By “carelessly” smashing loads of paint and outlining with a “small broom”, a vivid portrait of the Monkey King is created. Deng Yu, with his “magnificent” painting style and “generous” use of paint, has soon shot to fame on social media platforms.
Deng Yu has created the lifelike artistic works of “Chinese fashion trend” one after another, from Tai Chi, figures in Peking Opera, to the Monkey King. His works have been shown several times in exhibitions both at home and abroad, drawing wide attention of the art institutions and collectors.
Deng Yu, graduating from Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts, is now a member of the Liaoning Artists Association. Walking into his office, you will soon be surrounded by Monkey Kings and figures in Peking Opera in various poses. Taking broom and lunchbox as his bamboo pen and palette, Deng Yu painted facial make-ups of Peking Opera at first but later became a Chinese fashion trend artist, promoting this unique artistic form to more people through the Internet.
“From my perspective, the Chinese fashion trend must embody salient symbols of Chinese culture. Traditional culture is alive and lively. It is emotional and can be integrated into our daily lives.” Deng Yu said that he was fond of the Monkey King in Journey to the West, a Chinese classic, when he was a child and hoped to create more images of the Monkey King that could strike a chord with more people. “The Monkey King is my spiritual idol, who is brave, naughty and optimistic. Every one can gain enlightenment about their own lives through the Monkey King.”
Deng Yu preferred to present the heroic and bold Monkey King in his early works, which often enjoyed more popularity. But with a deeper understanding of the figure, Deng Yu became determined in shaping more diversified images of the Monkey King, like the one who was ambitious on his way back from the Dragon Palace with the borrowed golden rod, the one who was complacent after having the panacea from the Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad, the one who rushed back to the Huaguo Mountain in high and vigorous spirits, and so on. “The long march filled with various difficulties was the journey through which the Monkey King experienced the sufferings and settled his inner self down, which, in my point of view, epitomizes the Chinese culture,” Deng Yu said.
“My paintings are the modern expression of traditional cultural symbols. A traditional artistic image is hard to come alive without contemporary features, only with which can it become vivid and find a stronger echo in the general public.” The series of works of Guan Yu, the Monkey King, Zhong Kui, and more were created based on the culture of Peking Opera, but Deng Yu injected the traditional symbols with more creativity and fashion tastes, which resonated with the younger generation. “I am glad that more than half of my fans are young people, which is also my incentive to create more if my works can arouse their interests in the quintessence of Chinese culture and traditional culture,” Deng Yu said.
