Zhou Chunya (1955-)
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Zhou Chunya (1955-) is a contemporary Chinese painter and sculptor. He currently resides in Chengdu.
Zhou was born in Chongqing, Sichuan, China. He got his artistic start in the 1970s drawing propaganda posters for Chairman Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution. This initial encounter with art led him to studies at the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts after the Cultural Revolution ended; he graduated in 1982. He spent the next six years figuring out his artistic style; unable to find his niche, he moved to Germany in order to pursue studies at the Kassel Academy of Fine Arts. Previously, he had held his first international solo exhibitions there in 1987 and was captivated by the country's differences with his native China. In Germany, he encountered Neo-Expressionism for the first time, a style that would dominate his works; his works became much more lively after his time in Germany. After completing his studies, he returned to China, settling in Chengdu.
Although Zhou has had many periods of transformation throughout his career, he is perhaps best known for two series: Green Dog and Peach Blossom. In the Green Dog series, he paints a green dog in the foreground of the art, its exuberance overshadowing the despair of the often less vibrant background material. He was inspired by his own German Shepherd, Heigen, and when Heigen passed away, he went into a period of mourning for a year in which he did not paint. After this period, he turned to painting peach blossoms. After the death of his dog, the blossom can be seen to symbolize rebirth, perhaps directly referencing Zhou's exit from his period of mourning. He also returned to his dog as the subject of his art, producing more in the Green Dog series.
Currently, Zhou is a respected member of the artistic community in Chengdu, opting not to move to a more populated city. He was the subjected of a retrospective in 2010 at the Shanghai Gallery of Art where 30 years of his artwork was exhibited. In the same year, he was also honored as one of Martell's Artists of the Year in Beijing. He is currently a council member of the Chinese Oil Painting Society.
Zhou was born in Chongqing, Sichuan, China. He got his artistic start in the 1970s drawing propaganda posters for Chairman Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution. This initial encounter with art led him to studies at the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts after the Cultural Revolution ended; he graduated in 1982. He spent the next six years figuring out his artistic style; unable to find his niche, he moved to Germany in order to pursue studies at the Kassel Academy of Fine Arts. Previously, he had held his first international solo exhibitions there in 1987 and was captivated by the country's differences with his native China. In Germany, he encountered Neo-Expressionism for the first time, a style that would dominate his works; his works became much more lively after his time in Germany. After completing his studies, he returned to China, settling in Chengdu.
Although Zhou has had many periods of transformation throughout his career, he is perhaps best known for two series: Green Dog and Peach Blossom. In the Green Dog series, he paints a green dog in the foreground of the art, its exuberance overshadowing the despair of the often less vibrant background material. He was inspired by his own German Shepherd, Heigen, and when Heigen passed away, he went into a period of mourning for a year in which he did not paint. After this period, he turned to painting peach blossoms. After the death of his dog, the blossom can be seen to symbolize rebirth, perhaps directly referencing Zhou's exit from his period of mourning. He also returned to his dog as the subject of his art, producing more in the Green Dog series.
Currently, Zhou is a respected member of the artistic community in Chengdu, opting not to move to a more populated city. He was the subjected of a retrospective in 2010 at the Shanghai Gallery of Art where 30 years of his artwork was exhibited. In the same year, he was also honored as one of Martell's Artists of the Year in Beijing. He is currently a council member of the Chinese Oil Painting Society.