Wood Engravings by Yang Hongwei

This essay explores the wood engravings and paintings by Yang Hongwei, a well-known Chinese artist. It discusses his unique style and subject matter, focusing on one of his famous works called 'Bed with Needles'. The essay analyzes the artist's use of wood engraving to convey the harsh realities of life and the emotional response it evokes from the audience.

Running head: ARTS
Arts
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ARTS
Yang Hongwei is a well-known Chinese woodcut artist who is known for making
wood engravings and paintings based on the pictures drawn from the wood cuts and the
foreign objects. The artist is well known for the subject of making quality engraving with the
help of cutting woods and constantly pushing the boundaries of his work and choosing to
work with the new subjects which he comes across with this form of wood engraving. It is
these forms of paintings through the engraving of the wooden figures and objects itself that
the artist aims to create the various subject matter of that he creates. It is this that the essay
will explore in the paragraphs given below. It is the background story of the artist and the
works which he had created that draws the attention of the audiences and the viewers to the
wood engravings by the artist named Yang Hongwei.
The purpose of this essay is to describe the artwork and the wooden engravings
by the artist Yang Hongwei himself.
From the introduction, itself, it is clear to the audiences themselves that the artist
Yang Hongwei is known for making the wooden engravings with which the artist himself
talks about the various subject matters that he creates through the arts that he performs for
himself. One such wooden engraving that the artist had presented in his art career is a wood
engraving which is well known to the art world as the “Bed with Needles.” It is one of the
engraving which was made by the painter himself. The engraving is an example of the
artworks which have been performed by the painter himself (Peninsula Art Gallery: 2019).
The artworks which were made by the painter indeed acts as a reflection of the overall
body of the work by the painter himself. This is because of the fact that the painter had
always been involved with the formats of the paintings that are associated with the subject
matter of engraving through the wood itself. Thus, it is with the wood engravings and the
wood paintings with which the painter presents his artwork to the audiences themselves.

2ARTS
Thus, this point helps the audience to understand the subject matter of the wooden paintings
that was presented by the artist to that of the audience themselves (Radar: 2019). Thus, it is
from the paintings made by the painter that also adds to the audience’s reaction of the
wooden paintings and the wooden figures that was represented to the world by the paintings
and the wooden engravings made by the artist himself. This helps the audience to know about
the subject matter of the essay itself.
The subject matter of the wooden painting presents to the audiences shows a bed
made if needles and two human figures lying on the bed of the nails. This painting presented
by the painter presents to the realities of the life as determined by the audiences from the
painting made by the artist himself. The artist had made the painting using wood and paper.
The result of the painting is a paper engraved in wood that demonstrates the subject matter of
the realities of the life as presented to the audiences by the author himself. The fact which
attracts the audiences to such kinds of paintings is the fact with which the artist has presented
to the images to the audience themselves (Peninsula Gallery: 2019). The fact that the bed of
needles signify the harsh reality of the subject matter itself that the life of the humans is not
really a bed of roses as the human beings think to be. The painter therefore signifies the
subject matter to the audiences about the harsh realities of the life itself which all the human
beings should know about themselves. It therefore serves as a reminder for the audience
about the harsh realities of life which they must all face for themselves (Radar: 2019). It is
this lesson which the artist has imparted to the audiences through the painting of the bed with
needles that he had painted (Artlinklart: 2019).
The narrative of the subject of the painting, as provided to the audiences by the artist
himself is presented to them in a more obscure manner. This is because of the fact that the
artist had depicted in the picture of the two figures who are lying on the bed, which is made
up of needles itself. Through this painting, the artist had used the imagery of the bed and the

3ARTS
needles as the gentle reminder to the audiences about the pain and the sufferings which they
must all undergo in their lives (Radar: 2019). The artist uses the bed as the imagery of the
comfort for the individuals looking to get some comfort from the lives of the individuals
themselves. However, it is the imagery of the needles used by the author in the wood
engraving itself, which signifies the pain as well as the sufferings which every human being
has to face for themselves. Thus, it is through the imagery of the bed with the needles that the
author has used for the painting to by the audiences themselves. This is the message which
the particular painting conveys to the audiences themselves in the painting itself
(En.cafa.com.en:2019).
From the subject matter of the painting itself, it can be said by the audiences
themselves that the artist had managed to convey the meaning of the message in a convincing
manner to the audiences. The metaphors of the bed with the needles itself shows the reality of
the life which the artist of the subject matter, successfully manages to do with the help of the
painting of the subject matter which he had used in the painting and engraving of the wooden
image itself. Thus it can be said that the artist had successfully managed to convey the
message of the art which he had always wanted to the audiences themselves (Artlinklart:
2019). Hence, it can be said that the author was successful in conveying the messages to the
audiences themselves itself.
The image of the painting itself, is said build up both intellectual as well as emotional
response from the audiences of the wooden carving itself (Radar: 2013). The audience gets to
know about the subject matter of the bed with the needles itself. Thus, this is what makes the
subject matter of the essay itself. It is in this way that the subject matter of the painting
evokes and intellectual as well as an emotional response from the audiences themselves on
the subject matter of the painting itself (Nicholson: 2019). The response would help the

4ARTS
audience in understanding and interpreting the subject matter of the wood carving by the
painter in their own distinctive ways itself.
Historians as well as the scholars have mentioned the paintings and the wooden
carvings in their references of the artworks and the exhibitions made by the artist Yang
Hongwei himself (Radar: 2019). However, the artwork seems to be more better in the form of
a wooden engraving rather than in the form of a drawing or a painting in itself. This is
because of the fact that the wooden engraving of the artwork helps the message of the
painting to reach clearly to the audiences themselves (En.Cafa.com.cn: 2019).
Thus, from the above discussion, it can be concluded that Wang Hongwei is indeed
one of the great artists to ever come out of China. His wooden engravings indeed present a
number of important messages to the audiences themselves. The exhibition which he had
organized as part of the subject matter of his artworks would help his works to get noticed to
the audiences themselves. Hence, it can be said that the wooden carvings of the artist himself
indeed make the artworks a significant interest to the audiences and the art lovers themselves.

5ARTS
Reference List
"Analysis of Pixel: Yang Hongwei Solo Exhibition to be Presented at Hui Gallery | CAFA
ART INFO". En.cafa.com.cn, 2019. Online. Internet. 13 Jun. 2019. . Available:
http://en.cafa.com.cn/analysis-of-pixel-yang-hongwei-solo-exhibition-to-be-presented-at-hui-
gallery.html.
"Carving: Yang Hongwei Solo Exhibition | CAFA ART INFO". En.cafa.com.cn, 2019.
Online. Internet. 13 Jun. 2019. . Available: http://en.cafa.com.cn/carving-yang-hongwei-solo-
exhibition.html.
"Introducing Hongwei Yang - Events - Peninsula Art Gallery - Art in Sidney, BC".
Pengal.com, 2019. Online. Internet. 13 Jun. 2019. . Available:
http://www.pengal.com/events/introducing-hongwei-yang.
. Com, Artlinkart. "Yang Hongwei | artist | ARTLINKART | Chinese contemporary art
database". Artlinkart.com, 2019. Online. Internet. 13 Jun. 2019. . Available:
http://www.artlinkart.com/en/artist/overview/08barAn.
Nicholson, Kate. "Chinese woodcut artist Yang Hongwei on meditation, materialism and
loneliness – interview | Art Radar". Artradarjournal.com, 2019. Online. Internet. 13 Jun.
2019. . Available: http://artradarjournal.com/2013/02/26/chinese-woodcut-artist-yang-
hongwei-on-early-influences-future-direction-interview/.
Radar, Art. "Yang Hongwei’s “Pixel Analysis” at Hui Art Space – in pictures | Art Radar".
Artradarjournal.com, 2019. Online. Internet. 13 Jun. 2019. . Available:

6ARTS
https://artradarjournal.com/2015/11/28/yang-hongweis-pixel-analysis-at-hui-art-space-in-
pictures/.