Picturing wonderland

The Wonderland featuring large-scale oil paintings by Ye Jianqing attracts visitors at the Tokyo Gallery+ Beijing Tokyo Art Projects in Beijing on Oct 17, when it opened to the public. It will last through to Dec 12.

Every year, he goes to visit caves in China which house large amounts of murals dating back thousands of years and spanning many dynasties. He keeps practicing the powerful lines used in the murals and implementing them in his own works.

When the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic forced people to stay at home earlier this year, Ye made the best of the situation, devoting himself to reflecting on Chinese culture.

"Our culture stresses the harmonious relationship between nature and people. We are just a part of nature. It's also what we practice in Chinese landscape painting. Human figures are usually painted in a very small size," Ye says.

Speaking about his works that depict natural landscapes devoid of people, the artist says there is a spiritual coexistence between people and the natural world.

In a global context, the impact on artists who are faced with various cultures other than their own can result in them easily feeling lost. These days, Ye does more research and reading on traditional Chinese culture, while in his youth he spent more time studying Western art through books and visiting museums.

"When I get lost, I find the power from our original culture," says Ye.