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【评论】Under the spring breeze

2015-10-09 15:08:57 来源:艺术家提供作者:
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  The 20th Century is a time where big changes in politics, economy and society in China happened. It is also a time where culture and art grow into a new era. New generation of cultured people are proposing revolution in all aspects of society , trying to inject new life into a weakening China. In the territory of fine arts, many advanced artists are not satisfied with the conservative way of copying art. While making contacts with different foreign culture and art, they propose a revolution in the traditional art, creating new art form.

  The painting circle in China also faces new changes among such atmosphere. Many artists try to absorb nutrition from different directions, including Western and Japanese art, thus creating a new Phenonomen. The most significant new art school is “ The Lingnan School of Art ”.

  “Lingnan ”is originally a Geographic term, meaning the vast area of land south of  the Da Yu Mountain in The Guang Dong Province of China. The founders of The Lingnan school of art, Gao Jian Fu, Gao Qi Feng and Chen Shu Ren, they all were born in the Panyu district in this area. They were the first pioneers to call for revolution in Chinese painting and later together with their followers they were grouped as the “Lingnan school of Painting”. Although these three pioneers were actively promoting their new art theories, but they did also have gone through formal training in traditional Chinese painting. They have studied with the famous Ju brothers, Ju Cao and Ju Lian, of the “Ge Shan School”. So in their early days the three pioneers were deeply influenced by the teachings of the Ju brothers, adapting their elegant style in bird and flowers paintings, as well as special painting techniques such as the handling of water and the white pigment. All three of them have later left their teachers and went to Japan to further study the art of painting, absorbing Japanese and Western painting theories. Apart from their art pursuit, they were also active revolutionist in politics. Their revolutionary thinking also reflects in their paintings.

  The core of their painting revolution is all about getting rid of the bad tradition of copying from old masters. New Chinese painting emphasis on the modern spirit, reflecting the reality, and any subject can be shown in a painting and not limited to traditional painting themes.

  Western art theories and techniques such as color layers, atmospheric and light effects, and three dimensional presentation etc. are all applicable to the new Chinese art, enriching Chinese painting in contents and techniques.  Modern paintings should also include educational and social elements, to create positive response and to achieve mass educational results. All these revolutionary theories had created big resonance at their time, and did arouse great arguments with the traditionalists but eventually they were widely accepted by the overall majority and the Lingnan school has played an important role in Modern Chinese Art.

  Among the three pioneers, except Chen Shuren, the two Gao brothers have taught many students, and also have influenced many young artists of their time. Members of the second generation of the Lingnan school include Gao Qi Feng’s six students, Li Xiong Cai and Guan Shanyue in Guangzhou, and Zhao Shao Ang and Yang Shan Shen in Hong Kong. The latter four were later named as the Four Masters of the second generation of the Lingnan school.

  Zhao Shao Ang is Gao Qi Feng’s best student, has been very active in Guangdong before he moved to Hong Kong. He has established the ‘Lingnan Art Studio “ there and has recruited many followers. Yang Shan Shen has been acquainted with Gao Jian Fu for a long time. Although he has never studied painting under any Lingnan School artist, but he has studied deeply the school’s teachings by himself. He has founded the Chun Fung Art Club in Hong Kong and has taught many students. He has contributed a lot to the art circle there.

  Yang is renowned for his paintings in landscape, human figures, animals and birds and flowers, all of them showed individual uniqueness. He has not only carried on the traditional Lingnan school spirit of studying from life, but also created an unique personal style. He is specially good in line drawings, birds and flowers, tiger, cat, monkey and fishes etc. He has captured the true inner spirit of all those subjects. In his later years he has traveled extensively in China, visiting big mountains and rivers, making many sketches on site. Based on these sketch studies he has created a new style of modern landscape painting. He is also famous for his calligraphy which is a blended result of his long time study of ancient Chinese and Japanese calligraphy.

  Many talented artists studied under the guidance of Yang Shan Shen, especially members of the Chun Fung Art Club which he has founded. Together they have contributed a lot in promoting the spirit of the Lingnan School. Among them is Mr Liu Meng Kuan, who were born in Hong Kong  in 1950. He should be counted as one of the representing artists of the Third generation of this school. He started learning Chinese painting with Yang Shan Shen in 1977, later joined the Chun Fung Art Club in the same year. He started full time painting in 1983 and then he has exhibited his work in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan and many other countries and also participated in Chun Fung Art Club’s exhitions. In recent years, he has devoted himself in teaching Chinese painting and has established his own studio- The Mu Feng Art Studio. He has also been teaching the art of the Lingnan School at the Hong Kong Art Museum and The Hong Kong Art Centre. Liu is good at painting the birds and flowers. His work consists a lot of the Lingnan school spirit- study from life and reflect the reality. His brushstrokes are delicate , his colors are elegant. In between color and ink applications, he has blended the painting techniques originated from the “Ge Shan School” in the application of water and the white pigment and also the technique which the Lingnan school has adapted from Japan and the West in expressing color, atmospheric and light. His flower painting show subtle texture and beauty, creating a sense of freshness, apart from the average painter. His paintings convey his deep feelings about living plants and creatures, for example, a  pair of whispering birds, flying butterflies and the leisurely swimming ducks. It shows how the artist visualize his view of a peaceful and intimate life. It is evident that, in Liu’s choice of painting subjects and spiritual expressions in his work, he has grasped the essence of Yang Shan Shen’s teaching – study from life and reflects the realistic spirit, but at the same time he is gradually moving away from the Lingnan school restrictions and getting rid of fixed formats and style.

  Liu’s work will not only spread the influence of the Lingnan school, but also will show to the spectators how an artist pursuit individuality and style. In the history of art, art trends and styles arise and fade which is an inevitable process. However, artist with individuality will be able to absorb from all directions for his required implements to enrich independent school’s spirit and style, achieving breakthroughs and insure that art will be always alive. I am sure that Mr. Liu is working towards this direction to continue exploring and developing personal look and achievement.

  Tang Hoi Chiu

  Chief Curator

  Hong Kong Museum of Art

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