Wu Guanzhong always likes to draw lotus. In the “Wu Guanzhong Painting Collection” published in the 1990s, he praised the lotus flowers: “The soft flowers are unique and strong, and the red style of the group of people is a bit wild, Drunk. “At present, the earliest lotus in Wu Guan is about 1973. There are both watercolor paintings and oil paintings. In the exploration of more than two decades since then, he wandered between realism and freehand, blending ink painting and oil painting skills, and depicting lotus flowers in various forms. This “Red Lotus” was written in 1974. Since this year, Wu Guanzhong has also started drawing ink in addition to the creation of oil painting. The freehand factors of ink and ink have gradually penetrated into works with oil colors as the medium. In a series of lotus works created, this impact can be seen, and this influence is two -way.
Wu Guanzhong “Red Lotus”
Looking at the “Red Lotus”, the picture composition is full, and the visual focus is concentrated in the lotus pond, and the air surface is compared with the empty water surface with the dense lotus leaves. Although the lotus leaves are dense, they are not monotonous. When the painter shows the flower stems, it gives them a variety of attitudes, high or low, or straight, or slightly bent. The most windy lotus leaf is placed in the middle of the picture. It is poked from the water, a roundabout to the right, and stands upright. Large lotus leaves are spread out, surrounded by lotus leaves and lotus flowers. This graceful attitude appeared when painting in traditional Chinese literati. The painter obviously learned from the former and showed the most stylish scene in the lotus pond as much as possible.
The full color of “Red Lotus” is green, but many of them have changed. The distance, height, darkness, dry and dampness, and glory of the lotus leaves are green, or green, or purple, or blue, or gray with different brightness and chroma, respectively. Show a colorful micro world in the same color. The lotus flowers are soft and beautiful in the painting, and the flowers are drawn in approximation. The strokes are simple, focusing on expressing color and meaning. The water surface is clear and smooth, reflecting the reflection of the lotus and pole stems. This method of transmission of the water surface, as well as the use of thick oil color expression texture and texture, undoubtedly absorb the impressionist painting method, especially Monet’s treatment of water lilies. Essence Wu Guanzhong studied Paris in Paris and carefully studied the optical theory and color skills of Impressionism. He combined the impression’s color -viewing effect with the freehand spirit of Chinese ink painting, showing the different style of the lotus.
From this “Red Lotus”, we can see Wu Guanzhong’s unremitting exploration of the ethnicization of oil painting, and then incorporate ink and wash elements in oil paintings, seeking modernization in ink painting, and finally forming a personal, new artistic language. In the Monet’s Water Lily series, the artist is concerned about the light color changes of the water lilies in different time periods, and the reflection and reflection of the water surface. The gorgeous environment is very important in Monet’s works. But from this view, he did not have too much influence in the environment of nature, but sought subtle changes in the basic color of the image image. He also depicts the changes in light, but the light floating on the lotus leaf is soft and faint, not the bright light in the impressionist painting. The reflection of the water surface is a cyan -gray tone reflecting the sky, which belongs to the same color as the lotus leaf. The overall color of the picture is cold, rendering a silent and elegant poetry. A few red lotus interspersed in a large green color is embellishment and contrast. It not only brightens the picture, but also avoids the noise. For this reason, if Monet’s water lilies win, Wu Guanzhong wins with a combination of lines and faces. The drooling of lotus leaves, lotus stems, and lotus causes rich form of interest. This expression is undoubtedly derived from Chinese painting. Whether it is exquisite gongbi lotus or free -handed uppercase lotus, it pursues this form of expressiveness. Wu Guanzhong himself once said: “The large and small leaves in the lotus ponds are staggered, and the curve straight lines are complicated, and even the reflection has been surrounded in the leaf bushes. It is difficult to separate the water underwater. Yu’s maze. “