DE
Artists from A-Z Qiu Shihua

*1940
  • Untitled (2003)
    Untitled
    Artist: Qiu Shihua Dating: 2003 Type: Work on paper Material: Watercolor on China paper Measures: 53,5 x 79,8 cm Acces / purchase date: 2004 Inventory number: 0929 Copyright: © Qiu Shihua, Courtesy Künstler und Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing–Luzern; Foto: André-Marc Räubig
At first glance, the paintings of Chinese artist Qiu Shihua seem to be monochrome, completely white canvases. Yet upon closer inspection, vast landscapes emerge from the painted surface which, depending on where the viewer is standing, either reveal an increasing number of details or slip away again before his eyes. Only through long, intense examination is it possible gain a full perception of Qiu Shihua’s complex white paintings. With this mode of representation, the artist categorically questions the moment of visibility in painting. Qiu Shihua’s white landscapes oscillate between the Western idea of abstraction and reduction on the one side, and the far Eastern Taoist concepts of repetition and emptiness on the other.

GALERIE KARSTEN GREVE