Shao Luo Yang Paintings Collection

Author: Shao Luoyang (Painting)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-09-01
Features: Shao Luoyang (1917–), also known as Yu Gang and Qingxi by his academic name, was a native of Ningbo, Zhejiang. He was one of the first batch of first-class art masters in China, served as an Art Advisor and painter at the Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy, and concurrently held positions such as Honorary President of the Shanghai Aesthetics Society, member of the Chinese Artists Association and the Chinese Calligraphers Association, scholar-in-residence at the Shanghai Academy of Arts and Sciences, professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, member of the editorial committee of The Compendium of China, and editor-in-chief of The Great Dictionary of Chinese Art.
Graduated from the Chinese Painting Department of Shanghai Xinhua Art College in 1937. Joined the Communist Party of China in 1938 and engaged in long-term national democratic revolutionary struggles in Shanghai. His Chinese painting was taught by Huang Binhong and Wang Shengyuan, tracing back to the masters of the Song and Yuan dynasties, delving deeply into the mysteries of tradition. In 1957, he joined the Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy to participate in its establishment. He spent time with fellow painters such as Wu Hufan, He Tianjian, Tang Yun, Lu Yanshao, and Zhang Dazhuang, exchanging artistic insights and benefiting greatly, forming the artistic style that defines him today: vast landscapes with mist and clouds, profound exploration of brushwork and ink, reverence for artistic conception, and pursuit of a majestic, solemn, and expansive aesthetic. His works include River Gorge Landscape, Frontline of Coastal Defense, Mount Hua Landscape, Han Dynasty Spirit, and High Mountain and Noble Air.
He has long been engaged in the study of Chinese painting history and theory, publishing biographies of numerous painters such as Li Sixin, Li Tang, Huang Gongwang, Tang Yin, Wu Li, Ren Boqian, Huang Binhong, Wu Hufan, He Tianjian, Tang Yun, and Lu Yanshao. He served as editor-in-chief of The Great Dictionary of Chinese Art, The Dictionary of Famous Chinese Paintings, The Ten Great Painters, and The Great Dictionary of Chinese Art. His collected essays on painting theory include Shao Luoyang on Painting, Shao Luoyang on Art Criticism, and A Hundred Masters of Painting.
In the past two decades, his views on painting—such as "Chinese painting should retain its Chinese identity," "the beauty of Chinese painting lies in brushwork," "Chinese and Western painting must maintain distance," and the twenty-four-character maxim "Roots must not be forgotten, flow must not be broken; inheritance must be orderly, development must be regulated; borrowing must be measured, innovation must be grounded"—have gained widespread recognition both in China and abroad. His debate with Wu Guanzhong, titled To Abandon "Brushwork" is to Eradicate "Chinese Painting"!, published in the 11th issue of Art in 1999, sparked a strong response within the art community.
Shao Luoyang's Paintings, a collection of his works and essays, was published by the Shanghai Fine Arts Press in September 1999. It includes 108 paintings, 9 essays, and 66 painting aphorisms, along with 36 printed seals. Both Shao Luoyang's Paintings and The Great Dictionary of Chinese Art, which he edited, were listed among the "500 Outstanding Books of the 50 Years of Shanghai Publishing" in 1999.