Jointly sponsored by Hubei Museum of Art, Shangdong Art Museum, and Ningbo Museum of Art, organized by France-China Friendship Great Wall Association, “Back to the Hanjiang River – Chen Chuan’s Art Exhibition” unveils at the Hubei Museum of Art on February 27, 2014, the exhibition will last until March 23. Ji Shaofeng, Vice Director of Hubei Museum of Art serves as the curator of the exhibition, which is planned by Xia Zi, curator of Hubei Museum of Art, showcasing 100 works by Chen Chuan, most of which are prints, in addition to other sections of works in watercolor, relief, and exlibris. The creative years cover nearly half a century, comprehensively combing through the work created by Chen Chuan in different periods, when he was engaged in engraving.

Chen is an artist by the decree of destiny to Hubei, he was born in Jiangnan, but studied in Hubei. Since he graduated from the Sixth Wuhan Middle School in the 1960s, he studied in Hubei Art College (now Hubei Institute of Fine Arts), majored in printmaking, and learning from the famous printmaker Chen Tianran, whose simple and sincere humanity, and profound art accomplishments deeply affected the life of Chen Chuan, and inspired him to firmly go forward in the creation of colored woodblock prints.

After graduation from Hubei Art College, he went to work in Shandong. The hardships in his creating process made him persistence and hard working, Chen Chuan reached his creative peak. Through the deliberation of his works, we find that his feeling and empressement is naturally and constantly expressed in the process of producing chromatography prints.

The folkway, custom, lifestyle of Yimeng district inspires Chen Chuan to use his engraving knife, full-bodied agrestic breath moistens the traces of the knife, reflecting his love of Yimeng; Chen Chuan born in Ningbo, applies colors to draw the water town in his dream; a clever arrangement of interesting plots reveal that he is sentimentally attached to the hometown in the graceful and restrained painting; the experience of Chen Chuan while living in France made his prints visually expand, but the involvement of the exotic charm could not hide the unique oriental charm behind the work.

“Any technology can be replicated except for beauty.” With such a positive mental attitude, Chen Chuan constantly changes, towards continuous innovation. The full shape of New Year folk pictures, the blue printed canvas which is printed the unevenly and interestingly arranged auspicious decorative figures, moisten the beauty of Chinese painting and watercolors, like the strong flashing colors of the folk paintings of Latin America, as well as the interest in a simple life expressed in the Western oil paintings, brings the irresistible through to Chen Chuan and his art.

The exhibition is the first solo exhibition after Chen Chuan’s return to Hubei, and in addition to his prints, it showcases part of the sketches, drafts of mural painting, and exlibris, presenting the life of the artist from multiple perspectives.

About the artist

Chen Chuan, born in Chongqing in 1943, and his ancestral home was Ningbo. He graduated from Hubei Art College. He was the Vice Director of Shangdong Art Museum from 1984 to 1991. Currently he is a National First Level Artist, a member of China Artists Association, member of the council of Exlibris Research Association of China Artists Association, member of the council of Shandong International Cultural Exchange Center, executive member of the council of Shandong Mural Art Institute. Publications include “Chen Chuan’s Prints”, “Chen Chuan’s Works”, etc.

Translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO

Courtesy of the artist and Hubei Museum of Art, for further information please visit www.hbmoa.com.