Li Keran

Author: Mei Mosheng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-10-01
Features: Chinese painting art has a long history and is closely linked to our civilization. Since Gu Kaizhi in the Jin Dynasty, over a thousand years have passed, with numerous schools and renowned artists emerging. Unfortunately, we still lack a systematic and comprehensive work introducing the history of painting and painters. To fill this gap and allow readers to gain a more detailed understanding of Chinese painting civilization and painters, we have compiled this large-scale series. The series is divided into two parts: Ancient and Modern. The ancient section includes painters from Gu Kaizhi and Wu Daozi to Wang Wei, followed by the masters of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, totaling over 60 individuals, each with their own volume (a few have two or three volumes). The modern section includes Qi Baishi, Huang Binhong, Pan Tianshou, Zhou Sichong, and others, totaling over 30 individuals, each with their own volume, edited by Lang Shaojun and Zhang Zhixin. This book is published in a large 32-page hardcover format, printed in color on copper paper, and includes biographies, artistic careers, painting styles, art discussions, critiques from various scholars, chronologies, and catalogs of masterpieces. It also features numerous photographs of the painters' lives and work, as well as nearly 200 of their paintings. The book is rich in detailed information, well-illustrated, and both academic rigor and readability, making it an invaluable resource for experts and scholars studying Chinese painters. (Particularly, the volumes on Li Liufang, Cheng Mengyang, Mei Qing, Chen Banding, and Tao Lengyue are works that fill gaps in the history of painting.) It is also an excellent choice for young people and art enthusiasts to understand Chinese painting art.
This book explores the life and art of the renowned Chinese painter Li Keran. The painter, grounded in the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, manifests in the wonders of the human heart. Standing between heaven and earth, surrounded by all things, the artist blends spirit and interest, suddenly creating with a stroke of the brush to capture what they see, hear, and feel. With a single cry, they express boundless creativity, crafting masterpieces. Our country's painting tradition has deep roots, dating back to Gu Kaizhi in the Jin Dynasty. Over the centuries, countless schools have emerged, with masters appearing in every generation. From the north to the south, talented artists have produced diverse styles, each forming their own unique charm. The vast Yangtze River and the majestic Kunlun Mountains are but a fraction of its grandeur. For later generations to fully understand and appreciate its subtleties, it remains a challenge. I was born too late to be a painter, but by observing the works of ancient masters and the inevitable changes of their time, I have come to understand that learning from the masters enables one to transcend the rules. As the ancients said, this art is a place to express one's aspirations—so it is? When reading the masterpieces of the past, one realizes that their methods are like mirages in the water, seemingly present yet elusive; while their lack of rigid rules is like the boundless blue sky and clear water, vast and limitless.
Our society spans the ages, selecting the most outstanding painters from history to present their life stories, art theories, technical characteristics, and lineage. By reading these volumes, one can catch a glimpse of the whole and understand an entire era of painting through the work of a single master. Reading the collections of dozens of painters allows one to grasp the of thousands of years of Chinese painting civilization. Due to the passage of time and frequent wars, countless masterpieces have been lost or damaged. Some famous painters left no works behind, while others had only a few preserved. Some painters were renowned, yet little is known about their lives or deeds. As a result, the number of existing images and introductions is limited, making it necessary to present multiple painters in a single volume—better than nothing.
In the past, Ouyang Xun compiled the Yiwen Lüji and wrote: "I wish to make every family rich in pearls and every person adorned with jade, allowing the predecessors to compile their works and express their own ideas." This collection embodies that very spirit.