We are delighted to announce Museum of Fine Art, Boston’s acquisition of Yan Shanchun’s Lake Hill #9 and Lake Hill #10 for their permanent collection. Among the first of a generation of artists who emerged from the academies when they were reopened after being closed during the Cultural Revolution, Yan Shanchun graduated from Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts in 1982, specializing in printmaking. He was trained in traditional Chinese calligraphy and influenced by American abstract painting.
Yan Shanchun’s paintings result from the application of multiple layers of ink, pigment and plaster powder, concealing memories of the famous landscape of West Lake that hover in the background and appear only intermittently. In the twelve years that have elapsed since he first started using plaster as ground for his paintings, he has shown increasing willingness to let it appear in an unadulterated form. This development is evident in expressive canvases of Lake Hill #9 and #10; accidents are welcomed and lead to new discoveries.