The eternal flow of art

Painter Wang Baoan finds water the great metaphor of communication and beauty, Zhang Zhao reports

Among all the things on earth, the 49-year-old artist Wang Baoan loves water most.

"Water is so weak that it has to wind its way as it flows down, but sometimes it is so strong that no mountain or rock can stop it heading to the sea," said the master in traditional Chinese painting.

Wang compared himself to water, quiet on the outside but passionate within.

He said his pursuit along the path of art is never ending, just like the circle of water.

Born in the city of Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, Wang graduated from the Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts in 1986 and is now a professor and doctoral adviser at the academy.

He is also a member of the China Artists Association and a researcher with the Research Institute of Culture and History in Shaanxi province.

In 1993, he was granted a bronze medal in the first national landscape painting show, his first national award.

Over the next two decades, many of his works were collected in influential art shows and contests and won many more prizes.

He is steadfast in his study of painting techniques, but also makes innovations to develop his own style.

In his work, he creates an artistic conception through which he holds conversations with the viewers.

"Someone sees the mountains behind the clouds. Someone sees the brooks at the foot of the mountain. And someone even hears the brooks warbling," he said.

Wang believes that the "pure" art is aimed to "carry forward beauty without the need for excessive moralizing". "It is enough for an artist to create works that can convey visual enjoyment and relaxation in the minds of people in this quick-fix society," he said.