Wu Shanming

Private Collection, China

Generally in good condition overall.
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Wu Shanming is the most established figure painter of the Zhejiang Academy whose career spans nearly six decades in China.  As a modest and extremely hardworking student, he first studied at the Zhejiang Academy of Art Affiliated High School before pursuing fine art studies at the Academy.  From the late 1950s until the early 1960s, he also studied Western fine art drawing as a part of the ink painting core curriculum. Since graduation, he remains a professor of painting at the Zhejiang Academy of Art. In addition to his role as an educator, Wu Shanming draws upon his contemporary experience in dedication to the exploration of new approaches in figurative ink painting.  

After 1949, painting en plein aire in rural areas became an important part of the art school program in China—a tradition that continues today.  Exposed to the rich local customs of the Western China highlands, his creative passion was fuelled by the tranquil atmosphere, the abundance of bright daylight, and the people's modest lifestyle and humble temperament. Traditional Chinese figure painting methods and techniques were insufficient for Wu Shanming's artistic expressions, which led to the revolution of his artistic approach.

Fusing together traditional ink painting and Western fine art sketching concepts, his figurative painting combines su-mo (overnight ink), dan-mo (light ink) and linear xie-yi (free, spontaneous emotional brushstroke) approach to figure painting. His paintings are characterised by an ingenious use of su-mo and zhong feng (centre tip) brush techniques that greatly enhance the range of variation in works on paper.

Seeking the Way (Lot 35) aptly illustrates Wu Shanming's mastery of xie-yi figure painting techniques. The monks in the foreground appear both solid and full of life, where one has his palms pressed together, his gaze determined and pious, whilst the other seems to be chanting with his eyes closed. The mountains in the distance add an atmosphere of serenity and understated elegance.