Luo Quanmu

Oil on canvas
210 x 130 cm.82 5/8 x 51 1/8 in.
Signed in Pingyin and Chinese，dated ’2012’ on the reverse
LITERATURE Tian Ren He Yi Art Center，Shanghai，LUOQUANMU-BREW，2012，p.28.
EXHIBITED Hang Zhou，China，Tian Ren He Yi Art Center，LUOQUANMU：BREW，June 9-30，2012.
Luo Quanmu b. 1965
Nanjing，Luo Quanmu’s hometown，is abundant in forests. On his way to school，Luo often see beekeepers bustling about working，particularly in spring. The secluded space and bustling scenes attract Luo Quanmu deeply，which contributed to his “Beekeeper” series.
Luo Quanmu tends to prefer depicting mountain，rocks and forests. Sometimes appreciating his works is similar to watching the landscape paintings of Li Cheng and Guo Xi. It is free and depressing at the same time，expressing his pursuit for art. As he described：“Mountain rocks are between abstract and figurative imageries which can freely wander about according to one’s inner feelings. It can be added or reduced a bit anywhere without the
In the “Beekeeper” by Luo Quanmu，the thriving tree branches and leaves constitute a secluded and dense forest； the dark green and reddish purple forests and the penetrating sunlight together form a mysterious sense of seclusion. Luo Quanmu continually employs the expression skills in “Butterfly Catcher” series. What’s different is，when depicting this theme，the use of green is less bright，a dark green almost like mature olives.
The seemingly flying bees in the painting resemble silent interpreters who describe the invisible honey and the private life of beekeepers. Luo Quanmu is attracted by their murky-dark skin and coarse big hands under the broken gloves of the beekeepers，just as his obsession to workers in the factory at an earlier stage. When he observed the beekeepers in full armor working in the forest at a distance，he once thought：“They give me this feeling that they have numerous secrets. It is an unknown mystery which I could not describe nor remove.”