One of China’s leading contemporary artists, Zhou Chunya has continued to achieve immense success with every change in his artistic style or subject matter. His 1982 graduation piece “Sheep Shearing” won a prize at the National Art Exhibition, which at that time was China’s most prestigious annual art exhibition. Three decades on, “Sheep Shearing” came onto the market once again, and sold for a record price, RMB 30 Million. Different to artists such as Wang Guangyi or Yue Minjun whose works make extensive use of political symbolism and Pop Art methods, Zhou Chunya’s attention is directed towards people, animals and plants, hence the importance of Zhou’s “Flower Vase”, “Green Dog”, “Mountain Stones”, “Red Man” and “Peach Blossom” series in his evolution as an artist. Zhou’s work thus has something of the character of traditional Chinese literati painting. One commentator described Zhou’s work: “Zhou Chunya has integrated Western forms of artistic expression with the content of traditional Chinese art. He uses the tactile sensibility of sculpture to reconstruct Chinese literati ‘bird and flower’ painting, and borrows techniques from German neo–expressionism to reinterpret traditional Chinese landscape and flower painting; Zhou’s art thus embodies a powerful sense of ‘combining Chinese essence with Western technique’.” The “unnatural” use of color is one of the hallmarks of Zhou’s paintings, and is most readily obvious in the “Green Dog” series. Vividly colored Chinese landscapes, peach blossom so brightly hued they seem almost to be on fire – in every aspect of Zhou’s paintings, from the choice of colors to the composition, there is a sense of wild exhilaration. Among contemporary Chinese painters, Zhou Chunya is widely considered to be one of the most skilled in the use of color.

Love has been a source of inspiration for artists since time immemorial. In the “Red Man” series, which Zhou Chunya painted after getting married for the second time, the canvases are full of red tones that symbolize passion and sexual desire. Following his third marriage and the setting up of a new atelier in Shanghai, the joy of love and the beautiful scenery that surrounded his workshop inspired Zhou to create the “Peach Blossoms” series. Examination of how Zhou’s work has changed over the years shows that the integration of influences from traditional Chinese culture with Western artistic techniques and concepts has remained constant throughout. Zhou once stated in an interview that “Painting flowers makes me think of tradition … I like things that are alive and vigorous. When I used to go to visit the Taohuashan (Peach Blossom hills) near Chengdu in the spring, the expanse of pink blossom spreading all across the hills had an entrancing effect, and gave me a sense of the rhythms of the primal life force.”

In traditional Chinese literati painting, one of the most frequent themes is the “Four Gentlemen” (plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum). Besides the actual depiction of the flowers and plants themselves, these paintings were also used as a means of symbolically exploring or portraying the literati artist’s own character. However, peach blossom was not part of the subject matter for paintings of this type. Where peach blossom does appear in traditional Chinese culture is as a symbol or metaphor in love poems. Zhou Chunya is on record as saying that marriage to his third wife had a major impact on the “Peach Blossoms” series. The gorgeous scenes with their red petals are often accompanied by a red human figure, symbolizing passion. As the art critic Lu Peng put it, “The peach blossom represents Zhou Chunya’s feelings; in the world he depicts, where the peach blossom and branches are constantly growing and unfolding, his heart is also opening out. The great artists of the past used their paintings to remind later generations of the majesty of the natural world, and of the freedom of the spirit that their brushstrokes embodied. Life today teaches artists the importance of being true to oneself … Zhou’s peach blossom does not belong to the material world; it reflects the impermanence and flux that characterizes China today. Zhou Chunya often starts work on several canvases all at the same time. There is no timetable, only a spur to action; there is no plan, but there are results. Everything that is represented in these paintings derives from the freedom of the artist’s own soul.” Zhou uses his own unique method to engage in dialog with the painters of the past through the medium of peach blossom painted in oils on canvas.

“Peach Blossoms Series 2006 – Glamorous Lake” is one of the finest works in Zhou Chunya’s “Peach Blossoms” series. Above the surface of the lake, which melds into the sky, a branch laden with Peach blossom brings joy to the heart of the viewer, while the reflection of the blossom in the lake adds an extra touch of beauty to the scene. The bright pink of the Peach blossom and the blue of the lake fill the canvas; the marks left by oil paint dripping down the canvas join with the picture itself in a harmonious fusion that seems completely natural.