Water to Paper Paint to Sky the Art of Tyrus Wong
by Rebecca Chang
Panel brandish at the second-floor gallery archway depicting Wong at his habitation in Sunland, CA.
Photo by Rebecca Chang.
"Painting is a verse form and a poem is a painting." These are the words of Tyrus Wong, who is maybe best known for quietly leaving his artistic mark on the 1942 classic picture show Bambi, a function that would later earn him the honor of a Disney Legend in 2001. From observing Wong's art, the meaning of his words become evident. His sketches of Bambi depict soft watercolors layered upon delicately structured light and form to create an ethereal mood. Drawing comparisons to poesy, his fine art is sparse in composition yet bursting with emotional richness. Though Wong is modest about his art, considering himself non a not bad creative person, only rather an artist making a respectable living from his work, the exhibition "H2o to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong" at the Walt Disney Family Museum belies his humbleness and provides a stunning showcase of his diverse range of artistic talents and works.
The exhibition opens with the story of Wong'southward childhood and his emigration from China to the United States at the young historic period of ix. The year was 1919 and confronting the backdrop of a sociopolitical climate of racial bigotry characterized by the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Human activity of 1882, Wong was detained and interrogated by clearing officials at the Angel Island Clearing Station. After iii weeks, Wong was released and somewhen settled with his father in Pasadena, California. From an early age, Wong demonstrated exceptional artistic potential and went on to attend the Otis Art Plant in Los Angeles, supporting himself through scholarships and janitorial work. Wong overcame many economical and racial adversities to get the creative person he is today, and the decision to preface the exhibition with his personal history is both thoughtfully intriguing every bit well as deliberate: information technology provides the context for the audience to fully capeesh and understand the cultural significance of his emergence as a Chinese American artist.
"Water to Paper" is in essence a commemoration of Wong'due south life that takes the audience through a chronological exploration of his career every bit an artist, with highlights including his stint as an inbetweener at Walt Disney Studios, the animator responsible for filling in movements in between drawings to portray the illusion of movement, to his twenty-vi year career at Warner Brothers Studios equally a preproduction illustrator, creating concept images for films such as Rebel Without a Crusade (1955) and The Green Berets (1968). Across animation, Wong also created artwork for the consumer, including ceramics, scarves, and holiday cards. His holiday cards were especially popular, with some designs selling over a million copies.
Visual development sketch for Bambi.
Photo by Rebecca Chang.
Wong's passion for his arts and crafts is reflected in his family unit life as well, particularly in two brandish cases, featuring one-of-a-kind Christmas toys that Wong handcrafted for his children. Among the toys are a Noah's ark fashioned from a butter container, complete with animal crackers inside. This sliver of a glimpse into Wong's role as a family man shows a more playful side of his work as an artist, balanced by the graceful tranquility characteristic of his Sung Dynasty-inspired paintings.
Wong worked with his wife Ruth to sell hand-painted silk scarves for department stores and boutiques. Wong created a lookbook showing the various ways his scarves could exist styled, while Ruth provided descriptions of the scarves.
Photograph past Rebecca Chang.
From 1946 to the early 1950s, Wong decorated dinnerware pieces for Winfield Pottery and Gabriel Porcelain. His pieces were sold in department stores, including Bullocks Wilshire, Neiman Marcus, and Marshall Field.
Photo past Rebecca Chang.
"Water to Paper" is expansive – it includes over 150 works spanning a variety of artistic mediums. Nonetheless, despite its size, "Water to Paper" never loses a sense of intimacy with its field of study and interspersed throughout the gallery are video interviews with Wong and anecdotes from family unit members and friends who provide an insider's perspective into the man behind the fine art.
Today, at age 102, Wong has the distinction of being the oldest living Chinese American artist. He has since turned his focus to kite-making, and the second floor of the gallery exhibition is dedicated to his kites. With its high ascension ceilings, the former gymnasium-turned-museum provides the ideal open space for his exquisite creations. Suspended in mid-air, these kites – a whimsical parade of vibrantly hued birds, dragons, and koi – serve equally a fitting metaphor for Wong'southward costless spirit.
A flock of bird kites, as seen by the stairwell to the second floor of the exhibition gallery.
Photo by Rebecca Chang.
"H2o to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Fine art of Tyrus Wong" is on display at the Walt Disney Family unit Museum now through February tertiary, 2014.
Source: https://chsa.org/2013/11/water-to-paper-paint-to-sky-the-art-of-tyrus-wong-at-the-walt-disney-family-museum/
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