Chou Chu Wang: Art Analysis
1. Overview
Chou Chu Wang is a distinguished artist, recognised for his ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬oil paintings created from using his meticulous memory. He created this hyper realistic painting in style of trompe l’oiel.
The Four Bliss Stones (2014), using only minuscule paint specks with a fine calligraphic brush. As the title suggests, the painting contains four river stones, each in an individual frame. Each piece is fairly small, 41 x 27 cm. Wang’s overall body of work comprises mostly of scenery from his hometown in all seasons, in which his emotions and profound awareness of the value of life are conveyed. He explores the dense lattice framework evident in minute and larger scale river stone formations. Chou Chu Wang’s practice in trompe l’oiel style …show more content…
“leave us with traces of momentary light and spiritual radiance” (Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 2016).
2. Theme + meaning + approach
I’m not really interested in making ‘relevant” art. But I guess that, for me, "The human body" is made up of tensions and oppositions and I like the slight anxiety it creates. https://www.plc.nsw.edu.au/ArticleDocuments/352/2010_AdelaidePerryPrizeforDrawing_Catalogue.pdf.aspx
It is evident that serenity and patience are needed in order to produce such minute detail, particularly as he intends to express rich emotion through humble objects. “To make these paintings, the mind and soul must be in the calmest condition. It is like nirvana in Buddhism,” (Chou Chu Wang, 2016 – from white rabbit).
Chou Chu-Wang was born in Taiwan and used to collect duck and chicken eggs on his family’s farm as a child.
This pastime chore shaped his personal attributes of being “observant, careful and extraordinarily patient,” (White Rabbit Gallery, 2016). Through his artworks, Wang has portrayed his understanding of peace and serenity, similar to a Monk’s practice. The choice of a natural and humble element, such as river a stone, alike to a Monks’ conscious practice of the world around them, reflects the bliss of the artwork also manifested in the title. A Monks’ conscious practice is pinnacle T inhe the Buddhism practice of the reflection of on life, is referred to as Prajna; insight, wisdom and …show more content…
enlightenment.
3. Techniques + connections
The subjects in the artwork Bliss (2014) do not fill the entire frame.
Yet instead the size of the stones are drawn in relative comparison to an actual stone, enhancing its tactile qualities, as well as keeping with trompe l’oiel still-life compositions . The series of paintings gives a sense of unity whilst the difference in shape, size and structure of the stones provide variation. In addition, the stones give insight into Chou Chu-Wang’s rural upbringing, with relevance of how the stages of his maturity from his childhood influenced his intentions of his work. The technique required for these paintings resonates with his possession of considerable patience, and in turn taught him the appreciation for humble objects and the beauty they posses. Overall, this artwork embodies a line of William Blake’s poem, Auguries of Innocence; “to see a World in a Grain of Sand,” (1803, line 1). This line connects the beauty and significance of the small elements in our world, as the grain of sand represents the minuscule paint specks, and the world as our understanding of
life.
The paintings are created in predominantly hues of blue and grey, depicting the normality of the object. The clear background brings the viewers full attention to the center, making the viewers focus on the extreme precision in the artwork. With the main focus centered on the stones, it becomes clear the amount of detail Chou Chu-Wang has created. Tone in this artwork is of great importance as it has allowed for an optical illusion in that viewers perceive the painting as possessing three dimensions. The careful and precise contrast between the tones, especially the low-dark tones in the shadowing, alludes to the illusion of the exhibition light source casting shadows upon the river stones themselves. This technique also incorporates the highlights used at the point of each stone, enhancing the impact of trompe l’oiel style. This sense of the stones protruding in front of the picture plane entices the viewers to reach out and attempt to hold and touch the stones.
Chou Chu Wang is a distinguished artist, recognised for his ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬oil paintings created from using his meticulous memory. He created this hyper realistic painting in style of trompe l’oiel.
The Four Bliss Stones (2014), using only minuscule paint specks with a fine calligraphic brush. As the title suggests, the painting contains four river stones, each in an individual frame. Each piece is fairly small, 41 x 27 cm. Wang’s overall body of work comprises mostly of scenery from his hometown in all seasons, in which his emotions and profound awareness of the value of life are conveyed. He explores the dense lattice framework evident in minute and larger scale river stone formations. Chou Chu Wang’s practice in trompe l’oiel style …show more content…
“leave us with traces of momentary light and spiritual radiance” (Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 2016).
2. Theme + meaning + approach
I’m not really interested in making ‘relevant” art. But I guess that, for me, "The human body" is made up of tensions and oppositions and I like the slight anxiety it creates. https://www.plc.nsw.edu.au/ArticleDocuments/352/2010_AdelaidePerryPrizeforDrawing_Catalogue.pdf.aspx
It is evident that serenity and patience are needed in order to produce such minute detail, particularly as he intends to express rich emotion through humble objects. “To make these paintings, the mind and soul must be in the calmest condition. It is like nirvana in Buddhism,” (Chou Chu Wang, 2016 – from white rabbit).
Chou Chu-Wang was born in Taiwan and used to collect duck and chicken eggs on his family’s farm as a child.
This pastime chore shaped his personal attributes of being “observant, careful and extraordinarily patient,” (White Rabbit Gallery, 2016). Through his artworks, Wang has portrayed his understanding of peace and serenity, similar to a Monk’s practice. The choice of a natural and humble element, such as river a stone, alike to a Monks’ conscious practice of the world around them, reflects the bliss of the artwork also manifested in the title. A Monks’ conscious practice is pinnacle T inhe the Buddhism practice of the reflection of on life, is referred to as Prajna; insight, wisdom and …show more content…
enlightenment.
3. Techniques + connections
The subjects in the artwork Bliss (2014) do not fill the entire frame.
Yet instead the size of the stones are drawn in relative comparison to an actual stone, enhancing its tactile qualities, as well as keeping with trompe l’oiel still-life compositions . The series of paintings gives a sense of unity whilst the difference in shape, size and structure of the stones provide variation. In addition, the stones give insight into Chou Chu-Wang’s rural upbringing, with relevance of how the stages of his maturity from his childhood influenced his intentions of his work. The technique required for these paintings resonates with his possession of considerable patience, and in turn taught him the appreciation for humble objects and the beauty they posses. Overall, this artwork embodies a line of William Blake’s poem, Auguries of Innocence; “to see a World in a Grain of Sand,” (1803, line 1). This line connects the beauty and significance of the small elements in our world, as the grain of sand represents the minuscule paint specks, and the world as our understanding of
life.
The paintings are created in predominantly hues of blue and grey, depicting the normality of the object. The clear background brings the viewers full attention to the center, making the viewers focus on the extreme precision in the artwork. With the main focus centered on the stones, it becomes clear the amount of detail Chou Chu-Wang has created. Tone in this artwork is of great importance as it has allowed for an optical illusion in that viewers perceive the painting as possessing three dimensions. The careful and precise contrast between the tones, especially the low-dark tones in the shadowing, alludes to the illusion of the exhibition light source casting shadows upon the river stones themselves. This technique also incorporates the highlights used at the point of each stone, enhancing the impact of trompe l’oiel style. This sense of the stones protruding in front of the picture plane entices the viewers to reach out and attempt to hold and touch the stones.