Artist Highlight: Lou Zhenggang

The soul of China captured in the contemporary work of Lou Zhenggang.

Lou Zhenggang.

When genius and talent meet discipline and dedication, the result is what one experiences in the work of the contemporary artist Lou Zhenggang (b. 1966, Heilongjiang, China). Due to her exceptional talent in calligraphy, which is considered supreme among the visual arts in China, Zhenggang was recognised as a child prodigy since the age of three. By the age of twelve she was recognised by the People’s Republic of China as “a particularly intelligent child.”

Road, 144cm×75cm, Ink on paper, 2009, Lou Zhenggang.

Initially trained by her father and later by important calligraphy masters in China, she developed her own personal style which is characterised by a contemporary visual aesthetic. During the first years of her practice she focused on calligraphy and ink on paper, while she later adopted western techniques, moving freely between Chinese painting and abstract compositions with oil and acrylic.

Zhenggang’s distinction in calligraphy is the result of extremely intensive and hard training since she was very young. According to the artist, precision and control are very important in brush painting. This is because black ink cannot be erased nor corrected once it is put on paper. Although it is said that anyone can master the technique, according to Zhenggang, “Painting is the voice of the heart, but in calligraphy the mind is the most important.” The artist goes on to explain that, “in order to excel in the calligraphic line, it is necessary to master oriental writing where boldness and sensitivity co-exist with the ability to create different types of curves. The presence of these lines gives the illusion of a continuous and dynamic motion.”

Zhenggang is not only distinguished for her strength in mastering the line, but one can sense the artist’s own energy in her calligraphic work. This is seen in her acclaimed “Sun and Moon” series (2010) where the elegant curves of the shape, the balanced combination of black and white and the highly controlled brushstrokes are main characteristics of the work. While still emphasising the expressive qualities of ink and brush, her vibrant artwork is full of movement with a profound sense of poetry and musicality.

Sun (Sun & Moon series), 128cm×128cm, mix media, 2010, Lou Zhenggang.

Moon (Sun & Moon series), 128cm×128cm, mix media, 2010, Lou Zhenggang.

In her abstract paintings the artist combines harmony and tension in a way that is not just aesthetically beautiful, but it is also emotionally moving. Harmony has been understood by great philosophers such as Confucius and Heraclitus, as an integration of different forces and an on-going process in a fluid world. More specifically, the Chinese notion of harmony is multidimensional and open-ended. It is indeed through this kind of constant self-renewal and tension, that harmony takes its course in Zhenggang’s paintings.

Untitled, 130cm×130cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2019, Lou Zhenggang.

In her “Untitled” series, one can sense the pure energy and expression that the artist has infused in the making, achieving a striking result. The artist masterfully combines the power of her practice with the finesse of female sensitivity and emotional depth.

Untitled, 130cm×130cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2019, Lou Zhenggang.

Despite the abstraction of the compositions, one can easily recognise that Zhenggang is pre-occupied with the representation of nature, with the water element enjoying a primary role. In fact, the artist gets her inspiration from nature’s vitality and magical colour

transformations through the spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean seen from her studio in Izu-Japan. Through a bold combination of depth and light her paintings often reach an almost photographic mimesis of nature causing the viewer to pause, dream and feel.

Untitled, 130cm×130cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2018, Lou Zhenggang.

Untitled, 162cm×130cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2018, Lou Zhenggang.

The richness of her paintings, which are often large-scale, is also due to the artist’s continuous research in the relationship between colour, materiality and different techniques. The integration of calligraphy with gestural abstraction where she combines ink, oil and acrylic, managing to master the liquidity of the ink and the thinness of the oil is particularly interesting.

Untitled, 145cm ×145cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2019, Lou Zhenggang.

Untitled, 130cm×130cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2019, Lou Zhenggang.

Zhenggang’s intention is not to adhere to a fixated style but to challenge the entrenched framework of representative Chinese artistic traditions and widen the horizon of artistic possibilities. Her work is highly informed by the Art Informel movement and particularly, by the work of the French-Chinese painter Zao Wou-Ki (1921-2013) who combined modernist abstraction with Chinese painting, thus challenging the boundaries between Western and Asian traditions. In a similar manner, by offering a distinct expression of abstract expressionism and injecting her mastery of Chinese painting, Zhenggang creates a new path in contemporary Chinese art.

Untitled, 260cm x 162cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2018, Lou Zhenggang.

Untitled, 194cm×162cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2018, Lou Zhenggang.

The breadth of the artist’s practice suggests that, blending different artistic traditions and embracing diversity can result in contemporary works which are characterised by depth, meaning and arresting beauty. This is why Zhenggang is considered to be one of the most prominent contemporary Chinese artists in Asia and has a place in the international contemporary art world.

Untitled, 130cm×97cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2019, Lou Zhenggang.

Untitled, Acrylic on canvas, 162cm x 130cm, 2018, Lou Zhenggang.

Lou Zhenggang had more than twenty-seven solo and three traveling exhibitions in China, Japan and the United States during the last thirty years. Some of her most recent exhibitions include, “The World of Lou Zhenggang as a young master-Contemporary Iterations of Song and Yuan Dynasty Painting & Calligraphy” (Whitestone Gallery, Tokyo, 2020), “Sun & Moon Series, Lou Zhenggang and Lalique Collaboration” (Paris, London, Zurich, 2020), “Ever-evolving Japanese artists right now” (New Art Museum, Japan, 2019) and “MIMU 2018” (Tokyo).

The paintings of Lou Zhenggang are part of the permanent collections of leading museums including the National Museum of China in Beijing, the CEDF (China Education Development Foundation) and the LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art).

The artist is represented by Whitestone Gallery with spaces in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Taipei and Karuizawa.

Andriani Raouna,

Guest Contributor, MADE IN BED