CHRISTOPHER JAMES WARD (bn. 1968)
Victoria Peak (552m-1,811ft)
China (Hong-Kong)
Victoria Peak as it was in 1858, oil on canvas, Private coll.
The mountain
Victoria Peak (552m -1,811ft) or 太平山 (in Chinese) also locally called The Peak or Mount Austin an sa few others cantonese and Hong Kong Hakka names such as Taai Pen Saa or Deng or
Saan Deng or Ce Kei Saan or Lou Fung... is a mountain in the western half of Hong Kong Island. It is the highest mountain on Hong Kong island, ranked 31 in terms of elevation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ; Tai Mo Shan (957m) being the highest point in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.The summit is occupied by a radio telecommunications facility and is closed to the public. However, the surrounding area of public parks and high-value residential land is the area that is normally meant by the name The Peak. During the19th century, the Peak attracted prominent European residents because of its panoramic view over the city and its relatively temperate climate compared to the sub-tropical climate in the rest of Hong Kong. The sixth Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Richard MacDonnell had a summer residence built on the Peak circa 1868. Those that built houses named them whimsically, such as The Eyrie, and the Austin Arm. These original residents reached their homes by sedan chairs, which were carried up and down the steep slope of Victoria Peak. This limited development of the Peak until the opening of the Peak Tram funicular in 1888.
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The boost to accessibility caused by the opening of the Peak Tram created demand for residences on the Peak. Between 1904 and 1930, the Peak Reservation Ordinance designated the Peak as an exclusive residential area reserved for non-Chinese. They also reserved the Peak Tram for the use of such passengers during peak periods. The Peak remains an upmarket residential area, although residency today is based on wealth. The Peak is home to many species of birds, most prominently the black kite, and numerous species of butterflies.
With some seven million visitors every year, the Peak is a major tourist attraction of Hong Kong. It offers spectacular views of the city and its waterfront. The viewing deck also has coin-operated telescopes that the visitors can use to enjoy the cityscape. The number of visitors led to the construction of two major leisure and shopping centres, the Peak Tower and the Peak Galleria, situated adjacent to each other.
Victoria Peak Garden is located on the site of Mountain Lodge, the Governor's old summer residence, and is the closest publicly accessible point to the summit. It can be reached from Victoria Gap by walking up ,,, a climb of about 150 m - 490 ft. Another popular walk is the level loop along Lugard Road, giving good views of Hong Kong's Central district and Kowloon, and then returning via Harlech Road, encircling the summit at the level of the Peak Tower. In addition to being a major tourist attraction for Hong Kong, The Peak is also the summit of Hong Kong's property market.
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The painter
Christopher James Ward, born in New Castle, New Hampshire on October 17, 1968, is an American landscape and maritime painter. Ward is best known for the rich luminosity and detail of his work, and as M. Melissa Wolfe, a curator at the Columbus Museum of Art, writes, “Ward’s contribution to this genre is fresh and original, as equally enlivened by the boldness of a personal vision as it is unencumbered by expressions of indebtedness.”
Dually, art and the sea have been formative elements in Ward’s development. The summers that Ward spent in Cape Split, Maine were accompanied by the artistic pursuits of his mother, who was a local portrait painter following her studies at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Among his peers, Ward chose a path separate from that of standard academic training and at the age of seventeen he followed his instincts to pursue his craft through nature and experience. This confidence in personal vision and independent integrity contributed to the development of Ward’s memorable and unmistakable artistic ‘signature’ and remain at the forefront of his work today.
Ward’s paintings resonate his own independence through concept and method while simultaneously paying tribute to the maritime tradition he continues. Whereas dated merchant records, archived architectural documents, old photographs, and historic maps provide an exciting initial vision for Ward, it is his own experiences, feelings, and imagination of the locations and subjects that articulate the paintings from start to finish. “His works share an affinity with those artists who felt a deep sympathy for a specific place. Even more important, these artists are able to transfer onto canvas their understanding of the mystery, of the intangible powers, that drive the elemental world of these locations,” writes M. Melissa Wolfe.
Ward captures his initial perspective on a location through his comprehensive painting method. Often he begins onsite, creating oil sketches to preserve both the natural atmosphere and mood of the place. Once completing the sketches, he turns to archival maps and historical documentation to create a finished drawing and begin the actual composition. The finished painting will maintain the freshness of his original inspiration while presenting a many layered, meticulously detailed piece of maritime history. The works embody Ward’s simple desire to “create a power that viewers can connect with… to put myself into my paintings.”
Currently, Ward splits his time between New Hampshire and the Washington, DC area with occasional travels to Alaska, London, and France. Although with the vast beauty that North America provides, Ward has elected in recent years to remain stateside and concentrate on the Eastern seaboard. As a twelfth generation native of New Castle, New Hampshire, Ward’s commitment to preserving the beauty of the East Coast runs deep; he is an active outdoorsman as well as a New Hampshire wilderness guide.
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