I wish my mentors and friends good luck in the Year of the Tiger in 2022
Tigers and tigers are mighty, and the road to art is evergreen
Introduction to art
Liu Jihong, born in 1955 in Fuyang City, Anhui Province, graduated from the Fine Arts Department of Anhui Fuyang Normal University, and studied in the graduate class of the Academy of Fine Arts of the Central University for Nationalities from 1997 to 2000. He is a national first-class artist, a member of the China Artists Association, and a professor of the Chinese Painting Advanced Research Class of Tsinghua University. He has published "First-line Classics , Liu Jihong Scrolls " ( published by Jiangxi Fine Arts Publishing House ) , " Style - Liu Jihong Freehand Flowers and Birds Volume " ( published by Tianjin People's Fine Arts Publishing House ) , "Collection of Chinese Painting Masters • Liu Jihong Freehand Flowers and Birds "Contemporary Powerful Painters Fine Series • Liu Jihong Scrolls" and "Chinese Freehand Flower and Bird Painting Techniques" upper and lower volumes of CD-ROM.
In 1993, his works participated in the "Korea Chinese Ink Art Exhibition" (Seoul), in 1995 in Japan "Modern China Famous Flowers and Birds Exhibition" (Nara), "21st Century Chinese Painting Exhibition" (Beijing), 2003 China Beijing International Art Biennale Serial Exhibition • National Contemporary Flower and Bird Painting Art Exhibition, 2004 National Chinese Painting Exhibition (won the Excellence Award), Chinese Style Exhibition held in France, the First National Freehand Painting Exhibition, the National Chinese Painting Exhibition (won the Excellence Award), "Vegetable Nostalgia" Chinese Painting Nomination Exhibition (bronze medal), 2006 commemoration of the opening of the famous art master Li Kuchan Art Museum and National Chinese Painting Nomination Exhibition (won the Excellence Award), the 3rd China Artists Association Member Works Fine Exhibition, 2007 4th China Artists Association Member Chinese Painting Fine Art Exhibition, 2009 selected to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China 5th China Artists Association Member Chinese Painting Fine Art Exhibition, 2009 selected as the China Artist Association Member Fine Art Exhibition. In 1992, he held the "Winter Rhyme" Liu Ji Safflower Bird Painting Exhibition in Taiwan, in July 2005 at the Dongguan Museum in Guangdong Province, Liu Ji Safflower And Bird Painting Exhibition was held in The Museum of Dongguan, Guangdong Province, in 2005 he went to Korea to participate in the China-Korea Cultural Festival to hold a painting exhibition (Seoul), and in 2006 he went to Japan to participate in the Sino-Japanese Cultural Year and Contemporary Chinese Painting Exhibition (Tokyo).
Appreciation of works
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The clear shadow of the fire
——A Brief Discussion on Liu Jihong's Painting Art
Text / Xi Mu
Although the Chinese painting world today is very lively, the flower and bird world is somewhat cold, especially the large-scale flowers and birds are even more green and yellow. With the departure of a generation of masters Such as Wu Changshuo, Qi Baishi, Pan Tianshou, Chen Banding, Tang Yun, Zhu Yizhan, etc., it seems to have taken away the profound background of a generation of Traditional Chinese studies, and people today sigh endlessly. Today, a new generation of important painters of large-scale freehand flowers and birds have also crossed the threshold of more than 60 years old, they either inherit or come out of the new, with the prosperity of the national fortune, the rise of the cultural industry and the art market, it can also be said that the scenery is exhausted, although there is a huge impact of the "Cultural Revolution", too much time and energy was wasted in academia, but current affairs create heroes, in this age group, like Zhang Lichen, Guo Yizong, Guo Shifu, Huo Chunyang, He Shuifa, Chen Yongjun and so on have become the best. We can say that the times made them more often than art. After the above gentlemen, we were shocked to find that the freehand flower and bird world was so snubbed that there was no successor!
Of course, there are many reasons, but it is not unrelated to the relatively high requirements of traditional cultivation and the difficulty of new painting, etc. In the economic era of input and output, everyone is more willing to do those things that are more effective with half the effort, the taste of sitting on the cold bench is not good, and it is common sense to work hard to endure loneliness, which is the common sentiment of people, but in our research vision, Liu Jihong is a very special painter, put down the figure paintings that have a considerable foundation, to paint the big freehand flowers and birds that are very risky in the eyes of others. The difficulty of its conversion goes without saying, and it is difficult for ordinary people to reach the arrogance of just starting from scratch. Coupled with more than ten years of accumulation and tempering, finally have their own feelings, and have participated in the national art exhibition for many times, repeatedly won awards, which is rare in the world of freehand flowers and birds, and from then on, you can also see a glimpse of Liu Jihong's artistic exploration.
Liu Jihong's flower and bird paintings benefit from his modeling ability in the stage of figure painting; in pen and ink, he benefits from the foundation of long-term calligraphy training and thick life experience; in the realm of painting, he benefits from the height of understanding of the concept of life and birth. To discuss Liu Jihong's understanding and thinking on the innovation of flower and bird painting, it is more due to his research on the history of Western aesthetics and his understanding of traditional Chinese culture. The above aspects have promoted the in-depth exploration and practice of Liu Jihong's large-scale freehand flower and bird paintings, liu Jihong's use of his own rich life experience to integrate the brush and ink language formed by the continuous observation of "West" and "Middle" and the spirit of painting from "Middle" to "West", forming his very unique aesthetic experience and orientation, which has a very important academic research value in today's large-scale freehand flower and bird industry
In 1995, Liu Jihong gave up a sought after job in a bank and came to Beijing alone from Anhui. With a roll of paintings, he reverently went to visit the famous masters who could condescend to meet a painter from another province, and then returned to the temporary rented studio to paint desperately. He has lived this life for 7 years, and despite his hard life, he still maintains his enthusiasm and dedication to art, and in recent years has held solo exhibitions in Beijing, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macao and other places. His simple and tenacious character has not changed because of the hustle and bustle of urban civilization. Liu Jihong has made great efforts to the excellent works of the past. The subject matter of traditional flower and bird painting is relatively fixed, which certainly makes the expression language more refined, but it will inevitably bring negative effects, so that the expression language will lose its freshness, so it is an important way to explore new themes for the innovation of flower and bird painting. According to what she sees and feels, Liu Jihong constantly expands on the subject matter and explores new expressive techniques. He attaches great importance to techniques and techniques in painting, and attaches great importance to the perfection of skills. The artist is not an ordinary artist, he must create with his mind and heart, but only thoughts and no skills, skills can never do a good job of art. Chinese painting is an art that attaches great importance to both the concept of creation and the kung fu of the hand.
Liu Jihong spent a lot of energy honing his pen and ink skills. He uses the pen to be "handsome" and "real". The so-called "handsome" means that it is very free, atmospheric, changeable, and rhythmic; the so-called "real", that is, the pen has power, depth, and taste. Only when you draw quickly can you be "handsome", and if you draw slowly, you can be "real". Liu Jihong is good at using the power of the brush strokes and the alternating changes of fast and slow, as well as the interspersing and interlacing of smooth strokes, reverse pens, short lines and long lines to create beauty; he is also good at making full use of his own experience and exerting the contingency of freehand ink painting in dot rubbing and dyeing to strengthen the interest of pen and ink. In the use of ink, he grasps the key intermediary of water to exert his creativity, because the thickness and dryness of ink and the charm of ink are obtained through the combination of water and ink and through the "waving" of the pen. From this distinctive trajectory, we can see the focus and breakthrough of his art: at the level of aesthetic experience, we integrate pen and ink and painting spirit to form its unique artistic realm. Liu Jihong said that in his paintings, he can sometimes taste the smell of gun smoke, which may be Liu Jihong, who was once a combat hero, is also experiencing nirvana in art.
The development of art has never been an independent phenomenon, the personality of any art must take root in the soil of aesthetic commonality, although the level of an artist's artistic level is affected by many aspects, but the most critical elements are three aspects: one is the level of realm; the other is the level of pen and ink understanding; the third is the strength of painting comprehension ability. Of course, comprehensive cultivation is also very important. It is a comprehensive foundation. Among them, pen and ink understanding is the core, comprehension ability is the foundation, and realm is the key. Liu Jihong's exploration in freehand flowers and birds strongly proves this view. We may wish to have a bold and practical prediction: as Liu Jihong continues to deepen his cultivation, the improvement of his artistic realm will continue to increase his understanding of pen and ink, which is the internal logic and motivation for his painting art level to be continuously surpassed, and it is also the only way for Liu Jihong to continuously move to a new level.
Today's development of Chinese painting has entered the field of global cultural values, in terms of cultural values and cultural spiritual dimension, the development of Chinese painting will give birth to new points of view. For the painter, this seems like an opportunity, but it is rather a challenge. The pursuit of aesthetic intrinsic spirit will make painters on the technical level of painting constantly marginalized, and painters with new knowledge structures and aesthetic orientations will continue to be concerned in this global cultural vision. In this regard, Liu Jihong has a clear and systematic understanding. The space that exists in terms of traditional Chinese culture and the spirit of painting in the new era is precisely where contemporary painters focus, and the pursuit and contrast between entry into the world and birth in Chinese culture are also constantly promoting the development of Chinese painting step by step towards freedom, humanity and the infinity of space. This is not only an inherent requirement for the development of cultural strategy, but also a historical responsibility shouldered by Chinese painters. What makes us thankful is that Liu Jihong's continuous practice and breakthroughs have made us more comfortable with this historical mission. After all, there are such artists who have spent their whole lives exploring and moving forward...
In the creation of Chinese painting, what runs through is a kind of righteousness, clear qi and atmosphere, and for Liu Jihong, these are slowly revealed from the life of the fire, which is a manifestation of life, but also a clear shadow of the fire.
(Ding Hai Early Summer, Xi Mu Yu Shui Mu Xuan)
END
Edited by Sun Shiqin