Lu Chuntao: Concept of the great embrace
In Lu Chuntao’s 2015 Hong Kong Exhibition viewers see are results, while the artist would like to express the whole process of loneliness and nirvana. Each stroke comes from the encounter of the outer and inner part of the body, and bursts from the fingertips.
In his early days, Lu’s paintings express the vibrate life, with glory and different colors, and full of flowers with joy. They are matching each other. This shows the conviction to the “Shanghai Painting School” and respect to the traditional representational painting.
At the right occasion, when Lu becomes settled and integrates the tradition, he begins to describe his own appearance freely. There is tangible form with the intangible spirits. It has the casual and concise style of the western painting, but keeps the spiritual similarity and full meaning of the Chinese traditional painting. When the colorful paint reaches the paper color, it remains the shadow of the lotus pond outside the window. However, its appearance changes a lot. All are expressed by the brush and paint. The abstract connotation just lies in the mind of the viewers.
To serve itself and to express the inner part is his priority. It turns out to be complete. All the creatures are in full appearance. What is in the picture nurtures the meaning of Lu. Since then, Lu’s past practice of techniques have been fallen in front of the images. The artist, without going outside, can explain everything with his brush when sitting besides the lotus pond.
Lu’s technique evolves from traditional representational expression to the western abstraction, from “better than nothing” to “meaning before the creation”. From south to north, in countryside and remote places, disappearing among forest and mountains, and appearing among buildings in the city. His heart is embracing all the concepts. At this stop, he only holds his exhibition in Hong Kong. The same brush and paint tell different stories, but what have not changed are the lotus pond and the river in the heart of Lu, as well as his deep love and guard for it. In the endless evolvement of the nature, Lu records the story of his heart and the creatures, and also records the history and time. The light before dawn has lightened the journey of the people on the way.
