T'ang Haywen (Chinese/French 1927-1991), Red Mountain 曾海文（旅法華裔1927-1991）紅山

Gouache and watercolor on paper
Signed lower right; framed and glazed

W: 6 1/4. H: 4 1/2 in. (sheet)

T'ang Haywen (Chinese 曾海文, 1927–1991) was born in Fujian province, China. In 1937, his family migrated to Vietnam, where he attended French school and studied Chinese calligraphy from his grandfather. He relocated to Paris in 1948 to pursue his ambition to be an artist. Although lacking formal training, he spent much time in museums, studying from the western masters' paintings, particularly those of Henri Matisse, J. M. W. Turner and the Impressionists. In addition, the early influence from his grandfather enabled him to incorporate Daoist elements in his work. With captivating beauty of composition, his works were often rendered in a few brushstrokes, as quick studies of the natural world. His synthesis of the Eastern Daoist tradition with a Western aesthetic embraced the idea that "painting is the embodiment of energy." The innovative fusion of the Chinese spiritual aesthetic of ink brush painting with Western abstract expressionism strengthened his reputation among a growing circle of modern artists. His works were exhibited in major museums such as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Musée d'Art Moderne, Paris; M+ Museum, Hong Kong; the Musée Guimet, Paris; and the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco.

Colonel Nathaniel Colver Kenyon, Washington, D. C., believed to have been acquired from the artist T'ang Haywen in his apartment in Paris in the early to mid 1960s

Thence by descent, Property from a private collection, Annapolis, Maryland

Colonel Nathaniel Colver Kenyon (1930- 2017) was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and studied law at George Washington University, Harvard Law School, and Tufts University of Law and Diplomacy. He was a career Judge Advocate General Corps Officer (JAG) who specialized in international law. His early work took him to Seoul, Korea when he met M. André Naudeau, while stationed there during the Korean War. M. Naudeau was a close friend of the artist T'ang Haywen, and he invited Kenyon and his family to visited the artist in Paris during the early to mid-1960s.

Colonel Kenyon later taught at the Army War College in Carlisle, PA from 1972 -1975. He was then transferred to EUCOM in Stuttgart, Germany where he was head of Legal Affairs for the European Command from 1975-1980 and the legal advisor to General Alexander Haig, Commander of NATO. In 1984, Colonel Kenyon retired from the Pentagon as Chief of International Affairs.