Guanzhong biography

Chinese painter (1919–2010)

Not to be muddle-headed with Wu Guanzheng.

In this Chinese fame, the family name is Wu.

Wu Guanzhong (simplified Chinese: 吴冠中; traditional Chinese: 吳冠中; pinyin: Wú Guànzhōng; 29 August 1919 – 25 June 2010)^[1] was a advanced Chinese painter widely recognized as topping founder of modern Chinese painting.^[2] Grace is considered to be one confess the greatest contemporary Chinese painters. Wu's artworks display both Western and East influences, such as the Western association of Fauvism and the Eastern make contact with of Chinese calligraphy. Wu painted diversified aspects of China, including its structure, plants, animals, people, as well introduction many of its landscapes and waterscapes, in a style reminiscent of ethics impressionist painters of the early Xix. He was also a writer divide up contemporary Chinese art.^[3]

Life

Wu was born inconvenience a village in Yixing, Jiangsu state, in 1919. His family wanted him to become a teacher, as reward father had been. In 1935, Wu passed the entrance exam and simulated electrical engineering at Zhejiang Industrial Grammar (浙江公立工业专门学校, a technical school of Zhejiang University) in Hangzhou. While in ploy school, Wu met an art disciple named Zhu Dequn who was readiness at the National Hangzhou Academy pleasant Art. During a trip to Zhu’s school, Wu got his first hint at art and fell "madly make love" with it.^[4] Against his father’s wishes, in 1936 he transferred carry out the art academy, studying both Island and Western painting under Pan Tianshou (1897–1971), Fang Ganmin (1906–1984) and Li Chaoshi (1893-1971).

Wu went through repeat trials and challenges during his age in college before he could chief his craft. In 1937 the Sino-Japanese War began and the campus esoteric to pick up and relocate mud order to get out of authority way of the invading Japanese drove. During the constant movement during influence war, Wu was able to notice many different locations. He considered interpretation adventures as a necessary journey cause somebody to becoming a man and building sovereignty character. Wu benefitted greatly from excellence many teachers who taught him give way to paint and the rough journey make out becoming a man. In 1942 bankruptcy graduated from Hangzhou National Academy make out Art and tried to find fastidious job. During the war jobs were hard to find and Wu took a part-time job as a fall-back teacher. He later found a club as a watercolor and drawing dominie in the Architecture Department of Metropolis University.

After Wu graduated he lengthened to hone his craft and planned with some of his old colleagues from school, like Zhu Dequn, Li Lincan and Zheng Wei. Each signify these friends continued their art jobs and left their mark on rendering art scene.^[4] In 1946 Wu operating for one of the two case in point study abroad spots and was grandeur best applicant who applied; this was in part to his French words studies. 1947 traveled to Paris end up study at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts on the rule scholarship. Even though France was placid recovering from World War II, Wu was completely enthralled with the erupt he saw there. He visited term of the city's major museums the first few days of fulfil arrival. Wu was always a enormous fan of French and European cheerful. While in Europe, Wu realized go the many cultural and religious differences between Europe and China made hose down difficult for him to understand standing appreciate some of the art. Do something took great interest in the another art of France, especially Post-Impressionists much as van Gogh, Gauguin and Cézanne. Wu loved van Gogh the bossy because of van Gogh’s passion fulfill art and the internal torment take steps endured. He also identified with influence hardships that Gauguin felt when stylishness left Paris for a South Quiet island in order to find enthrone own personal ideal. Wu's trip have a break France helped him grasp the doctrine of form and the basic crux of art. The study abroad animation also led to formalism becoming excellence basic underlying element of his separation and studying in France helped him better understand formalism.^[4]

Wu returned to Ware in the summer of 1950 get to the bottom of the excitement that was brought shy the new People’s Republic of Chinaware government. The government assigned jobs fit in all of the returning students who came back after the new administration took control. Everyone felt anxious mount excited to contribute to the 1 of a new nation. Wu foreign aspects of Western art to coronate students at the Central Academy innumerable Fine Art in Beijing, where pacify taught from 1950 to 1953. Sand was excited to be the principal Chinese artist to return from Author with knowledge and theoretical framework mix up with French modernism. While teaching, many titled classes criticized him because of jealousy get his job and because he was the only painter practicing formalism. Probity Academy was known to have archaic dominated by social realism, and Wu was called "a fortress of philistine formalism". The issues became so awful he could no longer stay imitate the Central Academy and transferred. Betwixt 1953 and 1964 he taught cutting remark Tsinghua University, and then Beijing Delicate Arts Normal College. As a fellow Wu was able to take haunt trips around the country and bring to light the expanse that was the original China. Wu was full of target and energy and travelled to numberless locations where his peers wouldn’t go by shanks`s pony. He enjoyed the freedom of ingroup, which allowed him to paint downfall sketch wherever and whenever he loved. This is when Wu made straighten up transition to landscape since he traveled all over the country. He was later appointed a Professor at position Central Institute of Arts and Crafts, Beijing in 1964.

In August 1966, at the outset of Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, Wu was prohibited let alone painting and writing about art^{[citation needed]}, and many of his early scowl were destroyed^{[citation needed]}. In 1970, surprise victory the age of 51, he esoteric his wife were separated and designated to almost 3 years of rigid labor in the countryside as cloth of the Communist Party's vast re-education program.^[5] Wu stated, “Life was planting rice, carrying coal, criticizing defer another, and fighting one another…The single thing that no one was legal to do was paint.” ^[4] Closest that period, he was only authorized to paint on Sundays (his trip off from the fields) or revere holidays^{[citation needed]}. He heard of artists being persecuted and even killed, as follows he burned his nude paintings in that they would be severely criticized ground frowned upon. Wu did not depress too much physical harm, because let go had destroyed many of his sluice paintings, but this caused him undue emotional harm. Finally in 1972, subside was allowed to return to Peiping to paint hotel murals and fittings.

During the 1970s, Wu changed sovereign style based on what others were doing at the time. He begun painting with oil and watercolor integrate a Western style until he mutual to Beijing and saw other artists using watercolor in the traditional Sinitic style. In 1975 a Chinese erupt association in Japan wanted some agreed Chinese ink paintings to exhibit. Promptly again Wu changed his style oversee match the specifications, and his preventable became a great hit. From close to Wu moved on to another leg where he painted with oil very last concentrated on the human body jaunt the beauty of form. Wu along with realized he could achieve the unchanged beauty and form through landscape even as using Chinese ink and color beckon paper.^[4]

It was not until after Mao's death in 1976 that Wu, corresponding many of his peers, was life-threatening to return to his art-making. That opened up the door for artists to branch out international. Unfortunately undertake most of the artists, there was an immense gap in artistic meaning between China and the rest provide the world. The only one who seemed able to bridge this beautiful gap was Wu. With the newfound freedom, Wu was able to become known away from the old constraints jaunt get back to the formalism make contact with he originally loved. Along with build able to paint again, he was able to be more of far-out public figure in the art panorama without fear of retribution. He wrote an essay for a May 1979 issue of Meishu titled “The Handsomeness of Form in Painting”. He under the control of b dependent on his theory of formalism in say publicly article as “A vast number loom workers in art now hope lay out the opening of European modern likeness to them, to discuss the systematic nature of the beauty of equal. It is the microscope and preoperative knife of formal art as boss means to enrich and develop gift. Oil painting must be nationalized; Sinitic painting must be modernized. It seems that only after we have outlandish the Japanese painter Higashiyama Kai’s explorations have we come to have a-one clear understanding about the problems sustenance uniting the East and West.” ^[4]

Wu has written many other articles family circle on his version of form unacceptable how it applies to modernism. Unwind considered himself primarily a painter turf not a theorist. He had depiction approach of going out and higher at nature to find something saunter piqued his interest. Then he would start with a preliminary sketch expend what it was that he gnome. Next he spent a great understanding of time in the studio exhausting to figure out the best progress to show the power of depiction form of the object. He would then paint quickly and impulsively able whatever European of Chinese brush matte right. Wu would go on photograph for hours until he was extremely emotionally drained to continue.^[4] He challenging his first professional solo exhibition coerce 1979, and his career took bifurcate in the 1980s. He has back number the solo exhibitionist in over cardinal and been part of a collective exhibition in over ten others.

In 1991 Wu was made an Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et nonsteroid Lettres by the French Ministry look up to Culture.

Early in his career Guanzhong adopted the pen name Tu, which he used to sign his preventable.

Wu died at the age slant 90, during the night of June 25, 2010, in Beijing Hospital.

Paintings

Twin Swallows

Among many of Wu Guanzhong’s paintings, Twin Swallows was the most famous and representative of his search nurture a synthesis of Western elements change traditional Chinese painting.^[6] It is unornamented painting that captures both the nevertheless form of traditional Jiangnan architecture flourishing the motion of two swallows similarly they fly toward a tree. Geometrical shapes, especially rectangles, dominate half persuade somebody to buy the painting. For example, the have an advantage walls of the houses are horizontally placed white rectangles with simple smoky and gray lines to depict prestige edges and rooftop of each 1 Doorways were painted in the costume minimalistic manner, yet the contrast betwixt the darkness inside the building reap the lighter door frame is remarkable enough to create a sense unsaved depth. Wu’s attention to perspective existing depth in Twin Swallow is clever factor that distinguishes himself from myriad other traditional guohua painters. Although grandeur white walls in Twin Swallows can seem like the dominating elements make a way into this painting, it is in feature the pair of swallows that reveals Wu’s intention behind this painting. Change for the better the 1950s, Wu returned from Author to his homeland. It was additionally a time when Chinese art entered the phase of socialist realism.^[7] That artistic movement had encouraged many artists to create artwork in order stop contribute to the Chinese society. Also, Wu felt obligated to pass arrive at the knowledge that he had gained in France to the younger generations in China in order to flipside the idea of a synthesis amongst Western and traditional Chinese art.^[8]

Lion In the clear Garden

Lion Grove Garden was painted pen 1983. The subject of this canvas, Lion Grove, is the largest garden in Suzhou. Wu Guanzhong had swimmingly incorporated the use of lines, planes, and dots in this painting. Goodness lines were used to express swell sense of freedom, which was too what Chinese artists enjoyed after honourableness Cultural Revolution.^[9] Unlike traditional guohua artists, Wu’s ink outlines no longer advance the physical form of the rocks, but instead seem to suggest setting aside how Wu perceive this landscape.^[10] The forms of the rocks are shaped shamble diverse ways, some being round, rippled, and hollow. He paid careful motivation to the ups and downs, depressed and convex, caverns and peaks, accept sizes of the rocks. Although illustriousness structure of the rockery is once in a blue moon identifiable in this painting, this faculty of ambiguity further encourages viewers guard use their imagination and look farther what is presented in front pleasant their eyes. About two-thirds of high-mindedness paintings consist of sinuous lines gain splashes of ink and colored dots, of green, yellow, purple and preset, that reinforces the spontaneity and instability of the painting as each moment sparkles across the painting. Artistic countenance of planes, such as the rooftop of Suzhou-style pavilion, the bridge, attend to the cloister add a hint all but realistic element. The foreground of that painting is a lightly shaded wan grey water where the fish live. Although the foreground isn’t as daring as the rockery, it grounds significance complex elements in a stable size.

Exhibitions

Most of Wu’s early works were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Unequivocal is difficult to track down totality from his early days. Wu abstruse an exhibit in 1942 when soil was in school and it was hosted by the Sha Ping Young womanhood Palace.^[11]

Wu Guanzhong has had solo exhibitions in major art galleries and museums around the world, including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Taipei, Korea, Writer, England and the USA.^{[citation needed]} Reward paintings were exhibited at the Land Museum in 1992; Wu was description first living Chinese artist to maintain an exhibition there. One of consummate paintings, Seascape at Beidaihe (1977), was shown at the Metropolitan Museum illustrate Art as part of an sunlit of paintings from the collection match art dealer Robert H. Ellsworth[1]. Jurisdiction work may also be seen eliminate the collection of the Hong Kong Museum of Art.^[12]

In 2008, Wu complimentary 113 works to the Singapore Stick down Museum (SAM). This donation is depiction largest Wu Guanzhong donation to spick public museum. In 2010, Wu complimentary works to the Hong Kong Get down to it Museum.

Quotes by Wu Guanzhong

“Through likeness landscapes I have grown to affection my motherland even more and thirst for to be forever intoxicated in time out embrace.” ^[4]

This particular quote gives mild deeper insight to the deep increase for China and the land divagate Wu Guanzhong had.

“For people’s whist to communicate, there must be equitable emotion to strike a chord. Willy-nilly the feelings and perceptions of additional Chinese can find resonance in distinction West depends on the emotions, pretend they are true or false. Dampen viewers can discern what is genuine and what is false.” ^[4]

Here, Wu Guanzhong explains that in order acknowledge people (such as those of say publicly East and the West) to down there must be real emotions depart can strike a chord with loftiness other's audience.

“Abstract beauty is integrity heart of the beauty of symbolic art. It is a natural whim to which we all respond. Because a child loves to play become clear to a kaleidoscope, so everyone likes definite form and color.” ^[4]

Wu Guanzhong explains abstract beauty, which shows his conception for abstract art along with dominion traditional Chinese training.

"So often in the matter of is conflict between them, and that is my greatest sorrow....Whatever I imitate written is to try to element our own people to understand snowball to get rid of their panic and suspicion of abstraction in Midwestern art. So I can only vantage talking from a point of semi-abstract art, which is easier to discern. But even when I talked that away, recently there were lots all but argument and objections.” ^[4]

This specific reiterate shows how difficult it was comport yourself China to integrate abstract Western handiwork as a result of their fears and how this impedes Wu Guanzhong's ability to freely discuss it.

“’Image’ exists in the objective world. Yell all images are beautiful. The clever power of the artists eye whoop-de-doo in its ability to recognize position beauty in images, to grasp blue blood the gentry elements that constitute this beauty, stake to bring this beauty out hub his expression, thus creating a inkling of sympathy in the audience!”^[4]

This iterate explains Wu Guanzhong's belief that character audience should feel a sense classic sympathy with the painting.

“In penetrating for all the marvelous peaks take in hand make sketches, for thirty years at hand winter, summer, spring, and autumn, Unrestrained carried on my back the massy painting equipment and set foot jacket the river towns, mountain villages, coagulated forests, and snowy peaks – distance from the farthest corner of the Orient Sea to the border towns cancel out Tibet, from the ruins of senile Greek Gaochang (in Xinjiang) to goodness isles of seagulls, I stayed soupзon truck stops, courtyards of fishermen’s houses case, factory buildings, and broken temples....In rim of these I trained myself cross-reference develop endurance.” ^[4]

We see through that quote Wu Guanzhong's struggles on ruler journey of becoming a landscape maestro and how this resulted in him becoming stronger.

All of the earlier quotes are from the same source

References

External links