In a world where seemingly everything now has a digital focus, being invited to an art exhibition displaying some of the world's best golf course landscape oil paintings truly was a breath of fresh air.
Having already established himself as an influential Professor of art history and businessman, Hudson Shaoxia Zhang has spent the last six years combining his long lasting love for golf and his passion for art, by capturing some of the world’s most beautiful golf course landscapes through his sketches and oil paintings. The paintings Zhang creates are literally priceless as he doesn't actually sell the artwork, they are simply a pastime.
Golf course paintings are nothing new, from Charles Lees’ ‘The Golfers’ (1847) to Andy Warhol’s iconic painting of Jack Nicklaus (1978) artists in the past have captured some of the most iconic moments in golf alongside depicting golf course landscapes in all their beauty but none do it quite like Hudson Shaoxia Zhang.
What truly makes Zhang’s paintings unique is the fact his paintings are influenced by a “shifting perspective” - something commonly found in traditional Chinese art, as opposed to a “fixed perspective” as is often the case in Western style art. Zhang opened up in a dialogue about his beautiful artwork during the exhibition in London stating that the artwork he creates are in fact dreamscapes, he hasn’t visited these courses and they are created from viewing photography and using imagination to paint the scene - a truly impressive feat considering the detail he goes into.
The art itself is fascinating and it was evident that the many guests and visitors of the exhibit took the time to really appreciate the artist's talents. This was the first time Zhang’s work had been showcased outside of China and so there was a real buzz around the room and needless to say, copious amounts of praise. The broad genre of golf course was what really impressed me, with paintings of the Welsh countryside in Celtic Manor all the way to my personal favorite, the stunning island landscape of Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
It was evident Zhang has been a fan of golf for over three decades through the way he created his artwork. There was a sense of rusticity about the UK centered paintings and warmth through those based on the California coastline that gave the impression the artist had watched countless hours of footage, or played golf on similar courses in order to illustrate his paintings in this way.
While I had never been to an art exhibition before and there’s no doubt this one eased me in being the avid golf fan I am, I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in the artwork and using the paintings as a form of escapism. Hudson Shaoxia Zhang’s artwork is a true testament to the beauty of golf course landscapes and if you happen to be lucky enough to be in the area of one of his future exhibitions, I couldn’t recommend a visit enough.
