Born in Ningbo, Zhejiang in 1955, Zhou Chunya now lives in Chongqing and is one of the most talented and representative artists in the field of contemporary Chinese art. From his early "Sheep Shearing" to the later passionate and changing "Mountain and Rocks," "Landscape," "Green Dog," "Red Man" and "Peach Blossom" series completed when he returned to China from Germany, his work has been widely accepted and successful in the market of contemporary art.

Zhou studied art in Germany from 1986 to 1988. He was amazed and deeply influenced by German Expressionism and Neo-Expressionism. During the early 90s, he began to study traditional Chinese painting. While indulging himself in the majestic atmosphere and exquisite deepness of the Chinese literati paintings of Wang Meng, Bada Shanren and Huang Binhong, he was also stimulated and inspired by the essence, spirit and depth of tradition.

Seeing the world, Zhou eventually recognized his roots and regarded traditional Chinese paintings as source of endless inspiration. Zhou blends Neo-Expressionism and traditional Chinese ink wash into his work, composition, strokes, colors, texture and the presentation of the picture. As a result of his mastery of these two completely different cultures, Zhou combined his techniques to create in the remarkable "Mountain and Rocks" and "Landscape" series. His artistic practice is a veritable expression of his personal emotion and has established his unique art language.

When speaking about his "Mountain and Rocks" series, he said, "I was studying literati landscape painting when working on ‘Rocks'. I didn't try to understand literati from its material properties and forms like Chinese painters once did, but I tried to look for those unfamiliar yet surprising objects with my own will for artistic expression. I spent a lot of effort on passion and quality, almost obsessively trying to capture and explore the visual elements hidden in the natural properties of rocks. By strengthening these elements, enlargement itself is the form while the visual presentation is the content: no further explanation or implication is required. We began from the concept and the method, and the rocks that were seen and understood became somehow more surprising, more moving."

Painted in 1992, "Stone" is a representative of the early "Mountain and Rocks" series. It draws from the layout of traditional Chinese painting, the technique of expression that focuses on artistic concept, and blends the thick color of Expressionism. This piece shows a majestic composition and layers of harmonious tones with the special texture of oil painting. In the gargantuan and breathtaking mountains and rocks, the artist excavates the organic inner spirit in life as well as a sort of unique aesthetics through his precise grasp and depiction of quality and texture. The flow of Zhou's strokes and his use of ink reveal a unique texture of Expressionism. By using two techniques, Chinese ink wash and Western oil painting, Zhou demonstrates his profound ability to create a painting within a painting on the canvas.