Kan TaiKeung
靳埭強 1942年生於廣東，是蜚聲國際的設計大師與當代水墨藝術家，被譽為「香港設計教父」。他成功將現代平面設計邏輯注入傳統水墨，成為香港「新水墨運動」的領軍人物。
他是首位名列「世界平面設計師名人錄」的華人，獲頒香港特區政府金紫荊星章及銀紫荊星章。他打破了設計與純藝術的界限，開創出具備東方哲思的現代視覺語言，藝壇地位超然。
靳埭強在80年代末至90年代期間，「太陽」是他作品中極具標誌性的圖騰，這一時期的創作將傳統的山水情懷與現代設計的幾何構成推向了巔峰。
他將太陽處理成一個極其純粹、完美的圓形，這源自其深厚的平面設計功底。這個「圓」與潑墨或勾勒出的嶙峋山石形成強烈對比——一方是理性的幾何，一方是感性的自然，展現出「天人合一」的現代詮釋。
在他筆下的太陽常以濃烈奪目的朱砂紅呈現，紅與黑強烈的色彩對比，跳脫於水墨的黑白灰色調之外。這種色彩處理不僅具備強烈的視覺衝擊力，更象徵著生命的源泉、永恆與東方的禪意曙光。常被置於畫面的視覺焦點或高處的太陽，透過渲染的技法，營造出日光穿透雲霧的光影效果。這種做法打破了傳統國畫的散點透視，帶入了一種近乎西方的光影結構，使畫面產生一種深邃的空間感。
這一時期的太陽不僅是景觀，更象徵著香港人的根源與奮鬥精神。在香港回歸前的過渡期，這種熾熱、上升的太陽形象，被認為寄託了藝術家對民族文化回歸與重生的期待。
含有「紅日」元素的作品是靳氏在拍賣市場上最受歡迎的門類。例如其經典作品《紅日圖》或相關系列，在 蘇富比 (Sotheby's) 與 佳士得 (Christie's) 的成交表現一向穩健，是藏家眼中最能體現其「設計水墨」美學的代表作。
作品被 M+ 博物館、維多利亞與艾伯特博物館 (V&A) 等頂尖機構收藏，學術價值極高。
Kan TaiKeung, born in Guangdong in 1942, is an internationally renowned design master and contemporary ink artist, hailed as the “Godfather of Hong Kong Design.” He successfully infused modern graphic design logic into traditional ink painting, becoming the leading figure of Hong Kong's “New Ink Movement.”
He was the first Chinese artist listed in the “World Directory of Graphic Designers” and has been awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star and Silver Bauhinia Star by the Hong Kong SAR Government. By breaking down the boundaries between design and fine art, he pioneered a modern visual language infused with Eastern philosophy, securing an exceptional status in the art world.
From the late 1980s to the 1990s, the “sun” became a highly iconic motif in Kan TaiKeung's works. During this period, his creations pushed the fusion of traditional landscape sentiment and modern geometric design to its pinnacle.
He rendered the sun as an intensely pure, perfect circle, a technique rooted in his profound graphic design expertise. This “circle” creates a striking contrast with the rugged, ink-splashed or outlined mountain rocks—one representing rational geometry, the other sensual nature—offering a modern interpretation of the harmony between heaven and humanity.
The sun in his paintings often appears in a vivid, dazzling vermilion red. The stark contrast between red and black breaks away from the monochromatic palette of ink wash painting. This color treatment not only delivers a powerful visual impact but also symbolizes the source of life, eternity, and the dawn of Eastern Zen enlightenment. Often positioned as the visual focal point or elevated within the composition, the sun employs rendering techniques to create the effect of sunlight piercing through clouds and mist. This approach breaks away from the scattered-point perspective of traditional Chinese painting, introducing a nearly Western-style structure of light and shadow that imbues the scene with a profound sense of spatial depth.
During this period, the sun transcended mere scenery to embody the roots and indomitable spirit of Hong Kong people. In the transitional era preceding Hong Kong's handover, this image of a fiery, ascending sun was seen as channeling artists' aspirations for cultural rebirth and national renewal.
Works featuring the “red sun” motif represent Kan's most sought-after category in the auction market. His classic piece Red Sun or related series consistently achieve strong results at Sotheby's and Christie's, regarded by collectors as quintessential examples of his “design ink” aesthetic.
His works are held in prestigious collections such as M+ Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), demonstrating exceptional scholarly value.
