He recalled the day the course of his life took an irreversible turn. "It was January 31, 1948. After the lunchtime, Professor Bayer led my philosophy classmates and me to visit sculptor Guimond, who lived in the northern part of Paris. Everything I saw at Guimond's home captured my imagination. What stunned me most were the profound philosophical implications of his statues. I was suddenly inspired. I felt pure delight that day." Xiong's face still glowed with enthusiasm when he recalled the moment half a century later.
From that day on, the young philosopher, who had never touched chisels or paintbrushes, devoted himself to sculpture and painting, Several decades later, his statues and watercolors are considered world masterpieces.
"Rodin's work gave continued inspiration both to my creation and my life," Xiong said. "His works have left indelible impressions on my emotions and my thoughts. Austrian poet Rainer Rilke said, 'Rodin is everything.' With his varieties of statues, Rodin displayed all the aspects of human society-the tragic and the joyful, the horrible and the lovely, the heroic and ignoble. He revealed the truth of life and significance of artistic creation. In his Walking Man, the subject is striding forward with resolution as if it has a set destination in mind. This statue impresses me most."
Xiong's pursuit of "philosophical art" has gained him an international reputation. Over the years, his sculptures have been exhibited in many prestigious sculpture exhibitions, including the "2000 World Animal Sculpture Exhibition" in Nevers, France, "International Animal Sculpture Exhibition" in Rambouillet, France, and "Modern Carving Exhibition on Wuxing (Chinese philosophy of five-elements)". In 1988, his "Flying Crane" was selected as a representative statue to be placed in "World Statue Garden" in the Olympic Village in Seoul, South Korea. And his huge iron statue "Lu Xun" (a renowned modern Chinese writer) is on display in the China Modern Literature Museum.
Email to Friends
Print
Save