Yang Xinglang's Ink and Wash Landscapes - Research on the Art of Famous Chinese Painters

Author: Jia Dejiang, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Yang Xinglang, born in 1959 in Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province, is currently the Deputy Director of the Painting and Calligraphy Research Institute of the National Defense University of the People's Liberation Army, a First-Class Fine Artist, and the Director of the Minnan Painting Institute. His works have been published and exhibited in various newspapers and books, including the People's Daily (Overseas Edition), the Ta Kung Pao, the Lianhe Zaobao, the Selection of Chinese Artists, the Selection of Works of Chinese Contemporary Painters and Calligraphers, the Selection of Outstanding Artists of the 20th Century in Chinese Contemporary Painting, the 100 Outstanding Painters of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, and the 500 Outstanding Painters of the Chinese Spirit. He has participated in numerous domestic and international art competitions, winning gold, silver, and bronze awards. He has held solo exhibitions in Beijing, Taiwan, as well as in Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Indonesia.
When the painter Yang Xinglang reached a certain stage in his exploration of ink and wash landscape painting, he turned to the exploration of color and ink combined in landscape painting. This approach is influenced by Western painting, meets the aesthetic needs of modern people, and, most importantly, challenges the traditional literati painting that emphasizes light and elegant brushwork. He believes that Chinese landscape painting should not lose its color, leaving half of the rivers and mountains in a monochromatic state, thereby losing the vibrant and brilliant colors of the Tang and Song dynasties. To this end, he boldly breaks through the traditional concept of "primarily ink, secondarily color" in traditional painting. He uses thick mineral colors as the main theme of his paintings, combining splashing colors with ink printing and brush strokes to create a flowing, misty, and harmonious artistic conception. As a result, his paintings carry an impressionistic flavor while being uniquely distinctive.