Qian Songyan

Author: Qian Songyan (Illustrated by Xu Gai)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-12-01
Features: The art of Chinese painting has a long and profound history, with numerous schools and outstanding masters throughout the centuries. From ancient times to the present, talented artists have emerged, each with distinct styles and unique artistic visions. The Complete Collection of Famous Chinese Painters is a series curated to showcase the masterpieces of renowned Chinese artists from ancient to modern times, from Gu Kaizhi in the Jin Dynasty to Guan Shanyue, a contemporary artist who passed away. Each volume reflects the artist's life, artistic characteristics, technical skills, and theoretical concepts, allowing readers to gain a glimpse into their world.
Qian Songyan (1899–1985) was born in Yangxiang, Yixing, Jiangsu. He was a celebrated Chinese painter and the honorary president of the Jiangsu National Painting Institute. His childhood name was Songya, which was later changed to Songyan. Born into a humble family of educators, he developed a deep love for learning from a young age, often reading, practicing painting, and writing essays late into the night by candlelight. His father was a Qing Dynasty scholar who excelled in poetry, calligraphy, and painting, and made a living as a teacher. At the age of eight, Qian Songyan began studying at a private academy with his father, where he also learned painting and calligraphy.
In 1918, he enrolled at the Jiangsu Provincial Third Normal School, where his teacher Hu Tinglu, renowned for his expertise in poetry, ci poetry, calligraphy, and painting, became his mentor. Qian Songyan's artistic skills improved significantly under Hu's guidance. He immersed himself in studying famous paintings from past generations, made friends with other painters, and diligently copied masterpieces. He spent three years copying a genuine work by Shi Xi and later emulated the styles of Tang Yin and Shi Tao, absorbing the strengths of schools from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, thus laying a solid foundation for his traditional painting.
Later, he integrated and innovated, developing his own unique style. Even during his student years, he gained fame for his creation The Guanhua Pavilion, which caught the attention of the renowned painter Wu Guandai. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Qian Songyan worked tirelessly, dedicating himself to the study of Chinese painting. In 1950, he was elected as the chairman of the Wuxi Municipal Federation of Literature and Arts, and in 1954, he was elected as a member of the Wuxi Municipal People's Congress and a member of the People's Committee. In 1957, he moved from Wuxi Normal School to the Jiangsu National Painting Institute as a painter and settled in Nanjing, marking a new phase in his artistic career.
Filled with love for socialist China and gratitude to the Party, he lived deeply among the people, traveling across the nation, from the Yangtze River to the Yellow River, from the Great Wall to the southern and northern regions. With his brush, he passionately celebrated the magnificent landscapes, revolutionary landmarks, and the achievements of socialist construction. His contributions to inheriting and advancing Chinese art while innovating were significant.
Starting in 1972, he painted a large-scale national painting The Great Wall for the Chinese mission to the United Nations headquarters. In 1973, he created Spring Over Stone City and A Green Pine on the Top of Mount Tai. In 1974, he painted a grand landscape for the Canton Fair Art Hall. In 1975, he was elected to the Fourth National People's Congress and, inspired, painted New Nanjing, accompanied by two poems. During the 30th anniversary of the founding of the PRC, he held a large-scale solo exhibition. During the "Cultural Revolution," he injured his fingers, making it difficult to hold a brush, so he occasionally created finger paintings, which had a unique charm.
Qian Songyan served as a member of the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth National People's Congresses, a standing committee member of the Jiangsu Provincial People's Congress, a member of the Chinese Federation of Literature and Arts, a standing committee member of the Chinese Artists Association, and an honorary president of the Jiangsu Artists Association. He became the president of the Jiangsu National Painting Institute in 1977 and later its honorary president. In 1983, at the age of 85, he joined the Communist Party of China, fulfilling a lifelong dream.
What moved many was that after undergoing major surgery in 1984, he still persisted in creating, truly embodying the spirit of "artistic creation without rest." Before his passing, he wrote to the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Communist Party, donating over 100 of his artistic treasures to the people of Wuxi. In his old home in Qiaoxiang, Wuxi, the "Qian Songyan Art Museum" was established in his honor.