Wenlan Hu Frost
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Chinese Calligraphy 2.0 – The Love Character
Abstract
Symbolism Series
The first forty-two paintings in the Chinese
Calligraphy 2.0 –
The Love Character Abstract Symbolism Series were recently
exhibited
at The Butler Institute of American Art. Currently, the series contains
fifty completed works. The
paintings are acrylic on canvas, each
measuring 48" x 48" (122 cm x
122 cm). The titles of the paintings are listed below along
with thumbnail images. Following the listing is a description of the
series and the artist's notes on the paintings.
Individual Titles
and Images of the Series
Description
of the Series
The Artist's Notes
on the Series
Individual Titles And Images of The Series (click on title to
enlarge)
1. Medium
Red Love on Light Yellow No. 1
2. Light Yellow Love on Medium
Red No. 1
3. Light Yellow Love on
Brilliant Blue No. 1
4. Brilliant Blue Love on Light
Yellow No. 1
5. Light Green Love on Light
Yellow No. 1
6. Light Yellow Love on Light
Green No. 1
7. Fluorescent Pink Love on
Black No. 1
8. White Love on Fluorescent
Pink No. 1
9. White Love on Medium Yellow
No. 1
10. Medium Yellow Love on Black No. 1
11. Bright Aqua Green Love on Black
No. 1
12. White Love on Bright Aqua Green
No. 1
13. Brilliant Purple Love on
Brilliant Yellow Green No. 1
14. Brilliant Yellow Green Love on
Brilliant Purple No. 1
15. Orange Love on Bright Aqua Green
No. 1
16. Bright Aqua Green Love on Orange
No. 1
17. Light Blue Love on Medium Magenta
No. 1
18. Medium Magenta Love on Light Blue
No. 1
19. Iridescent Rich Gold Love on
Iridescent Rich Silver No. 1
20. Iridescent Rich Silver Love on
Iridescent Rich Gold No. 1
21. The Love of God No. 1
22. The Love of God No. 2
23. The Love of America No. 1
24. The Love of America No. 2
25. The Love of The World Trade
Center No. 1
26. The Love of The World Trade
Center No. 2
27. The Love of Humanitarianism No. 1
28. The Love of Humanitarianism No. 2
29. The Love of Family No. 1
30. The Love of Family No. 2
31. The Love of Life No. 1
32. The Love of Earth No. 1
33. The Love of Yin and Yang No. 1
34. The Love of Mars And Venus No. 1
35. The Love of Mars No. 1
36. The Love of Venus No. 1
37. The Love of Eight Eights No. 1
38. The Love of Possibilities No. 1
39. The Love of Hotness No. 1
40. The Love of Coolness No. 1
41. The Love of Ohio No. 1
42. The Love of Ohio No. 2
43. The Love of Texas No. 1
44. The Love of Texas No. 2
45. The Love of Chinese Double Eights No. 1
46. The Love of American Double Eights No.
1
47. The Love of Humanitarianism No. 3
48. The Love of Humanitarianism No. 4
49. The Love of The World No. 1
50. The Love of The World No. 2
Description of The Series
Chinese-born
American artist Wenlan
Hu Frost is the first artist to
present the Chinese character as a symbolic abstract art form on a
Western medium. She has developed an Abstract Symbolism painting style
to execute her first major body of art works, which emphasizes a high
visual impact to viewers while delivering a simple message with
symbolic abstract images. Her representative works in her Chinese
Calligraphy 2.0 – The Love Character Abstract Symbolism Series is a
product of the artist's 32 years of life and cultural experiences in
China and 17 years in the United States. The series blends Chinese and
Western artistic characteristics, creating a unique and distinctive
artistic representation of a hybrid of traditional Chinese and modern
Western cultures.
The series was conceived in December 2006 when
Wenlan Hu Frost started
to explore her own avant-garde artistic style. In studying world modern
art history, she noticed that many Western master painters were
inspired by Asian art. Then she realized that the Chinese character is
itself a beautiful and ancient abstract art form that was not fully
appreciated by the Western world. One of the reasons is that since the
creation of Chinese characters from paintings or pictographs four
thousand years ago, traditional Chinese calligraphy has largely been
presented in a format of black ink on rice paper (or Xuan paper) over
the last two thousand years. This format has its own unique beauty, but
it is not a familiar medium for the Western world.
Wenlan Hu Frost decided to become the first artist
to present the
Chinese character in a Western medium as a modern abstract art form.
She believes that through a Western fine art medium presentation, the
world could better appreciate the Chinese character's extraordinary
abstract artistry and brilliance. The artist deeply believes that the
Chinese character is not only a significant part of Chinese culture,
but also a very important part of abstract art history for the entire
world. Thus, it is extremely meaningful to present this special
abstract art form to the Western world in the Western fine art medium.
After systematic study, research, planning, and
testing, Wenlan Hu
Frost started to paint her first series in May 2007. She had completed
initial 40 paintings for exhibition by December 2007. The series, which
is entitled Chinese Calligraphy 2.0
– The Love Character Abstract
Symbolism Series, presents the Chinese character as a modern
abstract
art form. The artist refers to the traditional ink on paper format of
Chinese calligraphy as Chinese
Calligraphy 1.0. To keep it simple and
straightforward, the artist focused exclusively on the Chinese Love
Character 愛 ai
(which is pronounced like “eye” and means “Love” in
Chinese) as her motif for the initial forty paintings of the series to
show the ancient abstract artistry of Chinese character art in a modern
Western fine art medium (acrylic on canvas).
One reason that the artist initially focused on the
word “Love” as the
first character for her paintings is that she also believes love is a
universal source of goodness. Mankind was created by a loving God.
Everybody in the world loves someone or something, and they all share a
desire to love and to be loved. Love is such a beautiful thing for
human beings. Love is abstract yet concrete, complex yet simple,
colorful yet plain, dynamic yet static, emotional yet peaceful,
physical yet spiritual. Thus, painting 40 Chinese Love Characters in
different color combination schemes and various symbolic background
designs is never too much Love.
In addition, the form of the Chinese Love Character
is absolutely
beautiful and stunning. The Chinese Love Character is a form of logical
aggregates or associative compounds, which uses a combination of
pictographs to symbolize its abstract concept. It is composed of three
segments. The first segment on top is derived from the picture of a
“Home” with people and a roof, symbolizing a family. The second segment
in the middle is the Chinese character "Heart" derived from a heart
pictograph. The third segment at the bottom is part of the Chinese
character "Friend" derived from a pictograph of hands shaking or
embracing. The Chinese Love Character symbolizes that Love is about
family and friends who love one another with all their hearts.
Wenlan Hu Frost studied various styles of Chinese
calligraphy and major
Chinese master calligraphers' works, trying to choose her niche style
for the paintings. She concluded that Chinese regular script (kaishu)
captured the original abstract elegance of the Chinese character very
well, so it is relatively easy for Western viewers to understand and
appreciate. Other styles such as cursive script (xingshu or caoshu) may
be more artistic and painterly similar to Western Abstract
Expressionism, but they have deviated too far away from the Chinese
character's original beauty for Western viewers to appreciate. In
addition, all beginners of Chinese calligraphy study and practice
kaishu first. It is also one
of the most widely used styles in China.
Therefore, the artist decided to choose the traditional Chinese kaishu
with a twist of her own design. Her character design shows bolder,
thicker, rounder, grander, and more lively strokes than most
traditional and contemporary kaishu
styles, which makes her character
image more powerful and majestic and masculine, yet graceful and
elegant and feminine in the meantime.
For the first twenty paintings, she chose a very
simple color
combination scheme to help viewers to focus mainly on the abstract
beauty of the Chinese Love Character itself. This combination is a
single foreground color and a single background color. Since everybody
has his or her own favorite color(s), the artist employed a variety of
color foreground/background combinations so as to appeal to the tastes
of a broad spectrum of viewers. She designed three sets each of warm or
cool colors with yellow, black or white combinations, as well as
complementary color combinations. She also used a special gold and
silver combination for one pair of paintings. She deliberately avoided
the black character and white background design, because they are
relatively close to the typical black ink on white paper imagery format
of traditional Chinese calligraphy (Chinese
Calligraphy
1.0).
The next 10 paintings come in pairs; these are more
sentimental,
representing fragments of reflections of the artist's life and value
system. The artist used symbolic images as backgrounds and put the
Chinese Love Character's image either on top of it or immersed in it to
convey messages. Some of the pairs have identical images with inverted
colors. The final 10 paintings are the artist's expressions of certain
broader interesting topics in her life.
Wenlan Hu Frost also shaped a definition of her
painting style as her
work on the series progressed. After she completed the fortieth
painting, the term Abstract Symbolism came to her mind as this seemed
to accurately describe the style in this series. The symbolism takes
three forms in her paintings. First, the Chinese character itself is a
symbol of Love , which is the primary theme of the
series. Secondly, her use of color is a second layer of symbolism,
representing different moods. Thirdly, her use of shapes in the
background in the second half of the series adds a final layer of
symbolism, such as the two rectangles representing the Twin Towers of
the World Trade Center. This third layer attaches secondary themes such
as family and humanitarianism. Both the use of the Chinese character
and the use of shapes are abstract rather than representational. The
primary theme of Love and some of the secondary themes of family,
humanitarianism, etc. are representative of absolute and universal
ideals. Some of the other secondary themes, such as the World Trade
Center, express a personal rather than a universal theme as it was
based on the direct personal experience of the terrorist attacks.
Today it is quite natural to view the Chinese
character as an abstract
symbol. However, Chinese characters began as pictographs, which were to
a degree representation in nature. Over time, most of these characters
evolved so that their representational nature grew increasingly
abstract. Today, only a few percent of Chinese characters retain a
representational pictographic relationship with what they represent.
In addition to showing the world the extraordinary
abstract artistry
and brilliance of the Chinese character, she also found a higher
meaning for her series. By using the abstract and symbolic Chinese Love
Character as her motif, combined with emphasis of the high visual
impact to the viewers through brilliant colors and abstract background
designs, she hopes that she could also deliver the world a simple Love
message with these symbolic abstract Love images. It is the artist's
hope that the Chinese Love Character could become the first Chinese
character that will be recognized by many Western people.
The artist presents Chinese calligraphy as a new
version Chinese
Calligraphy 2.0, in contrast to what she describes as Chinese
Calligraphy 1.0, the traditional presentation of Chinese
calligraphy in
the format of ink on paper. Chinese
Calligraphy 2.0 strips away the
traditional color limitations (black on white), medium (ink on paper),
and use of characters as part of a written message. Her work presents
the Chinese character as a motif rather than as part of a written
message; the goal is to show the abstract artistry of the character
itself. (In particular, this distinction will be easier for Western
viewers, most of whom do not recognize Chinese characters and thus
cannot “read” them and for whom it will therefore be easier to focus on
the artistic representation of the characters.) The paintings use a
modern Western medium – acrylic on canvas – and they are presented in a
large format with brilliant colors in a contemporary hard-edged
American painting style.
Chinese
Calligraphy 2.0 is
static in comparison with the dynamism of
Chinese Calligraphy 1.0. Chinese Calligraphy 1.0 is dynamic
in the
sense that the writing is performed through a few rapid strokes of the
brush; the dynamics of the calligrapher's movements are directly
recorded in the form of his writing, which is similar to Western
Abstract Expressionism. While this dynamism possesses an undeniable
power and beauty, it also provides a set of constraints on the
calligrapher and his work; this style does not permit revision or
refinement or correction. Western viewers of these traditional works
may sense a feeling of incompleteness or imperfection that may cause
some sub-conscious anxiety. Also, whereas the dynamic variation in the
character shape may represent a “style” to a Chinese viewer, it may be
somewhat confusing to the Western viewer, who lacks familiarity with
the basic unvaried form. Chinese
Calligraphy 2.0 transcends this
dynamic constraint, permitting a higher level of refinement or polish.
The end result is a more static image, which does not evidence the
dynamic movements of the artist in the shape of the character but only
through the texture of the brush strokes. This more static approach
results in a more refined and deliberate fine art product, which evokes
a greater feeling of spiritual peace and tranquility in the viewer.
The Artist's Notes on The Series
Painting 1. – 20.
Paintings 1
through 20 each feature a
single foreground color and single background color; the variation is
accomplished through the selection of different color combinations in
order to deliver a strong visual impact. The interpretation of the
colors is largely left to the viewer, as color associations can be
highly personal and cultural.
Paintings 1 – 6 feature the color yellow as both
foreground and
background juxtaposed against the three additive primary colors red,
green, and blue. These three pairs are unique among the first twenty
paintings in that they contain only colors that are the union of the
standard additive and subtractive primary colors, sometimes referred to
as the four primary colors or pure colors: yellow, red, green, and blue.
Paintings 7 – 12 use pink, yellow, and aqua as
backgrounds with a white
foreground and as foregrounds on a black background. Unlike the first
six, the colors are not inverted here to avoid the use of a white
background or black foreground that is characteristic of traditional
Chinese calligraphy (Chinese
Calligraphy 1.0).
Paintings 13 – 18 pair (nearly) complementary color
pairs:
green/purple, orange/aqua, and blue/magenta. These complementary pairs
have a powerful effect on some viewers who perceive apparent throbbing
motion when viewing them. The apparent motion combined with the bright,
almost fluorescent colors, can deliver an “electric” or “neon”
association for some viewers.
Paintings 19 and 20 feature an isolated pair of gold
and silver, the
colors of precious metals, which are intended to symbolize the
preciousness of Love.
21.The Love of God
No. 1
22.The Love of God
No. 2
These paintings
are inspired by the
passage in Genesis 9:8–17, in which the rainbow is named as a symbol of
God's love and His promise to mankind that there never be a flood to
destroy the earth again. The artist immersed the Chinese Love Character
in an abstract rainbow background to represent God's love. The purple
color at the top along with the purple at the bottom form a triangular
composition, which symbolizes the Holy Trinity. The Love of God No. 1
shows the colors arranged horizontally in the order consistent with the
order found in a real rainbow. The
Love of God No. 2 shows the colors
arranged vertically in a different order. No matter how the rainbow
changes, the viewers still can see the Chinese Love Character, showing
that God's everlasting love will be always there.
This pair of paintings is dedicated to all
Christians around the world,
especially to my youngest sister Michelle, whose life has been
immensely enriched by the love of God.
23.The Love of
America No. 1
24.The Love of
America No. 2
The artist
expressed the love of the
United States of America with the red, white, and blue colors of the
American flag. The backgrounds are red and blue, split in one case
horizontally and in the other case vertically, with a white Chinese
Love Character. These paintings can be interpreted as symbolic flags in
which the Chinese Love Character represents love of country and love of
the ideals which characterize America, such as faith, freedom, justice,
and opportunity.
This pair of
paintings is dedicated
to the American people, particularly to my husband Daniel Allen Frost,
who taught me the essence of America's spirit and culture, as well as
what makes this country a great and glorious land of opportunity.
25.The Love of The
World Trade Center No. 1
26.The Love of The
World Trade Center No. 2
While the World
Trade Center is
loaded with associations on a national and international level, it has
intensely personal associations for the artist herself:
The destruction of the
World Trade Center
is the saddest experience in my entire life and one that I will never
forget. I lived one block away from the World Trade Center for nearly
10 years. I enjoyed appreciating the majestic WTC twin towers from my
living room window and greeting them every day. I also worked in the
World Trade Center South Tower between 1992 to 1997 for Dean Witter
Reynolds as an equity research analyst. I experienced the terrorist
bombing of the WTC in 1993. It took me an hour to evacuate from the
63rd floor, walking down a dark, smoke-filled stairwell. I also
experienced the 9/11 terrorist attack on the WTC in 2001. I witnessed
the second plane pierce the South Tower from my living room window and
watched the twin towers fall from a nearby park. The dust clouds from
the collapse of the towers enveloped me and my family, cutting off our
sunlight and fresh air. We evacuated across the Hudson River and spent
that night in a makeshift Red Cross shelter in New Jersey. Through the
floor-to-ceiling window of that shelter across the river I watched the
orange glow above the WTC site as the flames continued to burn
throughout the night. It was many days before I was able to return to
my apartment to survey the damage caused when debris from the
collapsing towers shattered the windows and filled my apartment with
dust and broken glass.
For many
people, the World
Trade Center symbolizes New York or America or American capitalism, but
for me it was my workplace, my neighborhood, and the egress point for
nearly every subway trip that I took. For me, the World Trade Center
was where I liked to spend time at the Borders bookstore, where I took
my son to celebrate his cousin's birthday at my nephew's nursery
school, the first and last point of nearly every trip I took in the
city, and the view from my living room window.
This pair of
paintings expresses the
deep sadness that the artist experienced on that day. In The Love of
The World Trade Center No. 1, the black in the background
represents the
smoke that covered the sky, the two red columns represent the WTC Twin
Towers on fire, and the broken Chinese Love Character symbolizes the
artist's broken heart. In The Love
of The World Trade Center No. 2, the
red background represents the victims' blood, two black columns
represent the death of the WTC Twin Towers, and the broken Chinese Love
Character is still there. The terrorists destroyed the WTC Twin Towers,
but they can never destroy my love toward the World Trade Center, even
if it is broken.
This pair of
paintings is dedicated
to the thousands of victims who died during the 9/11 terrorist attack,
as well as their loved ones.
27.The Love of
Humanitarianism No. 1
28.The Love of
Humanitarianism No. 2
This pair
symbolizes the love
expressed through humanitarian action by medical professionals. Here
the red represents blood and white represents the white uniforms of
doctors and nurses, who are referred to as “angels in white” in China.
The broken Chinese Love Character symbolizes the pains and sorrows
associated with the emotionally and physically challenging work of
saving lives.
This pair of paintings is dedicated to the medical
professionals of the
world, especially to my younger sister who is a physician for her
selfless dedication to her patients and her life-long pursuit of
humanitarianism. She is the inspiration for these two paintings.
29.The Love of
Family No. 1
30.The Love of
Family No. 2
In these paintings
the artist used
different colors to represent different family members with different
personalities. The familial love is shown as beaming sunshine that
showers upon each individual member of the family. No matter how family
members interact with one another, despite how different from one
another they are, their mutual love is always present.
This pair of paintings is dedicated to the parents
in the world,
particularly to my dear parents. One of the greatest loves in the world
is the love that parents have for their children, especially the
selfless love of mothers. My parents tirelessly taught, guided and
encouraged me throughout my life. They shaped my character in my early
years, and now they are one of most powerful driving forces behind my
paintings.
31. The Love of
Life No. 1
This painting
expresses the love of
life using a simile: life is like traveling through a space tunnel in
the vast dark universe. A human life starts like the morning red sun,
full of promise. As life goes on, it experiences periods of growth
(orange and yellow), maturity (green, aqua, and blue), then old age
(purple). After its physical death (black), it embraces its spiritual
eternity (white, which consists of all of the colors). Life is such a
beautiful journey for mankind.
32. The Love of
Earth No. 1
This painting
expresses the love for
the planet that we humans all call our home. From the moon, our
marvelous earth looks like a brilliant blue sphere against black space.
The white Chinese Love Character evokes clouds surrounding the earth.
33. The Love of
Yin And Yang No. 1
The artist
borrowed the traditional
Chinese Yin and Yang symbol that describes the universal principles of
the world in which we live. Yin and Yang are two major opposite but
complementary elements in the universe. The harmony of Yin and Yang is
essential to mankind's wellbeing. Yin and Yang symbolize two opposite
yet correlated elements such as heaven and earth, day and night, East
and West, male and female, etc. One cannot exist without the other.
Traditional Chinese Yin and Yang symbols are black and white, but the
artist has replaced those colors here with aqua and magenta as opposite
colors. Dark blue symbolizes the universe we live in. The neutral light
yellow Chinese Love Character can unite the Yin and Yang harmoniously
together, symbolizing the power of Love.
34. The Love of
Mars And Venus No. 1
This painting is
inspired by Genesis
2:24 and Matthew 19:5 with a playful reference to the title of Dr. John
Gray's best selling book Men are
from Mars, Women are from Venus. God
said that a man “shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall
cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh”. The artist
symbolizes the interdependent relationship of men and women through
this image. A red Mars and an orange Venus travel through the deep blue
universe. At the moment they touch each other, they instantly become
one planet with half red and half orange. Mars and Venus intertwine,
and the Chinese Love Character becomes a strong binder to unite them
together. That is the power of Love. That is how God designed us to be.
35.The Love of
Mars No. 1
36.The Love of
Venus No. 1
These two
paintings represent
different views of love that men and women have. The artist chose
opposing orientations of the heart shape and different permutations of
the same colors to symbolize the different views of love. Although men
and women have different views toward love, the heart shapes are the
same, even though the perspectives are different.
These paintings
are dedicated to the
Valentines of the world.
37. The Love of
Eight Eights No. 1
The background of
this painting is
the image of eight abstract eights consisting of 16 circles. The
inspiration for the eight eights is the official Olympic Games'
starting date and time 8:00 am Beijing time, August 8th, 2008. The
artist added another four eights (including minutes, seconds,
eciseconds and
centiseconds, which are used in timing certain Olympic events) to
attain eight eights, symbolizing the tremendous pride of the Chinese
people, who have awaited this moment for many years. The number eight
has for centuries been considered the luckiest number in China. Thus,
eight eights are eight times lucky. The red and yellow eights are the
colors of the Chinese flag, and the blue Chinese Love Character
symbolizes the clear blue sky, which represents the wishes of good luck
from the artist to her motherland.
This painting is
dedicated to the
Chinese people, who are proud to be the hosts of the 2008 Olympic
Games. Historically, China has taken pride in being a very hospitable
country, which is recorded as far back in history as Marco Polo's
journey to China back in the 14th century.
38. The Love of
Possibilities No. 1
This painting is
inspired by the
thousand-year-old Chinese puzzle called the “Tangram”, which consists
of seven different pieces: five right isosceles triangles, one square,
and one parallelogram. The goal of the puzzle is to use one's
imagination to form various images, each by arranging all seven pieces
without any overlap. The puzzle is itself a type of art form as it is
used to create images. The Tangram in this painting symbolizes the
numerous possibilities in life.
39.The Love of
Hotness No. 1
40.The Love of
Coolness No. 1
These two
paintings were inspired by
the painting The Love of God 1.0,
in
which
the
colors are arranged in a
leap-frog style where the background color of one section becomes the
foreground color of the next section. The artist noticed a phenomenon
in that painting, particularly in the aqua on blue section, in which
the Chinese Love Character seemed to be immersed in water. The artist
further explored this inter-color immersion illusion by breaking down
the rainbow spectrum in two halves for these two paintings.
As a result, the
warm color scheme
painting looks like a sunrise lovescape in the desert, while the cool
color scheme painting looks like a moonrise lovescape over the ocean.
The immersion illusion will be more evident if the viewer gazes at the
paintings from a distance.
These two paintings are dedicated to
my two young sons Daniel Jr. and David for their being my first
viewers, as well as for the constant inspiration and honest feedback
that they gave to me. All of my art work designs have to pass through
their pure little filters before final approval.
41.The Love of
Ohio No. 1
42.The Love of
Ohio No. 2
These two
paintings are in the
collection of The Butler Institute of American Art and were gifts of
the artist. Wenlan Hu Frost painted these two paintings to
express her love for the state of Ohio. Ohio is a very special
state to the artist. It is the state that her husband came from,
the state where she was married, and the state where she had her first
solo museum exhibition. The artist views the gift as a token to
show her love for Ohio, as well as her deep appreciation of Dr. Louis
Zona and his entire staff at the Butler Institute.
These two paintings are based on the triangular
shape and the red,
white, and blue colors of the Ohio flag. The background of each
painting is red with a blue triangle; one is horizontal and the other
vertical. A white Chinese Love Character replaces the white circle,
stars, and stripes of the Ohio flag and represents the love of Ohio.
43.The Love of
Texas No. 1
44.The Love of
Texas No. 2
These two
paintings are painted to
show the artist's love of Texas, where she currently resides.
Texas is a very special state for the artist. It is the state
that she first studied art and started her career as an artist, the
state that taught her the essence of liberty and freedom, the state
that gave her inspiration for her art with its vast natural beauty, the
state whose spirit is rooted in The Alamo.
The paintings are based on the Texas flag, one
displayed horizontally
and the other vertically with the red, white and blue colors and the
Love Character in place of the Lone Star. These paintings may be
interpreted as symbolic flags in which the Chinese Love Character
represents the love of the state of Texas.
45.The Love of
Chinese Double Eights No. 1
The background of
this painting is
the image of two abstract eights consisting of four circles. The number
"eight" has for centuries been considered by the Chinese as the most
auspicious among numbers. Thus, double eights are twice as
auspicious, similar to "double happiness" that has been associated with
weddings for centuries in China. The red and yellow eights are
the colors of the Chinese flag, and the blue Chinese Love Character
symbolizes the clear blue sky, which represents the good luck
blessing. These three primary colors are also the most widely
used color combination in many Chinese media.
46.The Love of
American Double Eights No. 1
This painting is
similar to No. 45,
except the colors of the background and foreground of this painting
uses the red, white, and blue colors of the American flag. The
backgrounds are red and blue eights consisting four circles, with a
white Chinese Love Character as foreground.
47.The Love of
Humanitarianism No. 3
48.The Love of
Humanitarianism No. 4
This pair of
paintings were created
in May 2008 to memorialize two extremely sad moments in recent Chinese
history. The Love of
Humanitarianism No. 3 recorded the sad moment of May 12, 2008,
2:28 pm, when the tragic earthquake occurred. The red cross
symbolizes the bleeding earthquake victims, while the black background
symbolizes the darkness enveloping heaven and earth. The
fragmented black and red Chinese Love Character symbolizes more than
one billion Chinese people's broken hearts. The Love of Humanitarianism No. 4
recorded the Chinese national mourning moment of May 19, 2008, 2:28
pm. The black cross symbolizes the earthquake victims' perished
lives, while the red background symbolizes candle light, shining on
heaven and earth, from more than a billion Chinese people to pray for
the lost souls. The fragmented red and black Chinese Love
Character symbolizes more than a billion Chinese people's loving hearts
and their deep condolences toward the earthquake victims.
The artist was deeply moved by the shocking
earthquake disaster and the
unparalleled humanitarianism charitable activities throughout China
after the disaster. Especially, the artist was born in Chengdu,
Sichuan. Her mother was from Sichuan also. Therefore, she
has a special feeling toward Sichuan. The artist herself also
experienced the Tangshan earthquake in 1976, spending a hard few months
in a tent in Beijing. In 2001, she experienced the 9/11
terrorist attack on The World Trade Center and was displaced from her
broken apartment for a year. Eventually, she chose to leave New
York City to rebuild her new home. Thus, the artist deeply felt
the pains that Sichuan earthquake victims experienced. That is
why she created this pair of paintings in order to raise funds for the
Sichuan earthquake relief effort.
49.The Love of The
World No. 1
50.The Love of The
World No. 2
This pair of
paintings symbolize the
love of the world. The black background symbolizes the vast dark
unknown universe. The sphere symbolizes the earth orbiting in
dark space. Eight colors symbolize people from different
countries, races and cultural backgrounds sharing this one world - our
beautiful earth. This pair of paintings presents mankind's
interdependent relationship. We share one world. We
interact with, influence, and depend on one another. Love is the most
powerful force that makes us live harmoniously in this one world, and
the Chinese Love Character symbolizes this strong binder to link us
together. The reason that the artist chose eight colors is
because the number eight has for centuries been considered the most
auspicious number in China. In these paintings, the use of eight colors
also represent the artist's sincere hope for peace and friendship among
nations and peoples.
The major difference between these two paintings is
the difference in
their color sequence arrangement. In The Love of The World No. 1, the
color arrangement is more natural and harmonious, which pleases the
eye; in The Love of The World No. 2,
the
warm
and
cool color juxtaposition arrangement makes the
image full of challenges and vitality .
©
2016 Wenlan Hu
Frost. All Rights Reserved.