Long-time artist, 67, keeps pace with modern life

Qin Zhangshun has been interested in fine art since he was young. Now 67, he said he will continue his studies in the art of calligraphy.

"Whenever and wherever I saw people practicing painting or calligraphy, I was as if pinned to the ground watching, forgetting everything else," he said. "When I returned home, I locked myself in my bedroom and practiced."

He could not attend art university after high school because his family was poor, so he started to earn a living through his sculptures. He developed a tablet-making skill integrating calligraphy and carving.

Although his inspiration largely comes from previous practice and experience, Qin said he has always liked to try "something new, something other people have never tried".

He is a practitioner of the Xingshu, or semi-cursive script, as it is a "free style", he said. "The curves are elegant when I am happy and excited; and when I turn angry, the handwriting becomes something like a gale or storm.

"The Xingshu handwriting follows my will, and can reflect everything in life," he said. "Mastering the skill is not easy. I have to be careful and stick to it. Every single work of mine takes great energy because I have to start all over again if there is even the slightest flaw."

Qin believes that art exists everywhere in life, and only art extracted from life is the truest and most reliable, and will be best accepted by most people.

"Many people worship the works of the elder generations of artists, but I think the previous masterpieces are more like springboards - a base on which I can make some bold innovation. We should always keep pace with the times and never bind ourselves to the past."

zhangzhao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 12/19/2015 page10)