Li Jianchen and Guan Guangzhi are the earliest watercolor painters of the older generation in China at the same time, and outstanding pioneers of contemporary watercolor painting. As a generation of watercolor masters, they created a watercolor group of an era and wrote an important chapter for the history book of watercolor painting in China in the 2th century.
For this reason, this paper makes a comparative analysis and exploration from the life background, study abroad, artistic creation and artistic influence of the two gentlemen, and finally finds out the similarities and differences between them, so that we can pay more attention to and understand the life experiences and artistic style of these two masters.
Li Jianchen and Guan Guangzhi are contemporaries, and both of them are recorded in the history of China watercolor painting with their unique and exquisite artistic creations and are well-known in the painting world.
(1) Li Jianchen, whose original name was Li Ruhua, was born in Neihuang County, Henan Province in 19 and died in Nanjing on February 2th, 22 at the age of 13. Guan Guangzhi, Manchu, was born in Jilin City, Jilin Province in 1896 and died in 1958 at the age of 62. Both gentlemen are the "pioneers" of watercolor painting in China, and they are also called "two heroes" in China painting circle, and they are known as "South Li (Jianchen) and North Guan (Guangzhi)".
Li Jianchen and Guan Guangzhi both grew up in an ordinary and real family, coming from the bottom of society and having a hard childhood.
Li Jianchen was born in Beigou Village, Neihuang County, Henan Province. His father was a scholar and proficient in ancient Chinese. Because of his many children, Xiao Ruhua was put in foster care with a rural nurse. Because of his poor family, he suffered from hunger. At the age of six, he was taken home by his father and sent to a private school to study. He had no interest in going to a private school, but was attracted to a person named Qiu Ling who was "papered". Under Qiu Ling's enlightenment, Xiao Ruhua became interested in painting and later embarked on the road of art. (the contemporary of the century-Li Jianchen's artistic career is published by Wang Zhenyu, Jiangsu Literature and Art Publishing House)
Li Jianchen, who was taught by Guan Guangzhi, was not so lucky. Guan Guangzhi was born in a poor peasant family in Dalanqitun on the Songhua River in Jilin City. He loved painting since childhood, and showed his talent in Chinese painting earlier in his youth. As the eldest son, he took care of the whole family at a very young age, and it was this pressure of life that made him realize that he had to struggle to get ahead.
They also had different experiences in their childhood. They grew up in different life situations. With the simple life belief of being sincere and striving for progress, they truly understood life, stepped into society and gradually became a generation of artists.
(2) Li Jianchen and Guan Guangzhi, who entered their youth, have many similarities in their life experiences, ways of studying and pursuit of faith.
When Li Jianchen was a young student, he was infatuated with watercolor painting and determined to fight for watercolor art all his life. In 1923, he was admitted to Beijing National Art College. At that time, Professor Qi Tige, a Czechoslovakian watercolor painter, had a great influence on him, which laid a strong interest in watercolor painting. He studied Chinese painting under Chen Banding and Wang Mengbai. He was also employed by Lin Fengmian and Wen Yiduo; He was in the same class as Li Kuchan and Wang Xuetao, and both Chinese and Western paintings laid a solid foundation.
After Li Jianchen graduated in p>1926, he successively taught in Henan Provincial No.1 Normal School, Provincial Women's Normal School and Provincial No.5 Normal School, teaching and drawing at the same time, and made a remarkable breakthrough in the discussion and theoretical research of watercolor painting. In 1937, he was admitted to study in Britain at public expense, and studied oil painting in the Fine Arts Department of London University, which was deeply influenced by Sargent and bronwyn. After that, I studied sculpture at Kula Ouxi School in Paris, studied painting with painters such as Xu Beihong and Pan Yuliang who stayed in France, and learned skills from Picasso, a century master. I saw the works of French realists and romanticists in the Louvre and got more artistic enlightenment.
in the 192s, China and Shanghai opened earlier and were deeply influenced by western culture, but it was more difficult to accept the influence of western culture in the northeast.
Guan Guangzhi was admitted to Shenyang Academy of Fine Arts, where he systematically studied sketch, Chinese painting, color and pattern, and laid a solid foundation for painting. After graduating from Shenyang Fine Arts College, he transferred to Shanghai and Beijing to study. Guan Guangzhi often went to the YMCA to learn English and painting, which was appreciated by some British doctors, priests and painters. Later, with their encouragement, Guan Guangzhi went to study in Britain. In 1931, Guan Guangzhi was a graduate student at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, specializing in watercolor painting and copperplate printing. In view of the fact that most of China's fine artists, such as Xu Beihong, Lin Fengmian, Liu Haisu and Wu Zuoren, went to France to study painting, Guan Guangzhi was the earliest student in the art world to study in Britain, and won the true biography of British watercolors, gouache and copperplate prints. Prosperity is endless, and the most precious thing for people is the spirit of self-esteem, self-reliance and self-improvement. "A really capable child just takes a small suitcase and goes out into the world by himself." -This is Guan Guangzhi's real life experience from rural Jilin to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
Li Jianchen and Guan Guangzhi have both gone abroad to seek artistic study and development. During their study abroad, because they are young, it is easy for them to get in touch with and absorb western customs and apply them to their own artistic creation. But for them, studying abroad is not the ultimate goal in itself. They are pursuing the road of saving the country by science and culture. They accept western culture and are most concerned about learning to specialize. If they want to learn, they will go to the best country and enter the best school, but they never want to stay abroad.
Since the beginning of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Li Jianchen immediately gave up his academic career abroad and resolutely returned to China to support the Anti-Japanese War. He has taught in Chongqing National Art College, Department of Architecture of Central University, Nanjing Institute of Technology and other universities. When Guan Guangzhi returned to China, he brought back a large number of British picture books and painting tools, as well as the unique copperplate printing machine in China at that time, which benefited countless art scholars. After returning to China, Guan Guangzhi taught in yenching university, National Art College, Fu Jen Catholic University, Peking University, Beijing Jianzhu College and Tsinghua University, and devoted his life to the art education in China. As the sowers of culture and art, they may not have lofty ideals, but their original intention and purpose of studying in Britain is to train more students when they return home, which is their unanimous choice.
(3) Li Jianchen and Guan Guangzhi are outstanding representatives of the inheritance and creation of watercolor painting art in China
After the May 4th Movement, many progressive young people traveled to Japan and went to Britain and France to study painting art. Guan Guangzhi in the north, Li Jianchen in the south, Wang Jiyuan and Zhang Meisun were all famous painters who studied in Britain and France in their early years.
as early as the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the cultural exchange between Europe and Asia, western painting was introduced to China. Although it is only a hundred years, watercolor painting in China has not only been inherited and developed, but also developed rapidly, forming a colorful painting art with China characteristics, due to the similarities between western watercolor painting and China ink painting, and the unique understanding and grasp of life and art by China painters. The first batch of artists were Xu Yongqing, Zhou Xiang and Ding Quan from Tushanwan Painting Gallery in Xujiahui, Shanghai, which was called "China's Western Painting Art Shakes Blue" by master Xu Beihong. In 1843, in Shanghai, where merchants gathered, a kind of "Moon Brand" painting, which is called "Shanghai Style Art", came into being, leaving a glorious page in the history of modern art in China. (The History of Watercolor Painting in China, Wang Shuangcheng, Zhang Kerang, Jiang Zhenli, Guangxi Fine Arts Publishing House, 1992)
From the beginning of the 2th century to the 193s, in the past 2 years, painting clubs have been set up all over China, among which watercolor clubs have stood out, and exhibitions and academic exchanges have been continuously carried out, which has made China's watercolor art go to the first stage of prosperity.
People pay more and more attention to the works of Li Jianchen and Guan Guangzhi and their social practice. During his study in Britain, Guan Guangzhi specialized in watercolor painting and gouache painting, and visited France, Italy, Germany, Holland and Russia, winning the essence of western painting. During this period, his works "Edinburgh, England" and "Sanlihe Mosque" (see Figure 1) were deeply influenced by the Western painting art after the Renaissance, especially realism, radical romanticism and impressionism in the 18th and 19th centuries.
On this basis, after returning to China, he read historical materials, deeply studied traditional Chinese painting, and also made folk creations such as woodcut and paper-cutting, and diligently explored his own artistic path. His sketches, such as Yuquan Mountain (see Figure 2), Hall of Praying for the New Year in the Temple of Heaven, Glass Pagoda in the Summer Palace and Yueyang Tower, combined western art with oriental tradition.
studying abroad is the most important thing for Li Jianchen. Based on the realistic tradition of British watercolor painting and the characteristics of China's life and art, he established his own theoretical system, and created a brand-new watercolor painting group with different painting methods, rich colors, sophisticated brushwork, emphasis on techniques, rigorous life interest, diverse themes and rich spirit of the times. Li Jianchen's "Morning-Monument to the People's Heroes" and "Field" created in the 195s caused great repercussions in the art world. Watercolor Techniques, published in 1958, became the most important model and teaching material for watercolor teaching in art education at that time. For example, "Quiet Alley" creates a quiet atmosphere of Jiangnan water town with concise brushwork; "East China Sea Fengyun" is muddy with bold and unrestrained water colors, rendering the magnificent melody of the sea and sky; Longmen Grottoes created the ancient civilization of many-hued by the method of accumulating water. "The Magnificent Temple of Heaven" highlights the grandeur of China's ancient buildings with strong warm colors. Every painting is a symphony of water and color, and a touching lyric poem.
(4) Li Jianchen and Guan Guangzhi enjoy lofty status and influence in China watercolor painting world
Li Jianchen is an artist and art educator with international reputation. He founded his own theoretical system, created a watercolor painting group of an era, promoted the development of Chinese watercolor painting, and promoted Chinese painting to enter the international watercolor painting world. He is known as "the master of China watercolor painting" and "the father of China watercolor painting". Its watercolor painting "Morning-Monument to the People's Heroes" (see Figure 4), which won the first prize, has been collected by China Art Museum and has become a precious material in the history of watercolor painting in China. On the occasion of his centenary birthday, he donated 12 exquisite works to the Jiangsu provincial government, and established the Li Jianchen Watercolor Art Fund. In the same year, he won the second Golden Dragon Award-Master of Arts Award for outstanding global figures and Chinese literary artists. At the age of 12, he won the first China Fine Arts Golden Award, which is the highest award in China. The old man devoted his life to teaching and educating people to learn.