Zhoushan Harbour 1980

Wu Guanzhong's Zhoushan Harbour is made with sweeping strokes of blues, greens, and blacks that really pull you into a foggy waterside dock. I can imagine Wu Guanzhong standing there, squinting through the mist, trying to capture the essence of the harbour. There are many masts of boats and the quayside is animated with small figures. I wonder if he felt the same kind of pressure all artists feel, to get it just right, but also, to let the painting lead the way. The paint looks like it's been applied with a brush loaded with pigment, giving it this tactile quality. There is a sense that he understood how to balance precision with intuition, and his work reminds me that painting is an act of discovery. I admire how he lets the painting be, and encourages the viewer to bring their own associations.