In conjunction with the 35th anniversary work by Woodstock artist Zhang Hongnian will be featured in an exhibit titled “Echoes of Life”, which will open Friday, September 19th. Cox remarked, “It is fitting to showcase this artist’s work as part of our anniversary celebration”, pointing out that he has been representing Zhang’s work since his Grand Central Art Gallery days. Zhang was part of a group of distinguished Chinese artists who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s. Unlike most Chinese work Cox was familiar with, paintings by these five masters, all graduates of the Beijing Academy of Art, evoked a distinctly Western style. In 1986 Grand Central mounted an important group exhibit, “Realism from China”, which was enthusiastically received by the New York art world.
Zhang enjoys an international reputation, but has chosen to make Woodstock his home. Shortly after Cox opened his gallery in Woodstock, the recently widowed Zhang, moved with his daughter Renee to the famous art colony. It was also in Woodstock that Zhang met his artist wife Lois Wooley. Both enjoy thriving art careers and are popular instructors at the Woodstock School of Art. Renee and Cox’s daughter Julianna have also continued a friendship that began in New York, before Renee was able to speak English. Both professional artists, they are collaborating on a new graphic novel about their childhood friendship.
The upcoming exhibit, “Echoes of Life”, will feature an eclectic array of paintings-figurative, landscapes, interiors and still lifes – with a concentration on Woodstock subjects. “Nightlife at the Colony” and “All Hallows Eve – Woodstock” capture the vibrant pulse of the village, while a series of intimate small landscapes embrace the beauty of its natural surroundings. New work revisiting the subject of Zhang’s 1992 exhibition “Portraits of a Colony”- sponsored by Cox in partnership with the Plimoth Plantation Museum in Plymoth, MA – will also be on display. These paintings depict scenes from the living museum, a recreation of the Pilgrims’ 17th century settlement.
Another important piece in the exhibit is a large canvas titled “NY Symphony”. This tour de force captures a vibrant scene on the steps of the New York Public Library, with a guitar player performing amidst a crowd of people, some sitting on the steps of the library enjoying the performance, others gazing up at the sky.
“I am very excited to be exhibiting this fine work by my dear friend Hongnian,” Cox remarked. “He has been associated with my gallery from the very beginning and it is fitting that he be a part of this landmark occasion.”The James Cox Gallery at Woodstock is located at 4666 State Route 212, Willow, NY. “Echoes of Life” will be on view through Sunday, October 19th. The public is invited to a reception for the artist Friday, September 19th from 5 to 7 p.m. For more information contact the gallery at 845-679-7608 or info@jamescoxgallery.com.
AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE!
The Chinese Contemporary Distinguished Oil Painter
by Zhang Hongnian
Special Exhibition Price of $80.00 (per book).