Luo Songsong

    songsongluo@126.com

    YOUNG Chinese female artist Guan Jingjing is displaying a series of tempera paintings at JW Marriott Hotel Shenzhen Bao’an.

    Sensitive and quiet, Guan worked in oil and acrylic for a long time before she fell in love with tempera paintings. She created oil paintings marked by a distinctive Eastern air with meticulous brushstrokes, pure colors and abstract shapes.

    Tempera is an ancient painting technique that flourished during the European Renaissance. Using egg as an emulsifier, it contains oil and possesses a bright sheen and fine texture. Over time, it becomes hard and takes on transparent layers. After the rise of oil paintings in the 16th century, the complex technique was gradually replaced.

    Guan’s tempera works further developed the Eastern qualities of her past works while bestowing them with concrete imagery, creating an interplay between the soft painting material and the ancient sentiments of landscape painting.

    “I was born in Henan Province, Central China, but my memories are full of vast seas and endless misty skies. Most Chinese people are sentimental about nature. Our highest pursuit is solitary communion with the natural landscape,” said Guan.

    In her “Remnant Mountain” series, she used tempera and incorporated approaches from traditional Chinese ink paintings.

    The paintings, created through the accumulation of many thin, soft layers, reveal many layers. The inherent softness of tempera’s texture, along with the natural feel of water and the lapse of time presented through layers of painting, gives the artwork a foggy and vaporous atmosphere.

    The use of water brings a lot of variety to the painting process. The combination of water and oil in the paint greatly increases the time required to dry compared to traditional ink painting. The process involves a lot of waiting, thinking, control and adaptation.

    “Observing the constant emergence and disappearance of clouds, the painter has found a language for bestowing these ever-changing clouds with rhythmic vitality, connecting nature and humanity,” commented Xia Kejun, associate professor of Renmin University of China.

    The Chinese see independence and self-sufficiency of one’s inner spirit as the highest ideals in life, pursuing a balance between oneself and the outside world.

    “I have always felt that one’s personal experience and perception of life is more important than works of art. A painting is merely a brief moment when the viewer may gain a glimpse into another state of life and cultural experience,” said Guan.

    Through dialogue between China’s ancient artistic spirit and the modern formalism of the West, Guan hopes to harvest new fruits in the language of painting and visual aesthetics. “This will be where I’m heading in the near future,” she said.Dates: Until Jan. 11, 2015

    Venue: JW Marriott Hotel Shenzhen Bao’an, 8 Baoxing Road, Bao’an District (宝安区宝兴路8号深圳前海华侨城JW万豪酒店)

    Metro: Huanzhong Line, Baohua Station (宝华站), Exit D