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Lot Essay
Incorporating the roots of traditional Chinese culture and the developments of Western modern art, Shi Hu bravely innovates traditional Chinese ink painting and establishes a reputation for poetic oil painting through his vigorous ink, dense lines and meticulous combination of diverse visual languages. Cultivated by his intellectual father, Shi Hu took on a strong talent in Chinese traditional ink painting and calligraphy at a young age. Immersed in rich folk culture by childhood experience in rural life, he develops a keen interest into folk imageries, such as scissor-cut, mural and paper lantern, which later inspire his artistic creation of incorporating various artistic forms.
Rooted in traditional Chinese culture, Shi Hu explores a unique national artistic expression through the western medium of oil painting. In Signs of the Zodiac (Lot 294), he employees the trait of subtraction in colour through the effects of peeling paint to resemble an ancient mural, thus creating a sense of passing time. Mother and Son (Lot 295) presents itself in a fantasy background with carefully executed composition. Shi Hu depicts the mother as a primitive nude figure and uses translucent lines in outlines the forms of the son, inviting the audience to ponder over a more profound relationship between the two.
Not only exceeding in poetic oil painting, as a pioneer, Shi Hu also redefines the colour palette in traditional ink painting and frees additional artistic features which paper does not normally deliver. The dark backdrop in Untitled (Lot 297) draws audience's attention on the deconstructed body parts of the female nudes. Night in the Woods (Lot 296) reflects a return to a more primitive and almost doodling style. By featuring such dreamy characteristic of figure depiction, Shi Hu has not only successfully demonstrated captivating poetic spirits but also contributed greatly to the modernization of ink paintings.
Rooted in traditional Chinese culture, Shi Hu explores a unique national artistic expression through the western medium of oil painting. In Signs of the Zodiac (Lot 294), he employees the trait of subtraction in colour through the effects of peeling paint to resemble an ancient mural, thus creating a sense of passing time. Mother and Son (Lot 295) presents itself in a fantasy background with carefully executed composition. Shi Hu depicts the mother as a primitive nude figure and uses translucent lines in outlines the forms of the son, inviting the audience to ponder over a more profound relationship between the two.
Not only exceeding in poetic oil painting, as a pioneer, Shi Hu also redefines the colour palette in traditional ink painting and frees additional artistic features which paper does not normally deliver. The dark backdrop in Untitled (Lot 297) draws audience's attention on the deconstructed body parts of the female nudes. Night in the Woods (Lot 296) reflects a return to a more primitive and almost doodling style. By featuring such dreamy characteristic of figure depiction, Shi Hu has not only successfully demonstrated captivating poetic spirits but also contributed greatly to the modernization of ink paintings.