Yuan Zhan(b.1941) Royal Bird ink and colour on silk executed in 2000 42x88 cm (16 1/2 x 34 5/8 in) EXHIBITED Yuan Zhan Modern Blue and Green Landscape Painting, Hanart TZ Gallery Taipei and Hong Kong, He Xiangning Art Museum Shenzhen, 2000 LITERATURE p.146-147, Yuan Zhan Catalogue, My Humble House Art Gallery, Taipei, 2011
“She gained her accomplishment since 1990, which was considered as a turning point of her career. She once said, ‘Prior to 1990, I have not painted for almost 20 years. Every painting has shown traits of my mentor’s style; but I did not give up practicing calligraphy every day until my style finally transformed from imitating.’ Yuan Zhan was deeply influenced by masters of Chinese painting while studying in Normal University. She was mentored by Pu Hsin Yu and Huang Jun Bi, which established her solid ink painting foundation. After her graduation, she further her studies in Europe, broadening her horizons with western culture and art. Also, the work experience in Palace Museum contributed to her understanding towards the essence of Chinese art. She did not paint until her mid-40s. Her persistence on practicing calligraphy during that period has allowed her to grasp on the features of lines and details in Chinese painting. The aesthetics that she honed over the years and the innovative concept of ‘divergence, innovation, and transformation’ inspired Yuan to merge contemporary elements into Chinese classical painting. She unleashed her imagination and inspiration, expressing abundant visual content in her works. Besides innovation, she even proposed many possibilities of Chinese paintings in terms of media and colour.” ─ Excerpt from the introduction of Ancient and Today: Exhibition of Yuan Zhan’s 25-year Creation Experience held at Kaohsiung Art Museum
Royal Bird is an important work from the oeuvre of Yuan Zhan when she started to shift to surrealism since 2000. She depicted classical flowers and birds, mountains and rocks, and shells in the artwork to present an obscure magical time and space. The Taihu Stone on the left supports the structure of the painting. Unlike the golden and bright colour that she used to use, Yuan tried to paint with brown and yellow, which is rare in Chinese paintings. The horizontal lines and the sand dunes are like conceptual waves for the audiences to detach from reality. The shape of the stone signifies the silhouette of a female face. The sand-like background, the depiction of objects from all kinds of time and space and the contrast of the strong shadow reveal the artist resonances of Dali’s works and surrealism of the 1930s. However, Yuan chose not to imitate. Different from the mystery and fear presented in Dali art, she only rendered the symbolic items in surrealism, presenting a classical reverence and past memories to the viewers. The artistry shape and classical objects and lines show her exquisite skill and strong foundation in Chinese painting. The overall color is graceful, the lines are smooth; however, it violates the composition of Chinese classical paintings and the concept of time and space, giving a strong visual impact to the viewers. She decomposes Chinese and western art, setting her own stage with surreal magnificent scenery and extensive imagination. Yuan established her unique aesthetics system and in Royal Bird, she combined Chinese and western concepts by painting Chinese elements into the western background, marking a new page in contemporary ink painting.