Ink Painting

1990

Length:88.7 x Width:155.8 (cm)

Accession Number：20170300262

Ho Mu-Huo (b. 1958, Dali, Taichung) was introduced to art at an early age by his third uncle Ho Chin-Wang, a professional portrait painter. In 1980, he founded the Jih-Hsin Art Gallery and dedicated himself to artmaking. He studied under modern ink master Ching Sung-Ling (1928-2012), and later developed his style through plein-air practice and exchange with artists such as Tseng Po-Lu (1948-) and Hsiao Chin-Hsing (1953-2019). His works have been featured in the Central Taiwan Art Exhibition, and he received the Taichung County Artistic Heritage Award. In recent years, he has gained recognition as a “traveler of ink” for his abstract ink paintings that incorporate techniques such as ink splashing, layering of vivid pigments, and spraying.
Fishing Village Life is an early color ink painting by Ho that draws on the folk customs of Taiwan’s coastal communities. He once wrote of this work, “The sea breeze carries a trace of intoxication. I am immersed in its poetry. Life in the fishing village has opened my heart and allowed me to leave behind the dust and ashes of the city.” The painting adopts a zigzag composition. In the foreground, fishermen work aboard their boats, which extend backward in a linked rhythm toward the houses along the shore. The composition is tightly constructed with bold ink lines, dense brushwork, and rich washes. The technique blends freehand expression with meticulous detail, reflecting Ho’s deep emotional connection to both painting and everyday life.