Besides the hunter-and-prey analogy, Wu also likened the process of sketching to that of carrying a baby. He said that when he drew, he always started with observing the environment, and then generated the idea and forming the image in his mind. The composition of a work was usually formed during the sketching process. From there the piece would be developed into a largescale ink or oil painting. Needless to say, Wu saw sketching as an important step and source of inspiration in his creative process!

Wu Guanzhong donated one of his masterpieces Two swallows to the Hong Kong Museum of Art. We are very fortunate to receive A riverside village of Ningbo which is the original sketch of that ink painting, and the amazing story behind its creation was revealed.

When Wu Guanzhong was teaching at the Central Academy of Fine Arts and Crafts in the 1980s, he took his students to Luzhi in Suzhou, to do sketching. After the lesson, all the other students returned to Beijing but a postgraduate student named Zhong Shuheng followed him to the Zhoushan Islands to sketch. They left Zhoushan for Ningbo afterwards to catch a train back to Beijing. Seeing that there was still some time before departure, they decided to walk around the neighbourhood. Along the way, Wu Guanzhong was deeply attracted by some waterfront dwellings. He was so thrilled that he made this sketch hastily. When Zhong Shuheng realised that the train was about to leave, she urged him to run back to the station. Wu recalled with a smile that, "Passers-by thought something had happened when they saw us, an old man and a young woman, running madly. The train pulled off the station just after we boarded."

It was in that hurried moment that Two swallows came in shape.

A riverside village of Ningbo_Wu Guanzhong.jpg

Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA)

A riverside village of Ningbo

Black, white and grey are the main colours of the Jiangnan spring days. They are also bedrocks of the silvery-grey palette in Wu Guanzhong's paintings. These hues set foot on the path of his artistic journey. He said, "I have been drawing Jiangnan on and off all my life. Among my Jiangnan paintings, or even all my works, Two swallows is the most iconic and representative."

This painting combines Chinese ink techniques with geometric concept of the West. It inspired Wu to explore how best to blend the East and the West in art in the 1980s. Since then, he continued to experiment with almost pure abstract geometric shapes to express Eastern emotions, resulting in many captivating masterpieces.

In 2002, the Hong Kong Museum of Art showcased Two swallows alongside his later works Former residence of Qiu Jin and Reminiscence of Jiangnan in a major exhibition ― "Wu Guanzhong: A Retrospective". These works demonstrated his transition from figurative to almost pure abstract art. Wu Guanzhong visited the museum and liked this presentation very much. He described that "The private secrets in my heart are exposed to the public. A selection and combination of works from different periods reveal the purpose behind their creator's industrious efforts over several decades… The greatest joy to an artist is none other than being understood."

For this reason, Wu Guanzhong entrusted his three daughters to the Hong Kong Museum of Art.


Two swallows_Wu Guanzhong.jpg

Two swallows

After sketching A riverside village of Ningbo, Wu Guanzhong began working on the piece and completed the ink painting Two swallows 1 year later.

Compare the two works, can you tell what Wu had removed in the sketch?

What did he add in the painting? Do you like this composition? Why?

In the ink painting, Wu Guanzhong removed the people from the sketch to create a simpler composition and highlight the geometrical shapes of the architecture, generating a more serene atmosphere. He also added a pair of swallows in the ink painting for a more poetic feeling.

Standards for Turning a sketch into an ink painting