SHUTIAN CAO
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Shutian Cao (Chinese: 曹舒天) is a contemporary Chinese Guohua artist and art educator. He is a member of the China Artists Association and known for his traditional Ink wash painting featuring the landscape of Jiangnan Shuixiang.
Shutian was born on Dec.14th 1950 in Gaohang, Pudong, a suburban area in Shanghai. As a child, he was fascinated with Lianhuanhua, a type of palm-size picture books of sequential drawings popular in China in the 20th century. He replicated the illustrations from Lianhuanhua again and again till he could memorized the characters. In middle school his art teacher, Jiseng Li, who was a student of Qi Baishi, became Shutian's first mentor of traditional ink wash painting. Jiseng believed in Shutian's potential and intended to train him into an art educator.
Culture revolution started when Shutian was 16 year old and interrupted Jiseng's plan. When Shutian was 20, he was trained into a profession carpenter for making a living. But the passion for fine arts never left him.
In 1973, Shutian was recruited as a Lianhuanhua artist by Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House. From 1973 to 1976, Shutian was systematically trained by professional artists from the publishing house and participated in the creation of Lianhuanhua, "The Spring Sprouts" ( 春苗 ) which was published nationwide in China. At that time, most art colleges in China refused to admit disabled students. Shutian's applications to art colleges were repeatedly turned down by the fact that his leg was crippled due to the aftermath of polio as a child.
In 1977, Culture revolution ended. Shutian was admitted by East China Normal University and became a middle school politics teacher after graduation. He devoted all his leisure time in art. His artwork was admitted by multiple national level exhibitions and earned attention from the professional field. After three years middle school teaching life, he switched his position to Chuansha Institute of teachers' advanced studies as an art educator.
His artwork reflects his non-pretentious love to his hometown, Jiangnan Shuixiang. The suburban area of Shanghai has been intensively urbanized and developed for decades. The poetic and nostalgic portrayal of the water town in his work is especially touching in the context of urbanization and digitalization in the 21 century.
A documentary about Shutian's artwork
