Carp under Snowy Pine Branches

Henry Wo Yue-Kee is well known for his lotus and fish paintings and is especially skillful in creating the background traditionally associated with Lingnan school artists. In this tradition, painters use a brownish green wash over the paper surface, giving an illusion of space and creating an atmospheric mood. Here, as if viewing from the air, Wo further adds a pine tree laden with snow and two carp gliding through a pond; the pine and the carp are both symbols of good fortune.

Ambitious to pursue a career in art, Wo went to the International Art School of Hong Kong in 1946, where he developed his skills in drawing and sketching. In 1949 he began to receive training in the studio of Chao Shao-an, a master of the Lingnan school that defined the southern Chinese painting tradition of the modern time. In 1975 he moved to Virginia where he continued to paint, and there he achieved international recognition for his vivid images and beautiful colors typical of the Lingnan tradition.