cover image Yanithe Brush of Innocence

Yanithe Brush of Innocence

Wai-Ching Ho. Rizzoli International Publications, $35 (143pp) ISBN 978-1-55595-015-6

Hailed in her native China as a prodigy, Wang Yani, now 14, made the paintings reproduced in this catalogue between ages three and 12. They are being shown in an exhibit now traveling the U.S. Her remarkable paintings of monkeys combine exuberant childish innocence with precocious observation of attitudes and emotions. Her expressive landscapes--splashes of ink, color washes and loose brushwork--reveal the influence of traditional Chinese masters as well as contemporary painters. There are also charming pictures of horses, roosters, cats, fish, children, dancers, egrets, flowers. The specific originality of her images, as analyzed in supplemental essays by a team of art historians and psychologists, may be more evident to Eastern than to Western viewers. On balance, one is left with the impression of a talented, developing artist struggling to find her own path and individual voice. (Sept.)