2018.08.11-11.04｜Sowing Hope-Cen Long Solo Exhibition

Artist

Cen Long

Info

2018.08.11-2018. 11.04
Sowing Hope-Cen Long Solo Exhibition
Royal Mansion

Overview

Cen Long was born in 1957, graduated with a master’s degree from Xi An Academy of Fine Arts in 1980. Member of the Chinese Artists Association and an active participant in China’s Eighty-Five Art movement. A former oil painting professor at the Hubei Institute of Fine Arts. He is now a professional painter.

His signature artistic approach consists of a simple style, sophisticated brushwork, rigorous composition, and layered and solid coloring. These mastered techniques engender a strength to his paintings; each piece contains a deeper meanings beneath its various surface qualities. Together, these attributes express values that can withstand the test of time and captivate the imagination. His works evoke a sense of clarity and serenity to the viewer, encouraging those who are burdened by the hustle of modern life to re-experience the aesthetic of tranquility, to return to a more fundamental state of being. Due to the influences of his father, Mr. Cen Jia Wu, who was a renowned sociologist, art historian, and anthropologist, Cen Long pays special attention to the customs of ethnic minorities and the general public, which has become the foundation to his artistic inspiration. Whether through his paintings or illustrations of picture books, Cen Long always imbues his works with humanistic concern and compassion. The characters in his artwork are often those of a lower class, but they express confidence, genuine happiness, and ease in their demeanor. In our era where art is reigned by the economic demands of the market, his paintings are unquestionably different. His art causes one to consider a lifestyle marked by sincerity and exposes the viewers to the culture of everyday customs; with an alternative language of pure artistic expression that sits apart from the trend of the mainstream art market.

Self-portrait

When in the night loneliness passes over me, I gaze upward toward the wide firmament, studded with twinkling stars. They seem to encourage me in ceaseless dance, “Do not be sad,” they say, “for we are always with you.” And behind their distant solitude lies this warmth, a warmth which reminds me of many animals and people I have known, whose kind and tender disposition invokes these glittering stars, and who have always comforted me and encouraged me to face the struggles of life with firmness and composure. This unity, this solidarity which connects all of nature’s beings, is a blessing from the creator–and in return, I have dedicated my life to showing my gratitude through painting, and have approached each work as an homage to the eternal.