CHU-GRIFFIS ASIAN ART COLLECTION

Animals Curated by Professor Emeritus, Charles Chu

A typically traditional literati painting observes certain rules: 1) accurate lines, 2) powerful brush movements, 3) contrast gradations of ink, 4) interplay between dark and light, and 5) painted and unpainted space. These are all considered necessary in order to bring out the harmony and vitality of nature. This time-tested tradition has prevailed over the thousand year history of Chinese literati painting.

One of the most appealing qualities of literati paintings is their sense of humor. Paintings of animals are particularly likely to be done for delight. The animals may be pets. They may have personified expressions. They may symbolize an event or idea meaningful to the artist and the recipient of the painting. Animals were also common subjects for artists of the Court Academy in ancient times. Favorite animals for painting can be divided into two categories: horses, cows, water-buffalo, cats and dogs are domesticated and render certain services at home, in the field or to the emperors and the court. The second group are wild animals: monkeys, deer, tigers, lions, rabbits, etc. Ancient court painters and literati have thrown recent artists a challenge and artists are still trying their hand at showing animals in new ways. Stylistic changes have gone through transformations from literal rendering of the appearance of subjects in their natural activities and habits to simpler techniques such as "idea painting" and sketching. The latter is especially favored by literati artists who wish to catch the essential spirit of the subjects with a minimum number of strokes. Freedom for creative skill and expression is endless.

CHU-GRIFFIS ASIAN ART COLLECTION 23. Charles Chu (1918 - ) Camel Framed, Chinese Ink on Rice Paper, 26 x 13 in., ( 66 x 32cm.) This camel was commissioned by the editor of the Connecticut College Magazine. It is a representation of the college mascot and not only represents the simplified literati style, but has a sense of humor frequently found in scholarly paintings. Chu is the curator of the Chu-Griffis Collection and does not collect his own paintings, but his board of directors has encouraged him to exhibit this which still belongs to the artist's family.

CHU-GRIFFIS ASIAN ART COLLECTION 22. Chen Hai-shao (contemporary) Tiger in the Wind Hanging Scroll, Chinese Ink and Color on Rice Paper, 49.5 x 25.5 in., ( 126 x 65 cm.) Chen Haishao, lives and works in Chicago. He has generously painted this painting for the Chu-Griffis Collection at the suggestion of our friend Professor Fangyu Wang of New York. Viewers admire the tiger for its vigorous brush work and the natural movement of the "king of beasts." Unfortunately, I have not had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Chen. Whenever I receive a piece of art without personal solicitation, my heart beats fast. It is so gratifying to have friends share our simple purpose of gathering Asian art as a teaching collection for the college and our community to enjoy. Mr. Chen understands the importance of interpreting art and his support is heartily appreciated. This painting was done in the summer of 1993. Donated by the artist, 1993

CHU-GRIFFIS ASIAN ART COLLECTION 24. Fang Chi-chung (1923 - 1987) Goats on the Mountain Hanging Scrolls, Chinese Ink and Color on Rice Paper, 34 x 19 in., ( 86 x 48 cm.) Fang Chi-chung was born and raised in farm country of southern Shaanhsi. He learned to paint in a local high school during the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945.) As a student he often won prizes at local art shows. After the war, he met two well-known artists, Chao Wang-yun and Shih Lu. With their encouragement this young man chose painting as a career. By 1949 Fang had become well acquainted with local artists in His-an, capital of Shaanhsi and he soon became a leader of the His-an school of art. Years of "Hsiafang" (going to the countryside) in a farming village during the cultural revolution (1966 - 1976) did not stop his creativity. He painted the sunburned loess plateau, deer in the woods and goats on mountain cliffs, here represented. Fang's paintings are calligraphic with the strong flavor of China's northwest. They are rugged, powerful and intimate. This painting was purchased in October, 1988, with funds donated by David Zimmerman, class of 1975.

CHU-GRIFFIS ASIAN ART COLLECTION 25. Huang Chou (1925 - 1996) Donkeys Hanging Scroll, Chinese Ink and Color on Rice Paper, 27.5 x 18 in., ( 70 x 46 cm.) Huang Chou was born into a poor farm family in North China. He could not finish junior high school, nor did he have formal art training. In 1949, he joined the Red Army and was stationed in the remote region of Chinese Turkistan, now called Xinjiang. For five years in the art section of the army, he prepared to be a serious artist and he succeeded! In this new era of Chinese history, he lived among the people and shared their enthusiasm. Huang Chou sketched everything he saw in this Minority Autonomous Region: the lives of the peasants, their crops, festivals and colorful dancers. The slogan then was "Art is to portray life." He did precisely that. One common subject in Xinjiang was the donkey. Donkeys were everywhere as carriers and farm animals. He sketched and sketched. His original plan was to sketch donkeys as a means of improving his painting skill. After years of practice, the donkey became his favorite subject. Finally he won a reputation as a "Donkey Artist." With this same skill he broadened his area of expertise to include horses, camels… Huang is not interested in outward beauty as he paints figures or animals, nor does he dwell on details. Huang Chou wishes to present the essence of life as he sees it. I met him in 1980. He struck me as a candid, direct and extroverted person. A few years ago a museum was built in Beijing in his honor. He directed the museum until his death in 1996. Purchased with funds provided by Martha and Robert Farwell.

CHU-GRIFFIS ASIAN ART COLLECTION 26. Li K'e-jan (1907 - 1989) Water Buffalo Hanging Scroll, Ink and Color on Rice Paper, 27 x 17.5 in., (68.5 x 44.5 cm.) Li K'e-jan, commonly known as the "Buffalo artist", is one of the leading artists in China today. In the twenties he studied oil painting under the pioneer oil painter Liu Hai-su in Shanghai. In the early thirties he was a student of the modern artist Lin Feng-mien at Hangchou. Thus he had a foundation of Western techniques. Fascination with Chinese theories of art and exposure to various kinds of landscapes changed Li's work. His mountains are not mountains of the mind, nor are they painted in the literati manner. His commitment is to modify Chinese landscape painting. When the New Regime campaigned to reform art, Li wrote an article entitled, "How to Reform Chinese Painting." This echoed the directive that all painting be enjoyed by the people. He painted a particular place as he saw it. In painting the song, "East is Red" the landscape is literally painted in a flamboyant red color. His black roofs with white walls are typical. As Li grew older, studying with Chi Pai-shih brought him back to a more traditional style. He remembers his boyhood when water buffalo labored in rice paddies. Since the post-Mao era he often depicts humorous stories, folksy figures in well-known poems. He is a synthesizer. This water buffalo was done for my friends, Prof. and Mrs. Fang-yu Wang, in 1986. It was purchased with funds provided by Sharon and Hughes Griffis in July 1987.

CHU-GRIFFIS ASIAN ART COLLECTION 27. Liu Chi-yu (1918 - 1983) Squirrels Hanging Scroll, Ink and Color on Rice Paper, 27 x 18 in., ( 68.5 x 46 cm.) In 1980 I accompanied a group of alumni to China and I bought an art book by Liu Chi-yu. His figure paintings and animal drawings attracted my attention and since that time I wanted to own one of his works for myself. However, in 1993, I bought one for the Chu-Griffis Collection. I searched for an answer to my question: "How did he do it?" This is what I learned. As a child of a well-known artist father, Liu Kui-ling, Mr. Liu studied with his father. When he was sixteen, he had lessons in Western painting at an art museum in Tientsin, North China. That was his art education. His father taught him to observe people and animals in motion. He remembered, sketched them quietly and diligently. When he painted figures, he paid great attention to facial expressions. When painting animals, he concentrated on the head, all the rest was loosely done. When he was not doing monochrome paintings, colors were used, as he said, to enrich the surface beauty and satisfy the demands of modern taste. Squirrels are not commonly painted by Chinese artists. I am glad to have Mr. Liu represented in our collection and note that these squirrels were done with both dexterity and spontaneity. Purchased with funds provided by Susan Zimmerman, 1993.

CHU-GRIFFIS ASIAN ART COLLECTION 28. Nieh Ou (1948 - ) Bull Hanging Scroll, Ink and Color on Rice Paper, 26.5 x 26.5 in., (67 x 67 cm.) Nieh Ou is an artist who taught herself to paint after high school. During the "cultural revolution" (1966 - 1976) she lived and worked in the countryside. Three years after her return to Beijing she was accepted at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing Painting Academy. Her years of living in rural areas must have made deep impressions on her. In her paintings she tends to concentrate on rural scenes. This piece, "Life in the Village", was painted in 1982. It suggests a few elements commonly seen in the vast areas of rural China - a dilapidated house, a lone, unperturbed bull and a few chicks looking hard for crumbs. Nieh Ou turns away from a traditionally refined brush by adopting a "primitive" style to evoke rustic simplicity as well as humor. This painting was purchased by funds provided by Sharon and Hughes Griffis in 1987.

CHU-GRIFFIS ASIAN ART COLLECTION 29. Hu Chen-yu (1939 - ) Horses Chinese Ink on Rice Paper, Framed, 25 x 34.5 in., ( 63.5 x 88 cm.) Looking at his published works and current shows I am convinced that Mr. Hu is a versatile artist. He paints oil paintings in a Western style and can also use a brush and Chinese ink in a traditional manner. He is a talented and devoted artist whom I respect and admire. I must say that Mr. Hu is a lucky one. Born in a beautiful area in Southern China, trained in the 60's at a top art academy of fine arts, now called China Academy of Fine Arts. Hu specialized in oil painting, stayed on to earn a Master's degree and continued his painting career as an artist and art educator. His travel in Europe as a Visiting Artist at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Belgium between 1984 - 86 furthered his expertise in oil painting. Three decades of painting trace a mixture of the best in both Eastern and Western perspectives and techniques. The "Two Horses" in the Collection reveals his deep understanding of the traditional way of horse painting. With his knowledge of Western realistic portrayal of certain objects, he brandished his brush to present to us these two horses with simplicity of body structure, strategic use of contrast of ink gradation and line. They are all in balance and strong. This painting was painted for the Collection at The Griffis Art Center where he was an Artist-in-Residence in 1997. We are proud to have his work represented, and we owe much to our friend, Hu Chen-yu. This painting was a gift of the artist in 1997.

CHU-GRIFFIS ASIAN ART COLLECTION 30. Chen Hsiung-li (1939 - ) Deer Hanging Scroll, Ink and Color on Rice Paper, 52 x 26.5 in., ( 132 x 67 cm.) Chen Hsiung-li was born in Beijing. He started to learn to paint at the age of twelve. In his twenties he became a student of Li K'u-Chan (1898-1983) whose work is also represented in the Chu-Griffis Collection. Many of Chen's paintings bear some trace of his master's influence, especially his bird and flower paintings. Mr. Chen often inscribes his own poem on a painting with beautiful calligraphy. He has kept the literati tradition of painting with the idea of the "Three Perfections" in mind: poetry, calligraphy and painting. Deer, however, are his unique specialty. In his mind deer represent peace and affection, but they are not common subjects in Chinese painting. His deer studies have attracted many collectors. This piece is a good example. Chen is a professor of art at Nationality College in Beijing. He is currently living in California. The inscription reads: "At dawn, 1993, Painted in the foothills of San Bernardino Valley." Purchased with funds provided by Mr. And Mrs. Frank Phelan, parents of Kathy Phelan Willis, class of 1969.