Colombia in watercolors

Song Xinru: Colombia in Watercolors

Text: Sun Xinzhou

Photos: Art Department Villegas Editores

The book Colombia in Watercolors, published in August 2017, is based on the Asian artist Song Xinru's fascination with the landscapes, nature and culture of Colombia. In our country, the artist discovered a new world full of bright colors.

Next, we quote the Introduction of “Colombia in Watercolors” by Sun Xinzhou:

“Although people often seem to think that one's fate is predetermined, sometimes the curves in one's life's path are beyond one's wildest imagination. “This has been Song Xinru ’s path .”

“In 1984, Song left China. At that time he had obtained his freedom after a long period of imprisonment during the Cultural Revolution in his country. “The courage to endure those difficult years was given to him by his optimistic vision of life and his tenacity to continue with what constitutes his passion.”

“With her dream of being an artist and of a new life, Song Xinru went to Colombia. He was immediately seduced by the exotic charm of South America. Unlike its homeland, always surrounded by mysterious and cloudy skies, this part of the world seems to have been blessed with all the sunlight that God has in his possession. Song was excited to see the Amazon River, which always aroused great curiosity in him. Sailing through it, he had the sensation of being in the middle of the spirit of the earth and the sky. This river, with its power to nourish the people living around it, also nourished Song art.”

“It seems that God favors this land: flowers always bloom, there is never winter, it is as if all forms of life have been invited to live in this exotic tropical jungle, where animals and human beings coexist in harmony. It seems like a land of wonders for the Native Americans who live there. In Song’s eyes, Mother Nature has given the Amazon all the splendor it is capable of.”

“Inspired by her unparalleled beauty, all of Song's passion and artistic talent gushed and flowed like the same river. He thinks it is a world full of sun and color that can very well be represented by watercolor painting. He lets his emotions flow through his pen and the landscapes make his brushes move non-stop. His art is like a rhapsody of life, like a symphony of colors. In his paintings, people, landscapes, birds, forests are represented in a real and vivid way. You would think that by touching the painting you could touch the scene itself.”

“Song's experience and knowledge of both Eastern and Western art emerge in his watercolors. Immersing yourself in his paintings, you can feel a faint breeze and an exciting rhythm tugs at your heartstrings. As Hippolyte Adolphe Taine, the French philosopher, said: “A painting is a colorful creation. Colors, light and intensities are distributed according to a set of selected and specific criteria. This is the essence of color."

“For 30 years, Song's watercolors, like fertile and fresh flowers that sprout in the Amazon, have touched my heart and awakened my admiration. Song graduated from the Beijing Academy of Art and Design. Many of his teachers came from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts and taught famous artists. But, as Eugene Delacroix, the 19th century French artist, said, "Color theory based on strict laws can be taught like music, but the difficult principles of painting cannot be taught." “Song’s work is proof of the virtues of color that Delacroix described.”

“In some ways artistic skills can be learned, but not the innate artistic intuition that is a gift from God. The artist's father, Song Xueguang Was, was a famous photographer in China and a renowned photographer for Peoples Pictorial magazine. “Both the photographer and the painter need eyes with aesthetic qualities, an attribute that, in this case, both the father and the son possess.”

“People who live in congested cities struggle to have a quiet place to quiet their minds. When they cast their tired eyes on Song Xinru's paintings, they wonder how he can create a world so artistic, so spiritual, and so majestic. He is driven by a great passion and has dedicated his life to art and traveling to all corners of Colombia. He has an adventurous spirit, comparable to that of Robinson Crusoe. And one thing is undeniable: those who feel passion for life also feel it for nature.”

“The realization of his goals in life led Song to create beautiful and sublime paintings through which he recognizes and praises all forms of life of Mother Nature. His paintings are like him. His kindness, his love and his many talents are represented there. His art inspires our imagination and challenges our mind to travel beyond the border of space to enjoy and be moved by the beauty of nature that exists thousands of kilometers away. His desire as an artist is not limited to ensuring that his amazing paintings remain, but that their spectacular color and beauty are preserved in reality and never disappear. There may not be much opportunity to personally enjoy nature, but the spiritual satisfaction achieved through his brilliant watercolors will remain forever in our hearts.”

“Currently, Song Xinru is a renowned world artist and was an art professor at the National University of Colombia. His works are appreciated and highly valued. His art is exhibited in different countries and is part of the collections of many museums.”

“After the many years he has spent on the other side of the world and his profound and emotional achievements in the Amazon, Song always keeps a special and warm place in his heart for his homeland, China. As his lifelong friend, I am proud of him, I have great admiration for him and I wish him much success in his future.”

Sun Xinzhou.

Professor and mentor of Ph. D. students at Minzu University, China. Beijing, December 2016