A Legendary Painter：In commemoration of ZhangDaqian＇s 110th anniversary

Zhang Daqian is celebrated as a legendary Chinese painter of international renown in the 20th century, With extraordinary skills, he is considered the most outstanding artist in carrying forward the traditions of Chinese ink painting. Zhang began to stand out in the 1920s and obtained a leading status in the then painting arena in the 1930s His replicas of ancient master artists＇ paintings are so superb that they can be hardly distinguished from original works. Mr. Xu Jichuan, a prestigious collector, recalled an interesting experience as evidence to highlight Zhang＇s unparalleled ability to replicate ancient painting masterpieces.     

Rosy Clouds in the Sky

From January 16 to February 10, the National Art Museum of China held a painting exhibition on its collection of ethnic minority motifs. On display included 180 pieces of painting works from the museum＇s collection, most of which are masterpieces by accomplished painters in modern China. These painting exhibits fall into such diverse categories as Chinese tTaditional painting, oil painting, print painting, watercolor painting and serial illustrations of story books. Subjects from various ethnic minorily groups of China have been depicted, which bring viewers with an opportunity to appreciate cultural diversity of China.     

Art Reborn from Ashes Stories of a Contemporary Artist in China

Xue Song＇s works have great visual strength, triggering spontaneous pondering on the underlying meanings. The scenes in his works combine elements in western paintings with images from traditional Chinese painting and do so with utmost delicacy. When observed closely, images and characters on the background offer more information： black ashes stand out of the picture, forming shadows of the times.     

LAO JIA＇S PAINTING

Lao Jia＇s paintings have given me an unusual impression and triggered out my infinite imagination. The vigorous brushwork and remarkable ink dotting, as demonstrated in his painting, defies all the established conventions. Some say that Lao Jia＇s painting symbolizes a spirit or a philosophical value that can interpret the profound aesthetic concepts of Chinese traditional painting.     

Classical Guqin Maker Tian Shuangkun

The quiet and melodious music led me to Tian Shuangkun＇s courtyard house in the depth of a hutong （alley） in the downtown of Beijing. Tian is a master maker of the Guqin, a seven-stringed zither known as China＇s oldest stringed instrument.His studio is furnished with traditional Chinese stuffs - old- style furniture, calligraphic and ink painting works, old pictures and the guqin as well. While I appreciated all these, Tian explained to me the long history of the guqin and his lifelong pursuit of perfection in making the guqin.     

Beauty of Ice and Snow on Canvas

Late September 2006, at the invitation of the Cultural Ministry of Belarus, a four-person delegation from northeast China＇s Heilongjiang Province visited Minsk, capital city of Belarus, to present China Ice and Snow Painting Exhibition at Belarus National Museum of History and Culture as part of China Culture Day co- sponsored by the cultural ministries of the two countries. The exhibition displayed 54 painting masterpieces by Yu Zhixue, founder of ice and snow painting, and his students. All the maior media organizations in Belarus reported the exhibition and Belarus Culture Daily gave an exclusive interview of Yu Zhixue. The Deputy Cultural Minister of Belarus was so impressed by the painting styles of Yu that he shook Yu＇s hands excitingly and highly praised Yu＇s works. A renowned Belarus painter said that ＂Trees with Crystal-White ice＂, donated by Yu to Belarus National Museum of History and Culture, would become an everlasting memory of the city of Minsk.     

Marginalization and Combination： Liu Mingxlao＇s Oil Paintings

Efforts to localize oil painting have never stopped since this western art was introduced into China, A Chinese educational system on oil painting had not been developed until the era of master Xu Beihong. But if oil painting can be localized or not still remains a question in China. After New China was founded in 1949, influenced by Chairman Mao＇s theories on cultural development, Chinese oil painters were required to, besides serving ideological needs, pursue Chinese characteristics and cater to ordinary people＇s tastes. Dong Xiwen＇s ＂The Founding Ceremony of the New Republic＂ was the pioneer in this endeavor. Following him, almost all Chinese oil artists rushed into this direction, except some who made breakthroughs in landscape subjects. For instance, Wu Zuoren combined Chinese water and ink painting with western oil painting, creating a simplistic style.     

The Red Flag Is Flying： Thematic Painting of China in the 20th Century

＂The Red Flag Is Flying： Thematic Painting of China in the 20th Century＇is a research and publication project sponsored by the National Publication Fund and published by People＇s Fine Arts Publishing House. It is the result of several decades of art research and five years of collection and compilation by the author Cheng Lvsheng. The book includes nearly 4,000 thematic painting works by up to 1, 500 Chinese painters.     

ORIGINAL PRINT PAINTING RISES WITH POTENTIAL VALUES FOR COLLECTION

Printing painting usually refers to varieties of painting printed on wood, stone, linoleum, copper and zinc blocks carved by knife or etched by chemicals. China is generally recognized as the inventor of printing painting, but for quite a long time, it has had a poor market for print painting trade, with only few collectors dedicated to for this type of painting. In recent years, with print paintings by master artists gaining outstanding performance in the international market, values of original print painting have begun to be recognized in China＇s collection market.     

Oil Painter Chen Kezhi

Renowned Chinese oil painter Chen Kezhi has enjoyed a legendary artistic career. He is slow in ,speech but passionate in art. His oil works showcase cultural richness and stylish magnificence, generally considered rare masterpieces in China＇s painting arena today.     

Farmer Print Painting of Qijiang County

Farmer printing first appeared in Qijiang County, Chongqing Municipality in the 1960s and 70s when the first print works, ＂The Party Branch＇s Secretary＂, was created by artists from Sichuan Artists Association, based on their experience in the county and characterized by the mix of revolutionary realism and romanticism. During the Cultural Revolution （ 1966 - 1976）, while traditional culture and classical Western culture were both labeled as ＂poisoned and collapsed＂, only print painting was encouraged by the communist government as it depicted realistic subjects of the time. Print exhibitions and workshops were launched in Qijiang＇s villages, which helped to give rise to indigenous print in the decades to come. Farmer printing of Qijiang County embraced heydays in the 1980s when the reform and opening policies were exercised nationwide, as a result of the influence by the print style of Jinshan.     

CHARM OF SUZHOU EMBROIDERY

On a sunny day in the end of 2007 I was invited for a visit to Suzhou Embroidery. Research Institute. Led by Ms. Zhang, the institute＇s artistic director, I entered through a moon-shaped gate in a traditional style and an elegant classical Suzhou-style garden was unfolded in front of me. Quiet paths, luxuriant plants, winding corridors, all are filled with fascinating charm, like a scene in a traditional Chinese ink painting. The garden is called ＂Huanxiu Resort＂ where the embroidery institute is based. At that moment,     

Heavenly Mountain Portrayed in Chinese Ink Painting

Man pursues elegance while painting highlights charms. An .artist＇s vitality lies in hiscontinuation of traditions and breakthrough in innovative techniques. Chinese ink painting is a result of traditional culture, which is represented by harmonious concepts of Confucianism, simplistic ways of life by Taoism and adherence to nature by the Zhuang school of thinking. All these ancient philosophical concepts comprise aesthetic and artistic principles governing evolution of Chinese ink painting and are visualized in painting creations. Chinese ink painters not only emphasize physical realness but also highlight sensibility and spirit of life.     

LI SHENGHONG： DEDICATED TO CALLIGRAPHIC ART

Li Shenghong is currently the executive vice director of Chinese Calligraphy Institute under China Art Academy and has a f professional title as the state first-grade artist. He is particularly versed in cursive writing. Li＇s calligraphic works and critic essays have been published in ＂Selected Works of Chinese Calligraphy＂ and such professional publications as ＂Chinese Calligraphy＂,     

Pan Yuliang＇s Damaged Oil Paintings Restored Successfully

Editor＇s note： In June 2005, Director of Anhui Provincial Museum Hu Xinmin announced, “After seven months of hard work done by experts across the Taiwan Straits led by Taiwanese oil restoration expert Li Fuchang, 108 damaged oil paintings out of the museum＇s whole collection of Pan Yuliang＇s 361 oil paintings have been successfully restored in Hefei. We will select some one hundred oil works of her and display them next year in Taipei, Kaohsiung and Taichung. This exhibition will serve as a bridge facilitating cross-straits cultural exchange.”     

My Impression About Painter Li Yan

The Japan-based Chinese painting artist Li Yan is preparing for her retrospective in National Art Museum of China this autumn and asked me to write something for her. Although I feel extremely flattered by her trust in me, I have little experience neither in writing nor in art despite my interest in painting. Thus I can only tell my impression about Li Yan＇s life and her paintings.     

AGLIMPSE OF CHINESE MURALPAINTING

Mural painting enjoys a long history in China and numerous mural masterpieces .have been left over from ancient times.For example, Mogao Grotto Temples in Dunhuang house 492 caves with some 45000 square meters of mural painting. First built in 366 AD, Mogao Grotto Temples are the best-preserved grotto groups with the largest number of mural paintings in the world. In addition, there are more than 25,000 square meters of mural painting preserved in temples and tomb chambers in Shanxi Province. And mural paintings in Yongle Palace in Ruicheng, Shanxi and Fahai Temple in Beijing are considered classical masterpieces of Chinese mural art. The art of porcelain, lacquer, silk, cast copper, painted stone and brick in ancient China all have contributed to the diversity and excellence of mural painting skills. Since the 1970s, this art form has gained growing vitality, with a diversity of genres developed.[第一段]     

Tibetan-style Woodprint Exhibited in China＇s Top Art Gallery

Woodprint is pronounced “Shiangba” in the Tibetan language. Shiangba features its own distinctive style, which makes it different from other forms of woodprint. Not long ago, an exhibition on Shiangba works was held in the National Art Museum of China （NAMOC）, jointly organized by the print art committee under the Chinese Artists Association, Sichuan Provincial Association of Artists and Aba Higher Normal School. It is the first exhibition on Tibetan-style woodprint ever held in China＇s top art gallery, which set a milestone in the history of Chinese painting.     

A Review of Contemporary Tibetan Painting

Tibetan fine arts have embraced a whole new era sincethe 1980s. Diverse subjects and innovative techniquesfeature the styles of contemporary Tibetan painting.Murals of NorbulingkaThe epic mural series”Origins of Tibetans: Politics andReligions” in the new palace of Norbulingka mix differentstyles of Tibetan painting and feature plain colors and grandscenes. The murals illustrate the political and religious historyof Tibet: from pre-historic Tibetans said to be decedents of amale monkey a…     

Random Stitching and Western Painting

Embroidery is an art re-created on the basis of painting. With the import of Western culture and painting since the 1930s, Chinese people have gradually changed their aesthetic tendencies and as a result the art of embroidery has been remarkably transformed. Chinese embroiders have drawn upon from Western aesthetic concepts and painting techniques and developed a new type of stitching approach which is called ＂random stitching＂.