“It doesn't matter what nationality an artist is, only whether he can make good paintings.”

In the early 1950s Toko Shinoda journeyed to New York, became affiliated with Betty Parson's Gallery, met the Abstract Impressionists, and with her Japanese roots already firmly established, developed into one of them. Shinoda has gone on to enjoy wide recognition.  In the same fashion, Clifton Karhu, bringing his Minnesota background and education along with him, started in Gifu and ended up in Kyoto where he has become a chronicler of that ancient city, making work paralleling that of Saito Kiyoshi (1907-1997), Japan's pioneer woodblock printmaker.  Today Mr. Karhu is fully recognized as one of Japan's best-known print artists.  Having been immersed the works of both Karhu and Shinoda for more than 30 years I wonder if Shinoda really looks international to everyone else, and whether Karhu's prints seem to be more Japanese than those of many Japanese artists.

This question struck me in April, when, as a participant in the Beijing International Art Fair, showing Japanese prints to a Chinese audience, I was attracted to the work of a young Korean artist, Kwon Doohyoun.  I found his "brushless paintings" so compelling that I committed to exhibiting them at this year's Singapore Art Festival in September.  It seemed to me that Mr. Kwon might actually have made those works with Singapore in mind employing colors that are en vogue in that country.  I felt that the mood and feeling that he conveyed in those pieces would fit Singaporean taste.  These are my opinions, not the artist's.

After a certain amount of time contemplating the international appeal of these four artists’ pieces I was left with a slight feeling of revelation.  Initially, I didn't respond to these pieces because the artists were Japanese, American, or Korean.  I was attracted to them because each of them had brought forth art that was fresh, innovative, unique, well made, distinctive, and beautiful!  Of course when I actually came to make a purchase I learned where they were from, but by that time my decision had long-since been made; their nationality hadn't influenced my choice, it simply became part of their identification.

Taking this one step further, I decided to compose a collection of paintings by Chinese artists whose work might not be immediately recognized as "Chinese." What we know as Chinese art has captured the market and stolen the headlines all over the world including New York where record-breaking auctions have set world records.  Even so, I thought it apt to make use of the offer of The Shinsei Bank in Tokyo under their slogan of, "Color Your Life," to use their space and support for an exhibition showcasing artists whose work was outstanding first and Chinese second.

Therefore from November 20 until December 7, 2006 Shinsei Bank's expansive space will allow me to show the following six artists: Tan Ping, Shen Fan, Qin Yifeng, Wang Lifeng, Jiang Weitao, and Zhang Xiaogang. I am not attempting to identify any movement, link them as a group, or indicate that they are a school; they are not.  These artists just happen to be going their own way, painting what occurs to them.

Tan Ping (b. 1960) lives and works in Beijing where he also serves as the Vice-Chairman of the Central Academy of Arts.  The Chengde born artist is a painter, but in China where everyone seems able to put brush to paper, he has further distinguished himself with his work in woodblock prints, and so I have chosen him to represent prints.  Working at a level that will amaze art lovers in Japan, the land of the print, will be doubly satisfying because his abstract compositions give little evidence of his nationality.  His abstract compositions, executed in muted, elegant colors evince a truly universal approach.  This work appeals to all because of its technical excellence and offers the viewer a state of order and calm not easily found.  Perhaps that can be attributed in part to his stint as a student in Germany.

My revelation didn't come without parameters.  I don't want any reader to think that I am denying the nationality of these artists.  They are all Chinese and I am not trying to take away their cultural heritage.  But knowing that the Chinese language, both spoken and written, serves as the Greek and Latin of Asia doesn't by itself indicate that the work is Chinese.  These ancient, enduring symbols appear in the Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese languages as well as Chinese from where they have been borrowed from time immemorial.

I have added this "defense" of my theory to be able to include the dreamy, historic feeling in the works of Wang Lifeng (b. 1962). Mr. Wang was born in Inner Mongolia, a province of China, and he has no connection with anything Mongolian.  Without knowing it, Mr. Wang has not been cooperative with my efforts by titling his works "The Great Song" in memory of that ancient dynasty noted for its cultural advancement and prosperity. Then in the composition of the pieces he employs a collage technique assembling textiles, and examples of those famous wondrous symbols mentioned above.  At any rate I want viewers to try to understand that this piece could be by a Korean or maybe even a Japanese artist who had minored in Song history.

The two artists discussed above both work in Beijing, but China has two cultural capitals, and in Shanghai we find the same international trends.  Shen Fan (b.1952) and Qin Yifeng (b.1961) are native-born Shanghainese.  Both are based there where they teach at Shanghai Huashan Fine Art School and The Fine Arts College of Shanghai University respectively.  Shen Fan uses brilliant colors in his paintings which can be imagined to be a long forgotten written language; sometimes the ink is the same brilliant red color as the ink with which Chinese documents are officially sealed.  Other than this there is no indication of China in his work.  Qin Yifeng's materials are simple; paper, glue, crayon, and pastels.  Often he uses myriad shades of black and gray, but other pieces utilize brilliant blues, and appealing yellows.  Again I wonder if I am the only one who thinks that their work looks more Asian than Chinese, and if even the artists themselves will go along with my folly.

Jiang Weitao (b. 1975) is the youngest of our group of six whose work is being shown.  How to introduce the newest work of an imaginative, creative artist is always a challenge; one wishes to convey the idea without getting carried away with the description.  Nevertheless to prepare the viewer for the brilliant results one could pose the impossible; perhaps we could think that the artist had soaked precious gems like emeralds, rubies, and sapphires in a solution that allowed the color to be distilled.  The finished products, the dried paintings, gleam with a translucence that only jewels possess.  For the sixth artist I decided to choose the man of the moment, Zhang Xiaogang (b.1958) whose works brought fabulous prices in the New York auctions this year nearly reaching the magic $1 million mark and setting the world afire with speculation of how and why.  Since the price was set in an auction, it seems to me that "someone wanted it that much" should suffice.  During the same period a Picasso fetched $94.5 million and no one had any trouble digesting those numbers.

Since the other five artists are new to my audience, I added Mr. Zhang's work because I felt that the publicity in connection with Christie’s auction made him a topic of conversation and might provide work by an artist of who was more identifiable.  But more important for me was that as his theme he has painted people's faces. I suppose with this point I can get into the most trouble, but honestly dear readers, all Asians do not look the same to me. But I have to admit that I can never tell who is Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, or who is from any of the other Asian countries.  When I look at Zhang Xiaogang's work I seem to be able to find resemblance to many young Japanese friends, a few Koreans, and even some people in Hawaii.  For reasons of prudence I shall provide no photographs of these people but I am truly sincere in saying that these works could indicate people from many different countries.

For my Shinsei Bank show I decided to purchase the original paintings and the prints without consulting with the artists about what I was going to do with them.  After the purchases were made I then revealed my intentions and have seen to it that the artists will be present at the exhibition opening in Tokyo.  I hope that they will be pleased with my winsome approach to their wonderful work.  And of course I hope the readers will be happy to find yet another way to "read" the art that is now with us.  And of course I pray that no one will be offended because I find the work great first, and Chinese second.

About the author: Norman H. Tolman is a 51-year resident in Asia. His career spans the various levels of society: military, student, diplomat and art dealer.  In his involvement with art he has been a collector, gallery owner, author of several books, and introducer of Japanese prints to the world with exhibits from Finland to Cairo, and from Shanghai to Chicago. From his own galleries in Tokyo, New York, Singapore and Shanghai he distributes Japanese prints to more than 5-dozen galleries and dealers throughout the world.

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