I clearlyremembered that it was two years ago that people thronged to Mr. ZhouPingguang’s exhibition in Chengdu and dozens of masterpieces nearly sold out.It was nothing unusual according to my experience of holding exhibitions forMr. Zhou, because repetition can never be found in his works and each one iscompletely unique, which attracts numerous collectors.  

Butwhat I would emphasize is what he confessed two years ago just before he turned60, I congratulated for his birthday in advance at the opening ceremony dinner.He said, “60 years is a cycle in life and most people would regard it as theapproach of old age. But I feel that I am still so young and energetic that Ihave a long way to go in the pursuit of art… 60 may merely be the start of a newchapter in my artistic career.”

Two years has passed, immediately afterhis homecoming from the US, when Mr. Zhou handed me his few but more exquisiteworks for another exhibition as we had arranged, I realized what he had saidtwo years ago was exactly true.

Altogether, there are only about 20pieces, with the majority being small-sized fan painting. However, from theseworks, I can feel his enormous devotion and effective conveyance of meaning. Ialso find that, in addition to his well-known complete mastery of finebrushwork, the surface of a fan has become an independent but integral part ofthe whole work which no longer limits the painting and writing to the fanitself. This is really a great innovation in composition.  

Among these recent paintings, landscape,whether presented on fans or big-sized paintings, is a mind-blowing highlight.After abandoning the routine landscape composition methods in traditionalChinese painting, Mr. Zhou has not only depicted Chinese and foreign landscapesbeyond the painting paper, but also instilled memories of himself and hisfamily into the landscape.

It is needless to say that you willdiscover much more new ideas, highlights, and achievements in these recentworks, because you can directly feel while appreciating Mr. Zhou’s works.

There is no doubt that this exhibitionwill prove that Mr. Zhou at 60 is at the start of the prime of his artisticcareer. Therefore, in the years yet to come, Mr. Zhou’s creation will surpriseus more with great works, because with rich experience and deep understandingof traditional Chinese culture, an artist who never stops exploring isundoubtedly a rich ore of art.

It is also worthmentioning that the exhibition will display some of his Jianshui ceramics (somehave been ordered by collectors already) on his mission to Jianshui, Yunnan, inApril last year. This is the first time for Mr. Zhou to present Chinesepainting three-dimensionally on Jianshui ceramics. Besides, the painting albumwill introduce some of his Jingdezhen porcelain paintings which will beexhibited at Log Angeles.

Bai Shui

April, 2017