Xue Song

Beneath the cliffs


"The crescent high above shining all over the country alike, albeit there are households in bliss and sorrow respectively here on earth" -- line from a folksong


Every painting is a poem


Pavillion by the lake (click to enlarge)

I found a beautiful artist. His name is Xue Song. Oh my god. Visceral, strong, gorgeous, tied-to-death, joyful art.

Many of the fragments of paper in Xue Song’s collages have burnt edges, a feature of his work that originates in the tragic destruction of his studio by fire several years ago. All that remained from the blaze were charred fragments of paintings and piles of ash. To cope with the pain of his loss, Xue Song retrieved these remains and pasted them onto canvas. For him, ash is both a reminder of fate and a symbol of rebirth. Ever since, he has painstakingly burned the edges of the paper fragments in his collages. The main figures or characters in his painting are executed in a mixture of burnt wood ash and glue, resulting in a rough texture that contrasts with the smooth glazed collage background.

See here for more bio info.