Inheritance And Innovation

Mr. Wu Guanzhong has experienced some periods which was relatively influential in modern China in his life such as Anti-Japanese War, the foundation of new China, the reform and opening up, etc. In different stage, the Chinese artists explored different directions and subjects. The consistent core was the special aesthetic values of Chinese nation.As an artist, Mr. Wu's artistic point of view was clear from the year of 1979 when he successively published some articles such as"the formal beauty of painting","the abstract aesthetic","Content determines form?"in the magazine of"Art". And he gradually stepped into the exploring road on how to dynamically continue the aesthetic values of Chinese nation in the development of the times. Mr. Wu reacquainted the traditional Chinese artists'paintings in the theoretical exploration and absorbed nutrients from the western form constructions in the fine art practice. And he created many representative works which owned nationalization spirit such as"Double Swallows","Three Gorges","Northern Scenery","Birds Paradise","Pinus taiwanensis","Lu Xun's hometown"on the basis of"Chinese Body and Western Means". In his later years, Mr. Wu thought in a deep way and put forward the new artistic view of"Ink equals to zero", which triggered an uproar in Chinese artistic circles. No matter what his purpose was, it was very valuable that he can move forward to think about the development of Chinese cultural art from his own perspective as a Chinese artist.In the background of conflict and blending of Chinese and western culture and art, Mr. Wu Guanzhong had walked through a difficult and circuitous development history. He clarified his artistic position with art practice. Mr. Wu's exploration road, which was about art and culture, tradition and modern times as well as the Chinese special aesthetic values and the relationship of Western modeling system, is the shared wealth of Chinese modern artists.