A POCKET FULL OF PERSPECTIVES ZHU HONG
A POCKET FULL OF PERSPECTIVES ZHU HONG
FOREWORD
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Laughing buildings, leaning skies and red suns that wax and wane as the moon does; it is a rare occurrence for one to see art so overtly definitive of the artist behind it. Unconventional, indeliblycreative and just zany enough to tickle both soul and senses — the art of Zhu Hong is a portrait of a man enraptured by the colours of amorous living. Filled with the sounds of scenic observation and imbued with the motion of the city’s most vibrant streets, it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you, Singapore, through the eyes of one of its greatest pramours; it is my pleasure to introduce to you, Zhu Hong. Born in China but moved to Singapore in 1997, Zhu Hong’s profile is nearly as intriguing as his art. Carrying a deep love for the lines of man-made structures, the artist carried a career history of architecture and interior design that formed the path to his immersion into the artistic study of it. Gathering his architectural knowledge and belaying it entirely for the impressionistic capture of feeling and thought, the artist’s work is filled with energy, emotion and memory that leave representation a mere formality in the eyes
A POCKET FULL OF PERSPECTIVES
of expression. Having established his degree of skill in watercolour and acrylic, the artist’s new series of oil works are by far the most evocative, carrying a personality within themselves that not only mirror but extend far beyond the man that created them. Melding the texture of oil into a vibrant harmony of subject space and light, Zhu Hong’s works are a veritable feast for the senses and remain virtually impossible to ignore, with wild strokes inexplicably coming together as one faultless whole. His mastery of expression remains firmly rooted in his technical prowess — in the controlled hand that drives aesthetics so powerfully through, that the viewer is lost in the spontaneity of his stroke and the energy of his vibrant palette. Conceptually, Zhu Hong’s newest series of Oil works are deeply personal on various levels, ultimately expressing his romanticism for the sights, sounds and, of course, the structures of Singapore. Drawn to bustling crowds and the concentrated cultural hubs that make up the most colourful parts of the city, viewers can expect to see alleyways and street corners, junctions and monumental buildings, busy streets and quiet city-
scapes — all rendered in the three dimensional dramatics of textured oil. Capturing building and people alike, the artist also introduces his ‘journal’ series, where familiar sights are written over by the artist himself, expressing the thoughts and feelings that ran through him as he created his work. Working his individuality into his distinctive aesthetic style allows his personal reflections to echo into the viewer, drawing them into the artist’s world and filling in them the same vigour that pulses through his art. Although Zhu Hong reflects primarily on Singapore, this series is one that speaks to the assimilated Singaporean just as much as it does to another. Carrying a universal positivity and pushing the envelope of unconventional sight, the colours and lines and his art are a rhapsody of music to more than one ear. Join us as we laugh with his architecture, lean with his skies, and wax and wane with his day and night. Come view with us, Singapore through the eyes of Zhu Hong. Jazz Chong Director Ode to Art
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Mysterious Night 100 x 75cm
A POCKET FULL OF PERSPECTIVES
在当今新加坡画坛，朱宏可谓是一位充 满活力的画家,其勤奋努力对艺术孜孜 以求，不仅佳作纷呈，还先后在狮城和 中国北京、上海等地多次举办了个人 画展。 朱宏的艺术创作完全来源于生活，作品 多反映人文和城市风光。 水彩画或通景 长卷或咫尺小幅，皆能构图奇巧，色彩 通透，以娴熟的技法和深邃的意境表现 出狮城多元文化的市井风情。 油画是画家近年的新作，其目的是探寻 新的途径来扩展个人的艺术创作。 虽然 创作题材依旧，但在艺术风格上力求单 纯和概括，色彩清新典雅，没有过多强 调复杂的光线和色彩变化，但却着重 于画面动与静的结合，轻与重的平衡， 构图上打破了水平与垂直，画中的建筑 在近乎“东倒西歪”中彼此呼应行成了 律动的美感。 而线条的运用不仅体现了 传统绘画元素，也增强了画面细节的 表现。 其人物画采用写意手法，笔法粗 简，色彩强烈，人物造型生动传神且有 夸张。
除此以外，朱宏还不时利用现代媒 介——手机，创作出一批色彩鲜亮、意趣 盎然的手机画，令人赏心悦目。 而正是 这些艺术个性和所取的成果，朱宏又被 狮城画界同仁誉为“多年来在新加坡艺 坛遽然冒出的一根异笔” ，备受人们的 关注。
与许多画家经历有所不同，朱宏自幼喜 欢绘画是通过不懈努力掌握基础技能。 大学所学建筑设计使其对建筑艺术内 涵有了更深刻认识，因而艺术创作也与 城市建筑结下不解之缘。 20世纪90年 代后期旅居新加坡，在完全陌生的环境 中，朱宏不畏艰辛奋力拼搏，并最终毅 然走上了专业画家之路。 艺术永无止境，作为专业画家朱宏的艺 术道路才刚刚起步，要用手中画笔去实 现人生的奋斗目标，仍需要加倍努力， 衷心期待朱宏在今后的艺术道路上不 断取得新的成就！ 大连现代博物馆馆长 刘广堂 2014年春
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NIS Red Roofs 100 x 120cm
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born in Dalian, China, Zhu Hong has been living in Singapore since 1997 and is currently a Singapore citizen. He holds a degree in Architecture, and had previously worked in interior design, architectural design and event design before turning to full-time art in 2011. At the moment, he also serves as an adjunct faculty lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic where he teaches visual art to tertiary students enrolled in high-tech media studies. As an artist, Zhu Hong is actively involved in the local arts scene. Apart from being a member of the Singapore Watercolour Society, he also helps the committee for the Federation of Art Societies. Although Zhu Hong only embarked on a full-time art career in the last couple of years, he has demonstrated tremendous interest and potential in art since young. Having observed his talent, an art teacher in school once advised for him to pursue art at his alumni university should the young boy’s grades for the other academic subjects remain mediocre. However, Zhu Hong eventually did well enough to enter another university to major in Architecture. In fact, he was drawn to Architecture as he con-
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sidered it a discipline closely related to art, and would allow him to express his visions and ideas through drawing.
no other, and his works inspire us to observe familiar scenes and objects with fresh eyes.
For Zhu Hong, painting offers an important source of mental and spiritual support, especially during his early years in Singapore. Alone and new in a foreign land, he would often spend his free time reading books in libraries, or travelling around to explore the island. For some time, he was also being coached in watercolour painting by another prominent Singaporean artist, Seah Kam Chuan. Watercolour painting quickly became a self-immersing hobby, and he never ceases to be fascinated by the versatility and poetic quality of this aqua-medium.
Zhu Hong sees art as being transcendental in nature; it is satisfying in so far as one devotes to it as a wholly spiritual and non-material pursuit. While he usually lives on a modest budget, he spares no qualms when it comes to investing in good quality paints and materials, sometimes even at the expense of a good meal. Such is his dedication and uncompromising spirit as an artist. In addition to watercolour, Zhu Hong is also constantly experimenting with other artistic means of communication that have evolved from the proliferation of modern technology and mass media. For instance, Crossroads, an art book he published in early 2012, features miniature sketches and paintings that were actually composed using his Samsung Galaxy Note.
In his watercolour art, Zhu Hong’s understanding of, and passion for city life and architecture are expressed through the way he captures the spirit and essence of a building and its immediate surroundings. Adopting askew lines and unique angles, the instinctive and playful distortions of architectural elements in his cityscapes and street scenes exhibit a distinctive and contemporary flavour. The colours employed are usually vibrant and arresting, and they reflect keenly the lively tropical atmosphere of our island. By injecting such an unconventional and localised twist into what is supposedly one of the most traditional and timeless mediums in the Western art world, Zhu Hong paints like
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Journal Entry on 011014 Material, 75 x 100cm
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Arab Street 120 x100cm
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A Corner at Little India 120 x 120cm
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Around the Curb at Selegie 100 x 75cm
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Afternoon at Kandahar Street 240 x 90cm
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A Languid Day Out 120 x 120cm
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Backlanes of Little India 90 x 70cm
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Beyond the Bend at Geylang 100 x 75cm
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Blue Awning at Joo Chiat 120 x 120cm
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Building Blocks 100 x 100cm
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Crossroad at Geylang 120 x 100cm
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Do You See Me 240 x 100cm
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Full Moon at Geylang 150 x 100cm
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Blue Awning at Joo Chiat 120 x 120cm
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Idle Hands 75 x 100cm
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My Quiet Friend 75 x 100cm
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NIS Jalan Besar 100 x 150cm
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Journal Entry on 180914 100 x 75cm
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Journal Entry on 150914 75 x 100cm
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My Neighborhood 70 x 90cm
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Bustling Streets 120 x 100cm
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Marketplace at Serangoon 70 x 90cm
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Mid Autumn Love 75 x 100cm
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Under the Shade 120 x 120cm
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Moonlit River 100 x 75cm
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NIS A Day of Celebration 75 x 100cm
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NIS Transition 100 x 100cm
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NIS Incomplete 100 x 150cm
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NIS A Fork in the Road 100 x 150cm
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NIS Journal Entry on 170914 100 x 75cm
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NIS Day Out With Dad 900 x 210cm
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NIS Enveloped in Night 120 x 120cm
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The Blue House at Haji Lane 90 x 70cm
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Penang 150 x 100cm
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Red Sun 100 x 75cm
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Shophouses at Race Course Road 240 x 90cm
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Reflections 100 x 75cm
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Tranquil Morning at the Bay 100 x 75cm
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Twilight City 100 x 75cm
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The Formula for Success 100 x 120cm
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Wistful Sunset 90 x 120cm
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The Vibrant Riverside 70 x 180cm
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A Pocket Full of Perspectives Zhu Hong First published 2015 Ode To Art Raffles City 252 North Bridge Road, Raffles City Shopping Centre, #01-36E/F, Singapore 179103 T +65 6250 1901 F +65 6250 5354 Ode To Art Kuala Lumpur 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, The Pavilion, #06-24E/F, Kuala Lumpur 55100, Malaysia Tel: +603 2148 9816 Fax: +603 2142 6816 info@odetoart.com odetoart.com Š Ode To Art 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed and bound in Singapore
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