Google honoured the life and legacy of Tyrus Wong. He was a Chinese-American artist who was responsible for some of the best-known images in American pop culture. Google celebrated his 108th birthday with an elaborate tribute.
Tyrus Wong is best known for creating Walt Disney’s 1942 classic, ‘Bambi’. He was the lead illustrator of the Bambi team. He profoundly influenced the art of the beloved film. Unfortunately, when the film was released, Wong was only credited as one of many ‘background artists’. This led to his major contributions going unrecognized for many years. This makes his work stand out even more in today’s world.
His contributions to Hollywood went unrecognized until 2001. In that year, he was named a ‘Disney Legend’. Twelve years later, the Walt Disney Family Museum also staged a career retrospective, “Water to Paper, Paint to Sky”.
Wong applied a unique vision to his paintings and prints by drawing inspiration from the art of the Song Dynasty.
Wong was born in 1910 in a village of Guangdong Province of southern China. He, along with his father, travelled to America at the age of 10 in search of a better life. They finally settled in Los Angeles.
Wong’s father recognized his love for art. But he could only afford to practice calligraphy using water and newspapers. He studied Chinese art at the Los Angeles Central Library. When he was in junior high school, Wong earned a scholarship to the Otis Art Institute. He supported himself as a waiter in Chinatown.
He was hired by the Walt Disney Studios in 1938 as an intern. He drew thousands of illustrations that were photographed to make animated films. He went on to work for Warner Brothers.
