Xie Qiu Wa
Nationality: Chinese
Born: 1969
Described by the Mainland Chinese press as the “true inheritor” of the classical Chinese oil tradition, Xie Qiu Wa lives and paints in his adopted hometown of Shanghai. By age 35, Mr. Xie had been considered one of the leading forces in the reintroduction of the Classical Chinese School to a wider Western audience.
The artist’s work reflects a stoic luminescence and explores the contrast of light and darkness. Mr. Xie is one of few contemporary artists to immerse themselves in detailed photo-realism along traditional Chinese lines.
While Xie’s international reputation has been built upon his highly refined and detailed variations of Chinese 19th century classics, he has recently focused his efforts on still-life pieces which have confirmed his reputation as a rising creative talent in international photo-realism. Although Xie is now extremely busy with his work on still-life pieces, he still maintains a strong mentoring relationship with his wife, Dong Wen Jie. Both Xie and Dong compliment each other creatively, she with the eye for fine delicate features in figures, and he with the detailed realistic play of shadow and light in still-lifes.
Xie Qiu Wa continues to develop a strong following in the West. His work has been exhibited in galleries in Paris, Madrid, Rome, Venice and Las Vegas.
Art Style
The works of Dong and Xie follow in the established traditions of the Asian school of art – where emphasis is placed on technical expertise and the incremental accuracy of the artist’s stroke.
While the post-impressionistic Western schools of art have come to champion form and experimentation over technique, Dong and Xie’s creations, based on variations of Qing dynasty Imperial court classics, have renewed the Chinese oil tradition with a refreshing honesty and passion. With the renewed global interest in oil photo-realism, Dong and Xie have come to be known on the international stage as a “true discovery” and inheritors of a “forgotten art”.
In 2002-2003, the artists allowed much of their life work to be exhibited to an international audience, including exhibitions in Paris, Madrid, Salzberg, Shanghai, Beijing, Canada, and Las Vegas.
Despite the growing demand for their work, Dong Wen Jie and Xie Qiu Wa produce a limited series of original variations for each piece – all by hand. While this limits the number of people who may own their creations, it underscores the purity of their purpose and guarantees value appreciation over time.
