August auction season Zhou Chunya’s works analyze
Zhou Chunya is one of the earliest Chinese contemporary artist who explores ways of transforming different art styles. His paintings have the traditional Chinese aesthetics, and an understanding of lives in current society, which have always been preferred by collectors. Recently, Zhou Chunya managed to has 11 pieces in auctions, that include some classic series like “Mountain Rocks“，”Green Dogs” and “Peach Blossom”. Two of them received appraisals over 10 million. Now let’s take a look at these fine works!
Tibet Series
“Tibet” series belongs to Zhou Chunya’s early works. At the age of 25, he travelled to Tibet to find inspirations, the time that he spent with Tibetan people has a great influence on his art creation. The work “Spring is Coming” from this series, is one of the few large scaled paintings in his early career, and it’s also one of the most anticipated piece by Zhou Chunya in this season. This work is created in 1984 before he studied abroad in Germany. Six month later at January 1985, after the work is done, it was taken to Luxembourg by a collector. The painting stayed at the collector’s house for 35 year, now it is the first time in auction.
Mountain Rocks Series
At the beginning of 90s in 20th Century, Zhou Chunya used subjects from traditional Chinese arts to create the series works of “Mountain Rocks”. The painting “Ya An” is done by Zhou Chunya in 1995, and it’s an important piece from “Mountain Rocks” series. Its composition came from the flattened perspective of traditional Chinese landscape paintings, and was inspired by the red rocks in mountain creeks of at Ya An in Sichuan province. These rocks were covered with a very rare kind of red alga, it will change colors under different weathers and seasons of the year. This magical view inspired Zhou Chunya and lead him to create this “Ya An” painting.
Green Dogs Series
The “Green Dog” series contains artist’s personal emotions, with these works Zhou Chunya started his exploration of enjoyment in storytelling, and it has been the main theme of his works for a long time. These works are among those Zhou Chunya’s most matured styled paintings, they use both realistic and abstract ways, describe objects as ingenious metaphor of humanity and his own artistic pursuit, which later became one of Zhou Chunya’s most well-known symbol.
Taihu Lake Stone Series
Zhou Chunya made “Taihu Lake Stone” series around 2000, after lost his dog Heigen for period of time, he temporally stopped create “Green Dogs” and heads to the classic gardens in Suzhou for relaxing. The oddly shaped Taihu Lake Stone in the gardens inspired him to create these works. The painting “Suzhou Taihu Lake Stone” is one of the pieces that he made in 2000, the work has been preserved for over 20 years, now it is the first time in auction. This series of works using realistic style to featuring the unusual Taihu Lake Stone with exaggeration and slightly distortion which made the rocks become vivid as though a living organism.
Peach Blossoms Series
Peach blossom has become a key element in Zhou Chunya’series of works, to him peach blossom is a symbol of love in Chinese culture. “Peach Blossoms In March” is depicting a branch of peach tree with luscious peach blossoms surge against golden fields and a striking azure sky, which unveils the passion of Zhou Chunya to face the primitive impulse that was buried deep for all people.
Peach Red Series
“Peach Red” series is a period between “Peach Blossoms” and “Red Body”. The painting “Peach Red” in this season’s auction was created in 2008. It’s not completely “Red Body”, but also different from those paintings that full of luscious peach blossoms. The composition of this painting with rich radiance, bright colors and sensual emotion. This work depicted a green loquat tree with few pinky purple blossoms and a couple of lovers enjoying themselves under the tree, the painting express an opulent bounty of sensory vitality.
