Zhu Bingren is a master Chinese sculptor whose work can be found in the Beijing Renmin City Hall and the Chinese National Museum. Zhu, who lives in Hangzhou, has developed his own approach to the perception and creation of beauty. He comes from a long line of bronze craftsmen and has turned a craft that is steeped in tradition into medium for creating works of art. Zhu plays with light and shade while demonstrating the natural texture and pattern of the materials. He makes use of bronze and crystals to form graceful shapes and lines, making every piece of sculpture unique. His work is a mix of 'intentionality' and 'formlessness', a representation of his feelings, combining traditional Chinese ideas and modern Western sculptural techniques to bridge the two worlds and open up his own path of Melting Realism.
In Clear Cloud (Lot 312), Zhu used melted bronze to represent mountainous rocks, branches and leaves - the rocks are like a tiger ready to pounce, the trees like a howling dragon and the leaves resemble crab claws, while the winding branches are full of spiritual energy- creating a perfectly harmonious and lively Chinese potted landscape. This piece of work illustrates Zhu's unique methods of art production - he allows the molten bronze to flow freely yet melts it at the exact point that he desires, so that, Zen-like, he can, "control that which you can, yet accept that some are left to be uncontrolled." Zhu breaks away from the strict boundaries of form to reach the essence of his sculpture which lies in the contrast of hard versus soft. The stiffness of the bronze is transformed into extending branches and floating mist and clouds.