S H I H U | 石 虎
Shi Hu (1942-2023) was a trailblazing modern Chinese painter whose fiercely individual style fused the expressive power of traditional ink with the dynamism of Western Modernism. Born in Xushui, Hebei, he initially trained at the Beijing Arts and Crafts School (1958) and later at the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (1960).After compulsory military service (1962), Shi spent the late Cultural-Revolution years carving ivory and restoring lacquerware—hands-on disciplines that later informed the sculptural energy of his brushwork. In 1977, he became art director at the People’s Fine Arts Publishing House, and the following year, a sketching tour through 13 African nations ignited his trademark palette of saturated reds, cobalt blue, and obsidian blacks, later published as African Sketches (1979).
Selected Artworks

The Eighteen Arhats
400×1332cm/157.5 x 524.4 in
Ink on Paper
2018

Splendid Expanse of China
280×1200cm/110.2 x 472.4 in
Mixed Media on Canvas
2017

The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea
450×600cm/177.2 x 236.2 in
Ink and Color on Paper
2018

Parting Shadows
103×219cm/40.6 x 86.2 in
Ink and Color on Paper
2017

Sunlit Verdure
124×163cm/48.8x 64.2 in
Mixed Media on Canvas
2018

Dawn Chorus
125×164cm/49.2 x 64.6 in
Mixed Media on Canvas
2016

Wildflowers in the Mountains
109×71cm/42.9 x 28.0 in
Ink and Color on Paper
2016

Crimson Canopy
98×57cm/38.6x 22.4 in
Ink and Color on Paper
2016

Inkblot Figures
93×68cm/36.6 x 26.8 in
Mixed Media on Canvas
2018

Gentle Shadows
90×59cm/35.4 x 23.2 in
Mixed Media on Canvas
2019

Homeward, After Toil
80×43cm/31.5 x 17.0 in
Mixed Media on Canvas
2018

Starry Pilgrimage
99×63cm/39 x 24.8 in
Mixed Media on Canvas
2014

Mother's Tender Light
100×63cm/39.4x 24.8 in
Mixed Media on Canvas
2018

Farewell
119×75cm/46.9 x 29.5 in
Mixed Media on Canvas
2014

Heavy rain
127×140cm/50 x 55.1 in
Mixed Media on Canvas
2019

Sunlit Portrait of Ms. Ping
86×47cm/33.9x 18.5 in
Mixed Media on Canvas
2019

Cosmic Peaks
134×200cm/52.8 x 78.7 in
Mixed Media on Canvas
2017

Portrait in Costume
68×34cm/26.8 x 13.4 in
Ink and Color on Paper
2014