The curtain of modern Chinese oil painting was opened by artists who studied abroad in the early 20th century, and Zhou Bichu (1903-1995) is an important representative of them. On the occasion of the "Poetry of Colors - Zhou Bichu Donated Art Exhibition" (April 18-June 2) at the Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Academy Art Museum, The Paper recently interviewed Zhou Bichu's daughter Zhou Bingfen and her grandchildren, and salvaged the trivialities of the life of this old artist from the dust of time from Zhou Bichu's daily life.
"He never sought fame, wealth or power in his life, but instead pursued the nationalization of oil painting throughout his life. From his interactions with friends, his dedication to students and his pursuit of art, we can see the shining light of idealism in a person. Even in the turbulent times of war, he maintained an independent spiritual world, which is a correction to the relatively extreme pragmatism in today's reality," said Zhou Bingfen.
Zhou Bichu in the studio
Zhou Bichu (1903-1995) was born in Pinghe, Fujian. He studied Western painting in France from 1925 to 1930. After returning to China, he worked in Xinhua Art College, National Hangzhou Art College, Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts and Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute. He devoted his life to the practice of "nationalization" of oil painting. He was a pioneer of Chinese oil painting and modern art education, the first generation of oil painting masters, a representative figure of Chinese modern art in the 20th century, and also a senior art master who founded the Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute.
"Poetry of Colors - Zhou Bichu Donated Art Exhibition" exhibition site
Shi Tao's "I am who I am, and I am what I am" is Zhou Bichu's lifelong motto. Learning Western oil painting and "nationalizing" it is Zhou Bichu's original intention. He is a pioneer and pioneer who introduced the Western Impressionist color technique system to China, took the lead in setting an example, and successfully transformed it. Zhou Bichu's oil paintings have the bright and fresh colors and textures of Western Impressionism, and are rich in the agile charm of Chinese ink and the profound artistic conception of poetry, creating a Chinese paradigm for oil painting.
Spring, 1963, Zhou Bichu
Huangshan, 1987, Zhou Bichu
During the Anti-Japanese War, Zhou Bichu, Chen Baoyi, Wang Yachen, Zhu Qizhan, Qian Ding and other painters were important "stayers" in the Shanghai Western painting circle. They carried out art activities as teachers, which constituted a precious artistic achievement in the Shanghai Western painting circle during the Anti-Japanese War. Under the situation of war, they moved several times, rescued the half-preserved picture materials, and tenaciously persisted and maintained the last efforts and practice of the Western painting movement in Shanghai.
Zhou Bichu when he was teaching at Shanghai Xinhua Art School
Li Chao, a professor at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai University, once said, "If there are ten legacies of Chinese art in the 20th century, 1/3 of them are still in existence, 1/3 have disappeared forever, and 1/3 are almost gone." In recent years, scholars in the Shanghai art community have tried to restore the national memory of Shanghai art at that time through various academic research and exhibitions. Among them, Zhou Bichu is a national and heavyweight treasure. He and his "circle of friends" are one of the keys to unlock this memory.
"He is the epitome of artists of that era. They had ideals and pursuits. Even in the turbulent times of war, they maintained an independent spiritual world. This spirit has a strong practical guiding significance. Compared with extreme pragmatism, it is a correction." In the family's recollections, the image of the Chinese literati who supported each other with his wife, refused to compromise with the Japanese invaders and retired with his family, generously supported his friends and students, and persisted in creating until he changed his ways in his old age, has gradually become clear in the dust of time.
Studying in Paris in the 1930s, Zhou Bichu, third from the left in the middle row
Interview subjects: Zhou Bingfen, Zhou Lan, Wang Tao
(Zhou Bigu's second daughter, granddaughter, and grandson)
The Paper: After returning from studying in France, Mr. Zhou Bichu returned to Hangzhou and then to Shanghai. Can you tell us about that period? What was Mr. Zhou Bichu's life like at home during his time in Shanghai?
Zhou Bingfen: I heard from my mother that my father met the principal of the girls' school she attended in Hangzhou on the ship returning from France, and later introduced him to my mother. There was no grand story between them, but they supported each other throughout their lives. When they were young, they would go for a walk in the West Lake. My father would always walk from the Inner West Lake to the Outer West Lake to see which place had the best scenery, and then go there to paint. My mother was always by his side.
With his wife Xu Xiaoxuan in Hangzhou in the 1930s
Later, they settled in Shanghai and stayed at my mother's second sister's house on South Wuxi Road. Although the conditions were difficult, it was good to have a place to stay in those days. It was not until they returned from Indonesia that they moved to the current Xinzha Road.
When my father was studying in France, his teacher was the famous impressionist painter Ernest Laurent. Laurent told my father, "China has a good cultural tradition. Oil painting is a way of painting. The oil brush is just a tool. China should have Chinese-style oil painting." These words had a great influence on my father. Later, he made friends with many painters who painted Chinese paintings. For example, Tang Yun, Mr. Tang often came to our house because he was also from Hangzhou. There were also old gentlemen such as Lin Fengmian, Lai Chusheng, Bai Jiao, etc., who also often interacted with each other. They were very excited when talking about painting, and often improvised. I remember that there were many such small sketches at home at that time.
In addition to painting, my father also liked to write poetry and listen to folk music. He was from Fujian, and Minnan music was a piece of music he often listened to. We still have the tapes from that time. He liked to grow flowers, and he built a grape rack on the balcony at home, which was full of grapes in summer. At that time, the old artists of their generation did not have too many material requirements, but they loved life very much.
Magnolia, 1974, Zhou Bichu
Zhou Lan: My father-in-law (Zhou Bichu) and Tang Gonggong were very close friends and often communicated with each other. My father-in-law was a good cook and would cook for them when they came to visit. At that time, supplies were scarce and only when his good friends came would we see some "good dishes" on the table. However, during the Spring Festival, he would prepare delicious food for the whole family, such as peanut soup and pumpkin cakes. In terms of cooking, my father-in-law had his own ideas and liked to combine Chinese and Western food. For example, the hairtail in tomato sauce he made was something we loved since we were young. Because he had been to Indonesia, the curry he made was also very authentic and had to be cooked with coconut milk, which was not available outside at that time.
My father-in-law also paid great attention to the Chinese solar terms. He would eat stewed mutton with sugar cane, red dates and angelica on the winter solstice, and he would make sure that we children would eat it to nourish our bodies. So his lifestyle was also very traditional, and our family always attached great importance to folk customs.
Photo of the joint oil painting exhibition of five people from Shanghai Daxin Company in 1939
The Paper: How does he educate his children?
Zhou Bingfen: In terms of education, my father was very particular about teaching students in accordance with their aptitude. Seeing that we children did not have much talent for painting, he did not force us and supported our choice of majors, but he emphasized that we should contribute to the development of the country. For example, I majored in railway transportation management, and he advocated that I go to the Northeast, where the railways are well developed. He believed that children should have more experience.
Zhou Lan: My father studied agriculture. My father-in-law wrote to me at the time saying that China is a big agricultural country and there is great hope for studying agriculture. Mr. Zhou had requirements for our living habits, but he did not force us to choose the path in life. He believed that a person must do what he loves and build the motherland.
Zhou Bichu (far right) and Yan Wenliang (center)
The Paper: This life of quietly studying art was destroyed with the outbreak of the Japanese invasion of China. After the "August 13" Incident, the entire Shanghai art world suffered an unprecedented blow. What impact did it have on your family?
Zhou Bingfen: During the isolated period when Shanghai was occupied, he actively participated in various art exhibitions, hoping to inspire the people's patriotism from a cultural perspective. The Japanese later found my father through an intermediary, hoping that people in the literary and art circles would be pro-Japanese, but he repeatedly declined and finally decided to take his family back to his hometown in Fujian to live temporarily.
My parents took us four children to the Huangpu River wharf, rented a boat, and sailed along the coastline to Fujian. At that time, the sea was not peaceful, there were Japanese and pirates. My father and the boatman divided the work, and he was responsible for watching and guarding. My father was a good swimmer, and when he encountered a situation, he would dive under the boat so that people could not find him. We were lucky and drifted on the sea for many days without encountering pirates. Finally, we arrived in Quanzhou. I remember that in this situation, my father often drew sketches with pencils on the bow of the boat whenever he had time to observe the sunrise and sunset.
A group photo of the whole family in Fujian with their mother in the 1940s
Wang Tao: I remember that my grandfather often mentioned in his teaching notes the importance of observing the changes of light and color in each time period. He believed that all painting inspiration must come from his own observation. This kind of observation cannot be cheated or lazy, and must be done early and late. He still insisted on this observation and study method when he was drifting on the sea.
Zhou Bichu holds an art exhibition in Indonesia
Indonesian sketches in the 1950s
The Paper: A very important change in Mr. Zhou Bichu’s painting style occurred during his Indonesian period, and a lot of information has been preserved from this period. What was the opportunity that led to the Indonesian Decade?
Zhou Bingfen: Life was difficult at that time. After returning from Fujian, he went to Hong Kong and Taiwan to hold art exhibitions, hoping to sell some paintings to support his family. During this period, he met Guo Meicheng, the chairman of the Fujian Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia. Guo Meicheng brought him to Indonesia and provided financial support so that he could concentrate on his creation. In terms of artistic creation, this period was the period when my father had the least psychological pressure. He sent the money he earned back home, which alleviated the financial tension at home. The beautiful scenery in Indonesia also allowed him to concentrate on his creation.
Wang Tao: From historical data, the help of the Fujian Chamber of Commerce during his stay in Indonesia did provide a good creative environment. They even provided him with a full-time photographer to follow his creations, which left a lot of documentary materials. Therefore, my grandfather's artistic exploration was inseparable from the help of the Minnan people's culture of paying attention to hometown feelings. In Indonesia, he developed the habit of sketching everywhere. After returning to China, he did not stop. He often said that creation cannot rely on photos, which are fixed, but painting requires observing the changes of the object, and this change must be reflected in the painting. His lifelong pursuit is the exploration of the nationalization of oil painting. This experience of living in Indonesia provided him with an opportunity to practice his ideas.
“Poetry of Colors” exhibits famous paintings donated by Zhou Bichu during his lifetime
The Paper: This exhibition was also supported by the Zhangzhou Museum of Fujian Province and the Fujian Pinghe Zhou Bichu Art Museum, which loaned out eight works. Mr. Zhou Bichu has also made a lot of contributions to the art industry in his hometown.
Zhou Bingfen: My father cherishes talent and is a man of sentiment. If he sees people around him like art, he will give them paintings and share them. He seems to have a natural responsibility to create conditions for people who like art. My father selflessly donated many calligraphy and painting works inscribed by famous artists such as Qi Baishi and Lu Yanshao to Zhangzhou Pinghe. He felt that some of his own works were not good enough. He would only donate those that he considered to be treasures. He said, "Shanghai has too many art resources, and you can see the works of all the masters, but in Zhangzhou Pinghe, there are too few, and young people who want to learn art have no place to see paintings."
Donated his works to Zhangzhou in 1990
Zhou Lan: My father-in-law’s dedication to his friends and friendship were also selfless. For example, he respected Yu Zicai very much, and Yu Zicai liked Qian Shoutie’s calligraphy very much. Our family collected one of our calligraphy works, so my father-in-law asked me to send it to Yu Zicai’s home. I remember it very clearly. At that time, my father-in-law also made a jar of garlic sauce and asked me to send it along. My grandmother said to him: “You only have one copy of Qian Shoutie’s calligraphy, how can you bear to give it away?” Whether it was for friends, juniors, or his hometown, he always gave out the best things, not for his own reputation at all.
Zhou Bichu’s portraits, exhibition view
The Paper: Among the works on display in this exhibition, there are several figure paintings that were rarely seen in the past.
Zhou Bingfen: Yes, especially the portrait of a young girl in the exhibition hall on the first floor. When the Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute held the Zhou Bigu Documentary Exhibition in 2016, the then director Xiao Gu felt that the Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute did not have Mr. Zhou's figure works, so he proposed to collect them. Director Xiao and his team's document exhibition at that time was the starting point for everything that followed, and they made an indelible contribution. But we were reluctant to part with it at the time. My father originally painted very few figure portraits, and there are probably only three left now. They are very precious, and this is the most representative one. Our family is full of emotions for this.
This time we are donating the entire collection. If the classic figure paintings are missing, we feel that my father's artistic portfolio is missing something, so the family discussed and decided to donate it.
The Third National Congress of Literature and Art in 1960: Tang Yun (left), Zhou Bichu (left), Yan Wenliang (right), Zhang Chongren (right)
The Paper: Under what circumstances did Mr. Zhou Bichu return to China?
Zhou Bingfen: Since the Third National Congress of Writers, the government has done a lot of work to call on people of insight from abroad to return to China for construction. In 1959, he returned to China with a very excited and comfortable mood. Later, when he attended the Third National Congress of Writers in 1960, he was very moved. He really loved his motherland, and his patriotism had never been cut off in his heart. After the National Congress of Writers, he traveled north and south, went deep into the countryside, construction sites, factories and mines, and went to the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base four times to create.
Photo of Zhou Bichu working in Huangyangjie, Jinggangshan in the 1960s
Zhou Bichu's sketching experience
Panorama of Ciping, Jinggang Mountain, exhibition site
The Paper: This time, the exhibition hall also displays a large painting titled “Panoramic View of Ciping, Jinggangshan.”
Zhou Bingfen: Yes, this is the longest work. It is not easy to make such a long oil painting, because the conditions at home were limited and the space was small, so this painting took up most of the wall.
Zhou Lan: I still remember that he was painting with his bare chest and shorts, sweating profusely, and I was behind him wiping his sweat. This painting took more than a year to complete.
Spring, exhibition view
The Paper: Some scholars specializing in oil painting restoration have suggested that many of Mr. Zhou Bichu’s paintings were created across the New Year.
Wang Tao: That's right. Many of his paintings were not completed in one go. According to restoration experts, using special lighting, you can see the changes in the colors of his paintings, which are from different periods. He would constantly revise them. For example, the famous "Spring Colors". His good friend Zhou Yingnan mentioned the process at that time in his collection of essays: "Spring Colors" was created in the 1960s and is a common suburban scenery in Shanghai. After he finished painting it, he went to the suburban Malu Commune to sketch. After returning from sketching, he still felt dissatisfied, so he revised it again. It took him two or three years, and he was still revising it before the work was exhibited.
Another painting that left a deep impression on me was "Snow Scene". The creation time of "Snow Scene" is now marked as 1968. I was not born at that time, but I was recuperating in Shanghai later, and it should have been 1973 or 1974. I have the impression that he was still revising it.
Snow Scene, exhibition view
Zhou Lan: When I was a child, I spent a lot of time with my father-in-law. He would put his paintings aside after a while. He liked to make Fujian Gongfu tea and sit on a rattan chair while drinking tea. He would look at his paintings all day long and make changes after a while. He would also often hang up some of his favorite Chinese paintings and stare at them.
"Little Three Gorges", 1984, Zhou Bichu
The Paper: The 1980s was the glorious period of Mr. Zhou Bichu's artistic creation. He sought change throughout his life, and his reforms reached their peak in his old age. For example, in "Little Three Gorges", the rough texture formed by the blade's scratching not only enhances the texture of the rocks, but also coincides with the dry, wet, thick and thin changes of "flying white" in calligraphy. And "Mandarin Fish and Bamboo Shoots" uses oil painting techniques to reconstruct the artistic conception of Chinese still life paintings.
Zhou Bingfen: Yes, when he climbed Mount Huangshan at the age of 80, he met Lu Yanshao. Wang Lingkun, a student who accompanied him, said that he painted a color draft in just over ten minutes in Lu Yanshao's hotel room facing the sunset of Mount Huangshan. Later, he created "Sunset at Mount Huangshan" based on this small draft, which is now hanging in the exhibition hall. Later, he was invited by the Sichuan Artists Association to go to the Three Gorges and created several excellent works, including the "Small Three Gorges" you mentioned, which was highly praised by the outside world. We originally wanted to keep this "Small Mountain Gorge" for ourselves, but the Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute said that this painting is too important, so we decided to leave it to the society.
Huangshan Sunset, exhibition view
Zhou Bichu (right) and Lu Yanshao (left) at Huangshan in the 1980s
Zhou Lan: In order to paint "Mandarin Fish and Bamboo Shoots", my father-in-law, who is in his eighties, went to the vegetable market and carefully selected a mandarin fish as a reference. Although the painting is not large, he was not in a hurry to start, but pondered it slowly. At that time, there was no refrigerator at home, and the mandarin fish as the "protagonist" could not be replaced at will, so he asked for help from a neighbor who had a refrigerator and released it to someone else's home. In this way, the mandarin fish "persisted" for seven or eight days before finally completing its "mission".
Mandarin Fish and Bamboo Shoots, 1984, Zhou Bichu
In 2024, Zhou Bichu's works donation ceremony was held. On the right is Zhou Bingfen, a representative of the family.
The Paper: You have donated more than a hundred paintings over the years. Do you still have any paintings by Mr. Zhou in your family?
Zhou Bingfen: Most of them were donated, and several children also left some works that were of special commemorative significance to themselves. When we discussed with the Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute, we wanted to focus on academic research, so the works were selected by the Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute first, hoping to leave some representative materials for the society and become a public resource for the society. The senses of looking at the original works and looking at the picture album are completely different, so we hope to let more people see the original works.
Wang Tao: Since none of our descendants are majoring in fine arts, it would be very difficult to preserve and systematically pass on these works. Some institutions have approached us to discuss cooperation before, but we are worried that once the works are scattered, it will be difficult to gather the artistic veins reflected in these works from different periods that have been preserved for many years. Grandpa has never sought fame and fortune, and his pursuit of fine arts is very pure. We hope to continue his spirit and pass on his vision.
Fortunately, the Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute has established the Zhou Bichu Art Research Center, which will provide a relatively complete resource of documents and works for people engaged in art research in the future.
In 1980, Zhou Bichu was creating "Zhou Mansion"
"Zhou Mansion", exhibition view
The Paper: A great artist must have a unique artistic spirit. Listening to you talk about his life, I can feel that he has a strong idealism.
Wang Tao: That's right. Idealism is one of Mr. Zhou's characteristics. Even in the special period when the Soviet school was dominant, he still insisted on his practice of nationalizing oil painting in his creation and teaching. He also believed that if the works have the thoughts and feelings of the times, new works of the times will naturally be produced. Idealism is not out of touch with reality and innovation. When he returned to Shanghai from France, he actively participated in the activities of the Juelan Society, advocating the creation of new Chinese art and pursuing a new art path that can both meet the needs of the Chinese nation and gather Western modern art. Later, he also participated in the establishment of the Mo Society. My grandfather is a microcosm of artists of his time. They have ideals and pursuits. Even in the turbulent period of war, they maintain an independent spiritual world. This spirit has a strong practical guiding significance. Compared with extreme pragmatism, it is a correction.
Last winter, the curator of this exhibition, Ms. Li Shiwen, gave a lecture at the Shanghai Library introducing Zhou Bichu’s art. The audience was very moved. During the question-and-answer session, one of the audience asked where they could see his works. Ms. Li Shiwen happily mentioned the exhibition at the Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute next year. I was there at the time and could clearly feel everyone’s joy and emotion, as well as the love for art flowing from the audience.
We need to use cases like this to ignite and spread this true love for art. When the donation comes to an end, our family members will gradually fade away. The art resources left by Mr. Zhou will become social wealth, and his art and spirit will hopefully be passed on through research in the art world.
Group photo of teachers and students of the oil painting and sculpture training class in 1982
Note: "Poetry of Colors - Zhou Bichu Donated Art Exhibition" will be on display until June 2nd.
- uJcFDTxbFVnd05/12/2025