GU WENDA (BORN 1955)
Fake Character Drawing #8
Scroll, mounted and framed, ink on paper
68 x 99 cm. (26 3/4 x 39 in.)

PROVENANCE
The Origo Collection
The Flowell Collection, Ottawa, Canada

SPECIALIST'S NOTES
Gu Wenda studied at the Shanghai School of Arts and Crafts and later received his master’s degree from Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts in 1981 under the tutelage of great modern painter Lu Yanshao. In 1987, Gu moved to the United States and since then he held numerous teaching positions and affiliations with institutions such as the University of Minnesota and Cooper Union, and has dedicated his time to creating ink paintings, large scale installations, and other art and design related projects.

Gu Wenda was a true rebel among his fellow classical paintings classmates. His inspiration stemmed from the big, miswritten characters on propaganda posters used during the Cultural Revolution, hence the creation of his pseudo-Chinese script which remains the main idea of his artistic direction. Gu attempts to explore the limitations and possibilities of Chinese language and writing and transforms the role of calligraphy in traditional landscape compositions.