Biography
Xu Ming is a contemporary Chinese painter who works in the tradition of shanshui (mountain-water landscape) painting while incorporating subtle influences from Western compositional technique. Born in Suzhou, one of China's most celebrated garden cities, he received his formal artistic training at both the Suzhou Art and Design Technology Institute and the China Academy of Art, graduating in 1992.
Xu Ming's professional practice spans calligraphy and traditional Chinese landscape painting, two disciplines that in the Chinese artistic tradition have always been intimately connected. His paintings demonstrate a deep understanding of classical shanshui conventions, including the use of atmospheric perspective, the interplay of ink wash and empty space, and the philosophical engagement with the relationship between human presence and natural grandeur. Yet his compositions reveal a contemporary sensibility, with Western painting techniques visible in their structural organization without ever overshadowing the traditional Chinese aesthetic that forms their foundation.
When not producing original works of art, Xu Ming serves as a professor of Chinese Painting at the Suzhou Art and Design Technology Institute, where he passes on the techniques and principles he has spent decades mastering. His dual role as practitioner and educator connects him to the long tradition of Chinese artist-scholars who have always viewed teaching and creating as complementary aspects of the artistic life.
His work has been exhibited at Ronin Gallery in New York as part of their Spirit Resonance: A New World of Chinese Ink Painting exhibition, and has appeared at auction internationally. His paintings are held in private collections in China, the United States, and Europe.
Key Facts
- Nationality
- 🇨🇳China
- Movement
- Contemporary Mokuhanga
- Works Indexed
- 11
Frequently Asked Questions
Xu Ming is a contemporary Chinese painter who works in the tradition of shanshui (mountain-water landscape) painting while incorporating subtle influences from Western compositional technique. Born in Suzhou, one of China's most celebrated garden cities, he received his formal artistic training at both the Suzhou Art and Design Technology Institute and the China Academy of Art, graduating in 1992.
Xu Ming's work was shaped by the Contemporary Mokuhanga tradition in Japanese woodblock printmaking. Contemporary Mokuhanga: Contemporary mokuhanga (literally "wood-block print") encompasses artists working from approximately 1970 to the present who continue or reinvent traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques.
Xu Ming is a gallery-represented printmaker whose work has been shown at established galleries specializing in contemporary Japanese prints. Gallery representation provides a consistent market. Prices range from $150 for smaller works to $3,000 for major compositions. Most prints sell in the $300–$1000 range. Gallery representation provides curated exposure and supports steady demand.
