TANG WEI MIN
Traditional Imagery
Beginning in January, Cutter & Cutter Fine Art will present a solo exhibition for Chinese artist Tang Wei Min, who is known for his classically rendered paintings of traditional heritages. His oeuvre includes portraits and narrative scenes that convey the emotions and customs of his sitters.
“I fell in love with the Western oil painting tradition because of Rembrandt,” Wei Min shares. “I adore his ability to light the subjects, to distinguish the more important details from the less important and to portray the inner thoughts of his models. All of my life I have strived to be able to do the same.”
Wei Min’s artwork shares a number of qualities with Rembrandt, in particular the chiaroscuro technique that employs bold use of light and shadows. Of particular note are his newest paintings Winter Holidays in Tibet and Candlelight where the figures seem to glow against a darker background. In the former work, Wei Min depicts a family in traditional winter clothing that is lined with fur, while in Candlelight he shows a woman bowing her head toward a lit candle that she holds in her hand.
The artist also will feature in the new show several narrative scenes, including Fearless Horse Rider. The work, which predominantly is a portrait of a woman and her horse, shows a vast landscape in the background that is a contrast to his more
simplistic compositions.
“In my art I am trying to combine the Western art traditions with an Eastern philosophy,” he explains. “The coexistence of rough and gentle in the world, great intensions and cruel reality, wonderful thoughts and imminent death; this is the essence of Zen Buddhism and my own philosophy.”
The show, which will hang through February, will include a two-day reception January 25 and 26 with the artist in attendance for his first United States appearance.