Mute Carrying the Wild

DING YANYONG (1902-1978) Mute Carrying the Wild Hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper 80.5 x 33.5 cm. (31 ¾ x 13 ¼ in.) Entitled, inscribed and signed, with one seal of the artist Dated winter, renzi year (1972) SPECIALIST’S NOTE: After Ding Yanyong arrived in Hong Kong in 1949, he experienced extreme financial hardship, and could only earn his living teaching art and Chinese language in primary and secondary schools. In 1957, his ideals of art education in Hong Kong could finally be realized with the establishment of the Fine Arts Programme at New Asia College, later became the Fine Arts Department of The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1963. Since then, Ding has taught numerous students during his tenure at New Asia College. The current collector of this Mute Carrying the Wild is one of Ding’s students at the college, and received this work from the artist directly. Mute Carrying the Wild is originally a solo dance that originated from Shengzhou, Zhejiang Province. The performer will dress as a crazy woman and wear a mannequin of an old man on the chest to represent the mute carrying her. The painting is an artistic rendering of the dance.