Zhou Ling

Bio

Zhou Ling was born in Tian, China in 1941. From 1960 to 1965, she studied Chinese history and art as well as Western art history from the Renaissance through Modernism at the Central Institute Nationalities in Beijing. After becoming a prominent painter in China, she was promoted to the position of Associate Art Professor of the Institute of Nationalities.

In 1980, Zhou Ling, along with her husband, Liu Bing Jiang, painted a full-length mural in the Peking Hotel. This mural, “Creation, Harvest, and Jubilation”, represents the rebirth of the Chinese artistic traditions and ushered in a new epoch for contemporary mural art. Zhou Ling has been influenced by the ancient frescoes of Zinjiang and “Han Bricks” painted pottery and sculptures created more than 1,000 years ago.

Her subject matter and inspiration are derived from her rich cultural heritage and the ethnic minority groups of her homeland. Her female figures are painted with graceful beauty; they are not depicted as “Eastern” or “Western”, but simply envelope humanity. Her work seeks to show harmony between people and nature, reality and fantasy. In her paintings, she seeks to illustrate the beauty of a strong emotion, an imposing strength and eternity. Zhou Ling’s style is considered very unique among other artists in her school and can be classified as very tropical or Polynesian in appearance.

Her works have made her one of the few premier woman artists in the United States.