Yu Chunming: The Pioneer in Contemporary Eastern Ruins Art

Though the artwork of Yu Chunming is a recreation of historical images, the contemporary style reflects the developing progress of art globalization. His artwork presents an overall sense of tenderness, desolation, and mystique, as well as Chinese-ness embedded within the Eastern cultural settings, where the theoretical foundation hails from the Voluntarism coined by Schopenhauer, and the unique Eastern aesthetics—the Zen aesthetics of Zhuang Zhou, which emphasizes self-perception and intuition awareness. However, what distinguishes his artwork from the Western Ruins Art, is that the Eastern Ruins Art of Yu Chunming is acquired with cognition of Ruins Art under the philosophical concept of “Unity of Human and Humanity,” as well as a sense of Eastern regional culture symbols and sentimental identifications emerging from patriotism. His art language is mature, with a strong graphic program as well as a distinct artistic style. In spite of the irretrievable vanishment of Ruins Art during the progress of globalization, urbanization and modernization, the paradox of modernity has often led us to linger on Ruins Art. This long-accumulated cultural symbol evokes emotional memories and cultural sources that could never be erased. Also, we often compare these two as naturally as conducting an introspection between living a real life during the day, and dreaming under the darkness of night. The graphical images of Yu Chunming’s artwork are possessed with a profound ideology, strong visual impact, and abundant contemporary sense of color. It’s equipped with unique Chinese characteristics, and integrates the contemporary metaphysical school of art as well as the ideology of spiritual landscape art at the same time. It even coincides with the artistic philosophy of the School of Ruins Art in art history.