PRINTCatalogue Note:
Plums blossom around white walls and black tiles. New buds are sprinkled throughout a forest that nestles against the violet mountains, lending the whole scene a fresh air. The ink black roof, contrasted with the white walls, becomes starkly attractive and exudes an aura of both simplicity and nobility. The house, surrounded by mountains and red plums, seems particularly graceful and terrifically alluring.
Wu Guanzhong learned modern Western art, and also delved into the essences of Chinese calligraphy. He combined both Eastern and Western aesthetics and yet was constrained by neither, refining a style that was uniquely and elegantly his own. After the 1980s, having come into full mastery of black ink painting, Wu Guanzhong started to add colours to give his white and black ink paintings vividness. The 1983 work “Blooming Plums” demonstrates the artist’s superb skills in ink wash: the light and heavy applications, and the twisting and turning strokes, combine to create an attractive and secluded utopia. In particular, the lines that outline the plum trees in light ink are smooth and bold, highlighting the firmness and strength of plum trees. On the one hand, it is saturated with the spirit of Eastern calligraphy. On the other hand, there is also the charm of an abstract piece, as the orderly tree trunks, the red plums, and the green sprouts create a melody of points, lines, and surfaces.
Wu Guanzhong was born in Yixing, Jiangsu and was raised in Jiangnan; he felt a deep connection with that area. After studying in France for several years, he returned to China when he was nearly thirty. Even though he spent most of his life in Beijing, Jiangnan was always his home and a source of inspiration that he returned to time and again. “Blooming Plums,” for instance, is based on the scenery of Jiangnan as the artist envisioned it. The plums that withstand the coldest winters symbolize Wu Guanzhong’s indomitability. He traversed the most unstable times, and whether he was in a tight spot or in the spotlight, he has always held fast to his beliefs. His focus on the pursuit and development of art led him to become an irreplaceable master.
Wu Guanzhong learned modern Western art, and also delved into the essences of Chinese calligraphy. He combined both Eastern and Western aesthetics and yet was constrained by neither, refining a style that was uniquely and elegantly his own. After the 1980s, having come into full mastery of black ink painting, Wu Guanzhong started to add colours to give his white and black ink paintings vividness. The 1983 work “Blooming Plums” demonstrates the artist’s superb skills in ink wash: the light and heavy applications, and the twisting and turning strokes, combine to create an attractive and secluded utopia. In particular, the lines that outline the plum trees in light ink are smooth and bold, highlighting the firmness and strength of plum trees. On the one hand, it is saturated with the spirit of Eastern calligraphy. On the other hand, there is also the charm of an abstract piece, as the orderly tree trunks, the red plums, and the green sprouts create a melody of points, lines, and surfaces.
Wu Guanzhong was born in Yixing, Jiangsu and was raised in Jiangnan; he felt a deep connection with that area. After studying in France for several years, he returned to China when he was nearly thirty. Even though he spent most of his life in Beijing, Jiangnan was always his home and a source of inspiration that he returned to time and again. “Blooming Plums,” for instance, is based on the scenery of Jiangnan as the artist envisioned it. The plums that withstand the coldest winters symbolize Wu Guanzhong’s indomitability. He traversed the most unstable times, and whether he was in a tight spot or in the spotlight, he has always held fast to his beliefs. His focus on the pursuit and development of art led him to become an irreplaceable master.