Because in "martial arts" there is "art".
Zhang Xiaoyuan, a young Chinese artist from Guiyang, southern province of China, has managed to make people talk about him thanks to his unusual way of painting, but especially to his great talent which he has perfected in the help of teachers. .
Still a high school student, Zhang Xiaoyuan decided to give up his studies.
"My grades weren't good and neither were the conditions at home, so I just quit studying,"
he told
Guiyang Evening News
in May.
He then proceeded to observe the other artists drawing on the floor and trying to imitate them by painting in secret.
After that, he left his city of Guiyang to work as a wall painter in Shenzhen in 2009. It is when he has no mission that he practices on the wall of an abandoned building. under a bridge or over a crack.
And it is by posting videos of his works on Douyin (Chinese TikTok) that Zhang Xiaoyuan has built a small reputation.
In addition to his superb murals with a “3D” effect, the artist tried his hand at a very particular instrument: the nunchaku.
“It didn't take long for me to manage to paint with this.
It is much more difficult to paint with nunchakus, because the texture is hard and the color will be very uneven.
So far, I have only finished two paintings, ”
he underlined.
Portrait of Bruce Lee at the nunchaku.
Guiyang Evening News screenshot.
His two paintings made with nunchaku also have a direct link with martial arts.
The first features the face of Bruce Lee, martial arts star and renowned kung fu movie actor.
The second portrait is that of Donnie Yen, a Chinese actor famous for having played the role of the great master IpMan in the saga of the same name.
IpMan was also Bruce Lee's master and taught him the art of Wing-Chun.
To read also: "Ip Man", "Rocky" kung-fu version
This growing success led to Zhang Xiaoyuan being approached by film and television companies.
But he refused, for fear of
"tainting the freedom of his art,"
he said.