Who: Artist Hua Qimin

Hua Qimin has been an art professor for the Central Art College in Beijing and a member of the Association for Chinese Artists since 1997. He began his education at the Central Art College as a graduate student in Chinese Painting in 1978. Starting in 1984 Hua Qimin has been selected in international exhibitions including the Ninth International Painting Exhibition in Yugoslavia, Contemporary Chinese Painting Exhibit in Hong Kong, Modern Arts in India, and Paris Advanced Art College in France.

What: RECORD OF WESTWARD TRAVEL

Contemporary painters in China have inherited the rich cultural tradition of ink painting. This exhibit represents paintings based on what Hua Qimin, Beijing artist and professor, experienced and observed in Tibet. Mysterious and wondrous, Tibet is known in China as the third Pole to the North and South Poles -the QingZang Highland. In his paintings, Hua presents conflicting yet harmonious relationships between humans, themselves and nature. Using the traditional Chinese ink painting techniques, Hua created a special painting effect in simplicity, directness, and freedom of pretense.

When:

Opening Reception: Friday, September 10, 2004, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Exhibition: September 10 - October. 8, 2004.
Gallery Hours: Monday-Thursday 9:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. additional hours Tuesday 4 to 7 p.m. Friday 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., and Saturday 12 - 4 p.m.

Slide Presentation
Friday, September 10, 5:30 p.m. in the Lewis Room, library - lower level

Where:
Fontbonne University Gallery of Art
Fine Arts Building, 6800 Wydown Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63105
(314) 889-1431

SPONSORS: Chinese Culture and Education Foundation

Financial Assistance with this project has been provided by the Missouri Arts Council and with support of the Regional Arts Commission.

Hua Qimin

Chinese ink painting has thousands years' outstanding tradition. It is a unique, magical, form of art created by ancient Chinese artists who used brush and ink to present the mysterious beauty of the Chinese culture and to express its inner spirit.

Contemporary painters in China have inherited this rich cultural tradition but also continuously developed the art form in both subject matter and modes of expression. They have gained broader fields of vision and become more focused on a truthful representation of the contemporary life so as to achieve a powerful artistic effect.

I have engaged in the art of Chinese ink painting for more than forty years and produced tremendous amounts of works and received numerous awards and very positive critical claims. This exhibition shows a group of paintings that are based on what I have experienced and observed in Tibet. These works have been exhibited and printed in Mainland China with a great success.

Mysterious and wondrous, located in the West China, Tibet is known as the third Pole next to the North and South Poles -- the QingZang Highland. The Tibetans are kind-hearted and pure-minded people who are strong, energetic and diligent with excellent horsemanship and amazing spirit of endurance. I once lived there and had been fascinated by everything I saw and heard. It was on the basis of these source materials that I created this group of paintings. Using the traditional Chinese ink painting technique to portray this unique life experience, I have created a special effect that distinguishes these works from others. I hope this special effect can strike resonance from more friends.

In these paintings, I try to present conflicting yet harmonious relationships between human and nature, and among human themselves. Because of its unique geographical location, Tibet's natural environment constantly poses a serious challenge to the human survival. The relationships between nature and humans and among human themselves thus become simple, direct, and free from various pretenses that often accompany so called "Civilization." On the other hand, the aesthetics of Chinese painting also requires the artist to explore thoroughly the essence of the things without being fooled by the superficial phenomenon. I believe it is in a combination of these two perspectives that I found a shining spot. To me it is a very pleasant and inspiring creative process.

2004: Century Wing and Bone - Exhibitation of 100 Contemporary Chinese Artists
2003: Exhibition of 2003 Chinese Painters' Nomination by Chinese Art Academy
2002: Exhibition of Outstanding Chinese Paintings
2001: Exhibition of Invited Contemporary Art work
2000: The Special Exhibition of the Excellent Paintings by Chinese Museum of Art
1999: The Exhibition of Paintings in Long Island Art Gallery
1998: The Ninth National Fine Art Exhibition

聖路易芳邦大學主辦 時報文教基金會贊助

開幕招待會：九月十日(週五)晚間七時至九時
開幕幻燈演講：9月10日(週五)下午五時半，芳邦大學圖書館Lewis室
畫展展出時間：9月10日至10月8日
地點：聖路易芳邦大學美術館藝廊 6800 Wydown Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63105
Tel: 314-889-1431

華其敏教授簡介：

華其敏教授曾任教於北京中央美術學院，1997 年成為中國藝術家協會會員迄今。

畢業於中央美術學院研究所，華其敏教授自1984年起參與一系列國際藝術美展，包括南斯拉夫第九屆國際美展，香港現代國畫展，印度現代藝術展，法國巴黎藝術學院展。此次芳邦大學「西藏風情」現代國畫展是華其敏教授在西藏旅遊寫生，親身觀察體驗西藏神秘和偉大之現代國畫創作，作品中描述人類間和大自然融合與衝突的情境。使用傳統中國水墨畫之技巧，華其敏教授以單純、直接和毫無拘束的虛飾筆法，呈現出現代國畫特殊的效果。