By Chow Ee-Tan
WITH his ink and brush, Beijing born artist Hu Zhen-kun has travelled around China to capture the landscapes that are close to his heart.
He loves nature, and is especially fond of the Yangtze River and the Huang Ho (Yellow River) – China's two great rivers – and the landscape and gorges they traverse.
“To me, these great rivers represent the greatness of my country, China,” says Hu. “I find certain places not only beautiful but also suitable to express with my style. It is an instinctive feeling.”
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| MASTER LANDSCAPIST... Hu with 'Yellow River' and 'Lake Jinbo Waterfall'. Picture by Yip Hee Kheong |
In the paintings, the whiteness of the water stands in stark contrast to the dark surroundings. The waterfalls are an image of sheer energy evoking an aura of might and majesty.
Hu confesses that he is more suited to painting “big pictures”, and indeed, many of his paintings depict magnificent views of mountains and rivers.
But he is also adept at less grand and “quieter” works, such as his landscapes of Ziangnan in the south. “Murky Landscapes”, exuding a certain poetic grace and rhythm the delicate side of the painter. A misty feeling is created with just the right amount of ink and water.
Seasons play an important part in Hu's art, as can be seen in “Snow in the Frontier”, “Autumn Lake” and several others drawn in different times of the year.
Hu is in every way a master of colour. The beauty of his colour schemes is achieved with small quantities of strong, opaque colours combined with delicately mingled washes. These contrasting effects are combined with black to express nature.
When he paints, he frees himself from a rigid, traditionalist manipulation of technique and form. He has inherited the traditional skills of ink painting but has also absorbed some techniques of the West. He fuses form and colour in a manner similar to Western painting but with a Chinese approach to nature.
This fusion of East and West is manifested in his unique style which is easily recognised once you're acquainted with his paintings.
A professional painter with the Beijing Art Academy, Hu, 54, graduated from the Beijing Academy of Arts and Crafts in 1962. In his 30 years of painting, he has learnt from masters of both Chinese and Western painting before evolving his own highly individualistic style.
Hu has participated in numerous exhibitions both at home and abroad, winning many awards. Some of his works are housed in art museums in the United States, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Hong Kong.
Earlier this year, he received a signal honour when his work, “Gaosanliusui” (High Mountain and Flowing River), was selected by China's Department of Culture to be printed on Chinese New Year cards for President Jiang Ze-min.
Apart from landscapes, Hu also has an affinity with still-lifes, namely flowers, especially the lotus.
"Historically, the flowers that represent China are Mei (plum blossom), Lan (Chinese orchid), Zu (bamboo) and Ju (chrysanthemum). But I choose to paint the lotus.
“In Buddhism, the lotus is a symbol of purity, but to an artist, it represents truth, virtue and beauty. It is also a flower of mixed characters. It has large pieces of open leaves but at the same time, there are the little shy flowers.”
Some of Hu's lotus paintings are done in the realist style, while others are impressionistic or almost abstract.
Writes Art House Gallery owner Leonard Yiu in summing up Hu's talent: “Not only has he rendered innovative designs as in colour scheme, composition and textural beauty, the elements of time (winter, spring, summer, autumn), space (pond, lake, garden, aerial and close-up view) and atmosphere (rain, snow, sun, day, night) have all been aptly captured and subtly portrayed.”
Hu is currently holding his second solo exhibition in Malaysia, after last year's debut. Focusing more on landscape this time, the exhibition, which ends tomorrow, is at the Art House Gallery in Wisma Stephens, Kuala Lumpur.
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