Distinct style

Artist explores Chinese painting and is fascinated by Islamic art

Marguerite Cole had the unique experience, during her three years in Singapore, of studying the art of Chinese painting under a grand master, Chao Shao-an. To enable her to study this art form in depth, Marguerite learned Mandarin, for the written style plays an important role.

Traditional Chinese painting known as 'guohua' in China is distinguished from western art in that it is executed on xuan paper or silk with the Chinese brush, Chinese ink and mineral and vegetable pigments. Attaining proficiency in this branch of art calls for assiduous exercise, a good control of the brush and a feel and knowledge of the qualities of xuan paper and Chinese ink.

It is an interesting fact that paintings on paper appeared much later in China than those on silk for the simple reason that the invention of silk in 2700 B.C. preceded that of paper by a long historical period. Paper was invented in China in the 2nd century B.C., 14 centuries earlier than in Europe.

Chinese paintings are divided into two major categories, free hand brush work (xieyi) and detailed brush work (gongbi).

Xieyi is characterised by careful control of ink tone, unrestrained brush work and no unessential brush strokes. The essence of landscapes, figures and other subjects are rendered with a minimum of expressive ink.

In contrast, the brush work in gongbi paintings is fine and visually complex. Precision is produced through close attention to detail, the hair on the head or the feathers on a bird's wing are neatly and carefully executed. Many a Chinese painter is at the same time a poet and calligrapher.

Marguerite graduated from the London School of Art and Design in 1968, moved to Canada and then to the U.S. where she became well-known as a water colour artist. In fact, one of Marguerite's watercolours hangs in the White House in Washington. Before travelling the world, Marguerite embarked on some etching classes in the U.S. This knowledge coupled with her training in decorative art and her interest in ancient cultures fired her interest in Chinese painting.

Under Chao Shao-an, Marguerite learned to paint in the Lingnan style, loose, fluid, abstract - although there is great use of control with brush and ink, using the whole of the arm and not just the hand, a sense of movement, liveliness and immediacy is conveyed.

Since moving to Abu Dhabi in July, Marguerite has found herself greatly influenced by the light and is excited at the prospect of using more vibrant colours and coupling Chinese style with Middle Eastern landscapes.

Marguerite has a great interest in cultures that express themselves through calligraphy - an art form in itself. Europeans for example, have moved far away from the beauty of penmanship and become dependent on the printed word.

One of the most fascinating aspects of an ancient culture is that they have developed a style over hundreds of years which is still relevant and viable today, particularly in Chinese art that is essentially abstract, conveying a feeling.

The quality of the artist is in his or her ability to convey a thought or feeling through abstraction and in Islamic art, where the concentration is on abstraction rather than realism, there is a similar attempt to capture the imagination.

Recently Abu Dhabi art lovers were able to see examples of Marguerite's work when she exhibited some of her Chinese paintings at the Cultural Foundation.