. It is a medium for me to convey my emotions and meanings of the subject, the technique 雙 鉤 has never been expressedd like this before by any other Lingnan artist. The unique style in these ink paintings are created by combining what I’ve learned through film-making as well as classical training in both Guo hua (chinese painting), moving imagery in film making and western arts – such as abstract expressionism and impressionism with the goal of innovating new 21st century Lingnan Contemporary Traditional Art.
Older works like "Rorschach", 2016 for example, offers the viewer a Rorschach test, which invites them to question openly on what the individual sees of traditional art in the digital age. This invitation lets the viewer see art with not just the eyes but also the mind. It allows an old ancient art form to question the modern minds. My 2016 painting series “Preserve” uses pins to preserve real insects and objects found in nature reflects my ultimate goal: Preserving the beauty from nature and the ancient art form of Lingnan Guo hua (The National Art of China during 19th century). Both Traditional and Hip Cultural; Western and Eastern Arts plays a key role in my art creation. My ultimate dream as an artist is to continue developing unique styles of "Contemporary traditional arts" that speaks to viewers in the Millennium.
American Chinese Artist, Educator and Founder
pseudonym: 大白菜
Artist Name changes from 小白菜 to 大白菜 and one day to 老白菜
The Artist works are archived by:
AAA.org (Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong China)
AAAC (Asian American Arts Center, New York City U.S.A.)
Widewalls.ch (World leading Contemporary and Urban Arts database)
Founder of:
Silicon Valley Art and Technology Meetup
Asia Team Behance (Adobe)
Guo Hua Modernist Movement 國畫型人
Professorship & Faculty:
UC Berkely Extension, SF
(Lingnan Style Chinese Painting Instructor)
School of Visual Arts, NYC
Maryland Institute College of Arts
Tyler School of Arts, Temple University
The Art Institute
Member of:
Asian American Women Artists Association
A Chinese Culture Foundation of San Francisco Program
Hong Kong International Art Society
Hong Kong International Photography Society
California Artists
Artist Bio
Anita Yan Wong, M.F.A., M.A., is an American Chinese Impressionist painter best known for her distinct dynamic brush works and unique style of Contemporary Traditional paintings that defies tradition and modernity. The artist is a long time pupil of Hsin Pengjiu, a World-renowned Lingnan style master (嶺南畫派) and first pupils of Chao Shao An and Pu Hsin-Yu (Aisin-Gioro Puru), cousin of Pu Yi, the last emperor of China. Her works are currently featured Internationally in over 40 cultural magazines including N.Y. Arts, cover story of Works & Conversations 2017 (displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, SFMOMA, the Kandinsky Library at the Pompidou Center, Paris and Harvard library), Art Dependence Magazine; selected illustration arts for Emmy award winning Magazine by Adam McKay and Mike Farah. She was awarded first place wall art by “Design within Reach” in Design Philadelphia Award. Wong has taught at the School of Visual Arts, Temple University , the Maryland Institute College of Art and is currently teaching at UC Berkeley Extension fine art department in San Francisco, California. Wong's efforts and innovation as an 21st Century leading Lingnan painter is recognized and researched by Art historians and Phd students Internationally, such as University of Naples "L'Orientale, Italy and the Phd Department of history of art and archaeology, University of London. She has collaborated with MAHB, Stanford University with the goal of preserving Lingnan Guo Hua and the beauties in nature. Yale University's China Hands Magazine described her paintings as “Traditional art form that questions the modern minds.”
Anita Wong received her first western art education – B.A. (Honors) in Graphic Design from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London after graduating from Hong Kong Polytechnic University Art and Design department; her M.F.A. and M.A. in Digital Photography and Digital Arts from Maryland Institute College of Art. Wong served as a electronic media and cultural professor for over thirteen years before returning to a sole focus on her art in 2015. During this time, she was awarded Excellence Scholars from Maryland Institute College of Art and “Teaching excellence honor” from the Art Institute. Throughout the years the artist took part in an array of non profit artistic projects around the world including Baltimore international rhythm festival, Academy of Natural History Museum insects show and Action AIDS. Wong's "Contemporary traditional paintings" are a major breakthrough for a new generation of Lingnan Arts– her art, although traditional but contemporary, speaks to the Millennials, which differs her art from Chao's pupils and forgeries. The artist works are currently featured Internationally on both traditional and Hip Cultural magazines, with her cross platforms interest like film and electronic media – she has also served as a guest speaker for many events, including film and television director Bob Giraldi (best known for the creator of Michael Jackson music video).
Nature is the main inspiration for the artist who equally admires works by Abstract Expressionists such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning; the Impressionists such as Claude Monet and the beautiful and expressive brush works found in Asian rice paper paintings. With her background in creating moving imagery, Anita explores the movements of subjects and passage of time with her fast moving brush, which is why animals and natural elements represent recurrent topics in her work. Seemingly alive– tigers and birds in full flight experience a certain level of abstraction but still retain their natural appeal. Perception is also recurrent topic in her paintings as the artist tries to explore various ways individuals perceive her imagery. Inspired by Duchamp, Wong believes her Contemporary Traditional paintings is not intended to please the eye, Instead it could be used as a tool to serve the mind.
Artist Statement
My current works have been dealing with movement and emotions occured in nature; individualism in the viewer’s eyes and the role and future of traditional art form (in particular Lingnan Style Chinese Painting) in the Millennium. My current abstract ink painting series "Tigers", "Jumping kittens", "Roosters" and "Dogs" explores the movements of subject and passage of time through the use of fast "Bǐ" (Brushwork) and unique Lingnan brush technique 雙 鉤. I see "Bi" as my handwritings, an expression highly individual. Brushworks I create identify me from any other human beings. It is a medium for me to convey my emotions and meanings of the subject, the technique 雙 鉤 has never been expressedd like this before by any other Lingnan artist. The unique style in these ink paintings are created by combining what I’ve learned through film-making as well as classical training in both Guo hua (chinese painting), moving imagery in film making and western arts – such as abstract expressionism and impressionism with the goal of innovating new 21st century Lingnan Contemporary Traditional Art.
Older works like "Rorschach", 2016 for example, offers the viewer a Rorschach test, which invites them to question openly on what the individual sees of traditional art in the digital age. This invitation lets the viewer see art with not just the eyes but also the mind. It allows an old ancient art form to question the modern minds. My 2016 painting series “Preserve” uses pins to preserve real insects and objects found in nature reflects my ultimate goal: Preserving the beauty from nature and the ancient art form of Lingnan Guo hua (The National Art of China during 19th century). Both Traditional and Hip Cultural; Western and Eastern Arts plays a key role in my art creation. My ultimate dream as an artist is to continue developing unique styles of "Contemporary traditional arts" that speaks to viewers in the Millennium.
