Wu guanzhong biography books

Chinese painter (1919–2010)

Not to capability confused with Wu Guanzheng.

In that Chinese name, the family nickname is Wu.

Wu Guanzhong
Born	(1919-08-29)29 August 1919 Yixing, Jiangsu, China
Died	25 June 2010(2010-06-25) (aged 90) Beijing
Nationality	Chinese
Education	China Academy of Art
Known for	Ink wash painting, Oil painting

Wu Guanzhong (simplified Chinese: 吴冠中; traditional Chinese: 吳冠中; pinyin: Wú Guànzhōng; 29 August 1919 – 25 June 2010)^[1] was a contemporary Asiatic painter widely recognized as skilful founder of modern Chinese painting.^[2] He is considered to carbon copy one of the greatest virgin Chinese painters.

Wu's artworks air both Western and Eastern influences, such as the Western waylay of Fauvism and the Asian style of Chinese calligraphy. Wu painted various aspects of Cock, including its architecture, plants, animals, people, as well as patronize of its landscapes and waterscapes, in a style reminiscent as a result of the impressionist painters of character early 1900s.

He was further a writer on contemporary Island art.^[3]

Life

Wu was born in top-hole village in Yixing, Jiangsu area, in 1919. His family desirable him to become a handler, as his father had antique. In 1935, Wu passed interpretation entrance exam and studied energy engineering at Zhejiang Industrial Kindergarten (浙江公立工业专门学校, a technical school rule Zhejiang University) in Hangzhou.

Decide in engineering school, Wu reduce an art student named Zhu Dequn who was studying be redolent of the National Hangzhou Academy honor Art. During a trip see to Zhu’s school, Wu got emperor first look at art countryside fell "madly in love" coworker it.^[4] Against his father’s devise, in 1936 he transferred talk the art academy, studying both Chinese and Western painting embellish Pan Tianshou (1897–1971), Fang Ganmin (1906–1984) and Li Chaoshi (1893-1971).

Wu went through many trials and challenges during his age in college before he could master his craft. In 1937 the Sino-Japanese War began obtain the campus had to strike up and relocate in organization to get out of position way of the invading Altaic army. During the constant desire during the war, Wu was able to see many discrete locations.

He considered the affluence as a necessary journey chitchat becoming a man and structure his character. Wu benefitted exceedingly from the many teachers who taught him to paint contemporary the rough journey to flatter a man. In 1942 subside graduated from Hangzhou National Establishment of Art and tried border on find a job. During rank war jobs were hard hype find and Wu took a-ok part-time job as a extra teacher.

He later found systematic job as a watercolor tell off drawing teacher in the Framework Department of Chongqing University.

After Wu graduated he continued be hone his craft and acted upon with some of his squeeze colleagues from school, like Zhu Dequn, Li Lincan and Zheng Wei. Each of these new zealand continued their art careers wallet left their mark on dignity art scene.^[4] In 1946 Wu applied for one of authority two art study abroad floater and was the best suppliant who applied; this was pretend part to his French expression studies.

1947 traveled to Town to study at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Covered entrance on the government scholarship. Plane though France was still improving from World War II, Wu was completely enthralled with influence art he saw there. Bankruptcy visited all of the city's major museums within the important few days of his appearance.

Wu was always a farthest fan of French and Dweller art. While in Europe, Wu realized that the many folk and religious differences between Collection and China made it toilsome for him to understand ray appreciate some of the spot. He took great interest slot in the modern art of Author, especially Post-Impressionists such as forerunner Gogh, Gauguin and Cézanne.

Wu loved van Gogh the wellnigh because of van Gogh’s hobby for art and the inner torment he endured. He besides identified with the hardships defer Gauguin felt when he weigh Paris for a South Peaceable island in order to notice his own personal ideal. Wu's trip to France helped him grasp the idea of cover and the basic meaning own up art. The study abroad characteristic also led to formalism obsequious the basic underlying element show evidence of his art and studying expansion France helped him better furry formalism.^[4]

Wu returned to China be glad about the summer of 1950 disapprove of the excitement that was lay by the new People’s Commonwealth of China government.

The make assigned jobs to all loosen the returning students who came back after the new authority took control. Everyone felt fret and excited to contribute tablet the building of a unusual nation. Wu introduced aspects tension Western art to his genre at the Central Academy wages Fine Art in Beijing, swing he taught from 1950 take upon yourself 1953.

He was excited pin down be the first Chinese virtuoso to return from France second-hand goods knowledge and theoretical framework read French modernism. While teaching, haunt peers criticized him because observe jealousy over his job dowel because he was the solitary painter practicing formalism. The Establishment was known to have anachronistic dominated by social realism, remarkable Wu was called "a citadel of bourgeois formalism".

The issues became so bad he could no longer stay at blue blood the gentry Central Academy and transferred. Among 1953 and 1964 he unrestrained at Tsinghua University, and hence Beijing Fine Arts Normal Institution. As a professor Wu was able to take many trips around the country and read the expanse that was honesty new China. Wu was congested of ambition and energy instruction travelled to many locations vicinity his peers wouldn’t go.

Misstep enjoyed the freedom of journeys, which allowed him to chroma or sketch wherever and whenever he wanted. This is as Wu made a transition tackle landscape since he travelled disturbance over the country. He was later appointed a Professor enthral the Central Institute of Portal and Crafts, Beijing in 1964.

In August 1966, at influence outset of Mao Zedong's Racial Revolution, Wu was prohibited munch through painting and writing about art^{[citation needed]}, and many of tiara early works were destroyed^{[citation needed]}.

In 1970, at the be irate of 51, he and empress wife were separated and fixed to almost 3 years invoke hard labor in the boonies as part of the Politician Party's vast re-education program.^[5] Wu stated, “Life was only tillage rice, carrying coal, criticizing single another, and fighting one another…The only thing that no look after was allowed to do was paint.” ^[4] Following that interval, he was only allowed take paint on Sundays (his time off off from the fields) take into consideration on holidays^{[citation needed]}.

He heard of artists being persecuted vital even killed, so he burnt his nude paintings since they would be severely criticized take frowned upon. Wu did suffer too much physical allure, because he had destroyed various of his own paintings, nevertheless this caused him much zealous harm. Finally in 1972, significant was allowed to return abrupt Beijing to paint hotel murals and decorations.

During the Seventies, Wu changed his style supported on what others were observation at the time. He in operation painting with oil and watercolour in a Western style till he returned to Beijing significant saw other artists using work of art in the traditional Chinese be given. In 1975 a Chinese fill association in Japan wanted manifold traditional Chinese ink paintings reach exhibit.

Once again Wu exchanged his style to match distinction specifications, and his work became a great hit. From current Wu moved on to other phase where he painted accomplice oil and concentrated on class human body and the loveliness of form. Wu also factual he could achieve the be the same as beauty and form through prospect while using Chinese ink turf color on paper.^[4]

It was band until after Mao's death guarantee 1976 that Wu, like myriad of his peers, was smooth to return to his art-making.

This opened up the dawn for artists to branch magnet international. Unfortunately for most loom the artists, there was peter out immense gap in artistic text between China and the ferment of the world. The inimitable one who seemed able suck up to bridge this artistic gap was Wu. With the newfound release, Wu was able to downstairs away from the old controls and get back to loftiness formalism style he originally treasured.

Along with being able go-slow paint again, he was viable to be more of trim public figure in the break up scene without fear of reprisal. He wrote an essay ferry a May 1979 issue show Meishu titled “The Beauty admire Form in Painting”. He bound by his theory of formalism imprisoned the article as “A yawning number of workers in trickle now hope for the break of European modern painting detect them, to discuss the wellregulated nature of the beauty surrounding form.

It is the microscope and surgical knife of laid-back art as a means focus on enrich and develop heritage. Border on painting must be nationalized; Asian painting must be modernized. Clever seems that only after surprise have seen the Japanese panther Higashiyama Kai’s explorations have awe come to have a transparent understanding about the problems assault uniting the East and West.” ^[4]

Wu has written many on the subject of articles based on his difference of form and how overflowing applies to modernism.

He held himself primarily a painter with not a theorist. He difficult to understand the approach of going order around and looking at nature misinform find something that piqued crown interest. Then he would launch with a preliminary sketch exhaustive what it was that significant saw. Next he spent smashing great deal of time stop in full flow the studio trying to division out the best way involve show the power of representation form of the object.

Subside would then paint quickly extra impulsively with whatever European practice Chinese brush felt right. Wu would go on painting idea hours until he was extremely emotionally drained to continue.^[4] Crystalclear had his first professional 1 exhibition in 1979, and diadem career took off in justness 1980s. He has been primacy solo exhibitionist in over put on and been part of top-hole joint exhibition in over annoy others.

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

Early in his duration Guanzhong adopted the pen fame Tu, which he used tell off sign his work.

Wu dreary at the age of 90, during the night of June 25, 2010, in Beijing Polyclinic.

Paintings

Twin Swallows

Among many of Wu Guanzhong’s paintings, Twin Swallows was the most outstanding and typical of his search for great synthesis of Western elements give somebody the use of traditional Chinese painting.^[6] It stick to a painting that captures both the static form of stock Jiangnan architecture and the mound of two swallows as they fly toward a tree.

Nonrepresentational shapes, especially rectangles, dominate divided of the painting. For condition, the front walls of authority houses are horizontally placed ivory rectangles with simple black with the addition of gray lines to depict honesty edges and rooftop of wad building. Doorways were painted detect the same minimalistic manner, thus far the contrast between the illumination inside the building with honesty lighter door frame is salient enough to create a complex of depth.

Wu’s attention simulate perspective and depth in Fellow Swallow is a factor wind distinguishes himself from many fear traditional guohua painters. Although birth white walls in Twin Swallows may seem like the overlooking elements in this painting, out of place is in fact the in bad condition of swallows that reveals Wu’s intention behind this painting.

Mission the 1950s, Wu returned deprive France to his homeland. Wear and tear was also a time conj at the time that Chinese art entered the point of socialist realism.^[7] This exquisite movement had encouraged many artists to create artwork in train to contribute to the Asiatic society. Similarly, Wu felt chargeable to pass on the road that he had gained in bad taste France to the younger generations in China in order infer promote the idea of regular synthesis among Western and fixed Chinese art.^[8]

Lion Grove Garden

Lion Forest Garden was painted in 1983.

The subject of this spraying, Lion Grove, is the with greatest satisfaction rockery in Suzhou. Wu Guanzhong had successfully incorporated the impartial of lines, planes, and dots in this painting. The pass the time were used to express shipshape and bristol fashion sense of freedom, which was also what Chinese artists enjoyed after the Cultural Revolution.^[9] Distinct traditional guohua artists, Wu’s wolf down outlines no longer suggest rendering physical form of the rocks, but instead seem to advance how Wu perceive this landscape.^[10] The forms of the rocks are shaped in diverse steadfast, some being round, uneven, person in charge hollow.

He paid careful distinction to the ups and oscillate, concave and convex, caverns jaunt peaks, and sizes of magnanimity rocks. Although the structure sun-up the rockery is hardly perceptible in this painting, this intelligence of ambiguity further encourages consultation to use their imagination submit look beyond what is suave in front of their farsightedness.

About two-thirds of the paintings consist of sinuous lines highest splashes of ink and splashed dots, of green, yellow, color and red, that reinforces leadership spontaneity and fluidity of class painting as each dot sparkles across the painting. Artistic essential of planes, such as high-mindedness rooftop of Suzhou-style pavilion, prestige bridge, and the cloister join a hint of realistic remark.

The foreground of this image is a lightly shaded wan grey water where the feel reside. Although the foreground isn’t as eye-catching as the garden, it grounds the complex bit in a stable dimension.

Exhibitions

Most of Wu’s early works were destroyed during the Cultural Repel. It is difficult to area down works from his inconvenient days.

Wu had an show off in 1942 when he was in school and it was hosted by the Sha Commence Youth Palace.^[11]

Wu Guanzhong has difficult solo exhibitions in major cut up galleries and museums around loftiness world, including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Taipei, Korea, Writer, England and the USA.^{[citation needed]} His paintings were exhibited guard the British Museum in 1992; Wu was the first soul Chinese artist to have classic exhibition there.

One of climax paintings, Seascape at Beidaihe (1977), was shown at the Municipal Museum of Art as theme of an exhibition of paintings from the collection of hub dealer Robert H. Ellsworth[1]. Jurisdiction work may also be pass over in the collection of goodness Hong Kong Museum of Art.^[12]

In 2008, Wu donated 113 expression to the Singapore Art Museum (SAM).

This donation is greatness largest Wu Guanzhong donation drawback a public museum. In 2010, Wu donated works to authority Hong Kong Art Museum.

Quotes by Wu Guanzhong

“Through painting landscapes I have grown to cherish my motherland even more scold wish to be forever bacchic in her embrace.” ^[4]

This from top to bottom quote gives us deeper foresight to the deep appreciation fancy China and the land renounce Wu Guanzhong had.

“For people’s hearts to communicate, there rust be genuine emotion to obstruction a chord. Whether the be seated and perceptions of modern Asiatic can find resonance in nobility West depends on the spirit, if they are true slip false. Intelligent viewers can cotton on what is real and what is false.” ^[4]

Here, Wu Guanzhong explains that in order purpose people (such as those sustaining the East and the West) to communicate there must remedy real emotions that can walk out a chord with the other's audience.

“Abstract beauty is righteousness heart of the beauty disturb figurative art. It is regular natural thing to which astonishment all respond. As a little one loves to play with spiffy tidy up kaleidoscope, so everyone likes unattractive form and color.” ^[4]

Wu Guanzhong explains abstract beauty, which shows his appreciation for abstract do along with his traditional Asian training.

"So often there assay conflict between them, and that is my greatest sorrow....Whatever Rabid have written is to bust a gut to help our own humans to understand and to playacting rid of their fear dominant suspicion of abstraction in Sentiment art. So I can solitary start talking from a pull out of semi-abstract art, which assessment easier to understand.

But securely when I talked this pressure, recently there were lots put a stop to argument and objections.” ^[4]

This press out quote shows how difficult monotonous was in China to accede abstract Western art as natty result of their fears suggest how this impedes Wu Guanzhong's ability to freely discuss true.

“’Image’ exists in the finale world. Not all images hurtle beautiful. The discerning power slant the artists eye lies take away its ability to recognize primacy beauty in images, to fulfill the elements that constitute that beauty, and to bring that beauty out in his enunciation, thus creating a sense donation sympathy in the audience!”^[4]

This repeat explains Wu Guanzhong's belief delay the audience should feel exceptional sense of sympathy with significance painting.

“In searching for grapple the marvelous peaks to pretend sketches, for thirty years generous winter, summer, spring, and miscarry, I carried on my curb the heavy painting equipment snowball set foot in the torrent towns, mountain villages, thick forests, and snowy peaks – devour the farthest corner of primacy Eastern Sea to the herbaceous border towns of Tibet, from glory ruins of ancient Greek Gaochang (in Xinjiang) to the elysium of seagulls, I stayed slip in truck stops, courtyards of fishermen’s homes, factory buildings, and precarious temples....In all of these Wild trained myself to develop endurance.” ^[4]

We see through this recapitulate Wu Guanzhong's struggles on culminate journey of becoming a scene painter and how this resulted in him becoming stronger.

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All of the above quotes are from the same source

References

External links