Anne Lykes—Artists Info

Shen Fan

Shen Fan was born in Shanghai in 1952 and moved to the countryside as
a young child. He moved back to Shanghai to go to school, but upon
completing his education he returned to the country for six years
where he worked as a farmer. Painting every evening after work, Shen
Fan began his artistic career here. He moved back to Shanghai and
never stopped painting.

Shen Fan's work is a meditation on minimalism and abstraction. He
often uses a monochromatic pallet and his paintings are generally
composed of repetitions and patterns of lines and simple shapes. In
an interview, he has said of his style, "or many years, in fact, I
have been mainly engaged in creating a visual language from relatively
essential things. For example, I use less and less color because color
itself cheats character. Lines and dots are more essential; these
elements do not lie. After studying art and practicing art, at last I
found the art language that I use. However, I also can see that my
approach has many things in common with Chinese traditional paintings
and prints."

While the majority of Shen Fan's creations consist of works on paper
and works in oil, for the 2006 Shanghai Biennial he morphed his
typical painting style into an installation piece. Measuring five by
ten meters, the neon-light installation was made up of many small
light tubes arranged in a manner that follows how his brushstrokes
would appear in a painting. Since then, Shen Fan has continued to
work in this medium. Shen Fan has been shown extensively throughout
China and internationally as well. He currently lives and works in
Shanghai.

http://china.shanghartgallery.com/galleryarchive/artists/name/shenfan

Zhou Chunya

Zhou Chunya was born in 1955 in Chongqing in the Sichuan province and
graduated from the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in 1982. His painting
style is loose and blurred, calling to mind the work of the
Expressionists. His subjects often center around nature, and many
include individuals left alone in a natural setting.

Zhou Chunya is best known for his series of "The Green Dog," in which
he depicts his German Shepard in various manners, always painting him
green. The vast array of expressions Zhou Chunya is able to capture
belie his talent as a skillful artist and his deep understanding of
other beings. Zhou Chunya has experienced great commercial
success—his painting Peach Blossom sold at auction for $2.24 million
in 2010. Zhou Chunya now lives and works in Chengdu.

http://www.artnet.com/artists/zhou%20chunya/