PROVENANCE:
Tang Contemporary Art, Beijing
Private collection, Asia

While unmistakably influenced by traditional literati painters such as Dong Qichang, Shi Tao, Bada Shanren, and Huang Binhong, Zhou’s exploration of traditional themes sought to expand upon existing conventions by incorporating the brash colors and influences of Western artistic movements. Zhou admits, “I liked the forms…of the literati, but wasn’t satisfied with that overly moderate, introspective character, so I thought up a bold and risky experiment—to use that elegant form to convey violent, even erotic overtones.” With such an experiment in mind, the Peach Blossom series demonstrates Zhou’s aesthetic exploration, imbuing the grace and fluidity of the literati tradition with the power and passion of modern artistic movements.

Taking a subject already replete with significance from mythology and lore, in his Peach Blossom series Zhou augments the inherent symbolism of the peach blossom in his paintings through his striking utilization of color and effect. Zhou describes these flowers as, “in a fluid emotion and mood of colors, flows indulgence of primitive and sincere imaginations. It is the total release of human nature against a grand scene, an explosion of gentle violence.” A reoccurring motif in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean art, peach blossoms impart connotations of immortality, femininity, fragility, and sensuality.

In both Beauty Is Like A Fragrant Flower (Lot 536) and Blooming Sky (Lot 538), Zhou Chunya amplifies the traditional Asian motif of the peach blossom, with its associations with femininity and fragility. In both lots, this symbolism is readily apparent, emanating from the canvas like the wafting perfume of the blossoms.

Beauty Is Like A Fragrant Flower encapsulates the sensual nature of the blossoms, as the delicate shades of pink form an eruption of soft yet commanding color, nearly tangible in depth and elegance. The gently billowing petals seem to dance effortlessly across the canvas, blown by a temperate breeze. Displaying their fragility against the stiff rough branches, the soft pillows of the blossoms contrast the solidity of the brilliant green leaves. Darker scarlet hues splash across the background, supplying depth and variance, as each bud seems to burst with passion and the forces of nature. Such an example of the series clearly demonstrates Zhou’s spirit in painting the peach blossoms, as he states “the countless hues of red stir up excitement and soothe the soul at the same time…Covertly or overtly, all my work is about sensuality and love, because like the peach blossom, love and eroticism are reverberating with the primeval force of life.” The myriad hues of enveloping pink and passionate red in Beauty Is Like A Fragrant Flower permeate the canvas, radiating the vivacious erogenous nature of the series.

Providing a complementary perspective on the series, Blooming Sky exhibits the more delicate side of Zhou’s Peach Blossoms. Arranged gracefully across a gentle wash of blue sky, the dainty petals dance joyfully along the slender curves of supple branches. Tinged with variant hues of soft pinks, the elegant spray of blossoms, subtle splashes of green leaves, and refined brown lines of the twisting branches all harmonize in a symphony of symbolic beauty, redolent of feminine beauty and fragility.

Beauty Is Like A Fragrant Flower and Blooming Sky each display a separate facet of Zhou Chunya’s Peach Blossoms, accentuating the symbolic and connotative nature of the series as a whole. By selecting a subject already steeped in traditional associations, Zhou has found in this series a means of exploring the depth and dimension which lie harbored in the gentle petals of one small flower.