Zhang Xiuzhu

1950 Born in Xinfan I Sichuan,. China

Publisher and Chief Editor of the Sichuan Art Magazine

Deputy Director of the Sichuan Art Publishing House

Member of Chinese Artists Association

Mitglied der chinesischen Bildhauer - Vereinigung

Director of the "Fiber Art Committee" China Arts & Crafts Association

Zhang Xiuzhu lives and works in Beijing and Chengdu

ZHANG XIUZHU : AN ODE TO WOMEN

- Olivia Sand

“As time goes by” is the title of an ongoing series that Zhang Xiuzhu has started several

years ago. Referring to the famous song written by Herman Hupfeld in the nineteen

thirties, Zhang Xiuzhu’s work is driven by an ode to women, capturing their soul and

essence with their actual features becoming secondary. That explains why in most of his

works, the focus is deliberately placed on the figure, making abstraction of the face that

is left to the imagination of the viewer. Whether the women depicted are Western or

Oriental seems in this case irrelevant so strong is the emphasis placed on their feminity,

sensuality, and inner beauty.

His works in ink are clearly based on the long standing tradition of Chinese calligraphy

that if not through art school is frequently passed on within the family from one

generation to the other. In Zhang Xiuzhu’s case, he has found a way to further explore

calligraphy without being burdened by its strict rules. What makes his series most

unusual is the fact that he moves away from the dominant subject matters in calligraphy -

poetry or landscapes - to use his brush and ink as freely as he would use a pen. The result

takes us to the crossroad of Gustav Klimt (1862 - 1918) and Egon Schiele (1890 - 1918)

as a starting point, looking at women in all their complexity. That bridge towards the turn

of the century is particularly visible in the inks and washs completed by Zhang Xiuzhu

over the past decade. Again, by placing the emphasis on lines to drive his work, the

subject - devoid of unnecessary details - becomes timeless, grasping the essence of

women without trying to portray a figure with personal features. As for Zhang Xiuzhu’s oil

paintings, they also pursue his investigation of women, relying on touches of heavy color

impasto. If the connection to Vienna 1900 is still present, it is however less apparent then

in his washs and inks, bringing more abstract features to the forefront. Indeed, all

paintings are built through endless touches of colors, underlining the numerous nuances

in women’s character.

Born in 1950 in the province of Sichuan, China, Zhang Xiuzhu has not followed the

classical art curriculum that young artists in China enrol in today. Having to adapt to the

political circumstances of the sixties and seventies, Zhang Xiuzhu has - as soon as it was

possible under China’s open door policy - immersed himself in art classes that he took on

a regular basis in order to have a solid and thorough background in art. His curriculum

may have worked out in his favor as we tend to hear many artists declaring that in order

to be really creative, one should forget everything that was learned at art school. The fact

that Zhang Xiuzhu has become an accomplished artist is all to his credit, based on his

will, and determination. That loose association with art faculties has provided Zhang

Xiuzhu with the freedom to go about art history in a creative, yet very respectful way.