Foreword:

Rock colors painting is an old yet brand new art. With natural mineral color and high-temperature crystal pigment as material and animal glue as media, it bursts visually with rich colors, transparent tone, unique texture and luster. Originating from ancient Chinese paintings, colored rock painting, boasting a history of a thousand years, once was a dominating category in China before the rise of Chinese ink-wash painting. The earliest colored rock painting was found on the prehistoric rock colors paintings of New Stone Age, as well as in paintings on silk, mural of royal court, mural in the grave and grotto. In modern times it seems to have faded out of people’s memory, while in Japan rock colors painting has been honored as national painting and domestic mainstream after having experienced the long process of integration and innovation since its arrival.

The artist, Yu Peng, also Associate Professor at Tongji University, has earned his Ph. D. of Arts (Painting) during his eight years in Japan. Yu’s systematical exploration in new techniques and concepts of rock colors painting in Japan and attempts to connect it with Chinese traditional culture heritage collectively support his creation of colored rock painting of birds, flowers and landscape series. This exhibition celebrates the artist’s fruitful exploration over years in the field of colored rock painting, including the artist’s past selections in “Japan Fine Arts Exhibition”, “Japan Spring Fine Arts Exhibition”, “Leaves Collection: Nihonga Exhibition”, and “Kyoten Exhibition” held in Japan.

Yu Peng’s works successfully integrate the artistic strength of both freehand ink-wash painting and colored rock painting. By blending abstract tone with representation, his characteristic visual devices bring the aura of harmony, nature, and vitality to the fore. Focusing on life and nature in general, his works provide sober observation over life, as well as lyric descriptions of grass and flowers in the nature, sometimes through thick yet still delicate strokes, sometimes through free splashing figure ink. The variety of styles provides an everlasting enjoyment from a wild, clear-cut, emotional, yet controlled world of art. But his works all points to an everlasting theme, that is, representation of “life”. This traditional yet new art form, rock painting, has allowed the artist a greater freedom to fully use his artistic devices to render us a wonderland with half-transparent air, the flow of fog and wind, hue of sunset, the dancing grasses and flowers, and even the aromatic smell of the nature, all coming to life in these silent pictures.

This exhibition showcases a beautiful, fresh and profound world of rock colors painting through the artist’s eyes. Hopefully the works can fully display the glamour of this art form and convey the nature’s beauty and life’s breathing to each viewer. As an artist YU Peng is going to spend his whole lifetime and energy on exploring the world of rock colors painting, aiming to search for a new road in contemporary painting and restore this ancient and valuable artistic form to glory in China.