ChinaDaily (970530-8)

[Big Jim]

China Daily

97 / 05 / 30 /

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1. Wu 'translates' paintings
2. Chu's art unites the delicate and intense
3. Notes ( Page 9, Date: 05/30/97 )
4. Shanghai holds special event for multiples
5. What's on (Page 10, Date: 05/30/97)
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Wu 'translates' paintings

ARTIST Wu Guanzhong, the first living Chinese painter to have his
works exhibited in the British Museum, has now become a "translator"
with his oil-painting brush. He is translating traditional Chinese
paintings into a language that is universally understood.

Wu is an eclectic artist in that he merges ideas from the East and the
West. He received an education in Chinese painting in the 1930s at the
Hangzhou-based National Art Institute and then received systematic
schooling in oil painting in Paris in the late 1940s.

"Elements of Chinese and Western arts are therefore bound to clash in
my mind, which prompts me to think," said the 78-year-old artist.

For many people, Chinese and Western paintings are diametrically
opposed to each other. But Wu thinks otherwise. "It is like climbing a
mountain from two different sides. Landscapes on the two sides may
look different at the foot of the mountain, just like the scenes on
the Nepalese and Chinese sides at the foot of Mount Qomolangma (Mount
Everest). But the higher the mountaineers climb, the more similar the
scenery becomes. The mountainscape becomes exactly the same when the
two climbers finally get to the

top," Wu said.

As a matter of fact, Chinese and Western arts communicate with each
other. What makes people feel different are the superficial mediums --
ink and rice paper in Chinese painting and oil paints and canvas in
Western oil painting, Wu said.

"What I'm doing now is digging up the quintessence of beauty in
Chinese painting, which is hidden from Western viewers by Chinese
brush strokes, and the Chinese way of colouring, and I try to present
it to people other than Chinese or East Asians in a way they
understand," Wu said.

Wu agrees with the opinion of Cai Yuanpei, a renowned Chinese scholar
in the 1920s and 1930s, that Western art is like architecture, and
Chinese painting is like poetry. The former conveys strong visual
repercussions to the audience when hung on a wall. The latter, though
beautiful and graceful in its own right, looks weak on the wall.

"In New York's Metropolitan Museum, there are some Chinese
ink-and-washes. But viewers can hardly see anything from a distance,"
Wu said.

Another example is offered by a Tang piece called "Beauties." Each
plump lady in the painting presents a kind of "beauty of size." But
when they pose in a group on the wall, they look rather vague and the
"beauty of size" is gone, he said.

Some people in Taiwan, trying to find a way out, enlarged the famous
Song painting "Street Scenes in Kaifeng (the Imperial Capital)."

"The literally enlarged version looks very bad. All the defects have
been magnified," Wu said.

In view of all this, "We should brings out all the elements in Chinese
painting that reflect the architectural sense and the beauty of size
and proportion."

This requires magnifying things that are of universal significance
with oil-painting, in Wu's view.

He has so far "translated" a number of classic works into oil
paintings. These include the Qing painter Han Huang's "Five Oxen
Picture," the Tang piece "Beauties," and the Song piece "Flower
Basket."

It is by no means a literal translation. Instead, he freely interprets
the classic pieces with his own instincts as an outstanding artist and
sometimes reorganizes the whole picture.

For example, the original "Five Oxen" are arranged in a horizontal
scroll one by one, which makes the picture rather flat and unable to
stand out. Wu, however, regroups the animals into a herd, which
renders the picture three dimensional and in turn makes it more
"architectural" in the sense of scholar Cai Yuanpei's point of view
about Western and Chinese painting.

In other cases, Wu replaces lines, which is a chief graphic means in
Chinese painting, with patches of colours, which is widely used in oil
painting to form images. For example, the pine needles in the original
Song piece "Listening to the Plucked Instrument," which are brought
out by brush strokes and lines, are all replaced by simple patches of
green colour in Wu's version. This makes the picture simpler and yet
visually stronger.

In addition, Wu thinks the spatial relations between the images in
traditional Chinese painting are rather weak. He therefore sets about
experimenting with strengthening this kind of relationship in his
"translating" job.

"This kind of recreating classic works involves no risks because it
does no harm to the original. On the other hand, failure in this
respect offers some experience for future success," he said.

Talking about his aesthetic aspirations, Wu said: "I think the artist
is a 'director' instead of merely an 'actor' in painting his works.
Primarily he should mobilize and co-ordinate all the factors and
elements to make his painting impressive as a whole," he said, "What
the artist should be after is the visual effects of his paintings
viewed from 500 metres away. He or she therefore should focus on
paramount compositional relations instead of minor details."

Art for Wu is a kind of undertaking of 'capturing the beauty from the
outset.' "If your painting is not beautiful to begin with, who else
will look at it for the second time?" he asked. Formal beauty (beauty
of forms) is what he is after.

His own original works, not the "translated" ones, are becoming
increasingly abstract, with real things, on which the images are
based, mere excuses for executing a painting. "I call it 'kite linked
to the earth with an unbroken line. This means that the images in my
paintings are still suggestive, no matter how faintly, of the real
objects from which they stem. Whether the images look like the real
objects or how much they look like the real is not important," he
said.

Artists and critics abroad urge him to cut off the "line" of the
"kite," namely, becoming thoroughly abstract. But people in China
maintain that the "line" should not be cut. "Actually, the 'line' is
getting thinner and thinner. But it is still there," Wu said.

In talking about different attitudes of Chinese artists towards the
relations and interaction between Chinese and Western arts, Wu said
that some, with the late master painter Pan Tianshou as the most vocal
advocate, maintain that Chinese painting be distanced from Western
painting. Only in this way, can Chinese painting be Chinese painting.
The other school of opinion, with Wu himself and his late teacher Lin
Fengmian as the representatives, advocates integration of Chinese and
Western arts.

Master Pan Tianshou achieved artistic excellence because he himself
was highly gifted. But he simply could not teach others. Art students
at large should be taught in a systematic and scientific way. And
Western art and way of art education are of help, Wu said.

Furthermore, in the sense that Chinese painting should avoid
inbreeding, Western arts are needed, according to him.

Earlier this century, there were Four Masters -- Wu Changshuo, Huang
Binhong, Qi Baishi and Pan Tianshou -- whose work was purely
traditional Chinese painting. "But after them, the road for purely
traditional Chinese painting has been getting narrower and narrower
because of inbreeding. People have just followed in their
predecessors' footsteps," Wu said.

So the way out lies in integration of Chinese and Western arts, he
said.
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_Date: 05/30/97_
_Author: Hua Jia_

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Chu's art unites the delicate and intense

ARTIST Chu Teh-Chun's one-man show opened on Wednesday at the China
National Art Museum in Beijing.

The show will run through June 23. On display are 34 of the artist's
latest works.

"Seeing his work, you have a feeling that you are in a shower of light
and colour," said Geoffrey T. H. Huang, president of Dimensions Art
Gallery in France.

In his nearly 50-year stay in France, Chu has distinguished himself
with his poetic abstract paintings and is regarded by French artists
and critics as "the most successful painter combining the delicacy of
Oriental art with the intensity of Occidental painting."

With his poet's temperament, Chu creates a poetic space. With rich
colours, rhythms of Chinese calligraphy and fluency of brush strokes,
he interprets the breath, vitality and changes of nature.

"His world is one cut off from the real world. It is a world of chaos
and being free from the restrictions of real time and space. Colours
dance and flash in his pictures. And in the dancing colours and light
spots, Chu discovers eternity," said Huang.

The exhibition is the first show Chu has staged in China since he went
to France in 1955.

Chu has held his one-man shows in the United States, Brazil,
Singapore, South Korea, Canada, Switzerland, Spain, Germany and other
countries.

His abstract oils have entered private collections as well as museums
and galleries the world over.

The current show in Beijing is co-sponsored by the China Oil Painting
Association, the China National Art Museum and the French Embassy in
Beijing.
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_Date: 05/30/97_
_Author: _

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Notes ( Page 9, Date: 05/30/97 )

Painting auction

THE Kangrong Auction, featuring paintings by famous Chinese
artists,will be held at Beijing's Kunlun Hotel on June 3. The
paintings will be on view at the hotel from May 31 through June 2.

Of all the works, the late master painter Li Keran's large piece
"Landscape on the Lijiang River" is the most eye-catching. Proceeds
from the sale of the work will be donated to the "Li Keran Foundation"
for the construction of Li Keran Museum.

About 260 Chinese paintings and calligraphy pieces by such famed
Chinese artists as Wu Changshuo, Zhang Daqian, Qi Baishi and Lin
Fengmian are expected to be put up for auction.

One-man show

PAINTER Gao Yang's one-man exhibition opened on Wednesday at the China
National Art Museum and will run through June 1.

The show features many of his oils of human figures executed in
powerful and rugged brush strokes.

The 32-year-old Gao graduated from the Art Department of the Inner
Mongolia Normal University in 1989. In 1993, he held his first one-man
show at the gallery of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

(CD News)
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_Date: 05/30/97_
_Author: _

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Shanghai holds special event for multiples

ON May 12, 1997, tourists strolling along Shanghai's Bund watched in
amazement as 11 sets of quadruplets and one set of triplets gathered
in Shanghai.

As the sets of multiple-birth siblings filed out of a bus, bystanders
were probably wondering if a magician had "cloned" these kids.

According to scientific studies, the chance of producing a set of
quadruplets is one in 704,969 births! Moreover, scientists estimate
the survival rate of quadruplets to be one in 41,000,000 new-born
babies. Among China's 1.2 billion population, there are only about 30
sets of quadruplets.

Although China has as yet no laws regulating social aid to
quadruplets, its long-cherished, "helping-the-disadvantaged" tradition
has helped many quadruplets out of difficulties.

Following a report by China Daily (July 25, 1995) that a set of
quadruplets born in Yong'an County, Fujian Province, had aroused great
concern and sympathy among the people, many warm-hearted Chinese sent
donations. As a result, the quadruplets thrived.

Another set of quadruplets, two boys and two girls, were born 16 years
ago to a farmer's family in Hunan Province.

With help coming from all over the country, the quadruplets grew up as
healthy children, and all four passed the examinations for secondary
school. But the family could not afford the annual tuition of 1,200
yuan ($140) for them. The youngsters had to give up the chance to go
to high school.

A journalist at the provincial radio station learned of their
difficulties and began to call for help for them.

The journalist's sympathetic report touched many hearts. The
quadruplets finally went to school, thanks to the donations of many
individuals, as well as support from the county government.

Now 16 years old, the two sisters will graduate this summer from an
accounting school. One brother has obtained a driver's license and the
other is studying hard to get his.

As most quadruplets are in great need of social aid, the mass media
are ready to provide help.

The first gathering for sets of all-girl quadruplets in Hangzhou a
city, in Zhejiang Province and an all-boy quadruplet gathering in
Jiangsu Province's Wuxi were organized in 1990 by the Wenhui Daily, a
Shanghai-based newspaper.

This year the Wenhui Daily initiated the national gathering of China's
quadruplets, which has received unexpected support from the general
public as well as from enterprises.

The quadruplets were offered trips to Shanghai, visits to the Shanghai
Zoo, lodging and meals, all free, of course. Both the organizer and
the donors are happy with the success of the event.
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_Date: 05/30/97_
_Author: Xiao Shi_

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What's on (Page 10, Date: 05/30/97)

CONCERTS

Loving music -- To celebrate the "June 1" International Children's
Day, the Youth Chamber Orchestra of the Beijing Concert Hall will
stage a concert.

With Jiang Xiongda conducting and Liang Danan playing the cello, the
young musicians will play "Green Leaves Fantasia," "Liang Shanbo and
Zhu Yingtai, the Chinese Butterfly Story" and others.

Time: 7:30 pm, May 30. Location: Beijing Concert Hall, 1 Beixinhuajie.
Tel: 6605-5812.

Mahler -- The China National Symphony Orchestra is to stage two
concerts at the Century Theatre.

Chen Zuohuang, artistic director of the orchestra, will conduct, and
the musicians will play Mahler's "Symphony No 2 (Resurrection)."

Soprano Fu Haiyan and mezzo soprano Deng Yun will sing in the
concerts.

Time: 7:30 pm, May 30, 31. Location: Century Theatre, 40 Liangmaqiao
Road, Chaoyang District. Tel: 6421-2885, 6421-3296.

Young musicians -- Young musicians from the Music Branch School of
Beijing Art School will feature a chamber concert to celebrate the
June 1 International Children's Day.

They will play Chopin's "Polonaise," Mozart's "Sonata in G Major" and
Bizet's "Intermezzo from Carmen."

Time: 7:30 pm, May 31. Location: the Art Salon of Holiday Inn Crowne
Plaza, 48 Wangfujing Dajie. Tel: 6512-5063 or 6513-3388 ext 1209.

Charity show -- A charity concert is to be held at the Beijing Concert
Hall in order to set up a new Aiyue (Philharmonic) Hope School.

.
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_Date: 05/30/97_
_Author: _

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