On the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of Ting Yin-yung’s passing, the Art Museum, jointly with New Asia College, Department of Fine Arts and The Alumni Association of Fine Arts Department present this exhibition to commemorate the artistic achievement and contribution of Ting Yin-yung in arts education. Reminiscent of Ting’s generosity, Ting’s former students and friends at the Department of Fine Arts donated 103 items of cherished works of Ting over the past few decades to the permanent collection of the Art Museum. This exhibition features seventy-four of these works, in addition to 11 loan items. All composed when Ting was a member of the Department in 1962 - 1978, the exhibits demonstrate the sincere and long-lasting friendship between Ting and his students and friends.

Ting Yin-yung (1902-1978) was born in Maorning County in Guangdong Province. He studied at the Western Painting Department of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1920-1925 before turning to traditional Chinese ink painting, calligraphy and seal carving. In 1949, Ting settled in Hong Kong alone and continued his artistic journey to straddle the realms of both Chinese and Western art despite solitude and all the hardships. In 1957, at Ch’ien Mu’s (1895-1990) invitation, Ting joined New Asia College and took part in the founding of the two-year Fine Arts Specialised Training Programme which was developed into a four-year undergraduate degree programme in 1959 and later became the Department of Fine Arts upon the establishment of CUHK in 1963. Undoubtedly, Ting made a signal contribution to the tertiary art education in Hong Kong.

Known among his student as “Master Ting” (Ding gong), Ting’s class often consisted of hand-on demonstration. He also made impromptu compositions on subjects requested by students. Swift with his brushwork, Ting had left behind myriad works of diverse subjects, mostly presented to students in his classes or made available for pick-up by any interested bystanders. Large circulation of Ting’s painting was seen as a result of his generosity. Therefore, the majority of the exhibits are demonstration sketches during his classes, along with his compliments and encouragement, birthday and wedding wishes, and more. With the substantial amount of donation, the exhibition is divided into seven sections: “Aquatic Lives”, “Flowers, Fruit and Insects”, “Birds and Land Animals”, “Four Elegant Plants”, “Figures and Landscapes”, “One-Stroke Paintings” and “Calligraphy”. Together they underline Ting’s world of ink art and his teaching in Chinese painting and calligraphy.

Exhibition Periods:
Period I: 12.05.2018 – 02.07.2018 
Period II: 06.07.2018 – 02.09.2018