ARTIST: Zhen Huan Lu (New York, Chinese, born 1950)
NAME: Path to the Beach
YEAR: 1990
MEDIUM: oil on canvas
CONDITION: Very good. No visible inpaint under UV light.
SIGHT SIZE: 24 x 36 inches / 60 x 91 cm
FRAME SIZE: 33 x 45 inches / 83 x 114 cm
SIGNATURE: lower right and on verso
SKU#: 120265
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BIOGRAPHY:
Zhen-Huan Lu is a painter in realist style, who intends to capture on canvas the volume, weight and texture of objects with accuracy and detail. His modern compositions focus upon light and shadows that infiltrate in and around natural settings and set a mood to draw viewers into peaceful, memorable scenes.Lu paints lonely boats resting upon desolate stretches of sand and often animates interiors and outdoor views with a dog, cat or bird. He depicts porches upon which hammocks or a line of chairs invite onlookers to mentally enter the picture and reminisce about restful days gone by. Whether he is painting a Nantucket dock, a sensitive still life, a rustic storefront, a remote beach, a porch with a door that leads to an interior with a window to a distant landscape, the artist intentionally executes down-to-earth, tranquil aspects of life, and often embellishes some scenes with an American flag. Zhen-Huan Lu's timeless portraits of places are remarkably real. Born in Shanghai, China, in 1950, Lu obtained his bachelor degree in oil painting from the painting department at the Shanghai Theater Academy's Department of Scenic Design. Upon graduation he was appointed to an assistant professorship in painting. He was invited to New York in 1986 for his first solo exhibition in the United States, part of the first wave of artists from mainland China to show here. Soon thereafter, the artist moved to this country and became a citizen. When he studied painting techniques in China, Lu's curriculum was akin to that of the 19th-century European Academy with a disciplined background in life study and western techniques, skills to become an accomplished painter who can paint proficiently with watercolor, tempera and oil. Zhen-Huan Lu's subjects vary from still life and interiors to his particular specialty, showing the weathered textures and unique facades of houses and boats along the Eastern seaboard. Sun baked bricks, shingles and wooden moldings with peeling paint reveal the passage of time. He plays light against shadow, vast space against enclosure and the view of nature from the comfort of domesticity. Lu was honored in 2002 by being chosen the official artist for the president of the United States' 2002 Christmas card. His painting for that card was subsequently made part of the permanent collection of the White House. Zhen-Huan Lu's paintings have been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States and China. He has work in the permanent collection of the China National Art Museum and many of his paintings are in important private and public collections throughout the world. As stated in The Lively Arts, "Mr. Lu's art is unique; a marriage of European realism French impressionism and traditional Chinese paintings." Through skillful handling of color and composition, Lu focuses on creating paintings with poetic flavor, which sprouts from his personal experiences with the scenery.