Complete Collection of Famous Chinese Painters - Li Keran

Author: Mei Mosheng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-10-01
Features: Chinese painting art has a long history and is closely tied to the civilization of our country. Since the Jin Dynasty's Gu Kaizhi, over a thousand years, various schools have emerged, and renowned masters have appeared one after another. 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 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, with each (or a few) having their own volume. The modern section includes Qi Baishi, Huang Binhong, Pan Tianshou, Zhou Sichen, and others, totaling over 30 individuals, each also having 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, including 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 art history.) 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 painting master Li Keran. The painter, grounded in the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, manifests in the wonders of the human heart. The painter stands between heaven and earth, surrounded by all things. With a fusion of spirit and interest, they suddenly draw, following what they see, hear, and feel; with a single cry, they create works of extraordinary beauty. Our country's painting has a long history, dating back to Gu Kaizhi in the Jin Dynasty. Over the centuries, countless schools have emerged, and masters have appeared generation after generation. From the north to the south, talented artists have emerged, each with distinct styles, forming their own unique traditions. The vast Yangtze River and the majestic Kunlun Mountains are not enough to describe their lofty heights. For later generations to understand and appreciate their subtleties, it is indeed difficult. 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. The ancients once said that this art is a way to express one's aspirations—was that not so? When reading the masterpieces of the past, one realizes that their methods are like mirage and 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 masters from throughout history, detailing their lives, art theories, technical characteristics, and influences on later generations. This allows readers to see a glimpse and grasp the whole, to understand one painter and grasp the art of their era, and to read the collections of dozens of famous painters and gain an overview of our country's thousands of years of 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 remaining. Some painters were renowned, yet little is known about their lives and deeds. As a result, few images and introductions have survived, making it impossible to provide a complete account. Thus, we have compiled volumes featuring multiple painters, which is better than having nothing at all.
In the past, Ouyang Xun edited Yiwen Lüji and wrote: "I wish to make every family rich in jade and every person adorned with silk, so that the works of the ancients can be compiled and each express their own views." This collection embodies that very spirit.