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‘Awakening the eyes of our soul’
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IF paintings reflect an artist’s inner life, then Wang Yuhong’s still-lifes showcase a deep inner tranquility. Her solo exhibition, “Endless Joy for Equality,” at the Duoyunxuan art center features about 40 canvases, two installations, and two ink-wash paintings.
Yet the calmness found in Wang’s art belies her methodology: “My friends call me a lunatic,” she says with a smile, “because I can paint for hours and even days without ever leaving my studio.”
Among the highlights of the exhibition are two impressive canvases in the shape of the ancient Chinese seven-piece tangram puzzle.
“The whole piece is made up of one of my still-life paintings, plus six monochromatic pieces,” she explains. “It’s a contrast between real and abstract, plain and perspective, bringing new layers of meaning in form and content to this time-honored genre.”
Wang, who was born in Shanghai in 1972, is a graduate of the Sculpture Department at the prestigious China Academy of Fine Arts in Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang Province. Her still-lifes of bamboo, blue-and-white porcelain, biscuit tins, vintage comic books, and other memorabilia brought her fame early on in her career. She has been widely exhibited in Europe and the US, and her paintings have been acquired by the Shanghai Art Museum, the Liu Haisu Art Museum, as well as by private collectors around the world.
In today’s increasingly high-tech and digitized art world, the still-life painting seems almost quaint and old-fashioned, but Wang doesn’t see it that way.
“For me, the objects I paint are timeless,” she says. “Looking at a still-life is to awaken the eyes of our own soul. It often takes me several hours to arrange a still-life. A slightly different angle or position creates an entirely different feeling. Objects may seem unrelated, but there’s an underlying relationship between things that emerges with artful arrangement.”
Q: Your recent works depict the Diamond Sutra (a key Zen Buddhist scripture) and the “Compendium of Materia Medica” (the most comprehensive listing of items with medicinal properties in traditional Chinese medicine). Why did you include text from these two books in your paintings?
A: The Diamond Sutra has the power to soothe the solitary, and in using its text, I wanted that soothing and tranquil power to permeate my work. The “Compendium of Materia Medica” features both text and traditional paintings that illustrate this Ming-era work — similar in spirit to Western popular science books, with a very different look.
Q: You’ve included the text from these two books in your paintings using your own calligraphy, and that calligraphy is very impressive — it’s rare for an oil painter to also be a talented calligrapher.
A: I’m glad that you think so! I studied calligraphy and traditional painting as a child, and I think this is one of my advantages.
Q: Blue-and-white porcelain is a perennially favorite subject for you, and one for which you have a superb technique. Is that why we see this object so often in your work?
A: No, my ability to paint blue-and-white porcelain is not the reason they’re a favorite subject. They appear so frequently in my paintings because such porcelain is a historical document, from its origins as a primitive style to the delicate, polished Ming (1368-1644) and Qing-era (1644-1911) versions, and today’s post-industrial patterns.
Q: In addition to your 1.7m x 1.7m and 2.1m x1.5m canvases, you have also created some small 15cm x15cm paintings. What inspired you to create these smaller works?
A: Good question! Since we’re all looking at small screens these days, I was just curious to see how a painting on an iPad-sized canvas would turn out! Many visitors like these small works, as they are more delicate and focused.
Q: Aside from the traditional canvas, you also experiment with installation, videography and photography. Why is this?
A: I am a proponent of technique, which I know goes against today’s anti-technique trend. But in my view, the dividing line between traditional and contemporary is concept, rather than form or time.
Q: Besides painting, do you have other hobbies?
A: Painting is my vocation and my avocation. Even when I’m not actually painting, I’m still thinking about what and how to paint. I’m not the sort of artist you’ll find socializing around town — that’s not my personality. In addition, my chosen art — still-life paintings — takes time, especially as I don’t want to repeat myself and want to try new directions.
Q: Is it difficult being a female artist, given the male dominance of the art world?
A: I hate being categorized as a female artist. Art is art, and there should be no gender differences. But while the art itself may be gender neutral, when it comes to being an artist, at least for me, female artists have to sacrifice more in life.
Q: As the mother of an 11-year-old daughter, how do you balance your time?
A: This is the toughest part of my life. I try my best to achieve a balance, yet sometimes I feel that it’s not enough.
For example, I often take her to my studio and leave her alone while I work. She’s learnt to amuse herself. Believe it or not, sometimes I paint one of her favorite toys or books in my works as compensation!
“Endless Joy for Equality”
Date: October 21-28, 10am-5pm
Venue: Duoyunxuan, 4/F, 422 Nanjing Rd E.
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