"Transmission and Imitation: Exhibition of Chinese Painting Copying Teaching Works at the Central Academy of Fine Arts" is currently on display at the CAFA Art Museum. This exhibition presents more than 300 pieces of works, including copied Chinese paintings, teaching drafts for students, and creations transformed from copying in the Chinese painting copying teaching of the Central Academy of Fine Arts over the past century. In the copying courses of figure painting, landscape painting, and flower-and-bird painting majors at the Chinese Painting Academy of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, which ancient masterpieces are respectively taken as models? And which experiences of modern renowned artists have become the inspiration for connecting traditional and modern aesthetic concepts? Let's unveil the answers one by one through these artworks.
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Li Keran, a native of Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, was an important landscape painter and art educator in China in the 20th century. He was born in 1907 and began to study traditional Chinese painting at the age of 13. In 1929, he entered the postgraduate class of the National Art Academy in Hangzhou (now China Academy of Art) to study Western painting, laying the artistic foundation for the integration of Chinese and Western art. He was deeply influenced by Qi Baishi and Huang Binhong, and put forward the proposition of "the transformation and revival of Chinese painting", advocating exploring the modernization path of Chinese painting through "intensively studying nature and tradition". Li Keran's teaching and creation had a significant impact on the development direction of landscape painting in the 20th century.
In his artistic creation and education, Li Keran particularly emphasized the combination of copying and innovation. He advocated entering the spiritual core of traditional painting by "copying the classics" and integrating modern creative concepts on this basis. This teaching method has had a profound impact on the teaching of copying and creating based on copying in the Chinese Painting Academy of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Through systematic copying training, students can not only have an in-depth understanding of the style of traditional brush and ink language, but also respect the ancients and innovate in their creation based on copying. Just as Li Keran mentioned many times: "Immerse oneself with the greatest effort, and break through with the greatest courage." "Immersing oneself" means inheritance, and "breaking through" means innovation. With his rigorous teaching philosophy and exemplary role, Li Keran has laid a solid foundation for the teaching system of Chinese painting.
Li Keran, Imitating the Painting Style of Bada Shanren
Ink on paper, 76 cm × 42 cm, 1943
Collected by the Li Keran Art Foundation
Li Keran's artistic style emphasizes "reading two books: nature and tradition." With the core of intensively studying nature and conducting in-depth sketching, he combines traditional brush and ink techniques with a modern sense of form. His landscape paintings are vivid in spirit and rich in layers, and the paintings often present a profound and solemn visual effect. He is adept at interpreting traditional landscapes from the perspective of modern people, not only retaining the essence of traditional brush and ink but also endowing the paintings with new connotations of the era. By pursuing the dual paths of "transformation" and "revival" simultaneously, Li Keran has pushed Chinese landscape painting to a new height and formed the landmark "Li Family Landscape" style.
Partial View of Imitating the Painting Style of Bada Shanren
The Imitating the Painting Style of Bada Shanren presented in the "Transmission and Imitation: Exhibition of Chinese Painting Copying Teaching Works at the Central Academy of Fine Arts" is one of Li Keran's works that pays tribute to traditional masters. This painting draws on the unique style of Bada Shanren, reflecting a simple composition, a secluded artistic conception, and concise brushwork and ink. The rocks, trees, and the distant scenery in the work are all presented with simple lines and light ink colors. It not only has the aloof and austere temperament of Bada Shanren but also incorporates Li Keran's personal characteristics of solidity and tranquility. The painting reflects Li Keran's profound understanding of traditional art and his innovative expression. This painting is not only an inheritance of the spirit of Bada Shanren and traditional art but also a model work of Li Keran's reconstruction of classical art in a modern context.
Transmission and Imitation
Exhibition of Chinese Painting Copying Teaching Works at the Central Academy of Fine Arts
Sponsor: Central Academy of Fine Arts
Organizers: Chinese Painting Academy of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Art Museum of Central Academy of Fine Arts
Exhibition Time: January 21, 2025 - March 16, 2025
Exhibition Venue: Exhibition Hall on the Third Floor of the CAFA Art Museum
Chief Editor / He Yisha
Editor / Du Yinzhu