Fong Chung-Ray (b. 1933, Henan, China) was born into a family of scholars and artists, which fostered his early exposure to the fine arts. However, due to the tumult of the Chinese civil wars and foreign invasions, Fong joined the military, which led him to Taiwan as a teenager. There, he pursued formal art training at the Cadre College of Arts and Crafts, graduating in 1954 with a degree in fine arts. Following his education, he served as an officer in the Taiwanese Navy, where he also began creating artwork for the military. In 1958, Fong co-founded the Four Seas Painting Society (四海畫會) with three fellow naval officers. Three years later, in 1961, he was invited by Liu Guosong to join the influential Fifth Moon Group (五月畫會), a pivotal moment in his artistic development.
Over the course of his decades-long career, Fong Chung-Ray has become known for pioneering an experimental fusion of traditional Chinese ink painting and abstract expressionism. This unique blend of cultural and stylistic influences reflects his varied experiences, from his upbringing in China to his exposure to modernist Western movements. Fong's transition to abstraction in the late 1950s marked a significant shift in his artistic style, leading to a mature approach that combined elements of both Eastern and Western traditions.
In a 2015 interview, Fong credited American Abstract Expressionism as a key influence, noting that he saw it as spiritually aligned with the philosophical underpinnings of traditional Chinese painting. The notion of capturing inner energy and emotion, rather than adhering to strict figurative representation, resonated deeply with him. This influence is evident in the bold, gestural brushstrokes and emotive compositions that characterize his works.
Fong's move to California in 1975 further expanded his artistic horizons, and he has remained an active figure in the international art scene. His works have been exhibited at prestigious venues such as the Chinese Culture Center in San Francisco in 2014, and Galerie du Monde in Hong Kong in 2015, among many others.
A defining moment in Fong's evolution as an artist came in 1989 when he developed a unique technique using acrylic applied to plastic sheets, with the resulting designs transferred onto paper. This process marked a significant shift from his earlier, more fluid landscapes to works that reflect harsher, man-made environments. The layered textures and fragmented imagery in these pieces evoke the passage of time, with peeling paint, scratches, and torn paper surfaces revealing deeper narratives beneath the exterior. This shift mirrored Fong's evolving perspective on the evolution of mankind, emphasizing the intersection of natural and artificial, and capturing a sense of decay and renewal.
Throughout his career, Fong Chung-Ray has gained widespread recognition, with his works held in major collections worldwide, including the Ashmolean Museum (UK), the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (US), the Arthur M. Sackler Museum at Harvard University (US), Centre Pompidou (France), Guangdong Museum of Art (China), Los Angeles County Museum of Art (US), M+ Museum (Hong Kong), and the Taipei Fine Arts Museum (Taiwan), among others.
