A painter of abstract art who has not sold a painting has no regrets about walking away from his highly paid job in advertising, writes Wang Jie with the Shanghai Daily.

Which job is more lucrative: a creative director of a top-flight advertising agency or an artist secluded in a rented studio?

The answer is easy.

However, which job is more attractive? Zhang Hong knows the answer to that too.

Putting aside his job, all his clients, the pitches and the piles of files, Zhang has returned to the "innocence of art."

For six years Zhang has hidden himself away in a rented studio in a quiet old warehouse on Zhaohua Road in the heart of the city.

The music of Mozart floats around his 100-square-meter workspace which contains a long antique table dotted with fresh flower petals. A huge book shelf reveals the owner's wide interest in fine art, architecture, philosophy, music and photography.

Obviously this is a man of taste - in art and life.

Wearing a black T-shirt and cotton trousers, Zhang has a surprising child-like innocence in his eyes, like that of a little boy who is curious about everything.

"The most correct choice for me was to quit that good job in advertising when I was 36," says Zhang. "Suddenly my outlook on life and art expanded. I should say it was a terrific experience."

Zhang is a typical Sagittarius - free and optimistic.

"I am a person full of inspirations," he says. "I know I have a smart brain and an extraordinary memory."

Born in 1963 in Shanghai, Zhang belongs to the first generation of "golden collars" - those young people who are paid a lot and work under intense pressure.

Zhang decided to quit his high-paid job after six years of working "night and day."

"My wife was pregnant at that time," he recalls. "I gave myself a vacation to greet the coming of my daughter."

And that vacation turned out to be a long vacation because Zhang embarked on his journey to art.

Painting, reading and music soothes him and his little daughter has made him view the world from a different angle.

"This is a lifestyle that suits me perfectly," he says.

Zhang's abstract canvases are filled with layers of similar hues which gives them a unique and detailed texture, reminiscent of the brushstrokes on traditional ink-wash paintings.

But oil is not his only medium.

He also practices sketches.        In the eyes of many, sketch pieces belong to the tedious homework given to art academy students. But Zhang's come alive and one huge sketch fuses sundry curves and powerful lines which overlap one another, like a gust of wind blowing out from the paper.

Zhang says his images are his interpretation of the universe.

Oddly enough, Zhang has never had a solo-exhibition or sold any of his paintings.

"Someone once invited me and some clients are interested in buying my works but I don't want my art to leave me so soon," he says. "They are my mind's eye."

He is now working on a new series of paintings but won't talk about the project.

"It will be a stunning piece and a climax of my career as an artist," he says. "Not until the day they are finished will I feel able to 'come out from my shelter'."

Zhang has few artist friends but a wide social network.

"Maybe due to my personal character, it's easy for me to make friends," he explains. "But when it comes to art, I don't want any direct comments or disturbances."

Zhang says artists need "handouts" from society.

"I will be a big parasite in the future," he says jokingly. "Believe it or not, a fortune-teller predicted it for me years ago."

(Shanghai Daily October 14, 2005)