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

==========================================================

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

==========================================================

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.