From China with love

Exhibition of paintings by artist Han Yuchen is held at the National Art Museum

When you look at the huge bright canvases of the original painter Han Yuchen within the walls of the National Art Museum, you realise how boundless the friendship between the Chinese and Belarusians is. Only the transportation of large-scale paintings from Beijing to Minsk probably took more than one month of preparation. The work of the artist from Greater China has won many awards around the world, including the medals of the Salon d’Automne in Paris and the Lorenzo il Magnifico Special Award at the 12th Florence Biennale International Exhibition of Contemporary Art and Design. Han Yuchen’s works were exhibited at solo exhibitions in the best museum halls in China and Russia.

The Belarusian viewer also has the opportunity to get acquainted with the majestic landscapes of the master. Especially for SB readers, a great artist and successful businessman (however, Han Yuchen heads a large retail company in China) is presenting his best paintings.
“I brought 42 paintings to Minsk, but the area of the National Art Museum gallery allows us to present no more than 30 paintings. You know, officially there are 56 nationalities in China, Tibetans are one of them. Tibet is located on a high plateau, and the landscapes there are completely cosmic, as is the unusual and mysterious culture of this region with its thousand-year history. In my opinion, Tibet has the cleanest air on earth and the cleanest water in the rivers. In addition, it seems to me that the people who live there are the most extraordinary. I have been to the ‘roof of the world’, as Tibet is also called, at least 20 times. I lived there for a long time in ordinary Tibetan families, collected cow dung in the morning, cleaned the sheepfold, grazed cattle, threshed barley, and at the same time took photographs, drafts, painted sketches. As you may have guessed, this region inspires me a lot,” 
Han Yuchen starts a tour.

Endless Beautiful Grass

— Autumn in Tibet is a gorgeous time that gives the look a golden colour without impurities. Once, at dawn, I spotted this shepherdess with her flock and suddenly realised: reality is so beautiful that it does not even need to be constructed. They are the perfect combination on their own.

 Sacred Sangju Lake

 — I painted this picture in 2011. The lake is a special place for Tibet, the locals believe that the lake water can grant cleansing, healing, and even predict the future. Sangju is located at an altitude of 5000 metres above sea level. Once I was admiring the landscape on the shore and saw how a woman scooped up water from the lake with a bucket in the rays of the setting sun and slowly returned home, shimmering in some ultramarine, almost surreal colours. I had 15 minutes to capture this extraordinary glow of nature and then convey all the riot of colours on canvas.
Han Yuchen became interested in oil painting at the age of 14, but did not have the opportunity to receive a classical academic education. However, whenever possible, he did not miss drawing courses from famous masters. So, once he was lucky enough to become a student of Professor Su Gaoli. By the way, Su is a student of the Soviet artist Konstantin Melnikov. “I still clearly remember how during the whole course young Han asked a lot of questions about art, his want for learning made a deep impression on me,” Su Gaoli recalled. Han Yuchen considers the famous painter Zhang Wenxing, who is a follower of the Soviet master Konstantin Maksimov, to be his second teacher.
“We all learned from the Soviet Union at that time,” Han Yuchen says with a smile.

On the Worship Way

“This family of Tibetans walked to the temple for half a year, overcoming various hardships on their way. But every minute they praised their gods. The woman in the centre of this painting asks a higher power to save her mother from illness. Through this story, I want to tell people that true faith helps us overcome any obstacles and sanctifies our path, no matter how difficult it may be,” the artist sincerely admires their strength of faith.
By the way, it was this painting that won the bronze medal at the Salon d’Automne in Paris in 2014.

Brother and Sister

— Tibetan children collect bull dung to dry and use instead of brushwood for cooking. In my opinion, this pair of children is a pure example of harmony in nature.
I dedicated this picture to all the people of labour who live a real life every day.

The Images of China exhibition will run at the National Art Museum until May 1st. Everyone who dreamed of visiting Tibet, but did not have time yet, will find a piece of their dreams in the works of the Chinese artist. Each large-scale painting by Han Yuchen reflects the clear spiritual world of the Tibetans, their beautiful measured life. Perhaps, after this exhibition, the problems of the modern metropolis will seem to you somewhat far-fetched, and life in the city — 
a little bland.

Nima

“I want to donate this work called Nima to the collection of the National Art Museum as a token of my great gratitude for today’s exhibition in Minsk,” Han Yuchen says.
— In Tibet, there is the Ali Region — the most colourful natural area, which is even higher than all other parts. Just look at the smile of this woman Nima, I painted her portrait in 2011. Her smile symbolises my friendly and respectful attitude towards Belarusians.

By Inna Gorbatenko

Photos by Yelizaveta Kobetskaya