When Z.Z. Wei came to the United States from China in 1989 he was impressed by the energetic landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. His abstracted paintings of Western forms in large landscapes became his trademark.
New Skyscape?, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in.
Barns in undulating fields, aerodynamic cars on twisting roads and rusting trucks contain an energy even in the static frame of a painting. Recently, Wei has been looking at buildings long past their picturesque functionality as in his painting Sunset Story. “I think these ‘ruins’ hold rich spiritual value and embody the spirit and emotions of today’s people,” he says. “Yesterday, today and tomorrow form a continuous process that cannot be severed. The interaction between humans and nature creates a rich, diverse, colorful world. Take barns for example, when they are first built, adhering to certain patterns and functions, are intact and sound. Enduring a lifetime of storms, wear and tear when returning to the earth, they are all different and have their own personalities. This is why I am drawn to them. I enjoy these unique images and strive to find a perspective that best represents them, at the same time convey my feelings and thoughts to others.”
Sunset Story, oil on canvas, 48 x 36 in.
Inspired by the solidity of these ubiquitous American scenes, Wei looks at them with the eye of Chinese Taoism as well. “As I pay attention to these remnants,” he says, “I also feel the power of nature. Human beings are just a part, a moment, in this vast system of nature. Seeking survival in nature, humans ultimately return to nature. In traditional Chinese culture, it is believed that ‘nature and man are one,’ meaning that humans are a part of nature; you cannot change nature; nature is ‘eternal.’”
In his painting New Skyscape? a bird, whose forebears have ridden the wind for millennia, soars by a wind turbine. “They have become a new common scene in the Eastern Washington landscape,” Wei explains. “They are not just one building, but a soaring group on top of a vast expanse of hills, truly altering nature. I find their witchcraft-like, mysterious, slow rotation playful. I try to feel this ‘new aesthetic.’ I don’t know why I feel so compelled to paint them. While I am aware of theories and concerns about issues like climate change, I am certainly not an expert in these fields. My art is about expressing/presenting the relationship between humans and nature. I like to raise questions in my paintings and let the viewer ponder, rather than to preach.”
Steadfast, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 in.
Whispers of the Heartland, an exhibition of his recent paintings, will be shown at Blue Rain Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, May 31 through June 14. —
Blue Rain Gallery 544 S. Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501, (505) 954-9902, www.blueraingallery.com
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