Wu Guanzhong
Encyclopedia
Wu Guanzhong was a contemporary Chinese painter widely recognized as the father of modern Chinese painting. Wu had painted various aspects of China, including much of its architecture, plants, animals, people, as well as many of its landscapes and waterscapes in a style reminiscent of the impressionist
painters of the early 1900s. He was also a writer on contemporary Chinese art.
, Jiangsu
, in 1919. In 1935, Wu passed the entrance exam and studied engineering at Zhejiang Industrial School (浙江公立工业专门学校, a technical school of Zhejiang University
) in Hangzhou
. In 1936 he transferred to the National Arts Academy of Hangzhou, studying both Chinese and Western painting under Pan Tianshou
(1897–1971) and Lin Fengmian
(1900–1991). In 1942 he graduated from National Arts Academy, Hangzhou and in 1947 traveled to Paris to study at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts on a government scholarship.
Wu introduced aspects of Western art to his students at the Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing, where he taught from 1950 to 1953. The Academy was known to have been dominated by social realism and Wu was called "a fortress of bourgeois formalism". Between 1953 and 1964 he taught at Tsinghua University
, Beijing and then Beijing Fine Arts Normal College. He was appointed a Professor at the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts, Beijing in 1964.
In August 1966, at the outset of Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, Wu was prohibited from painting and writing about art, and many of his early works were destroyed. In 1970, at the age of 51, he and his wife were separated and assigned to two years of hard labor in the countryside as part of the Communist Party's vast re-education program. Following that period, he was only allowed to paint on Sundays (his day off from the fields) or on holidays. Finally in 1973, he was allowed to return to Beijing to paint hotel murals and decorations. It was not until after Mao's death in 1976 that Wu, like many of his peers, was able to return to his art-making.
He had his first solo exhibition in 1979, and his career took off in the 1980s.
In 1991 Wu was made an Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
by the French Ministry of Culture
.
Early in his career Guanzhong adopted the pen name Tu, which he used to sign his work.
Wu died at the age of 90 on June 25, 2010 during night time in Beijing.
in 1992; Wu was the first living Chinese artist to have an exhibition there. One of his paintings, Seascape at Beidaihe (1977), was shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
as part of an exhibition of paintings from the collection of art dealer Robert H. Ellsworth http://www.metmuseum.org/press_room/full_release.asp?prid={4E5E4B0A-BF87-11D4-93BD-00902786BF44}. His work may also be seen in the collection of the Hong Kong Museum of Art
.
In 2008, Wu donated 113 works to the Singapore Art Museum
(SAM). This donation is the largest Wu Guanzhong donation to a public museum. In 2010, Wu donated works to the Hong Kong Art Museum.
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
painters of the early 1900s. He was also a writer on contemporary Chinese art.
Life
Wu was born in YixingYixing
Yixing is a county-level city in Jiangsu province, in eastern China with a population of 1.3 million. It is well-known for its Yixing clay and the pottery -- especially the "zisha"-style teapots -- made from the clay...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
, in 1919. In 1935, Wu passed the entrance exam and studied engineering at Zhejiang Industrial School (浙江公立工业专门学校, a technical school of Zhejiang University
Zhejiang University
Zhejiang University , sometimes referred to as Zheda, is a national university in China. Founded in 1897, Zhejiang University is one of China's oldest institutions of higher education...
) in Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
. In 1936 he transferred to the National Arts Academy of Hangzhou, studying both Chinese and Western painting under Pan Tianshou
Pan Tianshou
Pan Tianshou was a notable painter and art educator of modern China.Pan was born in Guanzhuang, Ninghai County, Zhejiang Province, and graduated from Zhejiang First Normal School . He followed Wu Changshuo to study Chinese traditional painting...
(1897–1971) and Lin Fengmian
Lin Fengmian
Lin Fengmian , originally Lin Fengming , was a Chinese painter and is considered a pioneer of modern Chinese painting for blending Chinese and Western painting styles...
(1900–1991). In 1942 he graduated from National Arts Academy, Hangzhou and in 1947 traveled to Paris to study at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts on a government scholarship.
Wu introduced aspects of Western art to his students at the Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing, where he taught from 1950 to 1953. The Academy was known to have been dominated by social realism and Wu was called "a fortress of bourgeois formalism". Between 1953 and 1964 he taught at Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University , colloquially known in Chinese as Qinghua, is a university in Beijing, China. The school is one of the nine universities of the C9 League. It was established in 1911 under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang" or "Tsinghua College" and was renamed the "Tsinghua School" one year later...
, Beijing and then Beijing Fine Arts Normal College. He was appointed a Professor at the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts, Beijing in 1964.
In August 1966, at the outset of Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, Wu was prohibited from painting and writing about art, and many of his early works were destroyed. In 1970, at the age of 51, he and his wife were separated and assigned to two years of hard labor in the countryside as part of the Communist Party's vast re-education program. Following that period, he was only allowed to paint on Sundays (his day off from the fields) or on holidays. Finally in 1973, he was allowed to return to Beijing to paint hotel murals and decorations. It was not until after Mao's death in 1976 that Wu, like many of his peers, was able to return to his art-making.
He had his first solo exhibition in 1979, and his career took off in the 1980s.
In 1991 Wu was made an Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
by the French Ministry of Culture
Minister of Culture (France)
The Minister of Culture is, in the Government of France, the cabinet member in charge of national museums and monuments; promoting and protecting the arts in France and abroad; and managing the national archives and regional "maisons de culture"...
.
Early in his career Guanzhong adopted the pen name Tu, which he used to sign his work.
Wu died at the age of 90 on June 25, 2010 during night time in Beijing.
Exhibitions
Wu Guangzhong has had solo exhibitions in major art galleries and museums around the world, including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Taipei, Korea, England and the USA. His paintings were exhibited at the British MuseumBritish Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
in 1992; Wu was the first living Chinese artist to have an exhibition there. One of his paintings, Seascape at Beidaihe (1977), was shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
as part of an exhibition of paintings from the collection of art dealer Robert H. Ellsworth http://www.metmuseum.org/press_room/full_release.asp?prid={4E5E4B0A-BF87-11D4-93BD-00902786BF44}. His work may also be seen in the collection of the Hong Kong Museum of Art
Hong Kong Museum of Art
The Hong Kong Museum of Art is the main art museum of Hong Kong. The museum was established as the City Hall Museum and Art Gallery in the City Hall in Central by the Urban Council in 1962. In 1991, it was moved to the present premises at 10 Salisbury Road, near the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and...
.
In 2008, Wu donated 113 works to the Singapore Art Museum
Singapore Art Museum
The Singapore Art Museum contains the national art collection of Singapore. It has a collection of 7,750 pieces of Singaporean and Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art, and has an expanding collection of new Asian and international contemporary art.- History :Officially opened in 1996, it...
(SAM). This donation is the largest Wu Guanzhong donation to a public museum. In 2010, Wu donated works to the Hong Kong Art Museum.
External links
- Wu Guanzhong and his Painting Gallery at China Online Museum
- Wu Guanzhong on artnet
- David Barbosa, Once denounced, painter has China's eye, The New York Times, October 6, 2005.