Yuhenshi, the Grand Master of Kunqu Opera, Painting Album

Author: Gong Xueping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-08-01
Features: Mr. Yu Zhenfei is a renowned master of Jingju and Kunqu arts in the contemporary era. Throughout his long artistic career, he accumulated extensive artistic experience, drawing upon the strengths of various schools, and integrated the delicate and elegant performance style of Kunqu into Jingju, forming a refined, graceful, and uniquely rich "scholarly aura" performance style. He also served as the (Principal) of Shanghai Conservatory of Opera, the (Director) of Shanghai Kunqu Troupe, and the (President) of Shanghai Jingju Theatre, where he organized and guided theatrical art education, nurturing a generation of renowned actors who became leading figures in various art troupes. During his tenure as the Director of the Kunqu Revitalization Guidance Committee, he united many colleagues in the Kunqu field and completed a substantial amount of rescue and restoration work on traditional Kunqu plays through various means, making outstanding contributions to the revitalization of Kunqu art. At the memorial ceremony, many Kunqu artists who had received personal mentorship from Mr. Yu Zhenfei expressed deep gratitude as they recalled the master's warm teachings and touching life stories. At the symposium, experts engaged in lively discussions on Mr. Yu Zhenfei's Jingju and Kunqu performance art, his theatrical education philosophy, and how to better inherit, innovate, and develop Kunqu art. The Great Kunqu Master Yu Zhenfei features 950 photographs and over 40 poems, compiling Mr. Yu's artistic images from various historical periods in a richly illustrated format, showcasing his unique artistic journey and inner world. Due to the loss of early textual and visual materials of Mr. Yu during the Cultural Revolution, the Cishu Press, with the help of Mr. Yu's wife, Li Qinhua, presented a vivid reflection of his brilliant artistic life from a fresh perspective. The entire album is divided into seven sections: "Weiqu Tangci Yetaizhang Zhengzong" (The True Tradition of Weiqu and Tangci), "Zhuanyi Duoshixiang Jingkun Bingji" (Learning from Many Masters and Combining Jingju and Kunqu), "Zhilian Xianggang Kuxin Jingying" (Struggling and Nurturing in Hong Kong), and "Huanfa Qingchun Yishuruhuajing" (Rejuvenating Art and Reaching the Realm of Perfection), covering the time span from Mr. Yu's birth in 1902 to his death in 1993.