About Wu Guanzhong
One of the greatest contemporary Chinese painters
Wu (1919–2010) was a pioneer of combining Chinese and Western modernism in art. He occupied a unique position in modern Chinese art history. He donated over 100 artworks to Singapore Art museum & National Gallery. One of the remarkable methodologies is “Beauty beyond form” which means the beauty of art is not limited to the level of painting techniques.
Wu believes “I hope that people around the world will be able to view my works; people from different countries will have common points.” His works and thoughts inspired my project. I appreciated Wu's idea of “Art knows no boundaries”.
Wu & Jiangnan
Wu is best known for paintings on his homeland Jiangnan landscapes which show his development of a semi-abstract ink painting style. Wu was fascinated by the water town Jiangnan scene during his trip to Suzhou with his students in the spring of 1980. He started painting Jiangnan’s river and streets, capturing the daily city lives.
A particular composition, usage of colours and theme are being utilized in his ink practices of Jiangnan landscapes. Wu paints with his modernised semi-abstract ink brush style and uses primary colours as highlights, i.e. red, blue, yellow, to bring vivid to his paintings.
Water Alley in Jiangnan, 1991
ink and colour on paper, 48 by 50cm, Wu Guanzhong
The moving river is surrounded by houses in white, with black-roofs. People dressed in vivid colours are depicted. They are either walking through the streets or sailing on boats. All of these features have become hallmarks of Wu Guanzhong's ink painting work. Additionally, the triangular rooftops, stretched waterway, and arched bridge all contribute to Wu’s signature geographical forms. The artist chose this painting for Rong Bao Zhai to manufacture 200 woodblock prints in 1980. Wu’s ink painting style, visual forms and his way of appreciation towards Jiangnan water town are fully showcased in this painting and this is the reason why I choose to introduce this particular work.
Wu Guanzhong’s
other Jiangnan Landscape Ink Paintings
When researching and working on finding ways of presenting Water Alley in Jiangnan in a digitalized form, I had also looked at his other Jiangnan landscape ink paintings. Wu once said “Throughout my life I have tried very hard to find the common sentiments shared by all mankind. Singapore is close to me – sentimentally closer”. It is valuable to appreciate his modernised abstract ink brush style.
The Zhou Village, 1997, ink and colour on paper, Wu Guanzhong
A Stone Bridge in Jiangnan, 1985,
ink and colour on paper, 41.6 by 48.5cm , Wu Guanzhong
Social and Historical Context
Wu, who was born in Jiangsu Province, studied art at the National Academy of Art in Hangzhou under “father of Chinese modernism” – Lin Fengmian. He then further studied at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris from 1947-1950. After completing his studies, he taught at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. His publications were criticised both before and during the Cultural Revolution because they contradicted the political aims of the moment.
Chinese artists had been cut off from the Western art world for more than three decades prior to the implementation of the Open Door Policy. Wu Guanzhong played a vital role in filling the hole of absent intercultural communication in the Chinese art world by serving as an advocate and translator for modernism in the Chinese art world, notably through his critical essays, in the resumption of contact with the West. Wu was among the last Chinese painters to study in Paris before 1949, where and when it was the heart of modernist art.
Style and Techniques
Wu is claimed to have merged Western oil painting's perception of color and layout with the vitality, softness of brush, and tonal diversity of Chinese ink painting. He advocates the fusion of oil and ink practices. Wu also focused on the function of lines to strengthen the visual power of the ink. He experimented with various techniques and methods to explore the diverse characteristics of lines, such as geometric lines with rational sense.
