CULTURAL
CO
Artist Benjamin Wu paints dynamic scenes that reflect the heritage,
ancestry and traditions of both Eastern and Western cultures.
By John Geraghty
Supply Station, oil on canvas, 48 x 72"
ONNECTIONS
Happy Hour, oil on canvas, 40 x 42”
S
ince the Cultural Revolution in China,
the influx of Chinese artists to the United
States has had a dramatic influence on
all genres of art here in America, from abstract
modernism to pure realism. These artists bring
with them a level of training incomparable to
anything offered in our scholastic curriculum.
They have come to America to achieve their
dreams, in most cases becoming citizens,
furthering their education earning masters
degrees in fine art from our universities and
finding their place in the American culture.
Benjamin Wu is one of these extraordinary
artists. He was born in 1961 in the small
coastal town of Zhanjiang in the province
of Guangdong located in southern China. At
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the age of 5 he was constantly drawing; his
mother encouraged these interests. At age 14
he was accepted into a prestigious art school
directed by Xuan Chenbang, one of the most
influential artists in the area at that time. Wu’s
progression was extraordinary; in 1978 he was
encouraged to take the entrance examination
for the Preparatory School of Guangzhou Fine
Art institute of China. Wu was accepted and for
the next three years he received rigorous and
formal training in drawing and painting, which
established a solid foundation for his future.
In 1981 he was accepted into the oil
painting department of Guangzhou Fine Art
Institute, one of his professors was the master
artist Mian Situ. Throughout his training,
art students were often sent out into the
countryside to draw and paint. Before the
end of the Cultural Revolution, students were
required to live and work with the villagers,
this practice encouraged Wu to return during
vacations to these rural villages to draw
and paint live figures in plein air. Today he
continues this practice. When returning to
China, the countryside and rural villages
remain his favorite travel destinations.
After his immigration to the United States,
Wu received his Masters of Fine Art from the
Academy of Art University in San Francisco in
1990. He worked successfully as a freelance
illustrator for several years. Wu met his wife
Jenny in 1989 and they were married in 1990,
Girl on Oregon Trail, oil on canvas, 32 x 28”
Wu shares, “The Oregon Trail is one of my favorite subject matters. The figures, the wagons and the landscape are interesting to paint.”
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Girls in Garden, oil on canvas, 36 x 24”
“Painting girls playing in a garden is always pleasant. The white outfits of the girls against the green background make it interesting,” Wu describes.
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their daughter Naomi was
born in 1994 and at present
is attending Northwestern
University in Boston.
Although his illustrating
c a r e e r wa s p r ov i d i n g a
substantial income, Wu’s dream
was to focus on a fine art career.
In 2000 Wu and Jenny made the
decision to begin the change in
his profession to fine art.
Wu began to enter various
art shows and contact art
galleries for representation;
although he received numerous
awards, his career was at a
slow pace. The galleries he was
being represented by were not
providing exposure and with
his prices held at a minimum
with large commissions, it was
difficult to move forward. In
speaking to Situ, Z.S. Liang
and other Chinese artists, they
recommended he contact me as
I had been active in providing
support and direction to
numerous artists.
Girls Doing Laundry, oil on canvas, 30 x 36”
I spent considerable time
“When I paint the Oregon Trail, I try to paint it from different perspectives,” says Wu. “The girls doing laundry is
reviewing his work, I felt his
an interesting perspective. The reflection and the ripple provide some good elements for the painting.”
foundation was solid and in my
opinion he had a great future.
We spoke of various observations I had made
moments of my life. I still remember the days
initially influenced by the Russian artist’s llya
with his work, suggested he find his own
of living with my grandmother in the village.
Repin and Valentin Serov. During the early
subject matter rather than emulating others,
I remember going to the creek to catch fish,
1980s when China slowly opened up to the
spend more time with each painting, create a
riding on the back of a water buffalo and
Western world, he was further fascinated by
story line, introduce interaction with his figures,
running around with other kids in the crowded
Rembrandt, Vermeer and the French artists Jules
and reconsider his pricing. The progression of
farmers market, through my paintings I share
Bastien-Lepage and Léon Augustin Lhermitte.
his work was amazing. In 2011 I called John
these memories and stories.
When he came to the United States, he
Marzoff, a friend who had recently purchased
“My interests in Western subjects were
found Picasso and Klee extremely interesting;
Biltmore Galleries and was interested in
sparked by the rich American history and its
however, Wu has never varied from his
expanding into the contemporary artist market
stories. Lewis and Clark, the Oregon Trail,
appreciation of pure realism. He is fascinated
as well as maintaining the high profile of one
Native American culture, Western books and
with the works of Situ and Howard Terpning.
of the nation’s prominent galleries representing
movies are all inspirations for my western
If you are interested in the collection of
the works of the deceased masters. Marzoff
paintings; I continue to build a library on
artists that are emerging rapidly and have
also acquired Broadmoor Galleries in Colorado
these subjects,” he continues. “Living in the
potentially great futures, I suggest you seriously
Springs and expanded the gallery space.
West Coast as an artist it is difficult to ignore
look at the paintings of Benjamin Wu.
I knew Marzoff was looking for artists with
the Western culture. The old gold mining town
great potential. He was impressed with the
of Columbia, California, is within a two-hour
About John Geraghty
paintings of Wu, offered to represent him and
drive, a friend's ranch near Columbia has been
provided the national exposure Wu deserved.
in the family for 140 years (the Gold Rush
John Geraghty, Trustee
This has become a successful relationship;
era), here I can easily find footprints of the
and Special Advisor to the
as I continue to work with both Marzoff and
pioneers long before the westerners set foot
Autry National Center’s
Wu, I have witnessed an amazing progression
on this land, there were the Native Americans,
Masters of the American
in Wu’s work.
and today their lives and spirits live on. I visit
West Fine Art Exhibition
As Wu says, “Painting the figures in a live
Native American reservations, the Oregon Trail,
and Sale, shares his
environment is my favorite. I love to paint
insights on the Western art
working cattle ranches, the old gold mining
scene. He continues to be
people who live in the rural countryside
towns; this helps me to understand what real
afflicted with the incurable passion
of China because they remind me of my
life in the Old West was like.”
for collecting Western art.
childhood and some of the most beautiful
Wu was trained in representational art,
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