Kwok Hon Sum 郭漢深 Guangdong, China, 1947-2003

Kwok Hon Sum attended the National Taiwan Normal University to study fine arts in 1968. Returned to Hong Kong after two years, he followed masters Liang Boyu to learn traditional Chinese painting and Ou Jiangong to consolidate his calligraphy skills in the early 70s. In 1978, he completed the Modern Chinese Ink Painting Diploma Course launched by master Liu Kuo-Sung at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

In the early stage of his career, Kwok experimented with juxtaposing “ink rubbing” and the traditional smearing techniques. In 1986, master Liu Kuo-Sung introduced him to Tibetan Thangkas and prayer flags. He was fascinated by these Tibetan monastery cultural relics and his artworks evolved into a new style of focusing on religious themes of Buddhist statues, scriptures and lotus. He did not formally convert to Buddhism or the Tibetan Sect, but was deeply moved by the ideas of generosity and mercy, karma reincarnation, and revelation of one’s true self, which coincided with his pursuit of seclusion and ethereal tranquility.

Rendering background with shades of ink and colors and marking the upper part of composition with a horizontally dash became an icon of Kwok’s paintings since the late 80s. His distinguished style has caught the eyes of accomplished British art dealer, Lo Shan Tang, who brought his work into the global art market. He immigrated to the United States in 1989. His works gained popularity around the world in the 90s.  In 2003, Kwok passed away due to illness.