Water to Paper Paint to Sky the Art of Tyrus Wong
past Rebecca Chang
Panel display at the second-floor gallery entrance depicting Wong at his abode in Sunland, CA.
Photograph by Rebecca Chang.
"Painting is a poem and a poem is a painting." These are the words of Tyrus Wong, who is perhaps best known for quietly leaving his creative mark on the 1942 classic film Bambi, a function that would later earn him the honor of a Disney Legend in 2001. From observing Wong's art, the pregnant of his words get evident. His sketches of Bambi depict soft watercolors layered upon delicately structured light and form to create an ethereal mood. Cartoon comparisons to verse, his art is sparse in composition yet bursting with emotional richness. Though Wong is modest about his fine art, considering himself not a great creative person, but rather an artist making a respectable living from his work, the exhibition "Water to Newspaper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong" at the Walt Disney Family unit Museum belies his humbleness and provides a stunning showcase of his various range of artistic talents and works.
The exhibition opens with the story of Wong'south childhood and his emigration from China to the United States at the young historic period of nine. The year was 1919 and against the backdrop of a sociopolitical climate of racial discrimination characterized by the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Wong was detained and interrogated by clearing officials at the Affections Island Clearing Station. Afterwards three 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 nourish the Otis Art Establish in Los Angeles, supporting himself through scholarships and janitorial work. Wong overcame many economical and racial adversities to become the artist he is today, and the decision to preface the exhibition with his personal history is both thoughtfully intriguing too as deliberate: it provides the context for the audience to fully appreciate and understand the cultural significance of his emergence as a Chinese American artist.
"Water to Paper" is in essence a celebration of Wong's 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 betwixt drawings to portray the illusion of move, to his twenty-six year career at Warner Brothers Studios as a preproduction illustrator, creating concept images for films such as Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and The Green Berets (1968). Beyond blitheness, Wong also created artwork for the consumer, including ceramics, scarves, and vacation cards. His holiday cards were specially popular, with some designs selling over a meg copies.
Visual development sketch for Bambi.
Photo by Rebecca Chang.
Wong's passion for his arts and crafts is reflected in his family life as well, especially in ii display 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 within. This sliver of a glimpse into Wong's function every bit a family man shows a more than playful side of his work as an creative person, 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 means his scarves could exist styled, while Ruth provided descriptions of the scarves.
Photo by Rebecca Chang.
From 1946 to the early 1950s, Wong busy dinnerware pieces for Winfield Pottery and Gabriel Porcelain. His pieces were sold in section stores, including Bullocks Wilshire, Neiman Marcus, and Marshall Field.
Photograph by Rebecca Chang.
"H2o to Newspaper" is expansive – it includes over 150 works spanning a variety of artistic mediums. Yet, despite its size, "Water to Paper" never loses a sense of intimacy with its subject 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 art.
Today, at age 102, Wong has the stardom of existence the oldest living Chinese American creative person. He has since turned his focus to kite-making, and the 2nd floor of the gallery exhibition is defended to his kites. With its high rise ceilings, the former gymnasium-turned-museum provides the platonic open infinite for his exquisite creations. Suspended in mid-air, these kites – a whimsical parade of vibrantly hued birds, dragons, and koi – serve as a fitting metaphor for Wong's free spirit.
A flock of bird kites, as seen by the stairwell to the second floor of the exhibition gallery.
Photograph by Rebecca Chang.
"Water to Newspaper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong" is on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum now through February tertiary, 2014.
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Source: https://chsa.org/2013/11/water-to-paper-paint-to-sky-the-art-of-tyrus-wong-at-the-walt-disney-family-museum/