Victor Wang Figurative Paintings

“My path through life has been adventurous, exciting, and dream-like. My experience of settling into America in search of better opportunities has been both challenging and inspiring...

Victor Wang's highly textured paintings involve thick layers of paint in deep saturated colors. In "Purple Sky", a thoroughly modern female figure faces the viewer, her soft delicate skin contrasted by the thick swaths of paint upon it. Influence by the Renaissance Masters Titian and Rembrandt for their glazing and layering techniques respectively, the artist builds the surface using heavy paint, swirling and mixing the color on the canvas. The end result is a poetic and emotionally powerful representation of the human form. Victor Wang Purple Sky oil on canvas 60h x 48w in 152.40h x 121.92w cm VWG008 My path through life has been adventurous, exciting, and dream-like. My experience of settling into America in search of better opportunities has been both challenging and inspiring. I use the human face as a vehicle to paint human experiences - worry and wonder, sadness and pleasure - which reflect the emotional stage directly tied to my immigration experiences. I grew up amongst the sunflower fields in northern China. In my childhood years, I played under the bright, yellow sunflowers with my brothers everyday. China’s Cultural Revolution played an important part in my life. During that time, sunflowers were used as political allegories to depict how citizens of China should follow Mao who represented the sun, since sunflowers follow the sun’s movements. People eventually inferred the deception that this symbol masked. After graduating from high school, I was sent to a labor camp in the country for ‘reeducation’ during China’s Cultural Revolution. There, I was subject to grueling farm work. Often, I worked in corn and sunflower fields from sunrise to sunset. Thus, for me, sunflowers evoke both personal joy and sadness. Therefore, to deliver my complex feelings, I use sunflowers as a metaphor to connote my background and emotional stage. My incorporation of collages of figures from China’s Tang Dynasty represents my Chinese heritage and is a constant reminder of where I came from. The texture and earthiness on the canvas’s surface are inspired by the texture of the soil on the farm where I worked in China. Although I often gain great pleasure from the process of painting, it is most important to unfold expressively those feelings within myself. Wang belongs to a generation of immigrant painters from China, whose artistic background was defined by socialist realism but took advantage of their skills and broke away from that tradition to create new subjects in the U.S. “When I was a student during Cultural Revolution, Soviet realism art was among the dominant source of influence and it grabbed us like lightening rod.” That was a time when artistic expression was curtailed to suit political needs. Faced with limited freedom of choosing subject matters, many of them devoted energy to the development of painterly skills. Aspiring artists, frustrated by lack of formal training opportunities, built their artistic foundations by studying privately with masters outside of the mainstream. “My recent paintings are based on my life in the two worlds. Increasingly I look into my roots for inspiration. I am particularly intrigued by human figurative expression. It has strong narrative rhythms. In paintings I constantly ask this question: how is this going to affect my perspective of the story?” Wang’s “Life on the Edge” series centers on how distant culture, considered primitive by many, deals with forces of modern intrusions. “Tibetans maintain strong spiritual connections to their past. They consider their present lives on earth are merely a stage along a cycle of journey that transcends age and time. I had direct observation on their devotion to their faith and their respect for nature. “ EDUCATION: 1988-1990 MFA (art studio) Department of Fine Arts, Fontbonne University, St. Louis, MO 1988-1990 Visiting Scholar, (painting) School of Fine Arts, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 1987-1988 Visiting Scholar, (painting) School of Art and Design, University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, IL 1979-1983 BFA (oil painting) Department of Oil Painting, Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts, China, SELECTED SHOWS: Solo Shows: 2017 Dec. Yu-Hsiu Museum of Art, Nantou, Taiwan 2016 Mar. Cinema Gallery, Urbana, IL 2014 Nov. Atrium Gallery, St. Louis MO 2013 Oct. Odon Wagner Gallery, Toronto, Canada 2011 Nov. Evan Lurie Gallery, Camel IN 2010 Nov Atrium Gallery, St. Louis, MO 2009 Nov. Odon Wagner Gallery, Toronto, Canada 2008 Jun. Arcadia Gallery, New York, NY 2007 Sep. Atrium Gallery,St. Louis, MO 2006 Nov. Odon Wagner Gallery, Toronto, Canada 2005 Dec. Arcadia Gallery, New York, NY 2004 Dec. Atrium Gallery, St. Louis, MO 2003 May. Cinema Gallery, Urbana, IL 2002 Oct. Mackey Gallery, Houston, TX 1999 Apr. Luna de 527 Gallery, Houston, TX 1997 May Elan Fine Arts Gallery, Santa Fe, NM 1996 May Elan Fine Arts Gallery, Santa Fe, NM 1995 Oct. Pompeii Gallery, Webster Groves, MO 1994 Dec. East Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan May Theater Gallery of Meramec Community College, St. Louis, MO 1992 May Towato Gallery, Alton, IL Jun. Gallery of Thomas Theological Seminary, Denver, CO 1991 Aug. Garret Gallery, St. Louis, MO 1988 May Art Studio Gallery, Urbana, IL Group Shows: 2021 Wet Paint, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2018 Figure 8, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2017 SOFA Chicago 2017, Chicago IL 2016 SOFA Chicago 2016, Chicago IL Art Palm Beach 2016, Palm Beach FL L A Art Show 2016, Los Angeles CA 2015 Texas Contemporary Art Fair, Houston TX The Affordable Art Fair, New York NY Art Palm Beach 2016, Palm Beach FL L A Art Show 2016, Los Angeles CA 2014 57th Mid-States Art Exhibition, Juror: Ephraim Rubenstein...

Victor Wang's painting "Falling Leaves" is a blend of luminous colors and buttery textures meant to capture a moment of meditation. In this work, a young woman faces the viewer, her soft delicate skin and innocent gaze contrasted by the thick swaths of paint used. Wang is influence by the Renaissance Masters Titian and Rembrandt for their glazing and layering techniques respectively, the artist builds the surface using heavy paint, swirling and mixing the color on the canvas. The end result is a poetic and emotionally powerful representation of the human form. This painting is unframed. Please contact the gallery for framing options. Victor Wang Falling Leaves, 2017 oil on canvas 65h x 48w in 165.10h x 121.92w cm VWG010 My path through life has been adventurous, exciting, and dream-like. My experience of settling into America in search of better opportunities has been both challenging and inspiring. I use the human face as a vehicle to paint human experiences - worry and wonder, sadness and pleasure - which reflect the emotional stage directly tied to my immigration experiences. I grew up amongst the sunflower fields in northern China. In my childhood years, I played under the bright, yellow sunflowers with my brothers everyday. China’s Cultural Revolution played an important part in my life. During that time, sunflowers were used as political allegories to depict how citizens of China should follow Mao who represented the sun, since sunflowers follow the sun’s movements. People eventually inferred the deception that this symbol masked. After graduating from high school, I was sent to a labor camp in the country for ‘reeducation’ during China’s Cultural Revolution. There, I was subject to grueling farm work. Often, I worked in corn and sunflower fields from sunrise to sunset. Thus, for me, sunflowers evoke both personal joy and sadness. Therefore, to deliver my complex feelings, I use sunflowers as a metaphor to connote my background and emotional stage. My incorporation of collages of figures from China’s Tang Dynasty represents my Chinese heritage and is a constant reminder of where I came from. The texture and earthiness on the canvas’s surface are inspired by the texture of the soil on the farm where I worked in China. Although I often gain great pleasure from the process of painting, it is most important to unfold expressively those feelings within myself. Wang belongs to a generation of immigrant painters from China, whose artistic background was defined by socialist realism but took advantage of their skills and broke away from that tradition to create new subjects in the U.S. “When I was a student during Cultural Revolution, Soviet realism art was among the dominant source of influence and it grabbed us like lightening rod...

Victor Wang's highly textured paintings involve thick layers of paint in deep saturated colors. In "Purple Sky", a thoroughly modern female figure faces the viewer, her soft delicate skin contrasted by the thick swaths of paint upon it. Influence by the Renaissance Masters Titian and Rembrandt for their glazing and layering techniques respectively, the artist builds the surface using heavy paint, swirling and mixing the color on the canvas. The end result is a poetic and emotionally powerful representation of the human form. Victor Wang Purple Sky oil on canvas 60h x 48w in 152.40h x 121.92w cm VWG008 My path through life has been adventurous, exciting, and dream-like. My experience of settling into America in search of better opportunities has been both challenging and inspiring. I use the human face as a vehicle to paint human experiences - worry and wonder, sadness and pleasure - which reflect the emotional stage directly tied to my immigration experiences. I grew up amongst the sunflower fields in northern China. In my childhood years, I played under the bright, yellow sunflowers with my brothers everyday. China’s Cultural Revolution played an important part in my life. During that time, sunflowers were used as political allegories to depict how citizens of China should follow Mao who represented the sun, since sunflowers follow the sun’s movements. People eventually inferred the deception that this symbol masked. After graduating from high school, I was sent to a labor camp in the country for ‘reeducation’ during China’s Cultural Revolution. There, I was subject to grueling farm work. Often, I worked in corn and sunflower fields from sunrise to sunset. Thus, for me, sunflowers evoke both personal joy and sadness. Therefore, to deliver my complex feelings, I use sunflowers as a metaphor to connote my background and emotional stage. My incorporation of collages of figures from China’s Tang Dynasty represents my Chinese heritage and is a constant reminder of where I came from. The texture and earthiness on the canvas’s surface are inspired by the texture of the soil on the farm where I worked in China. Although I often gain great pleasure from the process of painting, it is most important to unfold expressively those feelings within myself. Wang belongs to a generation of immigrant painters from China, whose artistic background was defined by socialist realism but took advantage of their skills and broke away from that tradition to create new subjects in the U.S. “When I was a student during Cultural Revolution, Soviet realism art was among the dominant source of influence and it grabbed us like lightening...

Victor Wang's highly textured paintings involve thick layers of paint over collaged images. In "Red Boat", a thoroughly modern female figure reclines in a red boat, her soft delicate skin is contrasted by the highly textural elements surrounding her. Influence by the Renaissance Masters Titian and Rembrandt for their glazing and layering techniques respectively, the artist builds the surface using heavy paint, swirling and mixing the color on the canvas. The end result is a poetic and emotionally powerful representation of the human form. Victor Wang Red Boat, 2021 oil on canvas 60h x 48w in 152.40h x 121.92w cm VWG007 My path through life has been adventurous, exciting, and dream-like. My experience of settling into America in search of better opportunities has been both challenging and inspiring. I use the human face as a vehicle to paint human experiences - worry and wonder, sadness and pleasure - which reflect the emotional stage directly tied to my immigration experiences. I grew up amongst the sunflower fields in northern China. In my childhood years, I played under the bright, yellow sunflowers with my brothers everyday. China’s Cultural Revolution played an important part in my life. During that time, sunflowers were used as political allegories to depict how citizens of China should follow Mao who represented the sun, since sunflowers follow the sun’s movements. People eventually inferred the deception that this symbol masked. After graduating from high school, I was sent to a labor camp in the country for ‘reeducation’ during China’s Cultural Revolution. There, I was subject to grueling farm work. Often, I worked in corn and sunflower fields from sunrise to sunset. Thus, for me, sunflowers evoke both personal joy and sadness. Therefore, to deliver my complex feelings, I use sunflowers as a metaphor to connote my background and emotional stage. My incorporation of collages of figures from China’s Tang Dynasty represents my Chinese heritage and is a constant reminder of where I came from. The texture and earthiness on the canvas’s surface are inspired by the texture of the soil on the farm where I worked in China. Although I often gain great pleasure from the process of painting, it is most important to unfold expressively those feelings within myself. Wang belongs to a generation of immigrant painters from China, whose artistic background was defined by socialist realism but took advantage of their skills and broke away from that tradition to create new subjects in the U.S. “When I was a student during Cultural Revolution, Soviet realism art was among the dominant source of influence and it grabbed us like lightening rod...

“My path through life has been adventurous, exciting, and dream-like. My experience of settling into America in search of better opportunities has been both challenging and inspiring...

"My path through life has been adventurous, exciting, and dream-like. My experience of settling into America in search of better opportunities has been both challenging and inspiring...

Wang belongs to a generation of immigrant painters from China, whose artistic background was defined by socialist realism but took advantage of their skills and broke away from that ...

Wang belongs to a generation of immigrant painters from China, whose artistic background was defined by socialist realism but took advantage of their skills and broke away from that tradition to create new subjects in the U.S. “When I was a student during Cultural Revolution, Soviet realism art was among the dominant source of influence and it grabbed us like lightening rod...