- UC Santa Cruz
- The Arts
Xiang Silou is a professor at the Fine Arts Institute of Sichuan Normal University in Chengdu, Sichuan, where he researches and creates his remarkable black-and-white woodblock prints. Currently his art focuses on the complex contours of human faces, using an approach that also informs his landscape printing. His woodblock prints feature human faces writ large, such that every aspect of the face, from its wrinkles to its multiple expressions, is carved with exquisite craftsmanship and minute detail. His carving is skillful and vigorous, with rich shifting tones visible in each line and space. Gauging the subtle relationships between the black-and-white lines and the style of his knife-work, one sees the depth of his artistic practice and vision, and the powerful capacity of his hand and wrist.
Xiang Silou’s art is truly unique among the woodblock print art being created nowadays. His landscapes appear to breathe the spirit of traditional Chinese silk painting, as if using multiple threads to depict movement and image. The surfaces of his woodblock prints are delicate and expressive, and display an intensely Eastern sensibility.
Professor Xiang Silou’s work has been seen in solo and group exhibitions in Beijing, Chongqing, Chengdu, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the U.S.A., England, Germany, Japan, Spain, and elsewhere. His woodblock prints have been collected by numerous museums and galleries internationally.