PRINTCatalogue Note:
SCHOLAR'S BUILDING IN SPRING
PANG JIUN
Pang Jiun's unique oil painting style is bright, sharp, and pas sionate, integrating oils with the imagery of Chinese ink wash painting. His style combines both Chinese and Western artistic philosophy, and his paintings display the explosive force of Western Impressionism and Fauvism, as well as the poetic imagery of Eastern literati paintings, establishing Impressionism within Eastern oil painting. He graduated with honors at the age 18 in 1954, setting the record for youngest college graduate. He was also Xu Beihong's last apprentice. Pang Jiun settled in Taiwan since 1987. For over 20 years he taught countless students at the National Taiwan University of Arts.
In his long artistic career, Pang Jiun has striven to find the precise balance between classic and modern, Eastern and Western. He hopes to perfectly combine the passion, expression, and explosiveness of Western art with the philosophical imagery of Eastern art. His use of structure, color, and line are practiced and unrestrained. Scholar's Building in Spring is a master piece among Pang Jiun's recent work. The exquisite and free-spirited image comes to life with practiced brushstrokes, bright colors, and a bold use of black, white, and gray. After creating thousands of sketches, Pang Jiun finally found success in conveying the spirit and imagery of Chinese ink wash painting with oil paint, using his unique technique to show the world his beloved Chinese scenery .
Pang Jiun's scenery paintings stem from his abundant experience in sketching scenery. He takes in the beauty before his eyes, and then lets it steep in his emotions. Traveling tirelessly across China's vast landscape, the blue tiled roofs and white walls of Huizhou style architecture are depicted by the artist with black and white lines, simplistic composition, and gentle use of color. This is not only in honor of his ancestors, but also homage to Chinese cultural traditions. Ancient Huizhou is a cultural hub wher e education is welldeveloped. Many rising stars became officials through talent, and left their mark through words. As the birthplace of many celebrated people, it was a true home of scholars, pr oducing 2081 Advanced Scholars in the Imperial exams, and 28 Top Scholars. It is said that though transportation was inconvenient in the past, and test takers weren't able to get first-hand information after the test results were revealed, the results would be displayed at the Scholar's Building, and locals who received the good news first would light fir ecrackers in celebration. Scholar's Building is classic literati architecture, steeped in literary atmosphere. This is passed down alongside the Confucian tradition of respect shown according to etiquette and showing respect in work and rest. In the century that has passed, dynasties have changed, and the ancient town has suffered in war. The Scholar's Building remains, bearing the scars of different eras, but fortunately standing to this day. For the Scholar's Building collection, Pang Jiun melded his true emotions into the painting process, and captured the elements of the scenery with even more precision. The painting gives off a vintage, solemn, and serious atmosphere that draws the viewer in, and creates a feeling of admiration for the scholars of the past, and a melancholy for a past long gone.
The painting Scholar's Building in Spring uses the black roof tiles, whitewashed exteriors, and horsehead walls of Huizhou architecture as its background. In the foreground are blooming peach blossoms that open the curtain to spring. An exquisite and intricate brick-carving building stands in the center, with open doors that draw the viewer in to view the elegant, simplistic beauty of the old whitewalled, black-tiles houses. The artist uses different shades of gray to create the light beige or plaster white walls of ancient Chinese ar chitecture. The roof is a deep gray, nearly black. The trees under the bright blue sky are all vividly green. Uneven oil paint makes the wall look three-dimensional. Purposeful blank spaces balance out the painting's color palette. Blue stone windows are dotted across the image like a delicate and concise ink wash painting, making the image classical and elegant, with endless charm, fully displaying the austere style of the Huizhou people. Peach branches intersect before the courtyard wall, with no other trees to be found. Falling petals swirl to the ground. The Huizhou style of a home within a peach blossom orchard is depicted as a poetic countryside scene under the masterful hand of Pang Jiun. Since ancient times, most men from Huizhou have left to trade or enter the exams to gain fame, embarking on journeys far from home as young men. The horse-head wall is symbolic of their families' longing. These black and white horse-head walls in picturesque disarray give the viewer a bright, elegant, and layered experience of rhythmic beauty.
Pang Jiun takes inspiration from the traditions of realism and literati paintings, and alters them with brilliant usage of color to forge a unique artistic vocabulary. Pang Jiun once said, My landscapes are popular because of how I use this gray color palette. Because this reinforces the rhythmic and elusive nature of Chinese poetry, and the deeply hidden emotions of the Chinese people, these are all in one spirit. The free, poetic brushstrokes and rhythm result in strong, intuitive lines and simple, sharp silhouettes, seamlessly weaving Western techniques into Eastern themes, realizing the artist's Westernized Chinese style. Pang Jiun's unique oil painting style is similar to Qi Baishi's later period. Pang Jiun focuses on depicting the meaning and spirit of the subject, just as Qi Baishi once said: Ingenuity lies between similarity and dissimilarity. And so his paintings combine the classical and modern. Time is constantly changing, but here it turns into calming scenery that is endlessly poetic, containing the poetic spirit of Easter n literati. Pang Jiun's paintings focus on conveying how he observed the real world, displaying his deepest thoughts, his soul, and his feelings.
PANG JIUN
Pang Jiun's unique oil painting style is bright, sharp, and pas sionate, integrating oils with the imagery of Chinese ink wash painting. His style combines both Chinese and Western artistic philosophy, and his paintings display the explosive force of Western Impressionism and Fauvism, as well as the poetic imagery of Eastern literati paintings, establishing Impressionism within Eastern oil painting. He graduated with honors at the age 18 in 1954, setting the record for youngest college graduate. He was also Xu Beihong's last apprentice. Pang Jiun settled in Taiwan since 1987. For over 20 years he taught countless students at the National Taiwan University of Arts.
In his long artistic career, Pang Jiun has striven to find the precise balance between classic and modern, Eastern and Western. He hopes to perfectly combine the passion, expression, and explosiveness of Western art with the philosophical imagery of Eastern art. His use of structure, color, and line are practiced and unrestrained. Scholar's Building in Spring is a master piece among Pang Jiun's recent work. The exquisite and free-spirited image comes to life with practiced brushstrokes, bright colors, and a bold use of black, white, and gray. After creating thousands of sketches, Pang Jiun finally found success in conveying the spirit and imagery of Chinese ink wash painting with oil paint, using his unique technique to show the world his beloved Chinese scenery .
Pang Jiun's scenery paintings stem from his abundant experience in sketching scenery. He takes in the beauty before his eyes, and then lets it steep in his emotions. Traveling tirelessly across China's vast landscape, the blue tiled roofs and white walls of Huizhou style architecture are depicted by the artist with black and white lines, simplistic composition, and gentle use of color. This is not only in honor of his ancestors, but also homage to Chinese cultural traditions. Ancient Huizhou is a cultural hub wher e education is welldeveloped. Many rising stars became officials through talent, and left their mark through words. As the birthplace of many celebrated people, it was a true home of scholars, pr oducing 2081 Advanced Scholars in the Imperial exams, and 28 Top Scholars. It is said that though transportation was inconvenient in the past, and test takers weren't able to get first-hand information after the test results were revealed, the results would be displayed at the Scholar's Building, and locals who received the good news first would light fir ecrackers in celebration. Scholar's Building is classic literati architecture, steeped in literary atmosphere. This is passed down alongside the Confucian tradition of respect shown according to etiquette and showing respect in work and rest. In the century that has passed, dynasties have changed, and the ancient town has suffered in war. The Scholar's Building remains, bearing the scars of different eras, but fortunately standing to this day. For the Scholar's Building collection, Pang Jiun melded his true emotions into the painting process, and captured the elements of the scenery with even more precision. The painting gives off a vintage, solemn, and serious atmosphere that draws the viewer in, and creates a feeling of admiration for the scholars of the past, and a melancholy for a past long gone.
The painting Scholar's Building in Spring uses the black roof tiles, whitewashed exteriors, and horsehead walls of Huizhou architecture as its background. In the foreground are blooming peach blossoms that open the curtain to spring. An exquisite and intricate brick-carving building stands in the center, with open doors that draw the viewer in to view the elegant, simplistic beauty of the old whitewalled, black-tiles houses. The artist uses different shades of gray to create the light beige or plaster white walls of ancient Chinese ar chitecture. The roof is a deep gray, nearly black. The trees under the bright blue sky are all vividly green. Uneven oil paint makes the wall look three-dimensional. Purposeful blank spaces balance out the painting's color palette. Blue stone windows are dotted across the image like a delicate and concise ink wash painting, making the image classical and elegant, with endless charm, fully displaying the austere style of the Huizhou people. Peach branches intersect before the courtyard wall, with no other trees to be found. Falling petals swirl to the ground. The Huizhou style of a home within a peach blossom orchard is depicted as a poetic countryside scene under the masterful hand of Pang Jiun. Since ancient times, most men from Huizhou have left to trade or enter the exams to gain fame, embarking on journeys far from home as young men. The horse-head wall is symbolic of their families' longing. These black and white horse-head walls in picturesque disarray give the viewer a bright, elegant, and layered experience of rhythmic beauty.
Pang Jiun takes inspiration from the traditions of realism and literati paintings, and alters them with brilliant usage of color to forge a unique artistic vocabulary. Pang Jiun once said, My landscapes are popular because of how I use this gray color palette. Because this reinforces the rhythmic and elusive nature of Chinese poetry, and the deeply hidden emotions of the Chinese people, these are all in one spirit. The free, poetic brushstrokes and rhythm result in strong, intuitive lines and simple, sharp silhouettes, seamlessly weaving Western techniques into Eastern themes, realizing the artist's Westernized Chinese style. Pang Jiun's unique oil painting style is similar to Qi Baishi's later period. Pang Jiun focuses on depicting the meaning and spirit of the subject, just as Qi Baishi once said: Ingenuity lies between similarity and dissimilarity. And so his paintings combine the classical and modern. Time is constantly changing, but here it turns into calming scenery that is endlessly poetic, containing the poetic spirit of Easter n literati. Pang Jiun's paintings focus on conveying how he observed the real world, displaying his deepest thoughts, his soul, and his feelings.