Water Village series were made in recent years, it may help us to better understand BEI Jiaxiang’s style of oil painting.
The water village and old Shanghai in his paintings are not full of green and prosperity as we usually see in other artworks. He put aside these superficial features and depicted themwith heart and life experience, revealing the original nature and culture of the water village and the historical significance of old Shanghai behind the hustle and bustle of city.
Everyone has a unique water village and old Shanghai in his heart. BEI Jiaxiang is filled with nostalgia and modern romantic sentiment for this land. He chose gray to be the tone just because this is the color of the water village and old Shanghai in his mind, trying make the painting more expressive and dynamic, meanwhile implicit and meaningful with the color he saw and experienced.
With simple composition and freed-up style, these artworks are passionate, romantic, emotionally arousing and thought-provoking, representing the original water village in our memories.
