EXHIBITED:
1971 – 2010 Forty Years Retrospective Review of ZhouChunya, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, June 13 - 23, 2010ILLUSTRATEDZhou Chunya, Timezone 8, Shanghai, 2010,color illustrated, p. 131

“Sheepshearing” is one of Zhou Chunya’s early representative works. He returned to European classical realism, focusing the structure of the picture on scenes of everyday life. This painting can also be seen as an indicative work of Zhou’s in that he turned away from the scar art he created in the past and started painting anew. Through depicting the scenes of the daily life of the Tibetan people, the artist consciously recorded the traditional aesthetic concepts he observed that belonged specifically to the local people, such as the umber tone, the thick blocks of colors, the rough lines, and the image of their unadorned life. In the painting “Sheepshearing,” detailed depictions of characters’ outlines are replaced by enthusiastic and unrestrained blocks of colors painted with large brushstrokes. The painter also intentionally avoids presenting the picture with an emphasis on bright and dim light and on the changes between the illusionary and the real. He avoided this technique that painters since the impressionists have employed; instead, in this painting, he emphasizes the texture performance of the figures’ volume and mass. The color composition also focuses on brown, a color Zhou favors.

In addition to trying to be true to his art, Zhou also pays attention to sensitive topics such as society, politics, and minority ethnic groups. Even as his style changes, he still retains his compassion for commoners, for life, and for the weak. This point of departure enables Zhou’s art to always transcend artistic expression. His metaphysical approach gives his artistic language a benevolent sentiment closely related to humanitarianism. When appreciating the work “Sheepshearing” from this perspective, one can comprehend the zest Zhou possesses in seeking art, which deepens the contemporary human spirit outside his own art.