Rongbaozhai Painting Spectrum (39) -- Part of Flowers, Birds, Animals, and Landscapes

Author: Yang Shanshen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: Mr. Yang Shangxing is known as "one of the most representative painters of the second generation of the Lingnan Painting School." In my view, he is the only predecessor painter from Guangdong who could revitalize the painting school in Hong Kong, and the only Lingnan painter who could continuously integrate the strengths of both Chinese and foreign art from ancient to modern times. If we speak of the contemporary Lingnan Painting School, which has become standardized, he is not a "standard" Lingnan painter. The reason for this is that his vigorous vitality has shaped him this way. The Lingnan Painting School has a strong influence of Japanese painting, and except for some works by Gao Jianfu, most of his works excel in "skillfulness." In aesthetics, skillfulness falls under the category of "beauty," characterized by liveliness, delicacy, elegance, tenderness, and the various qualities of "cleverness." This is a characteristic that has been passed down since the Ji brothers. However, Mr. Shanshen seeks simplicity amidst skillfulness, thereby overcoming the sweet and charming flaw in Lingnan painting. This is precisely where he has made his greatest contribution to the Lingnan Painting School. In terms of composition, his meticulous planning and unique arrangement reveal his distinctive artistic vision, showing that he possesses a unique temperament. In his use of lines, he moves slowly and deliberately, with pauses and breaks, achieving the utmost refinement. Mr. Shanshen's lines are often unsharpened or broken, yet they reveal charm in the remnants, strictness in the casual, richness in the dry, and restraint in the wild and unrestrained. Mr. Shanshen's calligraphy does not specialize in any single style but rather takes inspiration from the charm of Han Dynasty steles. He himself says that he writes calligraphy using the same brushwork as painting, which perfectly captures the essence of his calligraphic style.