Weng Zhanqiu

Weng Zhanqiu was a Chinese painter and writer who was one of the first Chinese artists to study in Paris. He was born in Fujian, China, in 1900, and showed an early talent for painting and calligraphy. He won a government scholarship to study at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1919, where he learned from famous French painters such as Henri Matisse, Paul Cezanne, and Pablo Picasso. He also befriended other Chinese artists who were studying in Paris at the time, such as Xu Beihong and Lin Fengmian. Weng Zhanqiu was influenced by both Western and Eastern art styles, and developed his own unique expression of modern Chinese art. He painted landscapes, portraits, still lifes, and abstract compositions, using bold colors, dynamic brushstrokes, and geometric shapes. He also wrote essays and poems on art and culture, and published several books of his paintings and writings. Weng Zhanqiu was active in the Chinese student movement in Paris, and participated in the protests against the Treaty of Versailles, which granted Japan the rights to Shandong province in China. He also supported the May Fourth Movement, which advocated for political and cultural reforms in China. He returned to China in 1924, and taught at several art schools and universities, such as the Shanghai Art School, the National Central University, and the National Academy of Art. He also held solo and group exhibitions of his works, and received recognition and praise from critics and audiences. He was regarded as one of the pioneers of modern Chinese painting, and a bridge between Chinese and Western art. Weng Zhanqiu moved to Australia in 1941, after the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War. He settled in Sydney, where he continued to paint and write, and also taught Chinese art and culture at the University of Sydney. He died of heart failure in Sydney on January 1, 1945, at the age of 45. He was buried at the Rookwood Cemetery, where a memorial stone was erected in his honor. His works are collected and displayed in various museums and galleries in China, France, Australia, and other countries. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and original Chinese artists of the 20th century, and a cultural ambassador between China and the West.