PRINTILLUSTRATED:
Blooming Stories , Sichuan Fine Arts Publishing House, Chengdu, 2007, color illustrated, pp. 96-97
Blooming Stories , Sichuan Fine Arts Publishing House, Chengdu, 2007, color illustrated, pp. 96-97
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Blooming Sky: Peach Blossoms Series
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2006 - 2014 Oil on canvas 100 x 120 cm
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Estimate
7,500,000 - 11,000,000 1,928,000 - 2,828,000 248,500 - 364,500
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Sold Price
7,200,000 1,865,285 239,203
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Inquiry
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Catalogue Note:
BLOOMING SKY:
PEACH BLOSSOMS SERIES
ZHOU CHUNYA
As one of the most outstanding contemporary artists in China, ZHOU Chunya began his artistic career exploring various Tibetan themes and, during his time studying in Germany in the early years of his artistic career in the 1990s, Zhou created the Green Dog Series, characterized by dashing and bold use of color influenced by the imagery of Neo-expressionist paintings, showcasing Zhou's clear stages of developmental growth and ability to transcend his own artistic limits. During his mid-career years in the 1990s, Zhou gradually relinquished his use of shadow and lighting techniques inspired by Neo-expressionism in favor of internalizing that which he could see and hear in the physical realm of his travels. Meanwhile, through the course of studying the underlying essence of classical Chinese painting, Zhou set out to challenge his own self-perceptions by reappropriating classical aesthetics and adopting novel methods to stimulate new ideas and ways of thinking. Spanning from the Rock Series to his more recent Peach Blossom Series, Zhou Chunya has utilized a range of new techniques in a bid to re-interpret traditional Chinese artistic motifs and methods, including shanshui painting, thereby re-connecting with traditional artistic creative ideals.
Whether discussing the Peach Blossom Series or the Green Dog Series, the inspirational essence of Zhou's diverse array of creative works can be traced back to a fundamental desire reflected by the more intense expressions of desire in animals, culminating in a bold and spontaneous artistic effect. Peach blossoms, meanwhile, serve as a metaphor for expressing the interaction between the natural world and our human emotions. In this vein, Zhou Chunya aspires to employ the conservative brush strokes of the traditional Chinese literati with outlandish mannerisms to reveal the most fundamental and innate desires — which could be erotic or violent — and yet it is precisely this challenge of overcoming pre-existing expectations that Zhou Chunya hopes to achieve by exploring contrasting ideas.
When setting out to create a flower commonly represented in traditional Chinese paintings, Zhou Chunya selected the peach blossom. While Zhou initially intended only to use the peach blossom as a contrasting element in a one-time creative endeavor, the concept eventually evolved into the full-fledged Peach Blossoms Series we know today. During one spring morning in the sprawling city of Chengdu, Zhou Chunya found himself in a remote mountain area relishing the beauty of peach blossoms, and during this time he felt a stirring sensation of the rhythm of life itself. Coincidentally, Zhou's family had collected a late Qing Dynasty calligraphy rhyming couplet which wrote: Still waters reflect the beauty of mountains afar / Peach blossoms in the spring breeze. After reading these poetic lines, Zhou Chunya was inspired by the detail and complex nature of the poetic language of the Chinese literati, and the artist hoped that he could convey these sentiments, amplified by his own understanding of unconventional lifestyles and eroticism, to the viewer through explicit use of color and bold imagery. To this end, this particular piece from the Blooming Sky: Peach Blossoms Series utilizes symbolism of multitudinous pink peach blossoms to represent base sexual desires and the meaning of irresistible attraction, fostering a sense of ambiguous feelings and unrestrained indulgence which is embodied through an interplay of blossoming spring affections. The annual season in which peach blossoms bloom portends the coming of spring, and the dazzling beauty of peach blossoms serve as a reminder to us that our innermost desires are in a constant state of flux at the whim of nature. The Peach Blossoms Series of artwork by Zhou Chunya walks the line between tradition and modernity, and the artist's skillful fusion of esoteric Eastern culture with his own vivid and unbridled strokes culminate in an expression which successfully manifests this great contradiction, and yet does so in a wholly instinctive and natural manner.
PEACH BLOSSOMS SERIES
ZHOU CHUNYA
As one of the most outstanding contemporary artists in China, ZHOU Chunya began his artistic career exploring various Tibetan themes and, during his time studying in Germany in the early years of his artistic career in the 1990s, Zhou created the Green Dog Series, characterized by dashing and bold use of color influenced by the imagery of Neo-expressionist paintings, showcasing Zhou's clear stages of developmental growth and ability to transcend his own artistic limits. During his mid-career years in the 1990s, Zhou gradually relinquished his use of shadow and lighting techniques inspired by Neo-expressionism in favor of internalizing that which he could see and hear in the physical realm of his travels. Meanwhile, through the course of studying the underlying essence of classical Chinese painting, Zhou set out to challenge his own self-perceptions by reappropriating classical aesthetics and adopting novel methods to stimulate new ideas and ways of thinking. Spanning from the Rock Series to his more recent Peach Blossom Series, Zhou Chunya has utilized a range of new techniques in a bid to re-interpret traditional Chinese artistic motifs and methods, including shanshui painting, thereby re-connecting with traditional artistic creative ideals.
Whether discussing the Peach Blossom Series or the Green Dog Series, the inspirational essence of Zhou's diverse array of creative works can be traced back to a fundamental desire reflected by the more intense expressions of desire in animals, culminating in a bold and spontaneous artistic effect. Peach blossoms, meanwhile, serve as a metaphor for expressing the interaction between the natural world and our human emotions. In this vein, Zhou Chunya aspires to employ the conservative brush strokes of the traditional Chinese literati with outlandish mannerisms to reveal the most fundamental and innate desires — which could be erotic or violent — and yet it is precisely this challenge of overcoming pre-existing expectations that Zhou Chunya hopes to achieve by exploring contrasting ideas.
When setting out to create a flower commonly represented in traditional Chinese paintings, Zhou Chunya selected the peach blossom. While Zhou initially intended only to use the peach blossom as a contrasting element in a one-time creative endeavor, the concept eventually evolved into the full-fledged Peach Blossoms Series we know today. During one spring morning in the sprawling city of Chengdu, Zhou Chunya found himself in a remote mountain area relishing the beauty of peach blossoms, and during this time he felt a stirring sensation of the rhythm of life itself. Coincidentally, Zhou's family had collected a late Qing Dynasty calligraphy rhyming couplet which wrote: Still waters reflect the beauty of mountains afar / Peach blossoms in the spring breeze. After reading these poetic lines, Zhou Chunya was inspired by the detail and complex nature of the poetic language of the Chinese literati, and the artist hoped that he could convey these sentiments, amplified by his own understanding of unconventional lifestyles and eroticism, to the viewer through explicit use of color and bold imagery. To this end, this particular piece from the Blooming Sky: Peach Blossoms Series utilizes symbolism of multitudinous pink peach blossoms to represent base sexual desires and the meaning of irresistible attraction, fostering a sense of ambiguous feelings and unrestrained indulgence which is embodied through an interplay of blossoming spring affections. The annual season in which peach blossoms bloom portends the coming of spring, and the dazzling beauty of peach blossoms serve as a reminder to us that our innermost desires are in a constant state of flux at the whim of nature. The Peach Blossoms Series of artwork by Zhou Chunya walks the line between tradition and modernity, and the artist's skillful fusion of esoteric Eastern culture with his own vivid and unbridled strokes culminate in an expression which successfully manifests this great contradiction, and yet does so in a wholly instinctive and natural manner.