The doors, windows and iron railings are objects difficult to depict and arouse interest. Yet in drawing such ordinary and unattractive objects, Chan has endowed them with a soul.

    — Le Figaro

    Among his peers, Chan is one of those destined to live in art history.

    —Julien Clay (French art critic)

    In modern China, a group of art pioneers went overseas to further their studies, hoping to find a way to integrate both Chinese and Western art. These modern art reformers, Li Tiefu, Xu Beihong and Lin Fengmian, live in China’s modern art history.

    If Zhao Wuji and Zhu Dequn are members of the second generation of overseas Chinese artists who did great research work in the West and contributed to the history of Chinese and Western cultural exchanges, then Chen Jianzhong should be seen as one of the representatives of the third generation who have contributed to the exchange history.

    — Xia Shuoqi (Chinese art critic)

    Cathy Mo

    mchengmail@tom.com

    CHAN KIN-CHUNG (or Chen Jianzhong, 陈建中), a renowned Chinese-French painter who once resided in Shenzhen’s Buji Township, has returned to Shenzhen, this time with his lifetime’s achievements.

    Chan kicked off his 50-year retrospective exhibition at Shenzhen Art Museum last Wednesday, showcasing nearly 100 artworks ranging from pencil sketches, poster color paintings, watercolors and oil paintings, with doors, windows and landscapes as his main themes.

    Chan, born in Longchuan County, Guangdong Province in 1939, is widely known as one of the representatives of the third generation of Chinese artists who pursued their studies overseas, attracted great attention from Western art circles and have greatly contributed to the history of Chinese and Western cultural exchanges.

    Chan, at the age of 14, studied at the Affiliated Secondary School to the Mid-South Institute of Art between 1955 and 1959 and the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts between 1959 and 1961. He received solid training in realist sketching, which was deeply influenced by Russian art. He moved to Hong Kong in April 1962 and went to Paris in September 1969 with the dream of “solving the riddle of modern art.”

    “During my stay in Hong Kong, many modern art forms were popular, such as pop art. I did not know how to give greater scope to my specialty. It made me nervous because once I took up the brush, the subject matter and mode of expression that came to my mind were those I had learned before,” Chan told Shenzhen Daily on Saturday. The seven years in Hong Kong were a period of stagnation in his artistic life, he recalled.

    Even in his early years in Paris, where he was exposed to different Western art influences, Chan felt puzzled and frustrated. “I kept exerting myself, but coming up with a unique idea was very difficult,” he said.

    By 1971, Chan had spent all the money he had taken with him, so he had to get a job. He worked as a waiter, cut leather at a leather mill and painted pictures at a Chinese-run furniture workshop.

    It was only during his leisure time he could devote himself to art. Thanks to the two years spent viewing exhibitions in art museums and galleries, Chan gradually grasped much of the essentials of Parisian art styles and developed his own interpretations.

    In 1972, Chan Kunni, a student who once attended Chan’s training classes in Hong Kong, came to Paris. The two were married. Soon after their marriage, the couple moved to a studio in Rue de Moulin Vert du 14 eme arrondissement. This had been the very studio where Zao Wou-ki (or Zhao Wuji), a well-known Chinese-French artist, stayed when he first arrived in Paris.

    One day, while feeling frustrated, Chan looked out of the window and gazed at the scenery. All of a sudden, he was inspired. He picked up a brush and painted for a month until he had successfully captured the feeling of serenity and the somewhat mysterious atmosphere of the scenery outside the window. The picture allowed him to discover, surprisingly, that his inclination and temperament had found their appropriate expression. Later, in a similar manner, he discovered the same artistic significance in the scenery around him. He continued to try with other windows, doors and railings around the neighborhood.

    Purely by chance, Zao, the great master Chan had long admired, dropped by his studio. He praised Chan’s talents and encouraged him to further develop his style. Unquestionably, Chan’s confidence in adhering to the path he had selected was greatly strengthened.

    His works from that period are characterized by meticulous and in-depth treatments, with particular attention to simple but compact composition and concentrated forms. There were frequent recourses to large patches of colors, producing vivid visual impressions. It goes without saying that this form of composition was borrowed from abstract art.

    Two years later, in April, Zao visited Chan’s studio again, this time brought with him Grynpas, an art inspector from the Ministry of Culture of France, to have a look at Chan’s paintings. Grynpas thought highly of Chan’s works and expressed his intention to help him make a breakthrough. Several days later, Grynpas brought in the owner of Galerie Darial. With Grynpas’ recommendation and having passed a highly demanding appraisal examination, Chan’s first personal exhibition was held at Galerie Darial in March 1975 under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, making himself the first Asian painter to be honored with such support.

    Chan painted things least likely to draw attention — doors, windows, railings and walls, but all these had aroused great interest from European art circles.

    Some art critics commented that he “has expressed a shuddering silence” and “turned the Taoist philosophy of Laozi into visual reality.” Others said that his oil paintings had attained the realism and substance of ancient Chinese Song paintings.

    The exhibition was a success. Chan’s works were collected by the state-run Fondation Nationale des Arts Contemporains, Paris, Musee d’Art Modernne de la Ville de Paris, Musee de Pontoise and the Bibliotheque Nationale de Paris.

    Since then, Chan’s works have appeared in art salons, galleries and exhibitions in France, Japan, Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands, the United States and China. In February 1977, Galerie Art Yomiuri signed a contract with Chan, saying the gallery would serve as the agent for his works.

    Somewhat like his paintings, Chan is a rather plain and modest person, who never describes his growth as an artist more colorfully than was the case. Although he has been in Paris for more than 40 years, he still lives a simple Chinese life.

    Chan picked Shenzhen to set up his first China studio in 2000 and Guangzhou for his second in 2010. Every year, he spends some time in China working on creative endeavors and joins activities with local artists. Currently, a “Chen Jianzhong Gallery” is being planned by the local government and is scheduled to be established in the Buji Culture and Sports Center, Longgang District, in 2018.

    “I am a Chinese descendant — I will surely bring my works back to China,” Chan told Shenzhen Daily.

    Chan’s retrospective exhibition at Shenzhen Art Museum will run through June 21.

    Dates: Until June 21

    Venue: Shenzhen Art Museum, inside Donghu Park, Aiguo Road, Luohu District (罗湖区爱国路东湖公园内深圳美术馆)

    Metro: Huanzhong Line, Tai’an Station (太安站), Exit A. Then take a taxi to Donghu Park.