Hangzhou Native Establishes Fame as Artist

On the morning of September 16， 2010， a grand ceremony was held in Xulun Hall on the Xiasha Campus of Hangzhou Normal University to launch Lou Bo’an New Art Center. The center was unveiled jointly by the deputy chief of CPC Hangzhou Committee Ye Hao and Professor Zen Wenchang from Taiwan. The CPC Hangzhou Chief Huang Kunming wrote a letter of congratulation on the occasion. The honorary chairman of KMT of Taiwan Wu Poh-hsiung wrote an inscription for the launching of the center. The chairman’s letter was read at the ceremony. In the letter Wu said the center was more than an art center of Hangzhou Normal University; it was also an art center for promoting peace and cultural exchanges across the straits.

Now an artist of international renown， Lou Bo’an is a Hangzhou native born in 1947. Before my interview with him， I had heard of him a great deal from artists in Hangzhou that Lou opens up a unique brand new realm in traditional Chinese painting with his distinct language and personality and that he uses traditional brush-pen， rice paper， ink and a full range of techniques in a unique way and adds a dream touch to his painting. He is regarded as a pioneering artist in the forefront of exploring the beauty in traditional Chinese painting.

Asked how he first chose art as his lifelong career， Bo smiles: “It was quite accidental.” In his younger days， he dreamed of becoming a writer. And he wrote quite a few things. The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) destroyed his ambition. He was persecuted for something he wrote which was regarded as politically offensive. He had to give up his literary ambition and he had to make another choice for his career.

This time， he chose painting and calligraphy. In 1980 he migrated to Macao from Hangzhou in an attempt to seek greater development. But he was disappointed， for Macao proved too difficult for him， a new comer without connections.

Lou comments that he was no stranger to poverty， despair and fickle human relationships during that time. He persisted and survived. Then his life took a good turn in 1982 when Wu Sau-yee， an established artist and film producer in Hong Kong， chanced upon a minor painting by Lou. Hu appreciated Lou’s talent and thought Lou Bo’an would be an outstanding artist in the future. Sponsored by Hu， Lou was able to stage large-scale painting exhibitions in both Hong Kong and Singapore.

Lou is grateful to Hu for his appreciation in the most difficult days of his life.

Lou Bo’an became better known. In 1986 he moved to Taiwan. In 1987 he won championship at an exhibition of artworks by all Macao artists.

Talking about the impact of masters of Zhejiang school on him， Lou recalls his preference for Huang Binhong (1865-1955)， a Zhejiang-based master. In his early days， Lou imitated Huang’s style. Huang’s great innovative art was ignored when he was alive. His value has been rediscovered over the past three decades. At that time， Lou had great difficulty finding market for his work largely because his painting highlighted a style redolent of Huang Binhong. At that time the art market in Macao swarmed with cheap imitations of masterpieces. That was why he decided in 1986 to go to Taiwan， where art flourished under the influence of flourishing exchanges between West and East. During his stay， he studied diligently and traveled a great deal. Looking back， Lou is sure that he made fast progress in these years.

The 21st century marked a giant leap for his art. In 2000， he was officially invited by the Netherlands government to hold his solo exhibition in Netherlands National Museum and Het Loo Palace.

The artist of international recognition misses his home very much. Pointing to the West Lake outside the window， Lou says that though a resident in Taiwan now， he believes he is still a native of Hangzhou. Moreover， the West Lake keeps fascinating him. Whenever he thinks he has accomplished something in art， he yearns to come back and show his art to his natives.

In 2006， Lou Bo’an signed up with Hangzhou Normal University for a graduate course in art. The established artist believes the study satisfied him emotionally more than artistically. Upon his graduation from the course in 2008， he was engaged as a guest professor and a tutor of graduate students at Hangzhou Normal University. It has turned out to be a very good choice. His art and teaching are highly appreciated and admired there. This is how the center in his name came into being. After learning of the upcoming launching of the art center in Hangzhou， Wo Boxiong wrote Lou a few letters expressing congratulations and admiration.

Lou comments that the recognition motivates him to make contributions to cultural exchanges across the straits.

Lou’s art and endeavor were recognized and confirmed by old-generation masters such as Lu Yanshao， Sha Menghai， and Cheng Shifa. Lou started his art pursuit with calligraphy， which is regarded by many old-generation masters as a must for painting， for studies of calligraphy help one understand how brushstrokes help create beauty on rice paper.

Lou’s art is also recognized by international market. In 2009， a painting of his named Landscape was auctioned at Hong Kong Christie’s for 1.16 million HK dollars. In 2010， two paintings of his respectively named “Nature’s Beauty” and “A Boat” were sold at Christie’s for 760，000 and 440，000 HK dollars respectively. In terms of sales record for a living artist， Lou is second only to Wu Guanzhong (1919-2010) in the field of fine modern Chinese painting.

Some people wonder how come Lou’s art is recognized by both old generation masters and market. His answer is simple: humanism. His success lies in innovation on the basis of absorbing humanism in Chinese culture. His painting does not flaunt technique. Lou points out that a successful artwork reflects an artist’s quality and emotion whereas technique is just a means to an end. He believes one will come to nothing if one’s ultimate object is to highlight technique. His art is appreciated simply because his painting breaks away from the stereotypes of the traditional Chinese painting.

Lou established a scholarship in Hangzhou Normal University to award 10 best art students. Though each award is only 600 yuan， it is a spiritual encouragement. Since 2004， sixty students have been recognized by this scholarship. Since 2003， many students from families with financial difficulties have received financial help from Lou.

Lou’s contribution is more than financial. The most outstanding feature is that since Lou began to teach at the university， it is widely recognized that art students at the university have made remarkable progress.□