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In Guangming Daily Again: Art and Cultural Exchange

And a New Painting

I had planned a different post for this week, but that one needs another round of editing. In the meantime, I have some news to share.

On 30 April 2022, Guangming Daily (光明日报) published another detailed report about me. It appeared on page 4, in the international news section. An earlier interview in 2021 had focused on my relationship with Chinese art and culture. [1]

Page 4 of Guangming Daily, 30 April 2022, with a report on Friedrich Zettl at the bottom

The new report grew out of an interview with the newspaper’s Vienna correspondent, Jiao Shousong (焦授松), in connection with the planned exhibition of my work in Beijing. Beyond the exhibition, we spoke about my contributions to cultural exchange between Austria and China over more than forty years. It is an area that matters a great deal to me. Read the original Chinese report.

The neighbouring articles deal with Russia’s war in Ukraine and the role of the United States. Quite a setting for my world of art. 😊

Guangming Daily article with a photograph of Friedrich Zettl beside works laid out on a rug

New Ink Painting Finished

To make this more than a post celebrating myself, I would like to add a painting I finished this week.

Turquoise ink painting with broad blue-green curves, dark brushstrokes and red seals on pale paper
turquoise – abstract ink painting

Many viewers may see a Western abstract painting here. For me, it also carries much of what I have learned from traditional Chinese art.

Detail of Turquoise showing overlapping blue-green washes and a dark diagonal stroke
Footnotes

[1] Source: Guangming Daily, 30 April 2022, page 4, report by Jiao Shousong. The original title refers to fifty years of cultural exchange between China and Europe. ↩

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An Interview in Guangming Daily: My Years in China · Teaser for Next Exhibition · Études – Small Studies and Quiet Experiments

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Comments

31 responses to “In Guangming Daily Again: Art and Cultural Exchange”

  1. SoundEagle 🦅ೋღஜஇ avatar
    SoundEagle 🦅ೋღஜஇ

    Dear Friedrich Zettl 狐胡,

    Congratulations to you on being featured on the front page of the 光明日报 guangming daily!

    Happy May to you and your family!

    Yours sincerely,
    SoundEagle

    Reply
    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar
      Zettl Friedrich

      Thank you very much for your kind words and wishes! Happy May to you and your family too!

      Reply
      1. SoundEagle 🦅ೋღஜஇ avatar
        SoundEagle 🦅ೋღஜஇ

        Dear Friedrich Zettl 狐胡,

        You are very welcome. I would like to read the front page, but the image included in your post is too small for reading.

        Yours sincerely,
        SoundEagle

      2. Zettl Friedrich avatar
        Zettl Friedrich

        Thank you! Here is the link to the newspaper article: https://epaper.gmw.cn/gmrb/html/2022-04/30/nw.D110000gmrb_20220430_4-04.htm

      3. SoundEagle 🦅ೋღஜஇ avatar
        SoundEagle 🦅ೋღஜஇ

        Dear Friedrich Zettl 狐胡,

        The article entitled “听奥地利艺术家讲述中欧文化交流50年” is indeed both a dedication to and acknowledgement of your half-a-century contributions to bridging the oriental and the occidental through art and culture. Such a milestone is not to be trivialized, unheeded or forgotten. I would hereby like to celebrate your 50-year milestone and resonate with your friendly spirit and creative energy with the following statement by Robert Louis Stevenson:

        We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.

        https://soundeagle.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/we-are-all-travelers-in-the-wilderness-of-the-world.jpg

        Like you, I hope that I have contributed in my own multidisciplinary ways to knowledge and wisdom, as outlined in the “About” page of my multifaceted blog, which you are very welcome to peruse and comment on.

        Wishing you a productive weekend doing or enjoying whatever that satisfies you the most, whether aesthetically, physically, intellectually or spiritually!

        Yours sincerely,
        SoundEagle

      4. Zettl Friedrich avatar
        Zettl Friedrich

        You are so kind! Though I do not deserve your praise it makes me happy of course. All my best wishes and thanks!

      5. SoundEagle 🦅ೋღஜஇ avatar
        SoundEagle 🦅ೋღஜஇ

        Dear Friedrich Zettl 狐胡,

        I have included herein this English translation of the article entitled “听奥地利艺术家讲述中欧文化交流50年” for the benefit of your English readers:

        Listen to Austrian artists talking about 50 years of Sino-European cultural exchanges

        The art exhibition with the theme of “50 Years of Cultural Exchange between China and Europe” will be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Beijing recently. Our reporter recently interviewed one of the invited artists for the exhibition, Austrian artist Friedrich Zettl 狐胡, known as “Lao Cai”.

          Lao Cai told reporters about his experience and experience in cultural exchanges between China and the West for many years. Lao Cai said that Austria and China have maintained friendly and pragmatic relations since the establishment of diplomatic relations. Although they have different views on some issues, the two countries have always handled their relations based on the principle of mutual understanding and respect. As far as he is concerned, the friendly relations between Austria and China have laid a good foundation for him to deal with China, especially in recent years, the Chinese people have gradually deepened their understanding of Austria, all of which can make him feel positive and happy. Engage in cultural exchanges in an atmosphere.

        Lao Cai said that he has been interested in art, especially oil painting, since he was a teenager. He first studied Japanese art, but in the process of studying, he found that Japanese painting and calligraphy originated in China, which prompted him to study Chinese painting. . In the late 1970s, studying in China was almost unthinkable for Europeans. With the help of the Austrian embassy in China and after several efforts, he became the first European student at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in the early days of reform and opening up. In order to dispel the concerns of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, he said that in terms of life: “I only need a desk and chair, a bed, a bookshelf, and nothing else.” Although he was not used to getting along with his classmates and teachers at first, Lao Cai quickly adapted to the environment and actively devoted himself to learning. When the classmates had their lunch break, he was still diligently practicing the basic skills of traditional Chinese painting such as painting bamboo, which also laid a good foundation for him in traditional Chinese culture.

          In the 1980s, Lao Cai began to give lectures to the families of diplomats in China, introducing traditional Chinese arts such as landscape painting, and occasionally explaining cultural exhibitions in the Forbidden City and other places, which received a good response. At the same time, Lao Cai’s teachers and classmates were also curious about Western classical art, especially the field of painting they were engaged in, so Lao Cai explained to them Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt and other Austrians. They often communicated all night and learned from each other about the knowledge of painters. Since then, he has forged an indissoluble bond with Chinese culture and embarked on a lifelong journey of devoting himself to cultural exchanges between China and the West.

        After graduating from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Lao Cai worked in the Austrian embassy in China for a period of time. The then Austrian ambassador to China, Wolfgang Wolte, was very supportive of the cultural exchange between Austria and China. It was precisely under the auspices of Ambassador Wolte that , Austria-China cultural exchange is booming, and the well-known Austrian film “Sissi” was introduced to China under this background. Lao Cai said that in order to give the Chinese people an intuitive impression of Austria, at first they drove a van to some colleges and universities to show movies on site. Later, the embassies of the two sides negotiated to introduce an Austrian film for release in major cinemas in China. The Austrian embassy in China invited staff from the Film Bureau, China Film Company and students from the Film Academy to watch a series of films. Princess”. Maybe such a job is not difficult now, but there were still many difficulties in the 1980s. After the unremitting efforts of both parties, Shanghai Film Studio finally introduced “Princess Sissi” in 1988, which was a great success. Lao Cai recalled that the premiere of “Princess Sissi” in China was at Beijing’s Xidan Cinema, which was packed, and many audience members shed tears after the film ended. Although this film shot in 1955 does not fully reproduce the real situation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at that time, Chinese audiences still understand part of Austria’s history, culture, architecture and customs from this film. Luo, who plays Princess Sissi Romy Schneider has also become a household name in China. This film has not only become the most popular Austrian film in China so far, but also, like Mozart, Strauss and Hallstatt, has become the “Austrian business card” in the hearts of Chinese people. Today, “Princess Sissi” still has a large number of fans in China, and Chinese tourists even look for the footprints of Princess Sissi when they visit Austria.
        In addition to introducing Austrian films into China, Lao Cai also actively introduced Chinese culture to Austria. In 1987, Lao Cai, who had completed his studies and returned to China, organized “China Week” activities in core areas such as the Danube Center and the Southern Shopping City in Vienna, displaying a variety of Chinese elements, which caused quite a stir at the time. In 1991, with the active efforts of Lao Cai, the Vienna Film Festival Viennale held the Chinese Film Review Week for the first time. A total of 41 Chinese films were screened. Lao Cai and his wife personally translated all the films into German, and they can still recall them like a treasure. The titles of the film – “The Road”, “Cross Street”, “Angel on the Road”, “A River of Spring Water Flows East”, “Lights of Ten Thousand Houses”, “My Life”, “Neighbors” and so on. These films stretched from the 1920s to the 1990s, which can be said to be a comprehensive review of Chinese films, which had a great influence in Austria.

        Talking about his experience of engaging in cultural exchanges between China and the West for many years, Lao Cai said that he belonged to the “68 generation” after World War II in Europe. One of the most important characteristics of this group was their strong interest in foreign cultures. Some left-wing youth seem to be heavenly beings, but there are also quite a few people who hold the completely opposite view. Lao Cai believes that cultural exchange is the most important tool for maintaining world peace, and it is also the only way to broaden horizons and enrich life experience. For example, Lao Cai said that if a person who studies philosophy only studies the thoughts of ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, while ignoring Chinese Buddhism and Taoism, it is tantamount to sitting in a well and watching the sky. In the field of art alone, the wealth of knowledge that Chinese traditional culture can provide cannot be learned in a lifetime.

           Lao Cai said that he was very satisfied with his limited ability to make a small contribution to the cultural exchange between China and the West in his professional field. Today, the young Cai is still active in the front line of cultural exchanges between China and the West. As one of the invited painters of the “50 Years of Sino-European Cultural Exchange” art exhibition, Lao Cai said that some of the works exhibited this time combined the techniques of traditional western oil painting and Chinese freehand landscape painting, vividly reflecting the cultural exchange between China and the West With the theme of integration, being invited to participate in this exhibition is also a great affirmation of his years of cultural exchange.

        Yours sincerely,
        SoundEagle

      6. Zettl Friedrich avatar
        Zettl Friedrich

        Wow! I had not read it myself yet ☺️ You are very kind. My best wishes are with you. 🌹

  2. swabby429 avatar
    swabby429

    The yellow-green arc near the center of the painting effectively expresses swift motion. Congratulations on the newspaper write-up.

    Reply
    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar
      Zettl Friedrich

      Thank you! Yes, the arc helps also to accentuate the silence.

      Reply
  3. linda levante avatar
    linda levante

    Das sind schöne Bilder. Sind Sie in China bekannter als in Deutschland? Wenn ja, dann muss sich das ändern. Meine Anerkennung für Ihre Arbeit haben Sie auf jeden Fall. Schönes Wochenende.

    Reply
    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar
      Zettl Friedrich

      Vielen herzlichen Dank für Ihre freundlichen Worte. ich bin Österreicher, hatte aber ein paar Ausstellungen in Deutschland. Da meine Arbeiten stark auf traditionellen chinesischen Gedanken basieren, sind sie dort wahrscheinlich leichter nachvollziehbar. Auch Ihnen ein schönes Wochenende!

      Reply
  4. Mike U. avatar
    Mike U.

    Congratulations on the newspaper coverage. Your work is quite amazing and most definitely worthy of attention. I have a question about your new painting that you describe as “an abstract Western painting.” The Contact link on your blog isn’t working so I’m unable to pose my question directly. Would you be willing to contact me using the Contact page on my blog? It concerns the background image in your painting. You can contact me here: https://silentpariah.com/contact/ Looking forward to hearing from you.

    Reply
    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar
      Zettl Friedrich

      Thank you! I will contact you shortly and will check the link too.

      Reply
  5. Cristiano Gomes de Deus avatar
    Cristiano Gomes de Deus

    Congratulations

    Reply
    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar
      Zettl Friedrich

      Thank you very much!

      Reply
  6. Martha Kennedy avatar
    Martha Kennedy

    I’m imagining Romy Schneider speaking Putungwha in the high pitched voice of a Chinese beauty.

    What a wonderful, wonderful piece and what an extraordinary life it represents. Congratulations on both.

    Reply
    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar
      Zettl Friedrich

      Thank you very much! And the Chinese ladies weeping, Young and old.😥

      Reply
      1. Martha Kennedy avatar
        Martha Kennedy

        Oh I can imagine. I watched Polanski’s Tess of the D’urbervilles with a bunch of PLA soldiers one evening. We were riding back from town. We went past a base. They were hanging a giant sheet? Sail? Between some trees. They were so excited to be showing a foreign movie. They invited us. We were excited, too, never expecting it to be dubbed. It was really difficult not to laugh when Nastassja Kinski came out speaking like she was in the Guangdong opera.

  7. Zettl Friedrich avatar
    Zettl Friedrich

    The first movie I saw in China was Battleship Potemkin: in Russian and with Chinese subtitles 🙂

    Reply
  8. rabirius avatar
    rabirius

    Congratulations on the article.
    Also on the new works. I really like how you create something with colours and forms that looks just perfect.

    Reply
    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar
      Zettl Friedrich

      You are very kind! These words from a great artist like you mean much to me.

      Reply
  9. mitchteemley avatar
    mitchteemley

    Very cool, Freidrich. I’d click Like, but the button isn’t loading.

    Reply
    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar
      Zettl Friedrich

      Thank you very much Mitch, you are very kind! Sorry for the button. Seems that happens from time to time and I am not sure why.

      Reply
  10. graham mcquade avatar
    graham mcquade

    Well done on your coverage. It bodes well for the exhibition. Good Luck, Friedrich. My like button also does not work.

    Reply
  11. Carolyn Kaiser Harmon avatar
    Carolyn Kaiser Harmon

    Look at YOU Friedrich ZETTL! I am happy to see you getting much-deserved recognition and exposure for your exciting art. Loving the blue by the way ❤️. WOW – front page!

    Reply
    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar
      Zettl Friedrich

      You are very kind, Carolyn! If there would have been a link to one of my websites it would have been perfect. But all is fine as ist is – always. 🌹

      Reply
  12. Harshi avatar
    Harshi

    This is amazing! Congratulations!

    Reply
  13. Cindy Georgakas avatar
    Cindy Georgakas

    congratulations!~ 💖

    Reply
    1. Zettl Friedrich avatar
      Zettl Friedrich

      Thank you so much, Cindy Georgakas! In times like this we are happy for any reaction 🙂

      Reply
      1. Cindy Georgakas avatar
        Cindy Georgakas

        You’re so welcome. Such a lovely gift! 💖

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