In summer, 2003, Chu Teh–chun’s giant oil painting “Symphonie Festive” was unveiled at the entrance hall of Shanghai Opera House. With a height of 4.3 meters and a length of 7.3 meters, this was the largest work the painter had ever created. People were amazed at the painting’s stunning momentum, luxuriant musical elements and innovation. The old painter felt no fear or hindrance when faced with such a giant canvas. He harnessed space calmly and enjoyed the pleasure of wielding his paintbrush, feeling as confident and unrestrained as he used to be. The form and color are smooth and flamboyant, echoing a musical poetic space the artist has always explored throughout his life. An art critic once praised his majestic art style and said, “Chu Teh–chun wants to compete against all spaces!”

Now, over eighty, Chu still paints with sharp strokes and colors, with bright and vivid tones, to create a fantastic landscape filled with infinite imagination. He once pointed out that only after his sixties could he be comfortable and skilled enough to create paintings he was satisfied with. “Compared to young people, the elderly own the most affluent spiritual resources, with lengthy life experiences and memories. Since the 80’s, I have been painting my own memory and journeying within,” said Chu when speaking of his mindset in creation. Memory hides in the depths of the mind. Like lava from the center of the Earth, memory accumulates its energy over time. Although buried in a hidden bottom layer, it is a surging and passionate spiritual core that blazes with an incomparable flame. Facing the canvas, the painter can thus manifest the light of memory inside him, which is also the radiance you and I share. This is why his paintings always touch people’s hearts and stimulate the deepest emotions.

Although inspired by Western abstract expressionist art, Chu has always had a high degree of respect for Chinese landscape painting during the Tang and Song dynasties. He also enjoys reading Tang poetry and Song Ci (a poetic meter) to cultivate his personality. Chu perfectly combines modern abstract painting with poetry, painting and artistic conception, embodying the ancient saying that “painting dwells in poetry as poetry exists in painting.” He is called “the Song painter of the 20th century.” Chu holds a habit of listening to classical music when creating his works. Following the rhythm of the musical notes, he expresses a kind of musical element and spirituality on his canvas. The soul–stirring emotion surges and falls just like individual movements in a symphony.

Technique, literature, philosophy and knowledge are all important foundations for a painter since culture and knowledge can imbue a painting with added depth. Being diligent in self–enrichment, Chu sees these elements as necessities. Completed in 2004, the oil painting “Irruption de l'inconnu” is a grand work created at the painter’s mature period. The old painter still possesses childlike innocence and creates his work in a light and carefree sense, showing a magnificent landscape of memory. He once said, “Abstract painting depicts those paradoxical images of a person’s life experiences sinking into memory. I believe this is the unknown land I shall explore.” A kind of unnamed and unknown feeling surges like an eruption of flame. Chu explores and depicts these unspeakable yet stunning scenes wholeheartedly.

Chu once said: “On my canvas, the colors and lines never meet each other incidentally. They all harmoniously achieve a single purpose: activating light sources to evoke images and rhythms.” “Irruption de l'inconnu” presents the strength and harmony of an inner universe, revealing a kind of gem–like fluorescent radiance through chaotic darkness. Chu’s use of light determines his painting’s color and structure, bringing out a classic manner in a modern painting, which is solemn and sacred. The glow from the blank space, moreover, creates infinity out of a finite space.