Biography

Born in 1939, a native of Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, he graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the Graduate School of Zhejiang Institute of Fine Arts. Between 1984~1986 he studied in the Royal Arts Institute of Belgium. He once served as deputy head of the Oil Painting Department, Zhejiang Institute of Fine Arts. Now he is professor and head of the Oil Painting Department of the same institute.

He travelled abroad extensively including France, Britain, USA, Austria, Holland, Italy, Germany, Spain, Russia and Switzerland. In 1988 he was invited to give lectures in U.S. and held his individual exhibition. In 1991 he also visited and gave lectures in Japan. In1992 his paintings were on display at Japan International Arts Fair. He also held his solo exhibitions in Belgium and Germany. Besides his works were exhibited at Hearst Art Gallery in Los Angeles and Greenwich Art Gallery in U.S.

His “Selected Works of Hu Zhengyu’s Oil Painting” was published in 1987. One of his work was awarded an excellent prize at the National Art Works Exhibition. Some of his works were collected by the state museum and won provincial first prizes as well as other excellent prizes. In 1990 he won the title of “Excellent Artist” granted by the Ministry of Culture. Hu’s most works are figure paintings, which are realistic in painting technique, but produce the effect that appears what it really is not, thus always giving people a novel feeling. He all along cherishes the firm belief that, in the realm of art creation, if you don’t want to repeat that of others, you first will not repeat that of yourself; if you want to break through that of others, you must first break through that of yourself. In his explorations he has made in every stage, he always forms the series of his own in style. Therefore there are some different changes in each of his paintings. Like this, he again and again surpasses himself and surpasses predecessors. He has strived for the leap from traditional techniques to modern ones, which leave a deep impression on spectators.