"We hope this exhibition gives viewers a comprehensive picture of Chu's artistic adventure, starting from the banks of West Lake to the banks of the Seine," said exhibition curator Jean-Paul Desroches, who is an expert on Chu's art. Desroches said he "was struck at first sight by the inner power of Chu's abstract oil paintings 25 years ago" and felt it a "compelling mission for me to go deeper into the art cosmos of this Oriental artist who won the hearts of Europeans with his mysterious, poetic works."

In his view, "like good fusion music, Chu's art is by no means a simple assembly of Eastern techniques, conceptions and a Western art form."

"His art comes naturally from within his heart and has an instantaneous power to arrest the viewer's attention. I believe Chu's work is an earnest and genuine reflection of his inner world," Desroches explained.

Chu was born in 1920 in Jiangsu Province, to a family of doctors and collectors of old Chinese painting.

In 1935, he joined the Academy of Fine Arts in Hangzhou, the first school for modern art education in China, where he mastered painting in the Chinese traditional style, and then became interested in Occidental works of art.

Chu moved to Taiwan in 1949 and in 1955 he left for France to pursue his studies. On his way he went to Cairo came in contact with Egyptian art, which fascinated him.

In France he studied French, attended drawing classes at the Academy Grande Chaumiere, and immersed himself in the masterpieces exhibited at the Louvre and other galleries.

After beginning in a figurative style, the work of Nicolas de Stael (1914-1955) inspired him to "meditate on non-figuration and on the necessity of vision rather than representation," according to researcher Desroches.

Chu exhibited his works at the Salon des Realites Nouvelles, the showcase venue for abstract art.

In 1958 he had his first solo exhibition in Paris, at Galerie du Haut-Pave.

A successful figure in the Parisian art world, Chu visited an exhibition by Dutch artist Rembrandt in 1969, which caused his art to take another turn, as he was inspired by the maestro's ingenious use of color in the handling of light and shadow.

Chu's style, in 1981, was one that embraced Western concepts but was consistent with his Asian roots.

In 1994, Chu visited his hometown in Xiao County for the first time in 57 years to pay his respects at the graves of his parents.

Chu's love for ancient Chinese poetry and Western classic music is embodied in his works.

"I love Chinese poetry. It has become part of my paintings. It's no coincidence that Western critics think of my painting as poetic abstraction," Chu once said.

His brilliantly colored abstract works, "are arranged in imaginative compositions, rendered in uninhabited brushwork similar to the cursive script of Chinese calligraphy," said Wu Guanzhong, Chu's close friend since the 1930s.

Chu's works "reach beyond mere formal beauty, exuding a poetic sensibility that is rightfully a Chinese concept that painting and poetry derive from a single source," Wu said.

Fan Di'an said a single exhibition is not representative of the whole of Chu's artistic merit.

"We can see that he has dedicated himself to bridging different cultures all his life; his creative spirit and intercultural experience will have a far-reaching impact on younger generations of artists."

Owing to his contribution to European culture, in 1997, Chu was the first artist of Chinese origin to be elected to the prestigious Academie des Arts et Lettres, in Paris.

Chu's retrospective show runs through March 30 in Beijing.

By Zhu Linyong

Chu Teh-Chun Retrospective

Time: March 4-30, 2010

Venue: National Art Museum of China, No.1 Wusi Avenue, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Tel: (86 10) 6400 1476

Source: CRIENGLISH