Guo Yongwen - Case Study of Influential Painters in the 21st Century

Author: Jia Dedong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: In Guo Yongwen's paintings, the author feels a sense of pure expression, which is not only about the perfection of skill but also about a direct connection between feeling and subject. Clearly, he has not been bound by rigid rules due to his formal art training. He possesses a natural sensitivity and intuition in abstract painting language, such as color and composition. This talent enables him to be confident in both representational and abstract expression. In fact, there is a causal relationship between these two, and it is precisely this connection that makes his paintings more than just pure visual relationships—they become records of his inner journey. He pursues only art itself, simply to realize an artist's dream.
Guo Yongwen was born in Shanxi in 1966. He graduated from the Shanxi University Fine Arts College in 1994 and studied in the Master's Program of the Mural Department at the Central Academy of Fine Arts from 1999 to 2001. He is a member of the China Artists Association, a member of the China Oil Painting Association, and the vice chairman of the Shanxi Oil Painting Association. In 1995, his work Warm Winter was selected for the 8th National Art Exhibition in the United States. In 2000, he held an individual exhibition at the Central Academy of Fine Arts Art Museum. In 2001, his work Four Seasons of Ancient Plains—Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter participated in the Central Academy of Fine Arts Mural Department graduation exhibition, The Black-Clothed Woman won the silver prize at the "Love Our Nation" Oil Painting Exhibition and was collected by a collector in Taiwan. In 2001, he held the "New Order" five-person exhibition at the Beijing International Art Museum, and his work Early Spring on the Plateau participated in the "Research and Beyond" small-scale oil painting exhibition organized by the China Oil Painting Association. His work Gymnasium was selected for the 5th National Sports Art Exhibition and won the first prize in Shanxi Province. In 2002, his work Living Space won the excellence prize of the National Art Exhibition commemorating the 60th anniversary of Mao Zedong's "Talk at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art" and the special prize of Shanxi Province. In 2003, his work The Marginalized Person participated in the 3rd National Oil Painting Exhibition. In 2004, his work Snow of Meishan was selected for the 10th National Art Exhibition and won the first prize in Shanxi Province. His work Echoes of Ancient Castles won the outstanding works prize at the 2nd National Minority Fine Arts Exhibition. In 2005, his work Snow Mountain participated in the "Man and Nature" Chinese and Oil Painting Landscape Exhibition. Many of his works have been collected by institutions in Germany, South Korea, Singapore, and regions in China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan.