Born in Shanghai in 1948, Qiu Deshu loved to paint since he was young and received traditional Chinese painting education. He was invited to be residence artist at Tufts University between 1985-1986. He started to try experimental ink painting since late 1970s. He co-founded the Grass Painting Society (cao cao hua she) with other painters, who advocated spiritual independence, unique technique, original styles in painting. You can see the effect of western modern concept in his works during this time, but all the materials were come from traditional Chinese image resource. Qiu became one of the earliest professional artists in China in middle 80s, now he lives and works in Shanghai, China.
Read MoreSince 1982, Qiu got inspiration from a crack on an old slate by chance, that’s when he started to create works for Fissuring series, he’s continued to study the techniques and deepened its themes in the past two decades repeatedly. Fissuring art, it’s a way of painting that structure, tearing, integration happen at the same time, by using tearing, rubbing, craving techniques on Xuan paper, which shows the wonderful material of Xuan paper. Which also creates a natural, free changing painting line-the fissures. He changes the order of colouring, all the colours are bottom color which are prepared in advance, and continue to tear and crave on the first layer on Xuan paper. The flying lines and surprising lighting colours, all express the intertwine coexistence between close-range tension and deep space.
This fissure art breaks the tradition that 'Ink is the essence of Chinese paintings' thoroughly, which changes the passiveness and subsidiary status of Xuan paper, and makes a new way of expressing art by showing its characteristics of whiteness, exquisite, pliability, semitransparent and water permeability etc. Qiu surpasses the traditional techniques and images structure that traditional Chinese paintings follows which is by using brush and ink to paint on paper, he shows the modern fissuring era in a totally new image by integrating Xuan paper and canvas, ink and oil, painting and craving.
Qiu’s works have been widely exhibited in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, as well as many western countries. They’re collected by National Art Museum of China; Sullivan Showroom of Oxford University, UK; Taichong Provincial Art Museum, Taiwan; The University of Arizona Museum of Art, USA; Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, USA; Asian Art Museum, South Korea; Rathaus of Hamburg, Germany; Aurora Plaza, Shanghai, China; Goedhuis Contemporary, New York, USA; Origo Family Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland; Nusa Art Centre, Australia etc., as well as many other private collections.
