Zhou Wei
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Zhou Wei
Category: Artist
Zhu Wei
Zhu Wei
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Sweet Life No. 38, 1999
Watercolor and Ink on Paper
76" x102" (193cm x 259.1cm)About this work
Zhu Wei’s inspiration for his art is fundamentally political yet self-expressive beyond that which is typical of the group of post-1989 Cynical Realists who come from his generation. He calls his own art books diaries because he believes his work records events he has personally lived through in China since the Cultural Revolution. His work is made up of narratives of everyday situations and historical moments that are slightly updated. In “Sweet Life No. 38”, he has painted Chairman Mao and one of his officers having a discussion in front of two anonymous figures who are busy eating and oblivious to their leaders. The background of this over-sized ink on paper piece includes traditional elements of Chinese brush paintings such as ancient calligraphy and birds singing in blossoming branches. The words, however, are not from a poem by a famous Chinese poet. They are lyrics by the Chinese rock and roll singer Cui Jian. The painting also contains twenty-six seals by the artist.
Zhao Shou
Zhao Shou
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Lady in Lazy, 1940
Oil on Board
20" x 16" (50.8cm x 40.6cm)About this work
The first generation of Chinese oil painters began traveling outside of China in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Typically they either went to Europe or Japan, where they saw the work of Western oil painters experimenting with a variety of techniques and styles. They also saw, for the first time, publications about modern art and read about movements such as Fauvism or Cubism. Naturally the Chinese artists wanted to explore these new ideas themselves and the result was often comparable to their foreign counterparts. To say that the Chinese artists merely copied what they were influenced by is wrong, however. They brought to their work their own aesthetic and aspects of their own culture. The face and hairstyle of “Lady In Lazy” is Chinese. The color of the furniture on which she sits and rests her head is typically Chinese red. The objects within the room are Chinese. This is not a Western subject; it is a Chinese interpretation of a Western style of painting, and as valid a piece of ‘modern’ art as any made outside of China.
Zhang Shenxian
Zhang Shenxian
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Still Life with Oranges, 1982
Oil on Canvas
29" x 25" (73.7cm x 63.5cm)About this work
Zhang Shenxian’s still life paintings always involve fruit and objects found in typical Chinese homes. The artist often relies on a dominant color such as the blue found in Chinese textiles and ceramics and selects a brighter ‘clash’ color such as orange or yellow that provides dramatic contrast. He uses soft, flowing brush strokes as well as fine detailed brush work, again, to achieve contrast. This style forces the viewer to carefully consider what they are seeing. In this way, Zhang Shenxian succeeds in creating a unique interpretation of the still life.
Still Life with Flowers, 1983
Oil on Canvas
22" x 21" (55.9cm x 53.3cm)About this work
Zhang Shenxian’s still life paintings are basically about things you would see in most Chinese homes, like this example of plants being started and grown in pots along a windowsill. The colors the artist uses are often limited to two or three that provide contrast within the scene. The perspective is from above, looking down on objects in typical arrangements. This viewpoint is part of the artist’s desire to make his audience comfortable with the familiarity of what they are seeing. Zhang Shenxian’s still life paintings are simple and serene.
Zhang Chongqing
Zhang Chongqing
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Boats of Guilin, 1980
Oil on Paper
21" x 30" (53.3cm x 76.2cm)About this work
This view of Guilin in Southwest China is along the banks of a small fishing village and while the painting provides a sense of the surrounding karst landscape and well-known Guilin mountains, the focus is really on the colorfully painted boats. Zhang Chongqing’s neo-Impressionist style is perfectly suited to interpreting the languid pace of life in this region.
Zhan Jianjun
Zhan Jianjun
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Tajik Old Man, C. 1980's
Oil on Board
21" x 19 1/2" (53.3cm x 49.5cm)About this work
Of his “Tajik Old Man” painting Zhan Jianjun has said, “I did this while on a trip to Xinjiang province and as a demonstration for a class because I found the subject to be so very different from anyone I had painted in Beijing. We may not have a very long history of oil painting in China, but we have a rich culture with many minorities and I like to draw upon these for my portrait studies.” The low angle from which the subject is painted emphasizes the shape and size of his fur hat. The fact that the subject is from Tajikistan in the far North explains why he is wearing warm clothing.
Old Man From the North, 1981
Oil on Board
21" x 30" (53.3cm x 76.2cm)About this work
Zhan Jianjun has chosen an old man from Northern China as the subject for this painting. The layers of clothing and the fur hat the subject wears let the viewer know it is cold in the North of China. The artist has used a thin wash style with his oils and painted on board to give the piece a different quality, almost like that of an illustration.
Zhai Xinjian
Zhai Xinjian
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Nude, 1985
Oil on Canvas
28" x 19 1/2" (71.1cm x 49.5cm)About this work
Zhai Xinjian possesses the ability as a painter to illustrate the beauty and soft color of skin that could never be duplicated in photographs. In this wonderfully serene nude study, the artist has used a soft light that produces no shadows, emphasizing the form of the figure. The background color he has chosen compliments the model’s skin. The only real contrast in the picture is provided by the black hair of the woman.
Ancient Mural, 1987
Oil on Canvas
40" x 32" (101.6cm x 81.3cm)About this work
In this sensitive portrait of Zhai Xinjian’s wife, the artist has placed her against a well-known ancient Chinese mural that has become referenced by many contemporary Chinese oil painters in works produced since the mid-1980’s. By using the figure in the mural in close proximity to the subject, Zhai Xinjian links the past with the present.
Resting Nude-Blue, 1987
Oil on Canvas
28" x 40" (71.1cm x 101.6cm)About this work
It is often difficult to choose a background that compliments a female nude because of the delicate color of the model’s skin. In this example, Zhai Xinjian has selected a dark blue that provides, instead, a definite contrast and isolates the figure almost as if it were floating. The result is quite effective in getting the viewer to focus on the soft contours of the body.
Yee Bon (Yu Ben)
Yee Bon (Yu Ben)
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The Sunflower, 1950
Oil on Canvas
30" x 25" (76.2cm x 63.5cm)About this work
Sunflowers have long been popular as subjects for painters. We recall still lifes with sunflowers by Van Gogh and numerous other post-Impressionist painters, all of whom bring their unique sensibilities to interpretations of the colorful and graphic flower. In this still life composition by Yee Bon, the viewer looks down on a vase full of large sunflowers sitting on a table with other objects, none of which can compete with the vibrancy of the floral arrangement. The overall color scheme Yee Bon uses matches the deep yellows and greens of the flowers themselves.
Yang Qiuren
Yang Qiuren
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Aboriginal Woman, 1963
Oil on Board
15" x 15" (38.1cm x 38.1cm)About this work
Like many Chinese painters, Yang Qiuren liked to travel to remote regions to paint minorities. Fascinated by the dress and style of different cultures, the Chinese painters made what might be described as ethnographic field studies. This is a good example of such a painting, made in the 1960’s only slightly prior to the Cultural Revolution when the artists could still travel freely to find subjects to interpret.
Yang Feiyun
Yang Feiyun
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Artist's Wife With Her Dog, 1989
Oil on Canvas
39 3/4" x 32" (101cm x 81.3cm)About this work
Though Yang Feiyun’s wife is not his only subject she is his most constant one. This portrait of her with a dog began when he made a trip with his art students to study and paint minorities and their specific costumes. He borrowed the dress his wife is wearing in this portrait from a woman he met. At the time of the sitting, they had a dog in their home and while he was painting her portrait she picked up the dog and Yang saw the scene develop.
Instantaneous Static, 1989
Oil on Canvas
33 7/8" x 29 7/8" (86cm x 75.9cm)About this work
Often a particular painting will become identified with an artist and serve to represent the artist throughout their career. “Instantaneous Static” is one such painting. It has been widely reproduced in books and articles on Yang Feiyun and on contemporary Chinese painting. Even the artist himself says that he agrees it is one of his most interesting and classic pieces. Quite simply, he was painting a portrait of his wife when she made a gesture to brush something out of her eye. Yang Feiyun says in that moment, he saw the painting he wanted to make. The artist acknowledges the title is a rough translation of the French photographer Henri Cartier Bresson’s phrase, “the decisive moment” which is the perfect definition for the work.
