吳平   Wu, Ping   1920~

Ping Wu, courtesy name Kan-Bai, was born in Ningbo city, Zhejiang province, China, in 1920. Under the influence of his father, he cultivated strong interests in painting, calligraphy and the art of seal-carving since childhood. First mentored by Pei-Heng Wu, following which he received guidance from Yi-Hong Gao, Wu laid a solid foundation for his art development. The primary theme of his paintings is Flowers-and-Birds, and the use of cyanine pigment makes his oeuvre one of a kind. As for the seal-carving, Wu’s works have imbibed the unique features of San-Mu Deng. However, the artist has ingeniously integrated all he has learned to create his own distinctive style. Apart from mastering Flowers-and-Birds painting, Wu also shows proficiency in the various scripts of calligraphy, including seal script, clerical script, semi-cursive script and cursive script. His semi-cursive script and cursive script are inherited from Duo Wang and exude a special charm. His seal-carving, on the other hand, is rooted in tradition, yet advances consistently. On the basis of Han Seal, he has adopted the carving techniques of the “Zhe school” and the methodicalness of the “Yushan school” in the Chinese carving art tradition, giving a uniqueness which distinguishes his seal pieces from others. Ping Wu joined the “Qixiu Painting Association”, the “Haiqiao Seal-Carving Society” and the “Six Six Painting Association”. Numerous grand prizes have been bestowed on him, such as the “Jinjue Award” (The Art Society of China) and the Zhongshan Literary and Artistic Creation Award - Seal-carving category. In 1983, he has served as Chief Curator of the Department of Painting and Calligraphy at the National Palace Museum and now dedicates his life to painting, calligraphy and seal-carving. Wu lives a simple life and does not care about fame and fortune. He is a rare artist of our time who possesses a solid mastery of painting, calligraphy and seal-carving. His virtues and prestigious achievements make him highly respected by younger generations.