Rongbaozhai Painting Spectrum, 163, Landscape Section: Landscape Section

Author: Gu Kunbo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-11-01
Features: Gu Kunbo (1905–1970), originally from Wuxi, Jiangsu, was also known as Yi and styled Jingfeng. During his middle school years, he studied painting under the renowned Jiangnan artist Wu Guandai. Later, he enrolled in the Architecture program at Suzhou Technical College and received guidance from the traditional Chinese painting teacher Chen Jiahui. In 1925, after graduating from the Shanghai Art College, he stayed to teach there for two years before being hired by the Xinhua Art College. Simultaneously, he founded the Qifeng Correspondence School. In 1959, he taught at the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts, becoming a key founder of the new landscape painting teaching system in the Chinese Painting Department of the China Academy of Art.
Mr. Gu was a man of utmost honesty, simplicity, and modesty, with a profound artistic achievement that lacked the pretensions of a famous artist. He was deeply beloved by his students. During this period, his ink and wash landscapes were truly masterpieces—effortless yet brilliant, filled with clarity, blending both rationality and creativity. His works sometimes appeared bold, sometimes vertical, with a few strokes forming forests and light brushstrokes creating mountains. His techniques were natural and spontaneous, full of originality. In his seasoned artistry, there was an innocence and elegance, and in his simplicity, there was an effortless grace.