Cliff Tseng
Cliff Tseng
Natural Movement No. 1, 2020, Acrylic and Charcoal on Canvas, 39.4” x 31.5”, $4000
Cliff Tseng is an artist from Asia who draws inspiration and knowledge from his country’s long history and culture through varied artistic methods. During his university years, he trained in both Chinese and Western styles of painting and gained knowledge of both Eastern and Western Art History. During this period, he became deeply interested in the ideas behind Western modern art and contemporary art.
Artistic creation is one of the most important parts of Tseng’s life. In his 25-year artistic career, he chose graphic painting as his medium of artistic creation, because he believes that painting can leave traces of thinking and operation in its warmth. When Tseng is face-to-face with a blank canvas, he feels like a child again who is honest, innocent, and unrestrained. Painting in itself is also mysterious and profound which allows infinite surprises and changes.
Ever since he was a child, Tseng has been interested and talented in painting. He enjoys being alone in the mountains, on a farm, or by the stream. Tseng likes looking up at the clouds, listening to the birds singing, watching the flowers blooming, feeling the changes of the four seasons, getting close to nature, and observing the growth of plants. In this series of paintings, each brush stroke transforms into unique natural symbols, which are derived from the shapes, symbols, and meanings of nature. In the tranquil pictures, the plants become abstracted from nature with rich colors and smooth lines which show the vigorous vitality of plants and the endless circulation of nature.
In Tseng’s paintings, there is a balance between abstraction and expressionism, Eastern and Western, tradition and modernity, which informs his artistic style. Through his work people can feel his philosophical thinking.