Rongbaozhai Painting Spectrum (Volume 62) - Landscape

Author: Sun Kegang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-05-10
Features: Comrade Sun Kegang devoted all his energy to the art of landscape painting. As the saying goes, "hard work is rewarded," and thus he made outstanding contributions in this field. I would like to analyze the brushwork, an important means of expression in landscape painting. What deserves mentioning first is his ink technique. Whether in ink-wash, accumulated ink, or broken ink methods, Sun Kegang explored and applied new techniques based on tradition, achieving valuable results. Especially his bold ink-wash technique is highly praised and has had a certain influence. Ink-wash, while widely used in freehand flower-and-bird painting, is rarely employed in landscape painting. Some call the ink techniques of landscape painters like Ma Xia and Wu Xiaoxian ink-wash, and there is no harm in that. However, this is not the same as the ink-wash effect achieved with a large brush on raw paper. Ancient landscape painters always used small brushes. As long as we look at the works left by ancient landscape painters, we can easily imagine this. Using small brushes to paint landscapes is still practiced by some painters today, such as Xiao Qianzhong, Chen Shaomei, Wu Jingting, and Qin Zhongwen, who all use small brushes. However, Sun Kegang switched to using large brushes. This was because while sketching in Sichuan, he discovered the vast and ever-changing scenery of the mist and clouds in Mount Emei. It was impossible to achieve this with small brushes, and only bold ink-wash could bring it to life. Since then, through continuous practice, he gradually developed his own bold ink-wash technique. His ink-wash technique is versatile in application. Sometimes the water is heavy, sometimes ink is added with water, sometimes wet and dry are mixed, and even combined with broken ink and accumulated ink. These methods are all new applications in landscape painting. The large areas of ink-wash he paints are "light yet not thin," "heavy yet not lifeless," with water and ink flowing freely, always appearing as if freshly applied.