Born to a literati family in Shanghai, China, Huang Yao (1914-1987) received his formative education from his father in classical literati traditions and calligraphy, particularly in the archaic scripts of oracle bone and bronze inscription. In the 1930s, he gained recognition as a talented cartoonist for creating the comic character “Niu Bi Zi” which was widely used as an educational resource in schools. Huang travelled to Southeast Asia after the end of World War II in 1945, and resided in different countries before settling permanently in Malaysia in 1956. He worked primarily as an art educator until his retirement in 1973. A prolific artist, he had held 23 solo and group exhibitions and six retrospective exhibitions.Like his paintings of children, Huang’s figures in his paintings of mythology and folk tales display a playfulness that is not found in traditional renderings or in those by his contemporaries. Here the door-god Shu Bao, also known as God of Protection, is depicted looking quite benevolent which is not the conventional way of representing the fierce deity. In the SAM collection is the companion door-god Jing De, also by Huang. Images of the pair are often pasted on main entrance doors to symbolize their protection over the inhabitants of the house.
