Zhang Jianguo has made great achievements since he became a professional painter in the late 1970s. In just a few years, Dickens' unique works have attracted the attention and attention of western art circles, and he has also become a figure in the media chasing reports. 1984 The poster of the Los Angeles Summer Olympics was written by Zhang Jianguo. With his fame getting louder and louder and his works becoming more mature and profound, Zhang Jianguo was praised as a "national treasure painter" by art critics. Because of the low output of his works, his paintings are sought after by collectors, and have been completely absorbed by the western market, and have basically disappeared in the world for decades. Occasionally, a painting appeared in the auction house, which was also a glimpse and was immediately auctioned by collectors.
A true painter is a passionate idealist. Zhang Jianguo painted for painting's sake and never pursued profit. He said that he created because he "had something to say" and was "involuntarily driven by a primitive impulse and sense of mission. He exists to dedicate the crystallization of his soul to the world and leave some artistic relics to the world. "
Most returned overseas Chinese, including artists, return to China because of loneliness and depression abroad, cultural estrangement and frustration caused by not being accepted by the mainstream society. Zhang Jianguo is like a duck to water in the west, freely active in the mainstream society, but his heart always stays in the East, unable to get rid of the deep China complex. 1993 He was invited from new york to Taiwan Province Province to hold his first solo exhibition. At that time, he was famous, his paintings were expensive, and he gained both fame and fortune. He shipped all his works to Taiwan Province province in one fell swoop, which made his agent crazy and shocked collectors. Since that year, his works have been continuously transported to Taiwan Province Province, and he began his journey of giving back to his motherland. His paintings are little known in the East. Why do you want to abandon the fertile soil and aura of art that you already have, and transport his works from Wan Li to the East and sell them to China people at low prices? "Price has never been a problem for me. My works are too few. Now I am in the mature stage of my works and at the peak of my creation. It is not only a pity, but also a shame not to bring one's own works back to China. Because there are many people who know me abroad, the high price is a matter of course. As a painter, the price of works is not important, but more important to me who collects works. I want to leave my best works to the people of China and contribute to the motherland. " Zhang Jianguo said.
Artists have always been crazy and don't play cards according to the rules, which can be seen.
Why did you choose to return to China for the exhibition? Why not introduce the works to the people of Chinese mainland earlier? "In the early days of reform and opening up, everyone was desperately trying to make money, and it was impossible to calm down and appreciate art. Only after the material life was satisfied, did ordinary people have the mood and time to pay attention to spiritual and spiritual things. Appreciating art is not easy. Just like tasting red wine and listening to classical music, it takes time to learn and cultivate. I think the society in China has begun to settle down, and has the mind and spirit to pay attention to cultural and spiritual life. The prosperity of the art market does not mean that people already know art, but that the public has begun to learn to pursue art. After a period of time, the art market will also settle down, and good works will eventually emerge and remain. It's time to introduce my work to the people of Chinese mainland. " He said.
"What do you think of your painting? What genre does your work belong to? " "My painting is my painting, there is no genre. My name is Zhang Jianguo, and I have established my art kingdom. I drew my own school. Real art should be able to communicate with people and be touching. This is not just a superficial phenomenon. It should be deep enough to carry life and soul, like a visual symphony, which makes people more moved and fascinated. It is a living and inanimate body, which will never lose its moving power and can never be seen through. My paintings are both oriental and western. Visual language should be like music, dance and literature, and there should be no national boundaries. It should be universal and human. Good music can touch people of all races all over the world, so should painting. My paintings are concrete or abstract. I paint people and landscapes. I only paint what I know, see and feel. The mountains I painted can sing, the trees can dance and the water can fly to the sky. Although they are natural and mountains and rivers, in my paintings, they have been humanized and are no longer just appearances. They are symphonies written by nature. The characters I draw can actually be regarded as still life or landscape, or abstract totem. I use them to tell stories and explain what is happening in the human world at present. This is a poem, a visual novel. In short, you should slowly understand it with your heart. If you can explain my painting clearly in words, you don't have to draw. "
In 2006, Zhang Jianguo held his first oil painting solo exhibition in China, with the title: That's Me. * * * collected 65 works, all of which were airlifted to Beijing by Europe, America and Taiwan Province Province. The creation period of the exhibited works is as long as 23 years. The earliest work is Death of a Bullfight 122cmx 152.5cm, which was completed in 1983. The latest work is the giant portrait of a dragon, which was completed in early 2006. This exhibition is quite different from ordinary exhibitions in China. It can be called an interesting episode: because Zhang Jianguo's works have long since disappeared overseas, collectors in Europe and America have to travel across the ocean to Taiwan Province Province to look for acquisitions. At that time, dozens of collectors and art critics from Europe, America and Taiwan Province Province will attend the opening ceremony to appreciate his latest works. Among them are Wolfgang Price, chairman of the United Nations Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Vienna, David Gurry, an American entrepreneur celebrity, Mike Beard, an American financial tycoon, Steve Snyder, a real estate tycoon, and Dr. Manny, a plastic surgeon known in the global industry ... European and American elites gathered. Unfortunately, in addition to appreciating these works, these celebrities and rich people will only face the works on display, without collection, and return empty-handed. Because Zhang Jianguo has announced that all these paintings will remain on the land of China.