Wu Zuoren (; 3 November 1908 – 9 April 1997)Barnhart, R. M. et al. (1997). Three thousand years of Chinese painting. New Haven, Yale University Press. : Page 384. was a Chinese painter. A native of Jing County,

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

, he was born in

Suzhou Suzhou is a major prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. As part of the Yangtze Delta megalopolis, it is a major economic center and focal point of trade and commerce. Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou rapidly grew in size by the ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

Province. He practiced both traditional Chinese ink painting and European oil painting.

Chronology

*1908: Wu Zuoren is born in

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

. *1927: Wu Zuoren studies in the department of fine arts at Shanghai Art University where his ability is recognized by Xu Beihong. Later, he transfers to the department of fine arts at Nanguo Academy of Arts. *1928: Wu Zuoren follows Xu Beihong to study at the National Central University (renamed

Nanjing University Nanjing University (NJU) is a public university in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. It is affiliated and sponsored by the Ministry of Education. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction. The univers ...

in 1949). *1930 - 1935: Wu Zuoren travels abroad to study in Europe. He returns to China in 1935.Wu Zuoren's Art Show Lauded in Paris
china.org.cn *1939: Wu Zuoren's first wife, Lina, a Belgian national, dies at an early age while they are at

, due to postpartum depression complicated by the bombardment of

Chongqing ChongqingPostal Romanization, Previously romanized as Chungking ();. is a direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China. Chongqing is one of the four direct-administered municipalities under the State Council of the People's Republi ...

by Japanese war planes. *1949: With the establishment of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, Wu Zuoren joins the China Artists Association. *1949-1953: Wu Zuoren becomes a professor and the first provost of China Central Academy of Fine Arts. *1953: Wu Zuoren is elected vice president of the China Artists Association. *1954: Wu Zuoren becomes a permanent member of the

National People's Congress The National People's Congress (NPC) is the highest organ of state power of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The NPC is the only branch of government in China, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs from the Sta ...

. *1958: Wu Zuoren becomes the principal of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts. *1963: Wu Zuoren sets out to change the face of China when presented with the opportunity to design a three postage stamps for the

. Known for his ink paintings of yaks and camels in western ChinaRobert Hatfield Ellsworth, ''Later Chinese Painting and Calligraphy 1800-1950'' with C.Y. Watt, Random House, New York, 1987, vol II p. 327-329, Wu Zuoren's ''Giant Panda'' stamps first issued in 1963 establish the

giant panda The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white animal coat, coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. ...

as the emblem of the new China. A second series of six ''Giant Panda'' stamps by Wu Zouren was issued in 1973, and a more elaborate ''Giant Panda'' edition based on his ink paintings produced in 1985. For the remainder of his life, Wu Zuoren remains a prominent member of the central committee of the

China Democratic League The China Democratic League (CDL) is one of the eight minor democratic parties in the People's Republic of China under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party. The CDL was originally founded in 1941 as a pro-democracy umbrella coalition g ...

, Chairman of the Chinese Artists Association, and a member of the standing committee of the

. Wu Zuoren's second wife, Xiao Shufang, was an artist known for her flower paintings. Wu Zuoren founded and endowed the
Wu Zuoren International Foundation of Fine Arts
. *1997: Wu Zuoren died in 1997 in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

References

External links

Official website of Wu Zuoren International Foundation of Fine Arts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Zuoren 1908 births 1997 deaths 20th-century Chinese painters Members of the Standing Committee of the 6th National People's Congress Academic staff of the Central Academy of Fine Arts Painters from Suzhou Politicians from Suzhou People's Republic of China politicians from Jiangsu Presidents of Central Academy of Fine Arts Educators from Suzhou People from Jing County, Anhui