SUNRISE IMPRESSION

　　The paintings of Sunrise are enchanting. Sunrise has an innate sensitivity to colors, forms and rhythm, which is perfectly expressed in her latest splash-oil painting series.

　　On her paintings, all the colours of the rainbow are magically blended and swirled into fascinating color mixes. Rather than being geometric, the combination of colors are more sensual, a spontaneous expression of the heart, from which the glorious and amazing images were born. There is no doubt that you will sense the bewitching power from her paintings, to name a few: “The Sun Kisses the Yellow Earth”, “The Color of the Secluded Palace”, “Around the Black Hole”, “The Green Wings of the Sun”, “Reacting Uranium”, “The Red Siren”, “The Sun of the Next Century”, “Blossoming Rose in the Universe”… Simply by reading these names, you cannot help but having your imagination indulged in them for a while, and when your eyes touch her paintings, the images of rainbow colors at their very climax after having been tortured by demons, you cannot fail to feel an overwhelming power that penatrates your inner core; this is a power that drags you to interact with it, both physically and emotionally. In Sunrise’s works, you can percieve the images of milkways, galaxies, black holes in the universe, flowers, frost and four seasons on the Earth, and imaginary pictures from your inner world. In a word, it is about life. There seems to be a link between her paintings and the mysticism, which remind us of the graphs drawn by Tagore when he wrote “Gitanjali”.

　　Sunrise’s works are also featured by a rich feminine tone. Most of the images are related to sex. After the feminism that is expressed in some of the western-style arts had been introduced into China, its originally embedded aggressiveness was transfigured into the visual representation of women’s sexual experiences and their own body images, where violence is diminished, while autocatharsis, sex indulgence and narcissism speak loud. Even though the “feminism” displayed in Sunrise’s work seems more conservative in comparison with others, the explosive inner force derives from it is incrediable, to take some of her works as an example: “The Sun Kisses the Yellow Earth”, “The Rain of Flowers”.

　　Sunrise understands very well the trend of the 20th century Chinese ink paintings thanks to her early training in this area. She also has deep insight into the principles of taoism, which lends a historical dimension to her works. In addition, she has been very active in morden and contemporary art activities in China, planning exhibitions and running galleries. These experiences allow her to be always standing at the front line of art movements. Even though her works are not of the typical avant-garde genre, the fascinating colors of Sunrise’s paintings are of breathtaking power that leaves one stopping and gasping at them.

　　In an era when one is suffocated by the prevailing air of utilitarianism and materialism, the paintings of Sunrise allow us to breath the fresh air. If you intend to seduce someone to make love, do it where one can see the beautiful rainbow.

　　Zhaohui ZHANG

　　April, 2004, Yunheyuan