Conscious Landscape

Guo Kai’s paintings, in of both spirit and form, are very similar to the thought of Henry David Thoreau. They both advocate the escape from urban living, and the return to a natural environment. In terms of their highest ideal of living, it is to be one with nature. For Guo and Thoreau, they change with the seasons and go where the river takes them, where every landscape is an inspiration for either an essay or a painting.

However, Guo Kai’s artworks also carry a sense of Eastern philosophy, much like a traditional Chinese landscape painting. Of course, Guo’s art is best represented by his iconic landscapes of Southern Anhui. Born and raised in the basin between Yangtze and Huai rivers, Guo is comfortable and content in his native land, where the luscious and tranquil atmosphere of the Southern Anhui countryside is brilliantly captured by his art. Guo’s quiet and serene landscapes genuinely invite the viewer into his seemingly distant dream world. As the ancient Chinese believe; to wander quietly afar is to have wisdom.