“The reflecting of philosophical ideas about life, time, and space can be an everlasting theme of art.  Chinese philosophy emphasizes oneness of inner feelings and external observation.  The coupling of reality and subjective feeling makes awareness and judgment possible.”

Yan Sun’s masterful oil paintings reveal his academic training and interest in the connection between feelings and observation in Chinese philosophy.  Currently an Associate Professor of Art at Muskingum College, Yan Sun is also the Director of Muskingum College’s Louis Palmer Gallery.   He received a Masters of Art from Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts in China and subsequently earned his Masters of Fine Art at Texas A & M University.   His oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings have been featured in many publications and have won numerous awards in international juried exhibitions.   Recently, Sun’s work was featured in a retrospective exhibition at the William and Elizabeth Hayden Museum of American Art in Paris, Texas.

His artwork reflects an engagement with a wide range of subject matter including Native Americans, ballerinas, and scenes of harbors.   Each of Sun’s highly saturated depictions emphasizes the potential for activity rather than calm reflection.  Sun considers the best paintings as the visualization of the artist’s subjective feeling, connecting observation with an expression of emotion.

Yan Sun Archive