Top of the World ---- about Guan-Zhong WU

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Translated by Ann Lee from the Taiwan blog “Elsewhere of Elsewhere”

http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/ailleurs-art/article?mid=130&prev=150&next=94&l=f&fid=5

The picture of Two Swallows in this article is cited from www.shuhua365.com

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Guan-Zhong Wu was born in Yixing, Jiangsu, in 1919. He is considered to be one of the greatest contemporary Chinese painters of all-time. Recently, the price of Wu’s works have kept breaking their own records. For the time being, the highest is the following piece, The Ancient City of Jiaohe, sold for a record of USD 4.8 million at Poly Auction in Beijing in May, 2007. Wu devoted his entire life for art. The artist has no doubt in running his own life for the love of art. He deserved all the recognition finally rewarded to him in his old age.

The Ancient City of Jiaohe, Guan-Zhong WU  1981  102*106cm

(Traditional Chinese Painting)

“How to integrate the aesthetic of the traditional Chinese painting and western art” is in fact the core question of contemporary Chinese art. Some artists would hold their ground to the Chinese tradition, some would search for integration, and some would rather adopt the West entirely. To those who search for integration, there is a further question that whether the East or the West should be the content or style of the work. Although I have studied more than 150 albums of traditional Chinese painting, I am no expert in the field and can not make good comments yet. I am learning the art and hope that one day will be able to talk about it.  

Fortunately, Wu belongs to those who search for aesthetic integration. Most masters in this school use western medium or skill, but due to their profound knowledge and understanding in Chinese culture, their works naturally reveal the detail of eastern culture unintentionally. These artworks are usually the master pieces of contemporary Chinese art, hence, it is less meaningful to distinguish the differences between traditional and integration school. Formality is unnecessary to enjoy Wu's artwork, because his art has reached the point  beyond the West and the East, figurative and abstract art. We viewer can appreciate Wu's art by our own understanding of Chinese culture and judgment of western paintings. My mind was enlightened when reading Wu's theory of painting. Although his words have been criticized, I have total faith in his believe and absolutely agree with him that the beauty of art should be appreciated as a whole. Sole element or touch of Chinese ink art has no value.  

The great western art critic, Herbert Read (1893-1968), also said that appreciation of art is an intuition. In that sudden moment, the artwork has exposed everything into deep mind of the viewer. Only people without art intuition will analyze art with a magnifier, or those are men who enjoying the moment of intuition repeatedly. Analysis is the most massive damage to aesthetic beauty, as if there is no peak of enjoyment if we over analyze the peak. My friend blame me that there are too many criticisms and too few compliments. The truth is that I do not need to say a word in front of a master piece. It is quite poor to say how great the artwork is. Someone once asked how excellent Picasso's art is, and the artist replied, “If you wake up in the morning and hear beautiful bird's singing, will you ask why bird's singing is lovely?” Beauty strikes out hearts in the moment we witness it. No further explanation is required. It applies when we enjoy the art of Sanyu, as well as the art of Guan-Zhong Wu. 

Two Swallows, Guan-Zhong WU 1981  70*140cm (Traditional Chinese Painting)

The computer image of Two Swallows given above is connected by two images from left to right, thus the picture turns out to be muddy and artificial. It is better we viewers try to find an album with more precise colors in print. 

We can not avoid talking about the great painter in Qing dynasty, Shi Tao (around (1641-1718) if we are here to appreciate Wu’s artworks. Wu devoted in researching Shi Tao’s “A Dialogue on Drawing” and explained Shi Tao’s thought by saying, “Shi Tao is a painter who focused on his own sensibility, and firmly claimed that drawing is created according to feelings and emotions which vary each time.” The understanding of the abovementioned uncertainty of rules in painting is extremely meaningful in modern art. Many so called contemporary artists do not figure out this point even three hundred years later from Shi Tao's era.      

   

Wu applied skills of traditional Chinese painting such as blank-leaving and stroke in Two Swallows, and deleted unnecessary details to echo the beauty of abstract and geometry in western aesthetic view. The composition is extremely simple but strongly expressed Wu's deep observation and profound love of his motherland. What is real “in love with homeland?” What is “in love with Taiwan?” (Or in Wu's case, in love with China). Without shouting out empty  slogan loudly, the great artist showed his sincere affection from his artwork in silence.      

In my humble opinion, Two Swallows may reach a higher achievement if it was completed by oil painting, but this is simply excessive demand out of love for your references.

Parrot Paradise, Guan-Zhong WU 1988 (Traditional Chinese Painting)

In Parrot Paradise, the line of ink from traditional Chinese painting is expressed even more freely. The composition of this artwork should be referred to Summertime Number 9A 1948, by Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) as follows.

Summertime Number 9A 1948, Jackson Pollock

This is a good example of the difference between creation and plagiarism, which I repeatedly emphasize, “What element is arisen from the inner soul of the artist?” “What element is attached from outside?” Artworks of Wu are definitely originated from his heart.

Although Wu's The Ancient City of Jiaohe, Parrot Paradise, and Spring Breeze Peach Willow (as follows) all used Pollock’s “drip” technique, Wu's line and spirit are obviously East, which are completely different from Pollock’s violent and passionate American style. When a real artist stands at some point in the art history, he then embodies all the past, including eastern and western culture (if he has contact with the West), and his creation contains all his cultures and represents his full character. Wu has found himself entirely. Whether he learned from any master along his way to perfection, this is not a question at all. In my eyes, Wu the elderly gracefully embraced traditional Chinese culture. I see no influences of Pollock anymore.

The composition of Parrot Paradise presents joyful, innocent, and exceptional imagination, which is an artwork of a sincere and hardworking genius. The three elements of great art: sincere, talent and hardworking, Wu had them all.

Spring Breeze Peach Willow, Guan-Zhong WU 1999 45*48cm

(Traditional Chinese Painting)

Due to limitation of words, this article only introduces Wu's four artworks. Three of them are “Pollock” style, and one is “Two Swallows” style. We have not gone though all aspects of his aesthetic of art since we have not yet mentioned Wu's oil and watercolor paintings. Computer imagines here are not even close to the originals. Hopefully, interested viewers will further research Wu’s work on their own.

It is said that even at the age of 90, Wu continuously created more artworks and wished to transform all his life into art. This is indeed what a real great artist should be. We Chinese have Wu, therefore we have the hope of never being an inferior people.      

2011.9.16 Supplement

Guan-Zhong WU died at the age of 90 in June 2010. The four Chinese masters of art: Ting-Shih CHEN (Taiwan), Sanyu and Teh-Chun CHU (overseas), Guan-Zhong WU (China), only CHU is still alive.

Jade of Falling Cities ---- about Sanyu

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Translated by Ann Lee from the Taiwan blog “Elsewhere of Elsewhere”

http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/ailleurs-art/article?mid=35&prev=42&next=19&l=f&fid=5

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Once upon in ancient China, it is said that a king was willing to trade 15 cities of his kingdom for one piece of precious jade, “Jade of Falling Cities (Jade of Clan HE).” If we calculate the value of the jade into today’s currency, for 15 cities in China, the price must be much more than billion dollars. The term “Jade of Falling Cities” thus means the artifact is indeed the most valuable treasure. The Chinese artist, Sanyu (Yu San) (1901-1966), is definitely the “Jade of Falling Cities” in the world of modern and contemporary art.  

Pink Lotus (as follows), Sotheby’s Hong Kong sold for US$ 3.6 million in April 2006. Later in November of the same year, another work of Sanyu, Potted Flowers in a Blue and White Jardiniere, sold for US$ 3.7 million at Christie’s Hong Kong. Although during Sanyu’s lifetime, the world showed little interest in his paintings, and the artist had a difficult course of life especially during his later years, he finally received his real recognition from collectors 40 years after his death.   

Pink Lotus, Sanyu

The finest aspects of his aesthetics are almost impossible to put into words, and even if we try, they are then never the real finest aspects of the artist. The philosophy is very much like “Zen.” Each of us has to come to realize the beauty of Sanyu by our own senses. No one else but our own hearts could help us understand the works. It is said that we can point our fingers to the moon, but the “finger” is not the moon itself. Even though I try to describe the finest aspects of Sanyu’s artworks in this article, my words are your “fingers” for references only. Please do enjoy Sanyu by looking and reading his artworks on your own.

Sanyu is the master of using western medium (oil painting) to express the taste of a cultural traditional Chinese literati. His aesthetics have reached the level of divinity by perfectly uniting medium and expression, as well as his confident and smooth lines, free and liberal techniques, which bring his works to the level of unique and effortless beauty. Except the medium (oil painting) which is a western material, all other aspects in Sanyu’s painting, the techniques, spirit, and even the subject are absolutely East. His art is full of aesthetics purity unique to East culture, which resembling the novel, Snow Country, by the Japanese novelist Yasunari Kawabata, or even to a degree that no words can express the profound meanings of Sanyu’s artwork. His art embraces the East and the West, and it is a sole existence in the art history which stands tall in front of any international masters of art.

Nude (as follows) is a perfect example of Sanyu’s skill in mastering the complicated object by performing a simple and smooth touch.

Nude, Sanyu

The piece contains only few strokes, but is far more profound than those complicated works of others. The erotic side of Sanyu involves the humor of eastern culture. If Henri Matisse is so called the musical character of a nude, then Sanyu is definitely the riotous character of a nude. For example, Sanyu’s Four Nudes:

Four Nudes, Sanyu

By repeatedly reducing the lines to the simplicity, Sanyu’s gave his art a spiritual, natural existence. These astonishing lines are comprehensive as well as expressive, as if they are as heavy as a mountain, but also as light as a feather. His art is never artificial, and is able to directly present to the viewers the fundamental quality of his theme. The artist possessed a personal, sincere and original capability of interpretation.Ｂy these reasons they are the common characters of all great artists.

Majority of Sanyu’s theme in his painting are female nudes, floral still lifes and animal subjects. Often, some portions of his female nudes and animal subjects are properly deformed for embodying the beauty of lines and rhythm, for example, Girl in Blue Dress with White Dots by Sanyu around 1930s as follows:

Girl in Blue Dress with White Dots, Sanyu

Colors of this painting on a computer screen are slightly off from the original. It is better we viewers try to find the original painting or albums with more precise colors in print. (Of course, it is rather difficult to see the original paintings nowadays. There are many fake paintings in the market.) Finally, here is the last painting of Sanyu, Elephant, in 1966, as follows:

Elephant, Sanyu, 1966

In the year 1966, which is the last year of Sanyu’s life, the artist told his friend that he had started a painting, “I drew the painting, simplified it, and then simplified if again...” “That is a tiny elephant, running in the desert with no boundary..., that is me.” The artist couldn’t find a place to survive in the massive universe, as though he is this little elephant who ran in isolation. Tears were almost bursted out at my first time reading these words: “Exactly, the great artist is indeed this little elephant running in the endless desert. Sorry for such a hard time...”

In that same year, the penniless, handicapped with an injured ankle, Sanyu died in gas leak in his studio, at the age of 65.