A Thousand Mountains, Ten Thousand Rivers is a richly illustrated art monograph presenting a major recent body of work by Chinese contemporary artist Xuegeng Gu. Centered on the recurring image of the horse, this series transcends traditional figurative representation to explore movement, emotion, and inner vitality through expressive gesture and vivid color.
Rather than depicting literal landscapes or narrative scenes, Gu's paintings unfold as dynamic visual journeys. Horses emerge, dissolve, and re-form within fields of color and texture, evoking speed, rhythm, and psychological presence. Drawing inspiration from both Eastern philosophical thought and modernist abstraction, the works bridge cultural traditions while remaining firmly rooted in a contemporary visual language.
The title, drawn from a classical Chinese phrase associated with long journeys and inner resolve, points not to physical travel but to a spiritual and perceptual passage. Through bold chromatic contrasts and energetic brushwork, Gu reimagines the horse as a conduit for awareness rather than a symbolic motif bound to history or myth.
This bilingual English-Chinese volume includes a critical preface, artist introduction, statement, and biography, alongside high-quality reproductions of paintings created between 2022 and 2023. The book reveals a remarkable sense of youthful vitality and creative freedom, offering insight into an artist whose work continues to evolve with intensity and clarity well into his later years.
A Thousand Mountains, Ten Thousand Rivers will appeal to readers interested in contemporary painting, cross-cultural aesthetics, and the expressive possibilities of abstraction rooted in lived experience.
Gu, Xuegeng: - Xuegeng Gu was born in 1946 in Wangcang County, Sichuan Province, China. He graduated in 1965 from the Second Teachers College of Chengdu and later pursued advanced studies at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in 1985. His early training established a strong foundation in figurative representation and formal structure, which would later evolve into a distinctive contemporary visual language.Over the course of his career, Gu has developed a sustained and reflective artistic practice spanning painting, printmaking, and mixed media. His work has been exhibited widely in both China and the United States. In 1994, he was invited to present a solo exhibition at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton, Ohio. Subsequent solo exhibitions include The Memory of Words: Art Exhibition of Xuegeng Gu at the Chengdu Academy of Fine Arts Museum in 2006, and Life and Nature: Oil Paintings by Xuegeng Gu at the Qingbaijiang District Museum in Chengdu in 2015.Gu's work has received numerous awards and has been collected by major institutions. His oil painting Morning received the Excellence Award at the Exhibition of Art Cadres' Works organized by the Sichuan Provincial Art Gallery and Cultural Centers in 1981. In 1988, his print Seven Eyes received the Excellence Award at the Sichuan Provincial Fine Arts Exhibition. His works are held in public collections including the Shenzhou Printmaking Museum, which has acquired several of his prints, and the Guiyang Art Museum and Chengdu Academy of Fine Arts Museum, both of which have collected his silkscreen print Tricycle.Today, Xuegeng Gu is recognized for a body of work that bridges traditional training and modern artistic inquiry, reflecting decades of sustained exploration and refinement.
