Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA)

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

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.

Turning a sketch into an ink painting

Besides pen and ink, Wu enjoyed using various media for his sketches, such as watercolour, markers and felt tip pens. He was able to capture the vibrant and lively atmosphere of a scene through his bold use of colours. On the other hand, his monochromatic sketches usually feature thin lines with more details, while strong brushstrokes highlight the shape of majestic mountains and rocks.

Sketching with colours

Appreciation and discussion

Resource Kit Overview

Do you notice the red square seal that often appears in Wu Guanzhong’s paintings? It is a seal carved in relief with the character “Tu”. Tu (sow thistle) is a herb with a bitter flavour. Wu used it as a metaphor for his life — from experiencing war as a student, to coming upon the Cultural Revolution that broke out after his return to China from Paris. With all the sufferings and bitterness, he decided to use the character as his alias. Despite life’s challenges, Wu did not grow to be resentful. Through adversity, he was able to pursue truth and beauty in the world, and his experiences became an endless source of inspiration for his art.  If you were to give yourself a pseudonym, what would it be? What best describes your personality, emotions and values?

Activity: My pseudonym

Turning a sketch into an oil painting

Let’s add a bit of colour to Wu Guanzhong’s sketches, shall we? (There are more sketches in the PDF.) Do they look and feel different to you after you have added some colours?

Activity: Colouring sketches

Artist Introduction

We can tell from the paintings above that Wu Guanzhong did not plainly sketch from reality, rather he liked to change the positions of objects and landscapes to enhance the composition of his works. This was the master’s special image retouching skill and he called it “move-the-site sketching”. He would extract the most attractive elements from a scene, then rearrange or reconstruct them to form the unique image he had created in his mind. He said sketching was about capturing the spirit of things, not merely their shapes and form which made no difference to a photograph. That is why his works are so beautifully composed. They may resemble the real landscape, yet it is hard to find a viewpoint that captures the precise scenery — all because he had reshuffled everything to create a new image!

The master’s image retouching skill

Let’s try to apply Uncle Wu’s “move-the-site sketching” technique. Choose what you would like to sketch, rearrange the objects any way you wish, and complete a unique sketch using your preferred medium. Do you notice the environment and the colours around you? What catches your attention?

Activity: Sketching the everyday life

Offering you insights into the creative philosophy and emotional journey of Wu Guanzhong from his sketching trips. 


Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Wu Guanzhong Sketching from Nature

Turning a sketch into an ink painting

Background Knowledge