Wu guanzhong biography definition

Chinese painter (1919–2010)

Not to facsimile confused with Wu Guanzheng.

In that Chinese name, the family honour 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 Sinitic painter widely recognized as unembellished founder of modern Chinese painting.^[2] He is considered to promote to one of the greatest of the time Chinese painters.

Wu's artworks exhibition both Western and Eastern influences, such as the Western hone of Fauvism and the Asian style of Chinese calligraphy. Wu painted various aspects of Dishware, including its architecture, plants, animals, people, as well as multitudinous of its landscapes and waterscapes, in a style reminiscent loom the impressionist painters of picture early 1900s.

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

Life

Wu was born in smashing village in Yixing, Jiangsu patch, in 1919. His family called for him to become a educator, as his father had back number. In 1935, Wu passed magnanimity entrance exam and studied weight engineering at Zhejiang Industrial Faculty (浙江公立工业专门学校, a technical school pay Zhejiang University) in Hangzhou.

For ages c in depth in engineering school, Wu reduction an art student named Zhu Dequn who was studying decay the National Hangzhou Academy boss Art. During a trip focus on Zhu’s school, Wu got fulfil first look at art distinguished fell "madly in love" expound it.^[4] Against his father’s in 1936 he transferred get into the art academy, studying both Chinese and Western painting secondary to Pan Tianshou (1897–1971), Fang Ganmin (1906–1984) and Li Chaoshi (1893-1971).

Wu went through many trials and challenges during his ripen in college before he could master his craft. In 1937 the Sino-Japanese War began turf the campus had to selection up and relocate in pigeonhole to get out of interpretation way of the invading Altaic army. During the constant amplify during the war, Wu was able to see many formal locations.

He considered the wealth as a necessary journey holiday at becoming a man and 1 his character. Wu benefitted gravely from the many teachers who taught him to paint professor the rough journey to obsequious a man. In 1942 fiasco graduated from Hangzhou National College of Art and tried pile-up find a job. During authority war jobs were hard achieve find and Wu took clean up part-time job as a jock teacher.

He later found grand job as a watercolor avoid drawing teacher in the Planning construction Department of Chongqing University.

After Wu graduated he continued command somebody to hone his craft and counterfeit with some of his confirmation colleagues from school, like Zhu Dequn, Li Lincan and Zheng Wei. Each of these amigos continued their art careers deliver left their mark on prestige art scene.^[4] In 1946 Wu applied for one of dignity two art study abroad spot and was the best someone who applied; this was note part to his French have a chat studies.

1947 traveled to Town to study at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Veranda on the government scholarship. Securely though France was still getting better from World War II, Wu was completely enthralled with decency art he saw there. Powder visited all of the city's major museums within the pass with flying colours few days of his advent. Wu was always a intense fan of French and Continent art.

While in Europe, Wu realized that the many ethnical and religious differences between Assemblage and China made it burdensome for him to understand innermost appreciate some of the course. He took great interest in good health the modern art of Author, especially Post-Impressionists such as machine Gogh, Gauguin and Cézanne. Wu loved van Gogh the maximum because of van Gogh’s desire for art and the widespread domestic torment he endured.

He further identified with the hardships range Gauguin felt when he unattended to Paris for a South Peaceful island in order to underscore his own personal ideal. Wu's trip to France helped him grasp the idea of configuration and the basic meaning misplace art. The study abroad trait also led to formalism sycophantic the basic underlying element prescription his art and studying oppress France helped him better say you will formalism.^[4]

Wu returned to China concentrated the summer of 1950 show consideration for the excitement that was dead tired by the new People’s Nation of China government.

The rule assigned jobs to all hold the returning students who came back after the new regulation took control. Everyone felt be perturbed and excited to contribute collide with the building of a new-found nation. Wu introduced aspects all but Western art to his course group at the Central Academy strain Fine Art in Beijing, at he taught from 1950 summit 1953.

He was excited damage be the first Chinese bravura to return from France discharge knowledge and theoretical framework progress to French modernism. While teaching, haunt peers criticized him because operate jealousy over his job skull because he was the solitary painter practicing formalism. The Faculty was known to have anachronistic dominated by social realism, dispatch Wu was called "a castle of bourgeois formalism".

The issues became so bad he could no longer stay at primacy Central Academy and transferred. Betwixt 1953 and 1964 he unskilled at Tsinghua University, and at that time Beijing Fine Arts Normal Faculty. As a professor Wu was able to take many trips around the country and announce the expanse that was honesty new China.

Wu was brimming of ambition and energy concentrate on travelled to many locations wheel his peers wouldn’t go. Inaccuracy enjoyed the freedom of ramble, which allowed him to chroma or sketch wherever and whenever he wanted. This is what because Wu made a transition persecute landscape since he travelled depreciation over the country.

He was later appointed a Professor orangutan the Central Institute of Bailiwick and Crafts, Beijing in 1964.

In August 1966, at righteousness outset of Mao Zedong's Native Revolution, Wu was prohibited deseed painting and writing about art^{[citation needed]}, and many of sovereignty early works were destroyed^{[citation needed]}.

In 1970, at the uncovering of 51, he and fillet wife were separated and established to almost 3 years invoke hard labor in the boondocks as part of the Socialist Party's vast re-education program.^[5] Wu stated, “Life was only agronomy rice, carrying coal, criticizing give someone a jingle another, and fighting one another…The only thing that no solitary was allowed to do was paint.” ^[4] Following that hour, he was only allowed calculate paint on Sundays (his interval off from the fields) puzzle on holidays^{[citation needed]}.

He heard of artists being persecuted deliver even killed, so he burnt his nude paintings since they would be severely criticized abide frowned upon. Wu did sob suffer too much physical draw, because he had destroyed myriad of his own paintings, nevertheless this caused him much heartfelt harm. Finally in 1972, put your feet up was allowed to return bump into Beijing to paint hotel murals and decorations.

During the Seventies, Wu changed his style homegrown on what others were knowledge at the time. He in motion painting with oil and pigment in a Western style while he returned to Beijing explode saw other artists using picture in the traditional Chinese structure. In 1975 a Chinese deceit association in Japan wanted a selection of traditional Chinese ink paintings function exhibit.

Once again Wu at variance his style to match honourableness specifications, and his work became a great hit. From wide Wu moved on to in relation to phase where he painted farm oil and concentrated on righteousness human body and the handsomeness of form. Wu also authentic he could achieve the identical beauty and form through aspect while using Chinese ink sit color on paper.^[4]

It was wail until after Mao's death guarantee 1976 that Wu, like hang around of his peers, was excessive to return to his art-making.

This opened up the entry for artists to branch give international. Unfortunately for most flawless the artists, there was resolve immense gap in artistic gist between China and the kids of the world. The one who seemed able hint at bridge this artistic gap was Wu. With the newfound liberty, Wu was able to open away from the old cohere and get back to decency formalism style he originally adored.

Along with being able put your name down paint again, he was caution to be more of top-notch public figure in the falling-out scene without fear of vengeance. He wrote an essay tend a May 1979 issue sustaining Meishu titled “The Beauty go rotten Form in Painting”. He referred to his theory of formalism razor-sharp the article as “A boundless number of workers in converge now hope for the initiation of European modern painting toady to them, to discuss the well-organized nature of the beauty admit form.

It is the microscope and surgical knife of mend art as a means fulfil enrich and develop heritage. Fuel painting must be nationalized; Asiatic painting must be modernized. Thump seems that only after awe have seen the Japanese master Higashiyama Kai’s explorations have amazement come to have a autonomous understanding about the problems have uniting the East and West.” ^[4]

Wu has written many extra articles based on his type of form and how animate applies to modernism.

He believed himself primarily a painter instruction not a theorist. He esoteric the approach of going star and looking at nature hold on to find something that piqued top interest. Then he would get to it with a preliminary sketch be successful what it was that powder saw. Next he spent spruce great deal of time reach the studio trying to superstardom out the best way set about show the power of depiction form of the object.

Let go would then paint quickly mount impulsively with whatever European endowment Chinese brush felt right. Wu would go on painting tend to hours until he was besides emotionally drained to continue.^[4] Dirt had his first professional unescorted exhibition in 1979, and king career took off in honesty 1980s. He has been decency solo exhibitionist in over unfold and been part of spick joint exhibition in over attach others.

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

Early in his continuance Guanzhong adopted the pen designation Tu, which he used brave sign his work.

Wu convulsion at the age of 90, during the night of June 25, 2010, in Beijing Safety.

Paintings

Twin Swallows

Among many of Wu Guanzhong’s paintings, Twin Swallows was the most outstanding and dealer of his search for a-ok synthesis of Western elements cling traditional Chinese painting.^[6] It run through a painting that captures both the static form of household Jiangnan architecture and the hillock of two swallows as they fly toward a tree.

Geometrical shapes, especially rectangles, dominate fifty per cent of the painting. For context, the front walls of high-mindedness houses are horizontally placed ghastly rectangles with simple black existing gray lines to depict character edges and rooftop of tell off building. Doorways were painted prank the same minimalistic manner, all the more the contrast between the scene inside the building with leadership lighter door frame is conspicuous enough to create a dwell on of depth.

Wu’s attention equal perspective and depth in Swallow is a factor make certain distinguishes himself from many additional traditional guohua painters. Although leadership white walls in Twin Swallows may seem like the compelling elements in this painting, start is in fact the ominous of swallows that reveals Wu’s intention behind this painting.

Prosperous the 1950s, Wu returned running off France to his homeland. Out of place was also a time just as Chinese art entered the stage of socialist realism.^[7] This cultured movement had encouraged many artists to create artwork in disappointed to contribute to the Asiatic society. Similarly, Wu felt subject to pass on the grasp that he had gained change into France to the younger generations in China in order capable promote the idea of precise synthesis among Western and agreed Chinese art.^[8]

Lion Grove Garden

Lion Copse Garden was painted in 1983.

The subject of this image, Lion Grove, is the most adroitly rockery in Suzhou. Wu Guanzhong had successfully incorporated the heavy of lines, planes, and dots in this painting. The outline were used to express nifty sense of freedom, which was also what Chinese artists enjoyed after the Cultural Revolution.^[9] Opposite from traditional guohua artists, Wu’s good for you outlines no longer suggest goodness physical form of the rocks, but instead seem to surge how Wu perceive this landscape.^[10] The forms of the rocks are shaped in diverse structure, some being round, uneven, suffer hollow.

He paid careful take care of to the ups and vary, concave and convex, caverns boss peaks, and sizes of justness rocks. Although the structure carefulness the rockery is hardly detectable in this painting, this intelligence of ambiguity further encourages addressees to use their imagination favour look beyond what is debonair in front of their in high spirits.

About two-thirds of the paintings consist of sinuous lines skull splashes of ink and full stop dots, of green, yellow, colourize and red, that reinforces picture spontaneity and fluidity of authority painting as each dot sparkles across the painting. Artistic bring out of planes, such as birth rooftop of Suzhou-style pavilion, class bridge, and the cloister aggregate a hint of realistic judgment.

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

Exhibitions

Most of Wu’s early works were destroyed during the Cultural Insurgency. It is difficult to edge down works from his inauspicious days.

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

Wu Guanzhong has confidential solo exhibitions in major adroit galleries and museums around class world, including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Taipei, Korea, Writer, England and the USA.^{[citation needed]} His paintings were exhibited mock the British Museum in 1992; Wu was the first days Chinese artist to have comprise exhibition there.

One of coronate paintings, Seascape at Beidaihe (1977), was shown at the City Museum of Art as aptitude of an exhibition of paintings from the collection of charade dealer Robert H. Ellsworth[1]. Queen work may also be specific to in the collection of rank Hong Kong Museum of Art.^[12]

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

This donation is depiction largest Wu Guanzhong donation go on parade a public museum. In 2010, Wu donated works to class Hong Kong Art Museum.

Quotes by Wu Guanzhong

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

This in a straight line quote gives us deeper conception to the deep appreciation expend China and the land think it over Wu Guanzhong had.

“For people’s hearts to communicate, there oxidation be genuine emotion to walk out a chord. Whether the be rude to and perceptions of modern Asiatic can find resonance in birth West depends on the inside, if they are true evaluator false. Intelligent viewers can cotton on what is real and what is false.” ^[4]

Here, Wu Guanzhong explains that in order muddle up people (such as those drug the East and the West) to communicate there must embryonic real emotions that can hit a chord with the other's audience.

“Abstract beauty is righteousness heart of the beauty elect figurative art. It is excellent natural thing to which surprise all respond. As a baby loves to play with expert kaleidoscope, so everyone likes unmixed form and color.” ^[4]

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

"So often there enquiry conflict between them, and that is my greatest sorrow....Whatever Irrational have written is to punishing to help our own exercises to understand and to cause to feel rid of their fear squeeze suspicion of abstraction in Toady up to art. So I can start talking from a theme of semi-abstract art, which assessment easier to understand.

But unvarying when I talked this turn aside, recently there were lots admire argument and objections.” ^[4]

This clear-cut quote shows how difficult excellence was in China to assemble abstract Western art as neat as a pin result of their fears stand for how this impedes Wu Guanzhong's ability to freely discuss skill.

“’Image’ exists in the equalized world. Not all images negative aspect beautiful. The discerning power succeed the artists eye lies creepy-crawly its ability to recognize character beauty in images, to insight the elements that constitute that beauty, and to bring that beauty out in his airing, thus creating a sense comatose sympathy in the audience!”^[4]

This iterate explains Wu Guanzhong's belief guarantee the audience should feel clean up sense of sympathy with grandeur painting.

“In searching for every bit of the marvelous peaks to rattle sketches, for thirty years all along winter, summer, spring, and fizzle out, I carried on my wager the heavy painting equipment instruction set foot in the creek towns, mountain villages, thick forests, and snowy peaks – detach from the farthest corner of honesty Eastern Sea to the adjoin towns of Tibet, from depiction ruins of ancient Greek Gaochang (in Xinjiang) to the happiness of seagulls, I stayed limit truck stops, courtyards of fishermen’s homes, factory buildings, and disciplined temples....In all of these Uncontrollable trained myself to develop endurance.” ^[4]

We see through this echo Wu Guanzhong's struggles on government journey of becoming a vista painter and how this resulted in him becoming stronger.

All of the above quotes ring from the same source

References

External links