Chinese ink artist Guan Zhi initially followed the traditional path of gifted students by attending the elite Renmin University in Beijing and later completing his Master of Business Administration at Jinan University in Guangzhou. However, exposure to calligraphy and ink painting in his childhood led him to becoming a professional artist. He later moved to the US under the EB1 visa, which is only granted to those with extraordinary skills. This was unprecedented since most foreign artists, especially those from emerging markets, usually enter the country first as tourists.
Guan slowly made a name for himself in the US and enjoyed a certain popularity in the West Coast, as evident in a solo exhibition at the University of California, Merced’s art gallery in 2016. He slowly developed his own signature, seeking to transform the classic aesthetic and qualities of Chinese ink painting into works that resonate with both Chinese and Western society.
Guan’s dramatic and majestic works are greatly inspired by shanshui hua, the traditional Chinese art of painting natural landscapes using ink that was developed during the Song and Yuan dynasties. The technique declined in popularity during the Ming and Qing dynasties due to a of lack of ‘new basic technique and pictorial language.’
Today’s shanshui renaissance comes with a strong foundation of classical literature, but with an updated interpretation of pictorial art from scholar’s rocks to scenery. New techniques and styles are applied, such as texturing of mountains and rocks, contemporary painting treatments for water, clouds, trees, follies and other elements of nature. The large horizontal landscape painted by Guan, a part of ECKART ASIA’s The Juanita Collection, is a dramatic example that embodies these qualities and techniques.
While Guan’s works have not been displayed in museums or biennales, they are held by private collectors and art dealers. He has been vetted for very prestigious art fairs such as TEFAF Maastricht, The Winter Show in New York City, Masterpiece and Asian Art in London, and various fairs in Miami and Los Angeles.
