Study Of Minority Paintings Of Huang Zhou

Based on The Collection of Huang Zhou’s Paintings and aided with previous researches on the life of Huang Zhou and his art, this thesis makes an in-depth study of Huang Zhou’s paintings of Xinjiang dancers in five chapters.The thesis begins with the trips that Huang Zhou made to Xinjiang. Believing in the closest observation of real life, Huang sketched people he saw in Xinjiang in an honest way. Many of his artworks show the great care the artist has taken in observing life in Xinjiang, e.g. in the depiction of musical instruments, movements and clothing in his paintings of Xinjiang dancers.While labouring scenes were still favoured by his contemporaries, Huang chose local singing and dancing performances in Xinjiang as his subject because the latter speak of local ethnic flavour. He is skilful in the vivid demonstration of festive scenes, clothing, music playing and dancing. In the second chapter, the author analyzes Huang’s paintings of Xinjiang singing and dancing in two categories:scenes with less than three people and larger performances. There are many works on small-scale performances, most of them produced in the1970s-80s focusing on Uygur and Tajik dances. The larger performances, as exemplifies in Celebrating the Harvest (1958), Soldier and Civilians as One Family (1950), Under the Flowering Apple Tree (1951) and The Great Endeavour (1976), often depict folks celebrating harvests or traditional festivals. Paintings in such subject are done in large size and bright colours, with the central dancers surrounded by a group of musicians and audience. When the viewer looks at the painting, he/she is like watching a stage performance. Huang has been recognized by the other artists and scholars for accomplishments in such difficult and time-consuming works.The third chapter-the most important part in the thesis-is entitled "Images of Xinjiang Men and Women in Huang Zhou’s Paintings". Huang is successful in capturing physical features of ethnic peoples in Xinjiang. What is more, the dynamic features of dancing movements have been sketched on paper. After comparing musical instruments in his paintings with real ones, the author also finds out that the artist bases his art on everyday life, as all the musical instruments that have appeared in his paintings can be found in Xinjiang.The fourth chapter focuses on the relations between the artist and Xinjiang. His Xinjiang paintings are the outcome of his six trips to the region. As a student of Zhao Wangyun, he accepted the idea of seeking truth from life. The lines of his paintings come from sketches. Huang has created an unusual painting method that is inspired by sketching. In addition, he owes his success as an artist to his Xinjiang paintings, e.g. the award-winning Under the Flowering Apple Tree (winner of1952) and Playing Polo (winner of first prize in1953National Youth Painting Exhibition).In the concluding chapter, the author reviews Huang’s contribution to the imagery of Xinjiang people. Using the untraditional language of a painter, he has created Xinjiang ethnic faces brimming with vitality and dynamism (e.g. the pleats on female dancer’s skirt rendered in repeated lines). This novel language, together with Huang’s artworks, has inspired later painters. Without Xinjiang, Huang Zhou would never have become an artist as he is known today.