Page 63 - The Parker Collection: Hua Qi Min

Commentary by Hua Qi Min

While some collectors know my contemporary art, it should be noted that my artistic
foundation is in traditional Chinese ink painting. Chinese ink painting has thousands
of years of outstanding tradition. It is a unique and magical form of art created by
ancient Chinese artists who used brush and ink to present the mysterious beauty of
the Chinese culture and to express its inner spirit.

Contemporary painters in China have inherited this rich cultural tradition, but also
continuously developed the art form in both subject matter and modes of expression.
They have gained broader fields of vision and become more focused on a truthful
representation of the contemporary life so as to achieve a powerful artistic effect.

I have engaged in the art of Chinese ink painting for more than forty years, produced
tremendous amounts of works of art and received numerous awards as well as very
positive critical acclaim.

Starting in 2003, many of my paintings were influenced by the beauty and magic of
Tibet. Mysterious and wondrous, located in West China, Tibet is known as the third
Pole next to the North and South Pole - in the Qing Zang Highland. The Tibetans are
kind-hearted and pure-minded people who are strong, energetic and diligent with
excellent horsemanship and an amazing spirit of endurance. I once lived there and
was fascinated by everything I saw and heard. It was on the basis of these source
materials that I created a group of paintings, which were exhibited in St. Louis,
Missouri. Using the traditional Chinese ink painting technique to portray this unique
life experience, I have created a special effect that distinguishes this work from
others.

In these paintings, I try to present conflicting yet harmonious relationships between