Jin Cheng

Author: Jin Chenghui / Yun Xuemei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features: Jin Cheng (1878–1926) was a modern Chinese painter. His courtesy name was Gongbei, also known as Gongbei, another name was Shaocheng, styled Beilou, and also known as Julu. His ancestral home was in Wuxing County, Zhejiang Province. Born in Beijing, he passed away in Shanghai on September 6, 1926. Jin Cheng had a scholarly background and was rich in the collection of ancient artifacts, calligraphy, and paintings. His siblings studied abroad in Europe and America in their early years. He himself studied law at King's College London in the UK and had visited the United States and France, examining legal systems and art. After returning to China, he initially served as an assistant adjudicator in the Shanghai International Settlement Court. Later, he was appointed to compile legal codes, assist in revising the criminal division of the Supreme Court, and oversee the construction of court buildings. In the second year of the Xuantong era (1910), the Ministry of Justice sent Jin Cheng as a representative to the International Prison Reform Conference in the Americas. After the founding of the Republic of China, he served as a member of the House of Representatives, a state secretary, and participated in the preparation of the National Palace Museum. He advocated for displaying the gold, stone, calligraphy, and paintings from the imperial collection in the Forbidden City and the Chengde Imperial Summer Villa in the Wuying Hall for the study and learning of the general public and painters. Due to his love for traditional painting, during the exhibition, he carried brushes and inkstones with him daily, diligently studying and continuously copying ancient masterpieces. In his early years, Jin Cheng learned the meticulous brushwork of Dai Xi, later embracing the style of Lu Lianfu. His landscapes, flowers and birds, and figures all carried an ancient essence. In 1918, he co-founded the Chinese Painting Research Society in Beijing with Zhou Zhaoxiang, Chen Shizeng, and others. Many young people with a foundation in painting gathered at the society, where Jin Cheng taught the achievements of ancient painting. He tirelessly promoted the preservation of national essence, meticulous copying of paintings, and attention to every stroke. Most of Jin Cheng's works imitated and learned from ancient styles, lingering in the artistic realms of the past. In his later years, some of his sketches showed more vitality compared to his earlier copied works. Starting in 1926, a joint Chinese-Japanese painting exhibition was held every other year in Japan. Jin Cheng was invited by Japanese painters to participate in the exhibition and was warmly welcomed. After his death, some members of the Chinese Painting Research Society organized the Hushuo Painting Society in 1927 to commemorate him, initiated by his son Jin Qian'an. They edited and published the bimonthly journal Hushuo, later changing it to a monthly publication, featuring works by society members and renowned artists, introducing famous ancient paintings, and promoting the preservation of traditional painting methods. The Hushuo Painting Society had a significant influence and its members were nearly nationwide, reaching its peak at the time. Jin Cheng wrote Poems of Julu, Discussions on Painting by Beilou, and Lectures on Painting. The book includes over 130 of Jin Cheng's surviving paintings, along with an overview of his life, critiques of his artistic style, and studies, as well as excerpts from his own writings on art and reviews from various sources. It also includes a concise chronology, appendices of his seals, and a catalog of his major surviving works.