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paints and inks It is Alisan's fifth Gao show, and the opening brought the artist,who lives in Paris, to Hong Kong for the first time since hishealth problems in 2003. Gao created most of the 25 new paintingsthis year and last year specifically for this show. "Gao said that he is continuing to explore the path he has taken,"said Alice King, the director of Alisan and one of the world'sleading promoters of contemporary Chinese ink painting, "that is,to produce works that are neither figurative nor abstract,paintings that are about emerging shadows from his deepest self andcould not be rendered in anything else but in ink. "He puts the emphasis on the subtle play of light and shadow, flatsurfaces exuding a three-dimensional depth," she added. "Hissurviving his illness has no doubt nourished a deeper sense ofself, inspirational to his painting." The works at Alisan continue in the unique style for which Gao hasbecome known: dramatic pieces, rendered primarily in black Chineseink, his chosen medium since the early 1980s. Gao had an intensechildhood art education in mainland China focused on European-styledrawing and oil painting. And now he has become a high priest ofink painting using a Western format. His pictures occupy nearly thefull frame of the paper, and, echoing his life as a teller oftales, each painting is a story. One piece in the show, "Guerre" (War) stands out as a sublime andthrilling testament to Gao's genius as a painter. The bottom thirdof the painting depicts a slightly rolling, dark landscape with analmost glaring horizon dotted with small, sharp brushstrokes thatmay be interpreted as either trees or battalions of warriors.Overhead, the sky is gray with a swirl like a cluster of dangerous,brooding storm clouds. The painting, which is 82 centimeters by 93centimeters, or 32 inches by 36 inches, was executed with thedifficult combination of pouring ink wash on the paper and applyingmore ink with a dry brush. Another large image, "Monts et cours d'eau" (Mountains andStreams), which measures 104 centimeters by 88 centimeters,portrays mountain ranges in the distance. It is a fine example ofGao's control of ink wash: With only black ink at his disposal, heelicits varying shades and textures that suggest a range of terrainand hues found in nature. "Le Routard" (Backpacker) features one ofhis signature mysterious silhouette figures traveling into anunspecified distance. Photographs of Gao's paintings often do not come close to capturingthe sophistication and emotion of the originals. Gao has describedhis ink works as "more than self-expression, self-purification." His paintings are an integral part of his life as an artist andhave always coexisted alongside his writing. By the time he was 10years old, Gao had published his first novel and completed twoyears of formal painting lessons. Although he later consideredattending art school, he opted instead to study French and starteda career as a translator. When his writing began to be published, his paintings appeared ascovers for the original Chinese editions of his books. Later, afterfleeing China and beginning a life of exile in Europe in 1987, Gaosupported himself by selling his paintings.