Azen Tsang (1933-2009)

 

“Painting is the only means by which I can express my emotions fully. I use colors, lines and forms to record all my deepest mental impressions. The result is a vivid report of my spiritual journey.”

 

The journey Azen Tsang experienced was spiritual as well as a physical one. Born in Indonesia in 1933, Tsang enjoyed a childhood exposed to the strong tropical lights and exotic island landscapes, all of which fueled his imaginative powers at an early age. The Dutch influence over its former colony also instilled a strong sense of aesthetic aspirations in him.

 

In 1956, Tsang set sail to China and studied fine arts at the prestigious Zhejiang Institute of Art in Hangzhou. He specialized in oil painting but at the same time learned to master traditional Chinese brush and ink techniques. As a result, delicately embedded in the chromatic richness of his contemporary impressionistic paintings is a sensitivity to line that is strictly Chinese.

 

In 1974, Tsang moved to Hong Kong along with his family. There, he continued his artistic creation and won a number of distinguished awards in the 1980s. In 1987, he held his first solo art exhibition at Eminent Art Center. From 1987-89, he won Certificates of Distinction for three consecutive years in Philippe Charriol Foundation Modern Arts Competition. Some of his paintings, including “Mounted and Framed” and “Jiangnan Snowscape,” were included in the catalog of Hong Kong Auctioneer Company and were sold in auctions to private collectors around the world.

 

In 1989, Tsang moved to New York, where he developed a unique style that reflected his artistic maturity. His paintings, with a detailed and sophisticated rendering of impressionistic brush strokes combined with surrealistic motifs, won him a number of important national art awards and exposures at several art galleries in New York City. His work “Snow-clad Manhattan,” for example, won several prizes, one of which was the first prize in the oil/acrylic category at “Today’s American Artists” Exhibition organized by the Alliance of Queens Artists, and was exhibited at the Federal Hall National Memorial, New York. He also had held several solo exhibitions in the city.

 

In 1994, several of his paintings were exhibited at the Art Expo in New York. One of his works, “Spring’s Melody,” was featured in the Art Speak magazine. From 2004 to 2009, Tsang was a New York City Street Artist, selling his colorful and popular artwork in the SoHo area to locals and tourists alike. His artwork has been featured in The New York Art World magazine. He had also been included in the Encyclopedia of Great Contemporary Chinese Artists and recognized as one of the best Chinese artists in the world.

 

Tsang passed away in 2009 at the age of 76, leaving behind him countless paintings, some of which are historical depictions of a bygone era in China, others are reflections of his internal, emotional landscape, and all his labor of love. One can say that he has dedicated his entire life to art, which, in a sense, was more important than life itself.