Colors of nature

In a letter to his friend in January 1978, late oil painter Su Tianci described scenes of awe while he was sketching by a sea: "I'm on the beach and already, I've felt the great powers of the sea. The waves are not high, but one after another they run forward feverishly. … Standing by the sea, I forget all the languages in the world, but am lost in thought." Impressed by the sea view, Su completed a work on wood panel called Sea Rocks, which is now on show at an exhibition dedicated to his art, running through to Aug 31 at Nanjing Museum. The show is in tribute to the artist's love for nature, which he viewed as "the reason that ignites my passion" and where he "finds a resonance of emotions and encouragement". Su was also a master of colors. He used a vibrant palette to hail varying scenery, from the sea of clouds encircling the Huangshan Mountain, in Anhui province, to changing colors of water in Jiuzhaigou, a popular nature reserve in Sichuan province. Although he worked with oil pigments, Su's work presents the atmosphere of woyou, "lying and appreciating", that is the essence of classic Chinese painting. He was able to combine the aesthetics and philosophic views of the East and the West in his works.

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