by Ben Moger-Williams
China is famous for its ancient forms of calligraphy and
"mountain-river" paintings. These art forms have histories of thousands of
years, and the basic tenets have not changed in centuries. However, this is New China, and
there is no shortage of modern art to suit the times. But among the splattered canvases
and bizarre body art, how do you find the real treasures?
Prepare to meet Li Xi, the undiscovered secret of modern Chinese art.
Li, from northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, grew up among scenes of natural beauty.
"I wanted to find a way to remember and capture the beauty that was around me, so I learned to paint," he reminisced.
Li's studio/apartment is littered with trinkets from his travels around China, sketches, works in progress, and stacks of his finished works. Li draws his inspiration from life. The cycle of life, death and rebirth has played a major role in his paintings for several years.
"I like to give the message of hope in my work," explained Li. "Life is hope, and everybody needs hope to survive."
Unlike some so-called modern artists, Li has had training in traditional art forms and has a firm grasp of artistic design and principles. He attended the Heilongjiang Art School in 1988, majoring in theater design.
Li has held several one-man exhibitions, as
well as many joint exhibitions with other artists. He has also designed the stages and
sets for numerous operas, plays and TV shows.
Eventually, feeling that traditional art was not adequate to express his feelings and more complex concepts, he moved away from mainstream painting and started to concentrate on abstract oil paintings. He became a professional painter in 1993.
The result is inspiring, and the highly talented Li is now a masterful, mature painter. Last year the prevailing theme in Li's works was the sea. Its rolling flow and endless horizons appealed to the artist, and he spent several months in the countryside working on an impressive 30-meter-long piece, which represents a series of waves carrying various icons from modern and traditional life.
This year, Li is concentrating on portraying the subtleties of wind. He has already made preparations for several new paintings, now still at the sketch stage.
To get a better idea of the depth of Li Xi's art, make a trip to the Kunlun Hotel's 2/F art gallery from April 2-8. Most of his representative works will be on display there and available for sale. This is a good chance to see the work of a quality Chinese artist.