Peony Flowers
Zhou Bichu
1973
- YEAR:1973
- MEDIUM:Oil on canvas
- DIMENSIONS:61 × 49 cm
Introduction
Zhou Bichu, one of the first generation of Chinese artists to study in France, gained a reputation as a unique colourist who deployed contrasting colours in a style infused with richness and unity. In 1959, while Zhou visited his family in China, he was deeply moved by the development of Chinese art and decided to stay on to teach at the art academy. After settling in Shanghai, Zhou often worked on the flowers on his balcony, and Peony Flowers was created during this period. The painting features a richly harmonized background, a glass vase rendered with crystalline clarity, and five red peonies imbued with strong traditional resonance, their colour sharply contrasted against the background. Zhou’s distinctive, brisk brushwork is arranged with deliberate precision, blending the techniques and charm of Impressionism with the “Mi dots” brushwork of traditional Chinese ink painting, making it one of his most essential works in the practice of integrating Chinese and Western art.
