Huang Chau-hu was born in 1939 in Fengyuan Township, Taichung County. Huang attended Taichung Teachers College (today National Taichung Teachers College) in 1955, where he was taught by Lin Chih-Chu and Lu Fo-Ting. In 1959, Huang joined Lee Chun-shan's studio where he studied modern art, and in 1960 he started publishing art commentaries. Huang also set up painting associations and art magazines and organized art-related activities. In 1965, he authored “In Defense of Chinese Modern Art”, a spirited promotion of Taiwanese modern art. In addition, Huang Chau-hu was a tireless painter who won numerous accolades, including seven international art prizes, and selection for the Spanish International Biennial of Fine Art four times and the Miro International Sketch Exhibition once. In total, Huang held more than 20 solo exhibitions abroad and at home, and his works have been collected by domestic and foreign art galleries and collectors. He was listed in "Who's Who in the World" in 2003 for his artistic accomplishments.

Huang Chau-hu incorporating modern media, techniques and styles in his experiments with ink wash painting. He would create layered effects by painting a base of ink and layering acrylic paint on top by rubbing and dying it on. Huang removed the theoretical shackles of form from his modern abstract ink paintings.

Huang Chau-hu was inspired to become an artist at Taichung Teachers College, where he was taught painting techniques and theories by Lu Fo-Ting and Lin Chih-Chu. He threw himself into participating in art activities after graduating, making the acquaintance of artists such as Huo Kang and Hsio Chin through painting associations. Huang was introduced to Lee Chun-shan, under whose guidance he started exploring modern art. Huang became an integral part of the post-war modern art movement in Taiwan. Huang Chau-hu was not only a spirited promoter of modern art but also worked continuously on his art, his style evolving from the traditional ink painting of his early period through to modern styles. Although his early work of the 1960s was praised, Huang went through a long period of exploration in terms of form, concepts and medium. He only achieved a breakthrough in his style after re-thinking his use of ink and switching to modern techniques to express the spirit and meaning of ink wash paintings in the 1980s. Works such as Formless Form, Neither Mountain nor Water and Forgotten Form showcase the unique style he developed. Huang worked in this style for a period before beginning to develop a color ink wash style, which placed stronger emphasis on changes in color, combined use of color ink and ink and incorporated new techniques. In the 1990s, Huang introduced his color ink style at numerous exhibitions at home and abroad, re-sparking the debate on Eastern artistic thought. Huang was an innovative artist who was dedicated to promoting art.