I called to give him a brief on the exhibition the night before the opening. It turned out to be an hour long interview. I found the conversation to be refreshing, exhilarating and enlightening. I am pleased to share some of the things we talked about with you.

Interview with Li Zengguo

Li Zengguo

How did you get into art? I have always liked to paint and draw. It was natural to me. You know it is like boys like cars and trucks and girls like dolls. I always liked to draw and paint. It was something I was interested in and liked to do since I was a kid. And I was good at it too, which made it fun. I won all kinds of art competitions and awards when I was in high school. I think interest and talent feed to each other. Since I was good at doing it, I liked it; and at the same time, since I liked doing it, spending time drawing or painting was not work but fun. Therefore I spent a lot of time doing it and getting better at it.

As much as I liked to draw and paint, I never thought of becoming an artist. It was just impossible at that time in China. China in 1980’s just opened its door to the western world and was still a very backward country. We were expected to grow up and have a real job to contribute to communist party’s great mission – to build a communist China. So when I went to college, I chose to go to the Mining Institute. The party needed people that are knowledgeable in mining our abundant natural resources to build communist China. Therefore that was our goal as the up and coming generation.

But after a few years working in that field, I realized I have chosen the wrong profession and it was not something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

My hands were itching to draw and paint. I decided to go back to college and study art. I was accepted by the art department of Nanjing Normal University and that was the start of my art career.

I made the best use of those fours years. I studied everything that was offered to me. Watercolor, pastel, traditional Chinese painting, Chinese calligraphy and oil painting. It laid a solid foundation for what I want to do in the years to come.

What did you do after you graduated?

I stayed in Nanjing and was offered a teaching job at some art school. I met a woman that I loved and got married and had a child. That was the stable years of my life. And it was a happy life. But gradually I realized I needed to devote my time to painting and nothing else. The contemplation and urge to paint possessed me and consumed me. I knew that I had to give up teaching to become a full time painter.

But my wife was not supportive of that. She wanted stability and security. I loved her and my son very much, but I knew I had to be true to myself and answer my soul’s calling. We divorced and I moved to Shanghai to become a full time painter. (I could hear the sadness in his voice when he talked about his wife and son and the life he left behind).

Do you regret the road that you chose in retrospect?

I cherished the family life that I had but I do not regret the decision that I've made as a professional artist. Often there are things or people in our lives that we love very much that we want to hold on forever. But circumstances sometimes force us to make a tough choice and let go. However painful it is, we should always be true to ourselves. And sometimes that is the only way to grow. Personally and professionally. We let go of the old, the familiar and those that were dear to our heart. By doing that, we free up space to let in new opportunities, new experiences and new people. I would never have become who I am today should I choose to stay in Nanjing.

There were difficult times and I have been down to the depth. But now I know I am able to overcome all that and rise above it. It gives me tremendous confidence and makes me look forwards to more challenges and opportunity to grow in the future instead of living in fear.

How do you choose your subject matter and what do you try to say to your audience?

I express my feelings and my thoughts. It was a struggle when I first got to shanghai. Shanghai is one of the biggest cities in the world and there is much pressure to live in a city like that for anybody, let alone a struggling artist. But in retrospect, I am glad I have experienced that. It made me a deeper person and with more understanding of life. Those struggles and enlightenments were reflected in my paintings.

You have a very unique way with colors, shapes and compositions in your paintings. Can you talk about that?

As an artist, we all learn from the masters. Should it be our teachers or the greatest masters in world like Van Gogh or Monet. That is fine at the learning stage. But to become a real artist, we need to have our own language and our own voice. In art your voice reflects in your forms, shapes, colors and composition. I feel that I have found my voice. Techniques should not be an issue after a certain stage in an artist's career. It is a matter of what you have to say to your audience.

Can you talk about the contrast between your subject figure and the background?

One of the common mistakes we make in life is to think in a box. We take things for granted after a while and lose fresh perspectives and views. Therefore I like to provoke contradictory thinking in people. In some of my paintings, I use more subtle colors and forms on my subject figure and use stronger colors and firmer forms in the background. It is the opposite thinking of the traditional paintings. People are directed to pay more attention to the background and surroundings in my painting because of their gripping colors and forms. But eventually people’s eyes return to the focal point of the painting – the subject matter. Because you just can’t ignore it even when the colors are subtle and the forms are almost non-existent. Because it is the soul of the painting. It is the spirit of the painting. It makes a painting alive. (We see that in his paintings "Accompany the Sun" and "The City").

Accompany the Sun	The City

They are part of the Li Zengguo collection in Mandarin Fine Art Gallery.

Can you talk about the evolvement of your style over the years as an artist?

With any form of art, at the early stage we pay more attention to techniques. In paintings they are forms and colors. You can see that some of my earlier paintings have more and brighter colors and the forms were more visible. As time goes by, we perfect our techniques and gain more confidence in our voice. I realized that sometimes less is more. A single line could say a lot more… and what it expressed is more concentrated and pure in essence. With less form and color, I also shed the restrictions that I put on an audience. I removed the limitation for him or her to think, feel and imagine.

What do you think of the economic boom that is going on right now in China? How does it affect people's life? How do you like living in Shanghai?

China is undergoing tremendous changes right now. Economical, cultural, sociological and political. East and West, traditions and new generations. Mostly for the better. People's lives are getting better. They now have more money to travel, partake in recreational activities and appreciate art. The cultural atmosphere is more relaxed and open. People are freer to express what they think and how they feel.

But then I also see loss of innocence, loss of idealism, pursuit for material things. You just have to keep your eyes wide open -- there is so much going on. You just have to filter it through and take in the good and discard the bad. Some of those are reflected in my paintings "Desire" and "Whose Harbor?" ( "Desire" and "Whose Harbor?" are part of the Li Zengguo collection in Mandarin Fine Art Gallery.)

I like living in Shanghai. Shanghai is one of the biggest and fastest growing cities in the world. I am proud to be part of it. There is tremendous energy here. It is the commercial and cultural center of China and Asia. There are many opportunities. But you have to be willing to ride the wave. It is like a train or a tide, you either jump on it and ride it, or you get crushed and buried even if you are on the right track. It puts a lot of pressure on me, but makes me want to push forward constantly.

What is your sense of mission as an artist?

An artist lives in the real world. He should not just live in the vacuumed art world and fuss over his art techniques. He should be a philosopher, a sociologist and an artist the same time. What he paints should reflect the society he is in. Accurately and profoundly. He can’t just cater to a certain group’s taste and let go of his social responsibility and artistic pursuit. He should ponder on life’s meaning and convey his understanding to his audience. And last, he should try to perfect his artistic pursuits and art form and speak to his audience about his understanding of life and society in the best art language possible.

Where are you in your personal and professional life?

I feel like I am in a good place in life right now. China is becoming more and more open to new ideas and things. The economy is booming. Now people have more money and more financial security, they appreciate art more. My paintings are finally recognized and appreciated by the critics and the public. I no longer feel any pressure to confirm or cater. I feel I have the luxury of freedom to express myself in the form I choose and the subject matter that I choose. I feel inspired and fresh and often feel a gush of ideas or visions coming out of me.