Appreciation of Historical Figures Painting Series -- Liu Guohui: Liu Guohui

Author: Liu Guohui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: A series of appreciations of the portraits and figures paintings by Liu Guohui, a contemporary Chinese master painter. The series includes 21 of his portraits and figures paintings for everyone to admire. It is reported that the late Ming painter Zhang Chou acquired the "Spring Night Secret Love Painting" by Zhou Fang (Jingxuan), which was preserved in the collection of Zhao Mengfu (Oubo Pavilion). During the Yuan Dynasty, Zhao Mengfu, as well as Tang Yin and Qiu Ying of the Ming Dynasty, were skilled in painting "spring paintings," meaning they had created nude paintings. "A Jiangnan painter took the lead in improving the level of paintings of naked women, and that was Tang Yin. He obviously persuaded some of his mistresses to pose for him, so he was able to paint large-scale nude paintings with great realism, which demonstrated Tang Yin's keen observation skills." "A few years later, the famous painter Qiu Ying followed suit, not only painting clothed lovers but also nudes." "Before the late Ming Dynasty, nude paintings remained very primitive. Only in ivory carving art did artists achieve a relatively skilled level in depicting female nudes. Medical ivory figures show a clear understanding of female anatomy." These researches by the Dutchman Gao Peierro are undoubtedly valuable for comprehensively grasping the development of Chinese human figure painting. On one hand, the rationalist teachings restrained the body, and even doctors had to avoid depicting the human form, resorting to ivory figures. On the other hand, the great masters of the era could not create outstanding works of human figure art like those of Western masters, but instead, they used their talents to create "spring palace paintings" in the secular market. History presents a strange scene. History has indeed moved forward. Today, human figure art has never had a better environment, and the topic has sparked the interest of many artists. In recent years, a large number of outstanding works of human figure art have emerged in various artistic fields. Dedicated exhibitions, specialized research works, and specialized educational arrangements have all contributed to the significant progress of Chinese human figure art, gradually moving it toward maturity. The question of how to seize the opportunity and allow this artistic flower to develop healthily, creating human figure art with Chinese ethnic charm, has now been placed before Chinese artists.