Hao Ping (Inspirational Printmakers)

"Flying Dance, Extremely Happy Dance Nuance", Hao Ping, Woodcut, 1995

I started a print at the beginning of the semester which was inspired by the image of the Hindu god Shiva and also the image of the Buddhist Bodhisattva. In some depictions of the Bodhisattva, he/she has many arms which symbolizes her/him reaching out to those who are in need. I was very interested in human form and also the sense of motion that was created when adding more limbs to an individual. I also have been experimenting with different styles of art such as cubism. After searching several printmaking sites I found one printmaker, Hao Ping, whose prints I connected with and felt inspired by.
Hao Ping, a modern printmaker from China, has prints that have been exhibited in China, the United States, Japan and Europe. His prints are made in woodcutting techniques with multiple color blocks. Hao Ping was born in Yunan, a province in China, which has a large population of ethnic minorities. His subject matter is taken from different ethnic backgrounds and their traditions. The print that first attracted me to his work was the “Flying Dance, Sound of the Far-off Drum” print, which depicts three women that appear to be reaching towards the sky.
In Ping’s prints he uses many geometric forms and also vibrant hues. After researching the works of Ping in different websites I found that one of his prints, “Dance of Hand,” actually depicts the Kwan-yin Bodhisattva faintly in the background of the dancers. Ping’s prints show movement and also emotion through his use of color and geometric forms. His prints have a dreamlike quality, that tell stories of different traditions and cultures through symbolism and imagery.
Hao Ping uses hues to express different emotions, or feelings. For example, in his print, “Music Chapter of the Summer, Warm Breeze and Green Lily", the yellow hue is suppose to resemble the warm sun and the blue hue is used to depict shadows. The color scheme gives the viewer a feeling of warmth and is symbolic of a summer’s day. The girls also shade themselves with two lotus leaves, which are symbolic of fertility in many religions. Many of his prints use multiple blocks that provide the prints with a wide variety of color and contrast. In many of Hao Ping’s prints, as many as fifteen different color blocks are used to create the print.
Other Hao Ping prints that have inspired me include "Daughters Of Mountain, Memorial ceremony of water dragon", “Silent Night, Sound to Convey” and “Thinking”. All of Hao Ping’s works demonstrate aspects of history, philosophy, sociology, and also include aspects of self reflection. More of Hao Ping’s prints can be found at http://www.chinaprints.com/pzuopin.asp?a=Hao%20Ping and http://www.artelino.com/gallery/catalog.asp?suy=4&gay=123