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Beyond means and ends
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Li Dan
THE first time I met Sun Zhonghua was at a news conference for the film Happy Time. He brought with him three portraits of actor and director Zhang Yimou, done in oil painting.
He modestly introduced himself as the poster designer for the Hongye Theatre, and emphasized his conviction that he loves painting as much as life itself.
"He is now preparing for a personal painting exhibition," a friend told me over the phone. So, with some curiosity, I stopped by his office on Friday.
Simple furniture, a computer to assist him in design, piles of photographs and magazines, and of course, also brushes, paints and unfinished paintings littered the place.
"Though I am not famous and not wealthy," he said, "I consider myself lucky," he said. Born out to a tailor's family in rural Shandong Province, Sun had a father who supported his son's love of painting. While still only 5 years old, Sun started to learn Chinese calligraphy and painting from a local painter. Especially fond of painting portraits, the Tang Dynasty (618-907) painter Wu Daozi was his idol at that time.
He learned oil painting in junior middle school, and spent most of his time practising. Then, at the age of 18, he packed up his easel to join the army, and headed for the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to live in the desert. "I always dreamed of going to see the rawest part of nature," he recalled, "that's why I went without a moment's hesitation."
Sun painted the yellow desert meeting the blue sky, but also portrayed the minority people riding on horseback and leading a simple way of life. "I appreciated them," he said, "and that experience evoked in me an impulse to portray those who hang on to their traditions in a modern world."
Back home after his stint in the army, Sun soon took to the road again. He had taught painting in several cities and stayed two years in Guizhou Province to live among the local minorities. There he continued his love of portrait painting.
When I asked about his planned exhibition, Sun said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Over 50 portraits will be shown, and most of them are of film stars." Then, he continued, "This is far from what I am really after, but I hope that some day an exhibition will be given under my name, portraying ethnic minorities and their lives."
Besides his daily work, Sun spends all his spare time honing his craft. "Art lovers are lonely in this city, where means and ends burden people too much," Sun said sadly. "But we feel happy at the same time, for we have something beyond means and ends that we truly care for."
caption: Sun presents a portrait to Tony Leung, star of The Guasha Treatment.
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