Selected Chinese Paintings by Dong Shouping

Author: Dong Shouping (Painting)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Dong Shouping (1904-1997) was a renowned contemporary painter and calligrapher. Originally named Dong Kui, he later changed his name to Shouping. He was born in Du Shu Village, Hongtong County, Shanxi Province. Hailing from a family of poetry and calligraphy enthusiasts, Dong Shouping's great-grandfather, Dong Jitang, was a famous calligrapher in the mid-Qing Dynasty, and his grandfather, Dong Zhihuan, was a Hanlin scholar known for his poetry and calligraphy. The Dong family possessed a vast collection of cultural relics and artworks, renowned throughout the country. Influenced by his family, Dong Shouping developed a love for painting and calligraphy from a young age. He particularly admired the character of Yuan Shouping, a painter in the early Qing Dynasty, and thus changed his name to Shouping. At the age of 16, Dong Shouping entered the Beijing International Language School and later transferred to the Economics Department of Nankai University in Tianjin. In 1926, he graduated from the Beijing Dongfang University and settled in Beijing in 1928. He began selling paintings for a living in 1931 and moved his family to Xi'an in 1938, later relocating to Chengdu. There, he was recognized and promoted by Lin Shanyu, a prominent literary figure in Sichuan, who helped him hold exhibitions in Chengdu. In 1939, Dong Shouping moved to Yu Lei Pass in Du County, Sichuan, where he lived for 12 years. In 1941, he donated the proceeds from his exhibitions to support the war effort. After the liberation, Dong Shouping returned to Beijing in 1950 and worked as an editor at Rongbaozhai. In 1952, he donated all his collected books to the Shanxi Provincial Museum. He then traveled extensively across China, continuously creating artworks. In 1979, he went to Japan as an advisor to Rongbaozhai and taught at Tokyo Art University, demonstrating painting techniques. He is currently a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a council member of the China Calligraphers Association, and the honorary president of the Beijing Chinese Painting Research Association. In 1979, the People's Fine Arts Publishing House released Dong Shouping Paintings.
Dong Shouping excelled in painting plum blossoms and bamboo. His red plum blossoms in cinnabar are considered a masterpiece. His plum blossoms are intricate yet simple, balanced and harmonious, with calligraphic brushwork. His bamboo paintings are concise yet vigorous, with an ethereal composition, executed in the style of calligraphy, embodying a profound and ancient charm. His ink pines are full of vitality, with bold and expressive brushwork, blending simplicity and complexity. His landscape paintings often feature the extraordinary peaks and ancient pines of Huangshan Mountain, focusing on the unity of the entire composition rather than the literal resemblance of the peaks and rocks. This is why Dong Shouping is revered in the art world as the "Master of Plum Blossoms," the "Pioneer of Bamboo Painting," and the "Giant of Huangshan."
Dong Shouping possessed comprehensive skills and profound cultivation, making him a master of Chinese painting. His style is vigorous and ancient yet fresh and elegant, inheriting the fine traditions of Chinese painting while innovating. His brushwork is lively and natural, inspired by nature, starting with sketches and incorporating artistic generalization. He sought both literal and spiritual resemblance, with a greater emphasis on capturing the essence of his subjects. The saying "Having a fully formed bamboo in the mind" refers to the artist's mental preparation before painting. Dong Shouping had his own unique interpretation: at the beginning of creation, one looks at a blank sheet of paper, but once the brush touches the paper, the artist should "have no fully formed bamboo in the mind." Instead, one should follow the flow of the brush, remain spontaneous, and not be constrained by preconceived ideas, fully expressing the artist's intent in one continuous stroke.
From his youth, Dong Shouping developed the habit of studying half a day and painting half a day. He was well-read and deeply knowledgeable, adept at combining the profound artistic traditions of ancient China with modern expression techniques. His paintings not only possess poetic and artistic charm but also reflect the scholarly temperament of literati, with compositions rich in philosophical depth. He also mastered the art of calligraphy in suspension, which was highly praised by artists both at home and abroad.
Dong Shouping Museum
Dong Shouping, a native of Shanxi, has always loved and cared for the cultural development of his hometown. In the 1950s and 1960s, he donated dozens of valuable ancient calligraphy and paintings from his family's collection to the Shanxi Provincial Museum. These included Ming and Qing dynasty albums, a Ming Wanli-era ink and silk painting of "Red Gold Bamboo" by the Korean painter Yi Tan-in, and works such as "Reading While Massaging the Knees" and "Drinking Wine While Reading the Book of Han" by Qing dynasty painters for his great-grandfather, Dong Jitang. In 1983, he donated another 200 of his own finest paintings and calligraphy to his hometown. To commemorate his artistic achievements, with the strong cooperation of relevant departments in Taiyuan, Shanxi, and Japanese friends, a museum dedicated to Dong Shouping's works was built in the scenic Jinci Park, a historic site in Taiyuan. The museum is located next to the Jinci Museum and occupies 1,400 square meters. It houses and displays over 200 of Dong Shouping's donated paintings and calligraphy, as well as 16 artifacts of cultural value, medals, and certificates. To ensure the preservation of these treasures, Dong Shouping wrote in his Donation Letter for Art and Calligraphy Works: "My descendants and relatives shall under no circumstances claim or borrow to view my works; my descendants and relatives shall not participate in the management of the 'Dong Shouping Museum'; any institution or individual responsible for preserving and displaying my artworks in the 'Dong Shouping Museum' shall under no circumstances claim or borrow to view them." These words fully reflect Dong Shouping's noble character—his art is high, and so is his integrity.
Works in Circulation
Dong Shouping began selling paintings for a living in 1931 and created countless works throughout his life, each considered a treasure. During his time in Sichuan, he held multiple exhibitions and painted over a thousand works. After returning to Beijing in 1950, he created a vast number of additional works. In 1972, he painted numerous works for the Beijing Hotel and the Beijing International Club. In 1978, he created a large-scale "Green Pine Painting" for the northern hall of the Great Hall of the People. He also painted for Beijing Capital International Airport and China's embassies abroad. That same year, when Deng Yingchao visited North Korea, Dong Shouping's paintings were gifted to the North Korean government. Today, his artworks are widely collected overseas, particularly in Japan and Hong Kong. In China, in addition to the "Dong Shouping Memorial Hall," major museums also house his works.