Painter Shi Hu tells tales of heaven, earth

Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta

The third Chinese painting exhibition in Jakarta this year, Shi Hu's exhibition, organized by Linda Gallery, excels by its exciting blend of Chinese mystique and Western technique.

While often mentioned as the Picasso of the East, Shi Hu's works, in this exhibition, with a few exceptions, may merit more than that, given the poetic resonance throughout most of his works, his tangible traditional roots and the various layers rendered in transparent mode which tend to have a touch of the grotesque, the absurd, and the mood of fairy tales.

Myth, legend and life's realities blend on his large canvases toned in an exuberant mix of vibrant colors. Multi-layered and multi-faceted, his large canvases offers a wide range of interpretations, in fact, looking at it is like exploring a trail of discovery.

Although a first impression may be that of chaos, one may feel there is something more than meets the eye, resulting in coming back to have a closer look, or perhaps I should rather say "a more distant look".

For it is from a distance that one discovers the canvas has in fact an important story to tell, perhaps a message or just a sharing of the artist's mood. A first impression of 120 cm by 182 cm large painting titled Prince on a Horse, for instance, may convey a mood of jubilant joy. The background of azure blue finds its accent in other shades of blue, clear red, yellow, and green, and is layered over the main theme consisting of a horse with its rider stopped by a nude lady holding the horse's reins.

Maybe one should just indulge in the buoyant mood. But if one must try to decipher the images on the painting, muffed or taken apart and then reassembled, a trail of many larger or smaller discoveries will unfold. Somewhere in the clouds there is another, smaller scene, while the lady's buttocks are up front instead of at the back, and other imageries find their way on her breasts.

Is this a fairy tale of the prince who is caught by his dream princess or is the lady a metaphor for the human being caught in heavenly revelations, or is this just a tangle of the artist's bizarre imageries?

Whatever it may be is up to anyone's perception. As the artist makes known through his daughter Lei, he is not to interfere in anyone's right of interpretation. If he started discussing or explaining, it would ruin Art, hence he won't answer questions and won't talk about what he had in mind or what had inspired him. Arrogance? Or just practicing the ancient Chinese wisdom of "Tao having no meaning that can be captured by words" and following the way of Tao that is to let go, so things will go their natural way, in order that the essence be preserved?

Whatever image Shi Hu paints, according to Lei, his daughter, is a metaphor for the living creatures and the environment in the universe. Neither stands alone, but lives together in the universe.

In this sense, one may come, not only to enjoy the wondrous colors of his large canvases, but also understand the spirit of multi layers, which are all visualized in a transparency that leads to multi imagery. In the same vein we may appreciate the 112 cm x 182 cm painting titled Village Girl, or feel the energy coming from the 104 cm x 176 cm large canvas titled Red Sky, probably conveying the dynamic of the cultural Revolution that had, reportedly, had a large impact on the artist.

Displaying 72 works, the exhibition also includes works that carry yet another feature of the artist, namely impasto, thickly applied paint retaining marks of the knife or other sharp instrument creating textural qualities. Colored in greenish gray, works like Under the Shade, Beauties among the Flowers, and other, have the appearance of stone relief encountered among others in the Indonesian candi (temple).

Shi Hu apparently never forgets his origins. Elements of Chinese painting in ink emerge in-between his oil-on canvas. In fact, a range of his nudes, ink on paper, illustrate his expertise in Chinese painting, sometimes partially diluting his ink and giving the impression of watercolor, rendering exclusivity to the work. Particularly worth noting are the nudes with a leaf painted with all its fine veins.

Another heritage of his tradition is the Chinese calligraphy, which is said to be one of the highest forms of Chinese art. In studying Chinese calligraphy one must learn something of the origins of Chinese language and of how they were originally written. Shi Hu, whom his daughter says is reviving Chinese calligraphy, stands out in making one sense the poetic in his calligraphic works. Like a melody, there is rhythm in the flow of lines. While we may worry about not understanding the Chinese word, it is best to just indulge in the enjoyment of the abstract beauty.

The collection exhibited in Jakarta came from Beijing, and will be further exhibited in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.

Born in 1942 in Yu Shui, Ho Bei Province, Shi Hu (meaning Stone Tiger) now lives in Zhuhai, just on the border of Macao. He studied at Beijing Fine Arts college, and Zhi Jiang Fin Arts Academy and has exhibited widely. He is the founder of the Shi Hu Poetry Club that endorses the Mandarin language culture.

i-BOX:

Asian Tour Solo Painting Exhibition by Shi Hu (Stone Tiger) Linda Gallery, South Jakarta, Jl. Kemang Raya 46: until May 14, 2003. Phone 719 0888 Linda Gallery, Singapore, Blk Dempsey Road # 01-03 Phone (65) 476 7000.