Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Zhang Hong Nian

I drew this portrait of my friend Zhang Hong Nian at his home in Woodstock, New York.


Hong Nian grew up in China, studying academic realism at the Central Art Academy in Beijing. After the Cultural Revolution, he was sent for four years to a forced labor camp, where he was not allowed to create art. In the 1980s he came to the United States to study Western painting and to exhibit his work. Today he is one of the most celebrated Chinese-American painters and teachers, and is married to portrait artist Lois Woolley.
---
Zhang Hong Nian's website


3 comments:

Rose Welty said...

His work is wonderful. I read and study that book every year - it is that good! His approach to painting is applicable to many different mediums.

Erik Bongers said...

I'm not sure if it was him, but I once read an article about him in National Geographic. Apparently he was still making corrections to a painting in the photographer's studio!

Robert J. Simone said...

That's a great painting. Talk about "shape welding", there is a great example of it!