Cheng Haw-Chien

Cheng Haw-Chien was born in 1948 in Penang, Malaysia.

He studied the Lingnan style of painting, which fuses elements of Western and Japanese realism with Chinese ink painting on rice paper.

He learned Chinese brush painting and western art forms enthusiastically when he was an adolescent.

His interest was furthered when he continued his academic studies in Taiwan and Hong Kong after he graduated from secondary school.

Thereon, he sought to refine his artistic skills under the guidance of many eminent masters.

Former Principal of the Central Academy of Art and President of Central Research Academy of Art, Malaysia.

He is currently a visiting professor of Renmin University of China, Ningbo University, Changshu University of Technology, and Handan College, and a life-long consultant of Ningbo Art Museum.

He studied under Chao Shao-an （趙少昂） and visited Rao Zongyi （饒宗頤） in Hong Kong respectively.

He also called on Zhang Daqian （張大千）, Lang Ching-san （郎靜山）, Liang Shih-chiu （梁實秋）, Tai Jing-Nong （邰靜農）, Su Xuelin （蘇雪林） and Yu Kuang-chong （余光中） in Taiwan.

Subsequently, he visited more celebrities in China, and had the presence of numerous revered figures in the cultural scene at the opening ceremony of his exhibition in China.

Cheng Haw-Chien also studied poetry, calligraphy and painting under Ven.

Zhu Mo (竺摩长老) and Liu Taixi (劉太希）. He has also been conferred a master's degree in the history of fine art by Summit University, Louisiana, and doctorate degree by St. George University, Cambridge, for his achievement in research. He has won high accolades from artist and scholars in and outside of China.

He has chosen to work with two of the three traditional subject categories of Chinese painting landscape and bird and flowers.

The formats which he uses are also traditional and include fans, albums, hanging scrolls, and scrolls which are cross between handscrolls and album-extended horizontal compositions meant to be viewed all at once.

His exhibits have graced halls throughout Asia, America, and Europe.

Cheng Haw-Chien is equipped with the Lingnan School (嶺南畫派）as well as Western painting techniques. As an important contemporary representative of the school, Cheng Haw-Chien is impressive in two ways. First, his characteristic of creating a symphony between ink and colour enables him to bring out the features typical of his region. The second aspect is most interesting: his painting reflect a poetic ambience which is moving. It may be said that he embodies the spirit of the Lingnan School in 'learning from nature and being endowed by spiritual inspiration'.

After his graduation from the university in 1974, he toured South East Asia and European countries, holding solo exhibitions which received very positive press reports, especially on his masterpieces such as Bridge Over the River Kwai and Tour to the Kingdom of Buddha.

His other exhibitions in Malaysia and Europe, The Exhibition on Europe Tour series featuring Scene of Cambridge and Winter in Paris also received similar positive reviews.

He has held 150 exhibitions in United States of America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Pacific Island of West Indies.

He also held Solo Art Exhibition in National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur 'The Art World of Cheng Haw Chien' published by National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.

He also held several Solo Art Exhibition in China at XiaMen Art Museum, GuiYang Art Museum, Qingdao Art Museum, HeFei Art Museum, Ürümqi Art Museum, Xinjiang, Linnan Art Museum, Dongguan and Huizhou Museum.