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Seventy-three-year old painter Zhang Zishen finds inspiration
500 meters below the earth's surface. The coal mine is a vital
source of power for booming China but it is also a world of life
and death for thousands of hard-working miners. Glaring lights from
safety lamps pierce through darkness and smoky scents pervade the
air. Rigid edges of skin surround gritty eyes of faces caked with
coal.
For the veteran artist, these powerful images have triggered an
extraordinary series of paintings that have made a strong
impression in the Beijing art scene.
One visitor to the recent National Art Museum show was compelled
to return to the exhibition 12 times and wrote "perhaps there will
be more."
Maturity is often an artist's major asset, however Zhang said
his age was initially a barrier to reaching his subjects.
"Directors at the colliery said I was too old to go underground,
and my family members wouldn't allow me, either," Zhang
chuckled.
"But I was determined, not afraid at all, even though my left
arm was broken from a previous accident. And I didn't experience
much difficulty as expected."
One of the most intriguing works in Zhang's 15-piece miners'
series is "The Eighth Miner's Lamp," which measures a whopping 5.5
meters in length and 1.8 meters in height.
It is a portrait of seven coal miners just as they finish work
and walk out of the pithead.
The leading figure holds a helmet in hand, the lamp atop shining
through the darkness as the single source of light. The other six
miners either stand or sit beside him, all overcome with pain and
anger. The eighth miner, obviously, has lost his life and only had
his helmet retrieved by his fellow workers. Thick brushes have
endowed the painting with a heavy tone. It is difficult to tell
exactly what has gripped the seven miners. Anguish, anger,
helplessness, or perhaps it is a mixture of all.
Their black faces, ragged work clothes and smoke-soaked towels
contrast sharply with the upright stature and grim expressions.
Standing face to face with them and watching their eyes that are
lightened against the dark background, one could almost feel the
pain.
On the opposite wall is another large-format painting "Enjoy the
Sunshine," depicting a group of coal miners bathing under the
sunlight on a winter day.
Contrary to what is supposed of the miners' life that is
overwhelmingly dark and harsh, this work shows a warm and relaxed
aspect of their spare time. They are resting, smoking and chatting
together. The broad smiles and leisurely expressions are
contagious, radiating with warmth and hope.
The paintings of miners at the Huainan colliery in Anhui were
completed between October 2005 to June 2006 and are the
crystallization of 30 years of Zhang's first-hand experiences with
the miners.
Seeing is believing
Zhang visited the colliery during the early 1970s, when China
was still embroiled in the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), and was
deeply impressed by the miners' hard work.
As a teacher of oil painting, he brought his students for
sketching. "Since then I have always been concerned with these
miners and their life. But the pity is that I couldn't afford
enough time for further creation, not until coal mine accidents in
China became serious enough," he said.
While China ranks as the world's second largest coal producer,
the death toll from coal mine accidents makes up nearly 80 per cent
of the world's total, according to the statistics from a Chinese
coal mine website. In 2005 that number came close to 6,000, an
average death of 15 per day. For Zhang, those figures cut him to
the bone.
Passion and pain
Compared with his previous visits in the early 1970s, the
working conditions in the coal mines have been improved with the
help of machines, Zhang said.
However, according to Zhang's observation, miners still have to
dig by themselves at some narrow and branch working areas, which
imposes high strain on their labor.
After a day's toiling, miners would emerge from the pithead,
covered in black coal dust. Their faces were exceptionally stern
and statures firm.
The sight transfixed Zhang, who finally came up with the
sculpture-like painting "The Eighth Miner's Lamp," he said.
"My painting has always been realistic. I would try to translate
my discovery of the significant moments in life into
brushwork."
As a contrast to "The Eighth Miner's Lamp," "Enjoy the Sunshine"
adds nothing in relieving visitors of their emotional strain.
It was created incidentally, Zhang recalled, when Zhang caught
sight of a group of miners spending their limited daytime upground
before going down to the mines.
The encounter instantly filled the painter with inspirations and
enriched his perceptions on the previous works.
"Think of that. Even after descending into the coal mines,
miners still have to walk two hours in order to reach the working
site. Then, they will spend at least 12 hours underground every
day, without any exposure to the sunlight. For them, enjoying the
sunshine is undoubtedly the happiest moment."
Zhang's miners' series have been recently published in an album
titled "Zhang Zishen, the Eighth Miner's Lamp" by Changcheng
Publishing House.
(China Daily August 14, 2006)
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