Zhong Shi-Jia
“Painting should not be a mere resemblance of nature but is one’s inner pursuit, unveiling through the screening of thought.”—Zhong Shi-Jia.
Zhong’s paintings have been praised for having the capacity in expressing the soul and inner beauty of nature. He was deeply inspired by great painters of old generations where painting is all about seeking and visualizing the personal touch with nature. Although distant from the avant-garde experience, they carry the contemporary art spirit. Reputed as “Post-Impressionism”, Zhong’s paintings have incorporated the styles of Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne and Auguste Renoir with the logic of abstract art. He is skillful to contrast colors in a structured yet ebullient manner to forge a sense of mystery on canvas and capture the abstractness of form.
Born in 1944, Liaoling province, China, Zhong Shi Jia has started his art apprenticeship since he was sixteen. Learning all the fundamentals of arts and painting, Zhong’s talent had soon been noticed and was sent to paint Chairman Mao during the Cultural Revolution from 1966-1973 During those years, Zhong painted more than a couple of hundreds of Chairman Mao’s portraits and propaganda posters. Soon after the Cultural Revolution, Zhong worked in the government education department. In 1980, he entered the Liaoning University’s Chinese literature department and at the same time working as a movie advertisement painter and picture journal editor for several years. He had published “Healthy Comics” and “Chinese Health Pictorial”. Zhong entered Zhejiang Fine Art Academy to further pursue his art education. Zhong now lives in Shanghai. He is a now a professional painter, Member of the Shanghai Artist Association, Member of the Ontario Art Association in Canada, Honorary Board of Directors of “People’s Daily” Overseas Edition and Deputy Chairman of the China International Painters and Calligraphers Association. He has been participating in art exhibitions across China and in the United States, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong.
