Huang Zhou
Text
Art of Huang Zhou
Huang Zhou (1925–1997), modern Chinese artist, was originally named Liang Gantang. He was also known by the names of Liang Yezi, Miao Di, Liang Peng, and Liang Quan. Born in Lixian County, Hebei Province, he was apprenticed in his adolescence to artist Han Leran and Zhao Wangyun. Early in his career, he worked as an editor in the Soldiers’ Books Publishing House of the Northeast Military Region. In 1949, he joined the People’s Liberation Army and served as a staff artist of the Creative Unit in the Political Department at the Headquarters of PLA’s Northeast Military Region. In 1955, he was transferred as a staff artist to the General Political Department of the PLA in Beijing. In 1959, he became a staff painter at the Military Museum of the Chinese People’s Revolution. In 1981, he was appointed Deputy Director of the Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Painting. Huang was also a member of the CPPCC National Committee, a consultant to the Arts and Crafts Corporation under the former Ministry of Light Industry, and executive member of the council of the Chinese Artists Association. Masterpieces of Huang, like A Blizzard in the Wilderness, Celebrating the Harvest, On Patrol, Singing While Travelling, Pine and Eagle, One Hundred Donkeys, Lamb-grabbing Contest, and Chasing and Playing on the Steppe, represent innovative achievements in contemporary Chinese painting. His writings include Huang Zhou’s Views on Art and Huang Zhou’s Theories on Calligraphy and Painting. Not only was Huang an artist of the people, he was also a social activist who made outstanding contributions to the preservation and promotion of national art and to the advancement of public art education. He co-founded the Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Painting with famous painters Li Keran, Cai Ruohong, and Hua Junwu and presided over the establishment of the Yan Huang Art Museum. His artistic practice and theory have exerted a significant influence on the development of contemporary art. This exhibition fills a space of about 1,000 square metres with about 100 components and forty manuscripts. In a linear flow, these artworks make the audience possible to tease out the thread of evolution of the artist’s artistic language. The exhibition is divided into two parts according to his life and his artwork, with subunits in both categories. These categories display the artist’s paintings, manuscripts, sketches, photographs, and video projections such that they playfully interweave in a cleverly-conceived space. The Yan Huang Art Museum and the Huang Zhou Fine Arts Foundation provide more than 1,000 works done between 1943 and the time of his death. Each work on display is carefully chosen from them. The exhibition is composed of the following: 1. The sketches, paintings, and calligraphy works Huang donated to the Yan Huang Art Museum; 2. Manuscripts, seals, letters, studio objects, etc. from the Huang Zhou Fine Arts Foundation and the Huang Zhou family collections; 3. His works in the National Art Museum of China and the Great Hall of the People, Zhongnanhai , the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, and various state collections; 4. Publications on painting theory and quotations from Huang that may offer a general view of the evolution of his art and style. These objects are arranged in a way that thoroughly reflects his life as a painter and draws out the special characteristics of his artwork. The Art of Huang Zhou presents the works that best represent every era of the Huang’s life as an artist. The artist and person emerge from his personal notes, letters, ideas, theory, and other works. Pictures of his life delineate the different phases of his life and allow the spectators to obtain a more intuitive impression of him. The film and video section shows recordings of the artist’s friends and interviews with students, engaging the audience in a way that enhances the exhibit’s readability and makes the atmosphere conducive to learning. The research done for this exhibition will be passed down to other generations so that his contributions to the new era of Chinese painting will not be forgotten.
The Three Sources of Huang Zhou’s Art
In the art history of the twentieth century, Huang Zhou was a very unique figure painting artist taking a unique artistic path. Reviewing Huang Zhou’s growth and success will help us understand and study the patterns of innovation and the development of Chinese art and the challenges it has encountered. Huang Zhou entered the art circle by formally becoming the student of Zhao Wangyun, a highly experienced artist of traditional Chinese art. Huang Zhou not only received an education in traditions, but also developed the ability to discover and express beauty from a traditional standpoint. He spent an extensive period of time in Xinjiang and developed a unique sensitivity to the landscapes of and people in the northwestern region of China. There Huang Zhou completed a great many sketches. He insisted on independent thinking and the notion that his artistic creations must be firmly grounded in his experience with local life, the foundation for refinement and further exploration, and for the formation of his own unique style. This became the general guideline for Huang Zhou’s artistic pursuit in later days. After China’s liberation, Huang Zhou’s style changed from more rigid and careful use of lines to unrestrained use of brushstrokes. The artist’s change in style was triggered by his contact with a number of renowned masters after he settled in Beijing, including Xu Beihong, Qi Baishi, and Li Kuchan, all of whom had influence on him; in addition, Huang Zhou and other artists of his own generation also influenced each other. In terms of the development of Chinese art, Huang Zhou’s artistic path has an impact on one to two generations of artists and will continue to influence even more to come.
The Three Sources of Huang Zhou’s Art
In the art history of the twentieth century, Huang Zhou was a very unique figure painting artist taking a unique artistic path. Reviewing Huang Zhou’s growth and success will help us understand and study the patterns of innovation and the development of Chinese art and the challenges it has encountered. Huang Zhou entered the art circle by formally becoming the student of Zhao Wangyun, a highly experienced artist of traditional Chinese art. Huang Zhou not only received an education in traditions, but also developed the ability to discover and express beauty from a traditional standpoint. He spent an extensive period of time in Xinjiang and developed a unique sensitivity to the landscapes of and people in the northwestern region of China. There Huang Zhou completed a great many sketches. He insisted on independent thinking and the notion that his artistic creations must be firmly grounded in his experience with local life, the foundation for refinement and further exploration, and for the formation of his own unique style. This became the general guideline for Huang Zhou’s artistic pursuit in later days. After China’s liberation, Huang Zhou’s style changed from more rigid and careful use of lines to unrestrained use of brushstrokes. The artist’s change in style was triggered by his contact with a number of renowned masters after he settled in Beijing, including Xu Beihong, Qi Baishi, and Li Kuchan, all of whom had influence on him; in addition, Huang Zhou and other artists of his own generation also influenced each other. In terms of the development of Chinese art, Huang Zhou’s artistic path has an impact on one to two generations of artists and will continue to influence even more to come.
Knowledge Graph
Examples
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 Huang Zhou was born in a farmer's family in Hebei Province.
12 A large ink and color painting by noted artist Huang Zhou (1925-1997) fetched 128.8 million yuan ($21.14 million) Monday night in Beijing, smashing his previous auction record.
13 He has published more than 30 types of Collections of Huang Zhou of various versions and forms, and a theoretical book Huang Zhou on Arts.
14
15