Friends
Like his landscapes and still lifes, Zhao Wenliang’s portraits are filled with deep, sincere emotion. They range from early watercolors improvised in 1956 to portraits from the 1970s depicting his elder sister and fellow members of No Name Painting Group, such as Yang Yushu, Zhang Da’an, and Shi Xixi, as well as a 1980s portrait of the poet Huiwa. Some works employ a generalized mode of expression, while others draw on the languages of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, and still others adopt a more realistic approach.
Certain paintings document of the No Name group shared experiences throughout the seasons, traveling across Beijing, from Yuyuantan, Diaoyutai, and Fragrant Hills to Beidaihe and even as far as Qinhuangdao, sketching together and forging intimate artistic bonds. Others offer incisive, vivid portrayals of friends. Most members of the No Name group were Zhao’s students, and none were professional “art workers.” Zhao took pride in this: “This is not a group hastily assembled for an exhibition. It did not emerge ‘as the times required,’ nor does it plead with ‘wounds’ or ride whatever ‘wave’ happens to be fashionable. The works exhibited are no longer timely ‘political illustrations’; they tell no false stories, nor are they pathetic echoes of foreign ‘schools’ in China.” Painting was not only a form of personal expression but also the most important connection among them. Zhao Wenliang’s portraits not only present his fellow travelers on the “night road” but also reveal his active explorations across various artistic languages.