Zhouzhuang, the story of a painter who knows its charm (Part 3)

Mr. Wu Guanzhong, a famous Chinese painter, has contributed a lot to the protection of zhouzhuang town.

Mr. Wu Guanzhong, born in August 1919 in a peasant family in Yixing County, Jiangsu Province, is a famous contemporary painter, oil painter and art educator.

At first, he studied engineering. Because of a chance, he visited Hangzhou Art College, which was presided over by painter Lin Fengmian at that time. He was immediately fascinated by the colorful artistic beauty and made up his mind to switch to art and devote his life.

After graduating from middle school, he was admitted to Hangzhou Art College. After graduating from college, he was admitted to France at public expense in 1946, when New China was founded, so he resolutely returned to China to teach at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and later became a professor at the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts.

In his life, he aims to combine Chinese and Western arts and push China's painting art to the world. At 23: 57 on June 25th, 21, Mr. Wu Guanzhong died in Beijing Hospital at the age of 91.

Mr. Wu Guanzhong's understanding of Zhouzhuang also originated from Yang Mingyi.

In May, 1985, Mr. and Mrs. Wu Guanzhong happily came to Suzhou, accompanied by Yang Mingyi, and went to Zhouzhuang to sketch. During the ten-day trip, Zhouzhuang provided Mr. Wu with a lot of materials and inspiration. Most of his later important works on water towns came from Zhouzhuang.

during the sketching period, faced with the picturesque scenery of Zhouzhuang, Mr. Wu once said emotionally, "I am a native of Jiangnan, and I have never forgotten my hometown. In the past, I recommended Luzhi, Zhujiajiao, Ke Qiao and Wuzhen to painters, but now I have come to Zhouzhuang. Compared with those four ancient towns, it is more complete and diverse, which is an unforgettable place for me. If Huangshan Mountain gathers the beauty of China mountains and rivers, Zhouzhuang can be regarded as the beauty of China water town. "

In the process of sketching, Mr. Wu found himself on a modern flat bridge and built a tin house, which was too disappointing. That night, he went to the head of the township government to put forward suggestions for demolition, and wrote to the leaders of the county and city governments.

after returning to Beijing, he wrote the article "A thorn in Zhouzhuang" and spoke highly of Zhouzhuang. At the same time, he thought that the iron house built on the river bank was a big eyesore. In order to protect the ancient water town, the thorn in its side had to be removed, and soon the iron house was demolished. This is one of the stories that Mr. Wu called for protecting the scenery of the ancient town.

Mr. Wu Guanzhong loves Zhouzhuang and has come to Zhouzhuang to sketch many times. It can be said that Zhouzhuang has become a place where he became famous for his paintings. Born in Jiangsu, he regards the scenery of Zhouzhuang as the apple of his eye and breeds a deep homesickness.

He has created dozens of paintings with Zhouzhuang as the theme, which have been published in newspapers and exhibitions in various countries. The most famous ones are Old Wall, Mansion, Boat Passing Home and so on.

Especially Zhouzhuang, which he created, is a masterpiece of his life. Some critics once commented on his painting: Zhouzhuang's minimalist colors, mainly black, white and gray, combined with the formal elements of point, line and surface, symbolized his important achievement of reaching a new peak in the late 199s. It seems that western oil painting and oriental ink painting are incompatible, so it transcends tradition and modernity, realizes the "nationalization of oil painting" that he has been committed to for a long time, integrates the strengths of Chinese and western arts, and develops something connected.

"In the 198s, I went to Zhouzhuang by boat, as if I had boarded an isolated island, surrounded by water, and there were no cars. Cold and clear, looking for it, after the bridge, lying idle on the shore. I stayed to sketch. It was the only hotel, with wooden stairs. When I went upstairs, I looked at it, with black tiles and white walls, flowing water around people, willow trees hanging in the shade, geese and ducks chasing each other and painting everywhere. I have left a message: Huangshan is the beauty of China's landscape, and Zhouzhuang is the beauty of China's water town. Today, Zhouzhuang has become a tourist hotspot, and remote villages and towns are rushing to the temple fair every day, and they are borrowing my praise for Zhouzhuang. " Wu Guanzhong once described his creative process and feelings for Zhouzhuang in his book Painting Eyes.

It can be said that the name "Wu Guanzhong" will appear from time to time in the eyes of tourists and the mouth of tour guides when visiting Zhouzhuang. It can be seen that Mr. Wu Guanzhong has been integrated with Zhouzhuang, which is also the best commemoration and reward given to him by the people of Zhouzhuang.