Water— Wang Muyuu Artworks Exhibition
Artist: Wang Muyuu
Art Director: Li Xiaoshan
Curator: Chen Rui
Opening: 2019.11.08 15：00
Period: 2019.11.08——11.24
Exhibition Venue: AMNUA Hall 4
Location: No. 15, Huju North Road, Gulou District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Sponsor：AMNUA
《One Finger Sea Level·One》 97×145cm Ink On Paper 2018
《 Red Cliff in Song Dynasty》100×97cm Ink On Paper 2016
Foreword
Some artists are habituated to have everything planned; they are purposeful, so, once determined on something, they can survive any scruples or temptations while attaining it step by step. With an inclination for reason and respect for rules and criteria, in general, artists of this type care about the character and texture of every work. Wang Muyuu, for one, really impresses me with his art, despite our short acquaintance and the infrequency with which I get to see him. From conception to completion, Wang Muyuu’s painting, just like research projects, shows no sign of laxity as it can always turn out to be well-founded and convincing. That’s why I had every confidence in him when we decided to invite him for this solo exhibition in the Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts.
The past few decades have been witnessing the ups and downs of young ink artists in China at a high attrition rate, which has to do with not only their talent or capabilities but also their eagerness for quick success and instant benefits. This happens. For instance, when I ask students in class to name at least 20 painters of the Ming dynasty, they, as students of art history, would get nervous oftentimes and make a lot of mistakes. The Ming dynasty has a history of over 270 years, but how many artists of that period can survive public oblivion? One explanation is that the low threshold in current times allows almost anyone with a brush to play artist. The standard of painting, on the other hand, is very high, so often fails to be satisfied by the majority. Muyu once told me that he didn’t want to end up as just a painter and that he wanted to fight or climb up for the view from a peak. As we all know, the aspiration for and the result of reaching the peak are two different things. But no result is possible without the aspiration.
As mentioned above, Muyuu’s painting is like conducting research projects, which is quite a unique approach to the art. As ancient Chinese philosophy has made clear, the studying of things and the acquiring of knowledge are actually in a progressive logical relationship. With his own perspective for studying things, Muyuu focuses his art not only on the scenery of nature but also on the context of history. To him, anything in sight can be the carrier of feelings, so anything is worth studying. As to his acquiring of knowledge, a dynamic self-perception, chaotic as it may be in epistemology, is working in a way that facilitates lasting enthusiasm. In short, he has his own understanding and manifestation of the studying of things and the acquiring of knowledge. One example is the waves in his painting; none are shaped merely externally or internally, or merely physically or mentally, which is perhaps the very source of the vividness of his art.
Wish this solo exhibition of Wang Muyuu a great success.
Li Xiaoshan
26 Sept 2019
《River·Mountain》180×97cm Ink On Paper 2017
《The Hua Mountain》34×36cm Ink On Paper 2016
Wang Muyuu, a contemporary Chinese ink painter, was born in 1975, in Shandong Province. Since 1992, he began to learn Chinese landscape painting following teacher Yang Zijiang. He studied at the Art Academy of Shandong under the guidance of Professor Yue Haibo. In 2006, he was vested with the title Master of Arts (M.A.). Since 2010, He studied at the Liu Jin’an’s Studio of Modern Ink Wash Painting in the Capital Normal University. He is studying for a doctor’s degree in Chinese Academy of Arts with director of Professor Chen Mengxin.
