Blackwood's Paintings Collection

Author: He Bolong
Publisher:
Publish Date: April 1, 1998
Features: He Bolong (1915–1989) was originally named He Yuanji and was from Qianquan Street in Linqing City. During his lifetime, he served as a professor at Shandong Art Institute, a member of the Chinese Fine Arts Association, vice president of the Shandong Fine Arts Association, president of the Shandong Art Academy, and president of the Qilu Fine Arts Research Institute. In his early years, he graduated from the Shanghai Fine Arts College and received guidance from renowned masters such as Huang Binhong, Pan Tianshou, and Liu Haisu. In 1946, he established the Nanhua Art College in Jinan and served as the department head, concurrently teaching at the Jinan Chinese Fine Arts College. From a young age, he had a passion for calligraphy and painting, with early mentors including He Baozhen and Zhao Wangyun. At the age of 20, he entered Shanghai Fine Arts College and learned from masters like Wang Shengyuan, Pan Tianshou, and Huang Binhong. Due to his deep understanding and rapid skill improvement, he quickly gained recognition in the art world. Later, he devoted himself to inheriting the styles of Yuan and Ming dynasty landscape painters while also studying nature by traveling to famous mountains and rivers, observing and sketching to develop his expressive, unrestrained, and profound freehand painting style. His landscape paintings became renowned for their uniqueness. In his creative approach, He combined large and small freehand brushwork, ink splashing, and line drawing organically, using diverse linework to express texture and spatial depth. As a result, his works were characterized by strength and elegance. On the same canvas, he could display bold, sweeping strokes while also conveying delicate, playful touches. In his later years, He excelled at painting cypress trees, gnarled rocks, towering mountains with cascading waterfalls, and misty peaks. However, his works were not mere representations of nature but rather simplified, vivid, and refined depictions that captured the essence of the subject. Even in small, inch-scale works, he achieved the grandeur of vast landscapes with the subtlety of ancient, bold brushwork. His figure paintings were also deeply rooted and distinctive—bold strokes could define forms, while light ink strokes could capture expressions and temperament. His calligraphy aligned with his painting style, being simple, profound, solemn, and vigorous, with a seasoned, ancient touch. He devoted over 50 years to art education. During this time, he taught with rigor and dedication, created with passion and meticulousness, and left a significant impact on the art world. At the age of 29, he held an exhibition in Jinan, and at 34, he held one in Shanghai. In his later years, he held a joint exhibition with the renowned bird painter Xu Linlu in Qilu, further enhancing his fame. His works were selected for numerous national art exhibitions, including Taishan Qinglan (Taishan’s Clear Mist), Qianli Jiangshan Wan Nian Chun (Thousand-Li River and Eternal Spring), and Taishan Yunhai (Taishan’s Sea of Clouds), which were included in Shandong Guohua Xuan as treasured pieces. Additionally, He Bolong Paintings was published. He Bolong was a straightforward and magnanimous person, skilled at making friends and fostering harmony. He taught at the Chinese Fine Arts College and Shandong Art Institute for many years, earning great respect from the art education community. He was elected as vice president of the Shandong Fine Arts Association, a member of the Shandong People’s Political Consultative Conference, and a member of the Shandong Federation of Literature and Arts.