Wu Guanzhong Sketching from Nature
Artist Introduction
Wu Guanzhong is an artist who had devoted his entire life to art and produced countless masterpieces. Wu enjoyed drawing in nature and often travelled far and wide to seek creative inspirations. He said that he loved exploring new locations with his sketchbook on hand, as he felt like a hunter with a rifle searching for his prey.
We are used to recording beautiful things on our cameras or phones nowadays. Wu Guanzhong, however, did not have this technology when he was young. Instead, he would carry a sketchbook and pen wherever he went, just so he would not miss out on any opportunity to capture a beautiful scene. Sometimes he would catch sight of something and want to record that special moment instantly, such as the sketch he made in Shitang when the fishing boats were returning to the harbour in anticipation of a storm. His most famous anecdote was one from 1980, where he was so overwhelmed by a beautiful white wall he saw during a stop-over in Ningbo that he had to sketch it down right away, and this made him almost miss his train! It seems that the great artist was just as crazy about “checking in” at locations as we are on social media!