Colonel blends realism with emotion as a military artist

Qu Zhi stands in front of one of his best works: Tank. Provided to China Daily

Time to Remember: Homeland. Provided to China Daily

It is the paintbrush, not the pen, which is mightier than the sword for Qu Zhi.

As a member of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) for more than two decades, the colonel has long put away his rifle and instead uses art as his medium of power.

Qu's job as a military artist is a simple and fascinating one - to grab moments of significance in military life and translate them onto canvas.

The artist's success also stretches out of military circles and into the mainstream.

Qu, 42, who claims to be deeply affected by Norwegian Symbolist painter Edvard Munch and British painter Lucian Michael Freud, is a prominent face in the genre of psychological realism.

Taking a break from stylizing the actions of this nation's protectors, Qu sat down with METRO to paint an image of what the unusual profession is all about.

Q & A

Q: What is army's main purpose of employing artists?

A: The military artist is there to serve the army, promote the soldiers' resolution to serve their country, and boost morale through paintings.

Q: Did you join the army as an artist?

A: No, when I joined the army 23 years ago, I served in the artillery for the first two years. I was then chosen to do some publication works because my superior felt I had a talent in painting.

I also did five years of stage design in one of the army's singing and dance troupes. Finally, after all that, I started my career as a full-time military artist.

Q: What is your top priority, to be an artist or a soldier?

A: Before all else I am a soldier, that's for certain. After that, I am an artist.

Q: What is the difference between a military artist and a regular artist?

A: The biggest difference is that I pursue realism. Color and content in my paintings must be accurate, but I also look for positive and inspiring ideas. We call this Zhuxuanlu (the main theme).

Q: Are you free to paint whatever you want?

A: As a military artist, I do sometimes have political missions - such as to cover major catastrophes.

Compared with other artists who work on their own, my job is relatively stable. This has the advantage of allowing my paintings to be free from market influence.

Q: But does stability kill inspiration?

A: No, I don't think so. I believe that art deals with an understanding of life. I do have missions every year, but they provide me with opportunities to visit different parts of the country, connect with all sorts of people, and collect a ton of firsthand material.

Those experiences inspire me. For example, in May 2008 when the earthquake hit Sichuan, I was sent there to record it - my mission was to tell others about what is happening and how the army was reacting.

I was required to catch the most impressive moments of the event, to keep my eyes open for something to touch the public.

I had difficulty sleeping in the days after I returned from Sichuan. I had chatted with a little girl and could not forget her face - her eyes told me that though she was frightened, she refused to give up.

I put her in the center of one of my paintings, standing in the foreground of a collapsed world with soldiers everywhere. It was named Time to Remember: Homeland.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: Over the past three years I have built up a series of paintings dealing with a fish market and the local life surrounding it. There are 60 paintings involved.

I was born in Shandong province in 1968, spending my childhood close to the sea. Fish markets were my life and I am still very familiar with them.

The public usually thinks military artists only paint weapons and soldiers, but we can actually be quite diverse in our subject matter.

Last year, some works of mine depicting female figures were exhibited to the public, and I also painted a series of paintings dealing with the Yellow River.

Q: Are your paintings solely for show or can they be purchased?

A: Some are for sale. In the past, my work has been sought out and purchased by members of the public, serious private collectors and government institutions, such as embassies.