Artist discovers his own way in paintings
Print Edition
FEW artists hold their first solo exhibition at the age of 50, especially in a society where many people think it better to earn early fame and money.
But Gu Juexian doesn’t feel “the earlier, the better” is a good way to define an artist.
“My art teacher had his first solo exhibition when he was 60, and I am still a bit younger,” he says with a smile.
For many, Gu may seem a bit odd as he rarely takes part in art-related social events and parties. He lives in the suburbs of Shanghai and devotes most of his time to his rice-paper paintings.
Gu, a follower of master painter Wu Changshuo (1844-1927), says he still can’t really explain why he loves Wu’s paintings so much.
Born in 1963 into a rich family in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, Gu says his father, an art teacher, taught him painting and calligraphy. He recalls being asked to imitate the script and calligraphy of ancient masters.
“At that time, I was fluent with many different painting styles, but I favored Wu’s,” he says. “Even today, I can’t explain why. It’s my destiny, or to be more exact, it was not that I chose his style, but it found me.”
Wu, a prominent painter, calligrapher and seal artist of the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), is considered a leading figure in traditional Chinese painting during the early years of the 20th century.
He is also credited with influencing the Haipai or Shanghai school of art. Wu has also been deemed responsible for rejuvenating the genre of flower-and-bird paintings by introducing an expressive, individualistic style.
Gu says his teacher Hang Ying is among the third generation of Wu’s students.
“The more I practiced, the deeper I admired him (Wu),” he says. “I still clearly remember the moment when I saw an original plum blossom painting created by Wu at an auction, I was so taken by it that tears came into my eyes.”
Wu is known for using a sharp contrast between light and dark and being a forerunner in the use of a red color introduced from the West called “Western red” or yang hong. Art historians also say he replaced the small and meticulous strokes of the time with large and bold strokes derived from calligraphy together with the “Western red” to create paintings that were fresh, full of vitality and obviously different.
“This is not a gaudy red, but the red that only belonged to Wu Changshuo,” Gu says. “I tried many times to achieve the same visual effect but always failed until one day one of Wu’s descendants told me that the master toned it down by mixing a bit of brush wash water, which unwittingly added some gray into the red.”
Art critics have said Gu’s plum and peony paintings contain the “real spirit” of Wu. However, Gu is quick to note that simply copying Wu’s paintings is not his intention.
“Few can surpass Wu’s achievements,” Gu says. “I am not a copy maker. I want to absorb the essence of Wu’s style and develop something of my own.”
Gu’s subjects vary from fish, creeping plants and flowers to birds and insects. He greatly refers to Wu’s freehand brush strokes in the depiction of shrimps, heron, fish and cat.
Usually the body of the animals are outlined with several wild brush strokes in different grades of black and gray, leaving a trace of Impressionism. But some realistic brush strokes reveal more details in the heads of the animals he depicts, adding a modern touch to the genre.
“My teacher said that I painted more freely,” he says. “In my eyes an artist should not be limited by the shackles of any one style.”
Gu also knows life has been kind to allow him to earn a living doing something he loves.
“I haven’t done anything else in the past decades other than painting,” he reveals. “Money and fame really aren’t so attractive to me although they are important. But I am already satisfied with what life has given me.”
Gu says all of his paintings at the solo exhibition have already been sold and that he has been commissioned to do some more.
“Of course, I often meet some artsy-fartsy businessmen,” he says. “Sometimes they asked me to paint 10 peonies with eight different colors. OK, I have to admit that I still have my standards. So I tried to convince them about the true beauty and elegance of a painting. In some way, I feel that I am a preacher at such moments. Luckily, most of them take my suggestions.”
In Gu’s studio hangs one of his works that is reminiscent of Chu Teh-chun (1920-2014), a Chinese-French abstract painter.
“I’m interested in the splash of ink on rice paper. In my eyes, different grades of black and gray are of great elegance, though some say that’s not like my style,” he says. “But that’s me. Art is filled with possibilities, otherwise it becomes dull.”
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