"Pines" (1995), a work by Wu Guanzhong

By Bernadette McCrann, Shanda Matthews, and Jennifer Lima

The Asia Society Museum, located in Manhattan, exhibits both traditional and contemporary Asian and Asian-American art. The museum and its collection give insight into the rich background and culture of the vast Asian population. The Asia Society Museum primarily serves to educate people. Consequently, the museum’s current exhibition, Revolutionary Ink: The Paintings of Wu Guanzhong, aims to educate New Yorkers about the legendary Chinese artist Wu Guanzhong.
On August 29, 1919 in the Chinese village of Beiqu, Wu Guanzhong was born. Between 1935 and 1942, Wu studied with great Chinese artists at the National Hangzhou Academy of Art where he learned to paint with oils and, eventually, ink. At the age of 27, Wu was selected to study abroad after he earned the highest score on a Ministry of Education administered exam. He studied in Italy, Switzerland, and particularly France where he was influenced by western painting techniques. In 1949, Wu went back to China to teach modern, western-style painting and artistic individualism. His teachings were not accepted and his paintings conflicted with the political mandates of China. In an attempt to reform him, the Chinese government and other critics of Wu’s work put him through a number of denunciations: Wu was compelled to change his artistic focus from figures to landscapes; he had to traverse China to paint landscapes as a means to reconnect with the Chinese masses; Wu was forced to destroy much of his artwork and was banned from painting during the Cultural Revolution of 1966; and so on. Wu was eventually permitted to paint again in 1972. Though still considered a controversial artist, he was highly respected in China and all over the world, and he became the subject of numerous exhibitions and published multiple catalogues, books, and articles. Wu died on June 25, 2012 at the age of 90.
Wu Guanzhong’s paintings represented the changes Chinese art faced during the 20th century. His work differed from traditional Chinese art, and he often incorporated western techniques into his paintings. Wu was a fan of French and European art, and he admired artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cezanne. Nature was one of the most important factors in his paintings, but he became more abstract over time; both elements are evident in his work “Pines”. When creating art, Wu first sketched a past experience and then painted it. Wu’s work was often composed of shapes, lines, and dots. Although the dots seem random and scattered, they were actually meticulously planned and placed. Sometimes his paintings contain poems or seals in the corners, such as his “Oil Image” piece. Others, like “Parrots”, are more political. Many of Wu’s early works will never be seen because they were destroyed during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. However, his best works were made after the event, between the 1970s and 2004. The Revolutionary Ink exhibit focuses primarily on these best works, pieces that emphasize Wu’s increased use of traditional media and subject but, at the same time, showcase new and modern techniques and styles. Many of the works in the exhibition are of plant life, nature, and architecture; all typical of classic Chinese art. The heavy geometric shapes, lines, and colored washes, however, shows the break with tradition Wu’s art is so famous for. By the end of his painting career, Wu began to paint subjects more abstractly, another deviation from the traditional. This was his attempt to convey states of being and emotions in his work rather than simple realistic representations. Instead of showing landscapes and terrain, Wu’s art tries to actually place the viewer in the environment he was trying to paint; it actually transports you to another state of being.
Wu’s art transcends what we may call “traditional” or “modern” work, and he manages to incorporate these two sides of the coin into revolutionary masterpieces. He simply considered himself a painter, but others saw Wu as much more than that. They viewed him as a free spirited, modern, yet strangely traditional painter who set an example for others after him; they see Wu as an inspiration.
The Asia Society thanks the Take a Step Back Collection for their support of the Revolutionary Ink: The Paintings of Wu Guanzhong exhibit. It also thanks the China Guardian Auctions Co., Ltd for their generosity. Additional support for the Asia Society Museum is provided by the Asia Society Friends of Asian Art, Asia Society Contemporary Art Council, Arthur Ross Foundation, Sheryl and Charles R. Kaye Endowment for Contemporary Art Exhibitions, Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund, National Endowment for the Humanities, Hazen Polsky Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.