Feng Zikai: A Realist with a Bodhisattva's Heart

Author: He Moye
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Feng Zikai—The Artist of Modern Chinese Artists. This is not because he was versatile, playing the piano, drawing cartoons, and writing essays. What I admire is his artist-like sincerity, his abundant love for all things, and his temperament and character. The author of this book is a Norwegian named Christoph Harbsmeier. He is a sinologist and currently a member of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences. Born in Germany in 1946, he studied Sinological Linguistics at the University of Oxford. We can see the influence of his youth in Professor He Moye's choice of Eastern art. When "some Western scholars of art history, in search of more refined artworks with a mentor-like atmosphere to display in museums in China and discuss in multi-volume works or popular magazines, traveled across East Asia," he turned his attention to Feng Zikai. The purpose of writing this book is to introduce Feng Zikai's cartoons to Western readers. He said, "If I were to write a dull, conventional academic review of Feng Zikai's cartoons, I would find it inappropriate. The comments and explanations in the main part of this book are bold subjective impressions. They are not the theoretical summaries of pseudo-authority that one might expect from an art historian." Therefore, his writing is concise and clear, and full of humor, complementing Feng Zikai's cartoons. Reading these words, we can feel everywhere that he, as a Westerner, truly discovers the seemingly simple yet profound wisdom of an Easterner and holds deep sympathy for it. Reading these words, we can feel everywhere that he, as a Westerner, truly discovers the seemingly simple yet profound wisdom of an Easterner. Feng Zikai (1898–1975) was from Tongxiang, Zhejiang. His name was Ren, also known as Yingxing. He had a passion for art from a young age. In 1941, he entered the Zhejiang Provincial Normal School and studied painting and music under Li Shuxiang, graduating in 1919. In 1921, he went to Japan to study music and art. After returning to China, he served as an editor at Shanghai Kaixin Publishing House, a professor of art at Shanghai University, Fudan University, and Zhejiang University. In 1924, he co-founded Lidu Academy with friends. During the War of Resistance, he traveled across various regions in southwestern China, teaching at some universities and colleges. Starting in 1943, he retired from teaching and devoted himself to painting and writing. After the founding of the People's Republic, he served as the President of the Shanghai Chinese Painting Institute, the Chairman of the Shanghai Branch of the Chinese Artists' Association, and the Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Federation of Literature and Arts. He was skilled in painting, calligraphy, and also excelled in prose writing and literary translation. He authored works such as "Introduction to Music," " from Yuan Yuan Hall," and "Feng Zikai's Calligraphy."