Born in Shanghai in 1928, Huang Gaoqin, who is in her 90s, is the eldest granddaughter of Huang Binhong, who has been engaged in the insurance industry, and has studied Chinese landscape painting since retirement, and is a member of the Descendants association of famous artists of maritime calligraphy and painting. Recently, she was interviewed by Qian Sheng, the granddaughter of Qian Shantie, who is also a member of the association, to talk about her understanding of her grandfather's art and life.
"My grandfather thought that 'painting doesn't care about appearance', painting is not to look like a painting, but to look at pen and ink. He once said, 'Beauty within and beauty outside, beauty is not even.' There is beauty in ugliness, especially when it is a category'. 'The rivers and mountains are picturesque, and the inner beauty is quiet and the middle reference'. 'Neimei' is the criterion for him to judge whether his painting is good or not, and 'Neimei' is also his lifelong pursuit of painting. Huang Gaoqin said in an interview.
Huang Binhong and Huang Gaoqin took a group photo
Qian Sheng: What do you think of the "Maritime School"?
Huang Gaoqin: I think that the "Maritime Painting School" concentrates a variety of different kinds of paintings, ancient and modern Chinese and foreign paintings, and there is no unified artistic style. As a person who came from the Republic of China and experienced the development of the Maritime School of Painting, I deeply feel the breadth and profundity of Chinese culture. After Grandpa came to Shanghai, he broadened his horizons and increased his knowledge. He also learned from the various families of the "Maritime School", and had many exchanges and goodwill with them, which promoted his artistic improvement.
Qian Sheng: Could you please talk about your experience as a member of the Descendants of Famous Artists of Maritime Calligraphy and Painting?
Huang Gaoqin: I have loved to draw since I was a child, from drawing cartoons in my childhood, to producing blackboard newspapers and painting watercolor paintings in primary and secondary school, but I always only took it as an interest in cultivating myself. It wasn't until after I retired that I began to pick up a brush and learn to paint landscapes, because I always felt that my grandfather had painted so well that I had to learn two strokes myself. I participated in the exchange activities of the Hongkou District Elderly Calligraphy and Painting Society twice a month and have been insisting on it for twenty years. In 2009, when I was 80 years old, Mr. Cheng Suo, president of the Descendants of Famous Artists of Maritime Calligraphy and Painting, invited me to join. At that time, I had the purpose of learning, but after joining, I learned that many of my companions were descendants of famous calligraphers and painters on the sea who had contacts with my grandfather, and I felt very close, and it became a fortunate thing in my life to meet them. In my dealings with everyone, I gained insight. I especially admire the descendants who can inherit their ancestral heritage, not only inherit the art of their predecessors, but also continue to innovate, and often go out to communicate and promote Chinese culture. I think that although I am the oldest among the descendants, I am still a primary school student in terms of artistic level, and I hope to learn more from everyone, live to be old, and learn from old age.
Qian Sheng: As the eldest granddaughter, you have a cheerful personality, like sports, and also like to draw, which is very popular with your grandfather Huang Binhong. Can you talk about your relationship with your grandfather?
Huang Gaoqin: In 1935, my family and I settled in Hong Kong with my father. In 1936, my grandfather was invited to the Forbidden City in Beijing to do appraisal work, and did not return to Shanghai for ten years because of the War of Resistance, and later, he was invited by Mr. Pan Tianshou to teach and research in Zhejiang, and I spent most of my time in Shanghai studying, employment, and establishing a family. Therefore, I was quite away from my grandfather for a long time, and he did not have many days of meeting me, but I have maintained correspondence with him since I was sensible. Although most of the letters he sent to me have been lost because of the twists and turns of his life, he has always been very kind to me. Every time he talked to us about the past, his favorite topic was his hobbies of horseback riding, archery, martial arts and physical exercise that he liked when he was young. After the end of my studies, I was sent to Qingdao to work for two years, and when he learned about it, he wrote to me to introduce Qingdao's scenic spots, such as Laoshan Mountain, Badaguan, delicious seafood, like several family treasures. I thought he must have stayed in Qingdao, but in fact he said that he was only familiar with geography and history, and had not been to Qingdao, which proved his grandfather's love for the mountains and rivers of the motherland. Later, whenever I went to see him, he asked me to take my favorite paintings, but I always felt that it was his hard work, so I never took a single one. What I keep now is the little manuscript he sent me with the letter and the gift he gave me.
Mr. Huang Binhong
Huang Binhong's letter to Huang Gaoqin
Qian Sheng: What does Mr. Huang Binhong usually write in his letter to you?
Huang Gaoqin: My grandfather mainly encouraged me a lot in his letter, and in addition to that, he would tell me what he mainly did that day. For example, he also studied what word he was, the meaning of that word, the thickness of the word on the seal, the pattern of the word, and so on. Those are the categories of his golden stone research. In addition, my grandfather knew that I liked to draw since I was a child, and he would tell me about painting.
Qian Sheng: How did your grandfather talk to you about painting theory and ink technique?
Huang Gaoqin: Huang Binhong's advice to beginners in his painting theory is to remind them to pay attention to three points: "The first is pen and ink, which can be obtained by practice and reading; the second is the source stream, which is realized by copying and appreciating; the third is creation, which is made up of excursion sketching." If the non-clear pen and ink are not in sight, if the source flow is not spoken, the creation cannot be created, and where does the new realm come from without talking about creation? "First imitate the Yuan painting, with the pen and ink used; the second imitation of the Ming painting, because of its stable structure, it is not easy to enter the evil way; then imitate the Tang painting, so that the study can follow the ancients; and finally copy the Song painting, with its method of preparation for many changes." What my grandfather told me was not so complicated, mainly saying: "A painting does not look like a painting, but mainly looks at the pen and ink - the pen must be strong, the paper must be able to hold, and the lines must be rigid and soft." Regarding the use of ink, he once had the famous "five strokes and seven inks" ("five kinds of brushwork" that is, flat, retained, round, heavy, and variable brushwork. The "seven ink methods" are the use of thick, light, broken, accumulation, splash, scorch, and su ink. In simple terms, it is "to reflect the beauty of nature according to the differences in ink, and to be able to refine the beauty in nature." ”
Huang Binhong on the Seven Ink Method
Qian Sheng: Mr. Huang Binhong's poetry, calligraphy and painting are excellent, together with Bai Bao, Gao Ershi and Li Zhimin, he is collectively known as the "Four Masters of Calligraphy of the Literati in the 20th Century", which is considered to be "calligraphy into painting", what do you think?
Huang Gaoqin: Everyone's cognition of Huang Binhong is generally "the master of modern landscape painting", mainly painting. In fact, he believes that his main energy lies in the study of jinshi, and it is jinshi that drives his calligraphy and painting. He liked seal carving since he was a child, and the art of seal engraving is the link between calligraphy and philology, which can not only pass the principle of "six books", but also reach the method of calligraphy with pen and knotted characters. Because of his love of seal engraving, he cultivated his interest in epigraphy, which in turn became the core of his calligraphy understanding, and was the "catalyst" for him to "introduce books into paintings" in his later years.
Huang Binhong's painting theory
Qian Sheng: Could you please talk about how Mr. Huang Binhong painted?
Huang Gaoqin: My grandfather liked to use a small pen to draw. I saw that he was sitting steadily, quietly, very relaxed, not very energetic. Mr. Wang Zhongxiu once mentioned that "this kind of 'point' of Huang Binhong actually appeared since the Song Dynasty, Juran, Wang Meng, Shen Zhou, Wanjiang, Wen Zhengming, it is better to be." Of course, he was quite old by then. My grandfather used to tell me that pen and ink and lines were important. The lines should be strong enough to stand on paper. He once had a narrative of "I taste the landscape as a character, and paint with a word", and "Painting the source of calligraphy, first learn to discuss the book." The pen can be used on the paper, and it can penetrate the back of the paper, so that the painting will not be superficial." His lines are derived from calligraphy, so Mr. Fu Lei said that "Huang Binhong's lines are alive".
Huang Binhong landscape painting
Qian Sheng: Ordinary people look at paintings and think that what can please people's eyes and make people feel a sense of full happiness is good painting. What is Mr. Huang Binhong's criteria for judging "good painting"? What do you think?
Huang Gaoqin: My grandfather believed that "painting does not care about appearance", painting is not to look like a painting, but to look at the pen and ink. He once said, "Beauty within and beauty outside, beauty is not homogeneous." There is beauty in the ugly, especially when the category is". "The rivers and mountains are picturesque, and the inner beauty is quiet." "The painting is still beautiful, there is a law without saying the law, and the viewer realizes himself." "Sketching can only get the bones of the mountains and rivers, and if you want to get the atmosphere of the mountains and rivers, you have to close your eyes and meditate, and you must appreciate its spirit." "Neimei" is the criterion for him to judge whether his painting is good or not, and "Neimei" is also his lifelong pursuit of painting. His paintings have thoughts. For example, he was deeply touched by the Bashan Shushui water he saw on his trip to Sichuan. Those landscapes, he looked at day and night, looked at the heavy rain in the sun, and saw the moon rising high in the sky from sunrise. He realized that "the beauty of the scenery is easy to be difficult in the real place", and he also found his inner talent. Previously, the essence of painting theory seen in historical materials and ancient paintings allowed him to appreciate the great beauty of the natural world, and in turn, he deepened his understanding of painting theory in the process of painting. It can be seen that "those who want to be good at painting, do not read thousands of books, and cannot travel thousands of miles." Painting is a practice, continuous learning, continuous improvement, and constant change. I think that some paintings can make people look at it again, and they want to read it carefully, indicating that they have touched people's hearts, and that kind of painting is a good painting.
Qian Sheng: Can you tell us how to appreciate Mr. Huang Binhong's paintings?
Huang Gaoqin: I think my grandfather's paintings should be carefully looked at, and there are painting eyes in his paintings, which are very flavorful to look at carefully. My grandfather once quoted a passage from the Yuanren: "Looking at a painting is like looking at a beauty, you can't look at the beauty of the appearance, you have to look at the wind and bone outside its appearance." And his confidant, Mr. Fu Lei, also believes that this is the key to understanding Mr. Huang Binhong's art. Looking at paintings is the same as looking at beauty, it is good at first sight, and it can be called a noh product when it is gradually tired; it can be called a noh product; at first sight, it can be a wonderful product; at first it is difficult, out of place, and over time, the longer it is, the more you love it is a divine product. I think that to see my grandfather's paintings, we must look at the original work, and the shock before the original work is completely incomparable to the printed material.
Qian Sheng: What is Mr. Huang Binhong in the eyes of his family?
Huang Gaoqin: My grandfather was particularly diligent. Every time we went to see him, he was either painting or reading. The little iron bed on which he slept was not against the wall, but was piled high with paintings he had drawn, so that he could pick them up at any time and look at them again, and then add two strokes. When he was very old, he still maintained such a habit, and had a "curriculum" - what to do every day (what content to draw, which word to understand in the golden stone), he had to strictly complete and record. Usually, when I have time, I will turn over old books, look at ancient paintings, and draw essence from them.
Qian Sheng: What impressed you the most about Mr. Huang Binhong?
Huang Gaoqin: I was most impressed by my grandfather's firm patriotism. During the Republic of China, my grandfather was keen on revolution, and before his arrest in 1907, he fled from his hometown to Shanghai overnight. Later, he participated in the activities of the Maritime Inscription Hall, the Bee Painting Society, the Chinese Painting Society, the South Society and many other societies, and slowly met a group of like-minded friends. Because he felt that all his efforts to carry out revolution had failed, it was better to use his own strengths to use art and culture to love the country and save the country. He assisted in editing the "Political Art Bulletin", "National Essence Journal", "National Essence Series" and other books, newspapers and magazines such as "Kaimin Zhi". In addition, the lifelong study of the golden stone that he has been obsessed with since he was young is even more difficult. Because the root of Jinshi research is the study of Chinese characters, and writing is the fire of Chinese culture. He did not care about fame and fortune, did not count gains and losses, but only to preserve the culture of the motherland. During this period, he did not care whether others understood or appreciated it, and worked silently alone. How lonely and not easy it has been along the way! In the end, he donated all his life's ancient seal collection and research to the state (Zhejiang Provincial Museum) without reservation. I think he loves his country deeply.
Qian Sheng: You mentioned that after Mr. Huang Binhong came to Shanghai, he participated in the Maritime Inscription Museum, the Bee Painting Society, and later the Chinese Painting Society, the Chinese Academy of Arts, and these organizations were also participated in by my grandfather Qian Skinny Iron. In 1928, they also took up a position with the Shanghai American Academy. From 1934 to 1937, they participated in various exhibitions, general meetings, and lecture activities of the Chinese Painting Society. In 1954, they were still in the same frame on the collective photo established by the East China Artists Association.
Huang Gaoqin: Yes, after reading those letters in your grandfather's collection, I was so touched, how good your grandfather's mentality was, and he still read quietly in prison and constantly enriched himself. The biggest common denominator of our grandfathers is patriotism, love for the people, and love for art.
Huang Binhong seal book couplet
Qian Sheng: How does Mr. Huang Binhong rank his poems, books, paintings and prints?
Huang Gaoqin: My grandfather was cultivated by his family since childhood, and he read "Shuowen" very early, and the study of character seal engraving has a very deep foundation, and while learning calligraphy and painting, he studied imitation printing. He has a rich collection of ancient seals and is the author of the Compilation of Golden Stone Calligraphy and Paintings. Because he believes that the study of Jinshi is to do the study of Chinese characters, and Chinese characters are the most fundamental of Chinese culture.
Qian Sheng: I heard that Mr. Huang Binhong's collection of gold and stone ancient seals has many legendary stories, can you share them with us?
Huang Gaoqin: My grandfather's love for the ancient seals of jinshi began when he was very young, and he collected the ancient seals as a research material rather than an investment, to study the socio-economic and political conditions of the dynasty to which he belonged, and to study the evolution of the text from the text of the seal. In the 20s, he did not have any financial strength, but out of his love for gold stones, he had a difficult collection of ancient seals, and was learned by a rich businessman to buy it with heavy money, but he was not moved. Unexpectedly, a few days later, the family next door caught fire, and in a mess, someone came to the door to snatch away this bag of ancient seals, which made my grandfather very sad. In the 1930s, he was also sad that a bag of about 200 ancient seals had been tricked away. In the summer of 1948, when returning to Shanghai from Beijing, my grandfather and son-in-law Zhao Zhijun flew on a plane, while other family members and luggage took a boat. Two of the most precious treasures he had given his son-in-law to carry: a bag of more than 900 ancient seals, not light in weight, divided into 2 small bags. The other bundle is the most precious ancient painting, in order to reduce the weight of the painting, the wooden shaft of the painting has been removed beforehand, and the plane has never left the body, and finally flew safely to Shanghai. Subsequently, this batch of ancient seals and paintings has been brought to Hangzhou by him. After the death of his grandfather, together with other Jinshi calligraphy and painting books and his written manuscripts, more than 10,000 pieces of collection and ten large bags were donated to the state, and then received and preserved by the Zhejiang Museum.
Yellow Binhong flowers
Qian Sheng: "From the age of 77 to 85, these seven or eight years were a period of real maturity in Huang Binhong's art, and his best works were between the ages of 85 and 90. Mei Mosheng commented on Mr. Huang Binhong's work. When do you think your grandfather's best work was?
Huang Gaoqin: Huang Binhong once mentioned in his painting theory: "The beauty of the landscape is in 'Thick Huazi', and the beauty of flowers and plants is in 'Gang Jian Wanna'. Pen and ink focus on the word 'change', and only 'change' can achieve 'Hun Hou Hua Zi' and 'Gang Jian Wanna'. Only by understanding this can we get rid of the mundane. "My grandfather has always sought innovation and change in art, but his changes and newness are not whimsical, but on the basis of studying the ancients. Therefore, it is true that as Mr. Mei Mosheng said, the best work of his grandfather Huang Binhong was in his later years, and in his later years, he still had a very vigorous creative passion, which is also the favor of heaven.
Qian Sheng: Li Keyan said: "In the three hundred years of Chinese landscape painting, Huang Binhong has been alone. Three hundred years later, Huang Binhong's status will be higher. "What is mr. Huang Binhong's most touching work?"
Huang Gaoqin: The works that my grandfather touched me are not so much his paintings as the inscriptions and poems on the paintings, many of which are quite special. In addition to writing some poems expressing feelings on the paintings, he also writes a lot of feelings about the landscape and the corresponding painting theories on the paintings. There is an inscription poem of my grandfather painting Jialing landscape that particularly touched me: "The upper reaches of the Jialing Landscape and Water River, the traces of a day are collected by Wu. The smoke and mountains floated freely, drawing pictures to hold the thousand forest autumn. Autumn cold and serene window into, Tang people have no authentic handwriting. Where do I get my powder? Rain poured on the wall head month to move the wall. The poem is to the effect that after he visited the landscape of the Jialing River, like the Tang Dynasty painter Wu Daozi, he painted the Landscape of Jialing within a day. He used pictures to leave the autumn colors of the thousands of forests on the Jialing River and the floating scenery of the smoke on the paper, so that they would not disappear with the passage of time. "Rain pouring on the wall and moving the wall" is a kind of creation method that advocates natural nature and clever hands in ancient times, showing the natural interest pursued by Chinese painting, and is connected with the "house leak marks" and "wall road" in calligraphy. When painting, be mindful of what is in the painting. When painting landscapes, there must be affection in them.
Huang Binhong Landscape
Qian Sheng: Mr. Huang Binhong's high life expectancy of more than ninety years is very rare among the artists of the same era, Ling Ci lingyan and your husband are also high-lived, you yourself are 93 years old this year, it seems that your family's longevity genes are super strong, in addition, can you share with us the secret of longevity?
Huang Gaoqin: First of all, I think my grandfather has always been very calm and indifferent to everything. Although the outside world has given him a lot of blows, and his life has been bumpy, he has not paid much attention to his heart, does not value fame and fortune, does not value the evaluation of him by others or society, and only concentrates on studying the golden stone and painting his own paintings. The family was also relatively unremarkable, and my father and neither of us preached much about having such a famous grandfather. Secondly, what he personally practices is to be tolerant and not to care, and "fraternity" should be good to people. Grandfather used to be very moralistic to his friends. My parents were also very thrifty, because it was not easy to raise four children in turbulent times, but they were very generous and friendly to their friends, and when we were young, our family was a base for friends to meet. In the most difficult period, our home on Shanyin Road also received many relatives from our hometown, and many children who came to study were admitted to Fudan University.
Qian Sheng: Pan Tianshou said: "People only know that Huang Binhong's landscape is wonderful, in fact, his flowers are even better, and the magic lies in his own self-reliance." "Do you prefer your grandfather's landscape paintings or flowers and birds?" Why?
Huang Gaoqin: I prefer my grandfather's landscape paintings. I see that he paints more landscapes and fewer flowers. I think the few big landscapes in his later years are really good! Although it is a night mountain, the picture is not a black blob, but a watery sky light, a clear piece, fully showing his "black, dense, thick, heavy" painting style, watching the original work brought me a huge shock. In the Gushan Museum of Zhejiang Provincial Museum, there is the Huang Binhong Museum, which I often go to see, and the security guards inside know me. I remember my grandfather said before: "Sketching landscapes is to write your own mood, and sketching does not have to be completely the same as the actual scenery." Let's say there's a tree here, but you don't have to paint it, you can choose it according to your mood. "I like to paint landscapes because I can write my mood more casually, and I have less sketching. Sometimes, I add a leaf boat to the landscape and change the taste and mood of the whole painting. I'm still learning and groping. Painting has become a part of my life. Some people are worried that I will be lonely in my life alone, but in fact, I am not lonely, but I feel that I don't have enough time. As soon as I start painting, the more I draw, the more energetic I am.
Paintings by Huang Gaoqin
Qian Sheng: I heard that some people think you are good at painting and want to give stamps to your works. Can you tell us about it?
Huang Gaoqin: I didn't take painting as a task, nor did I paint for the purpose of holding exhibitions or publishing albums, painting was just my pleasant hobby. So, I always take a break from painting and look at what I'm learning. I felt that my level was limited, so I declined their kindness.
Qian Sheng: What do your children think of your painting?
Huang Gaoqin: My children are very supportive of my painting. For example, I prepared a whole knife of rice paper for me, a bookshelf dedicated to rice paper, and bought me a new type of large writing desk that can be raised and lowered to do a painting case, so that I can stand and draw, sit and write.
Qian Sheng: What efforts have you made to inherit and promote Mr. Huang Binhong's art and style?
Huang Gaoqin: I don't think I've done anything myself, just provided someone else with some information I knew about my grandfather. My grandfather often practiced in his own creation by studying the ancients' golden stones, paintings and paintings; now I want to study my grandfather's paintings and painting theories, repeatedly experience and practice in my own paintings, constantly improve, and hope to make progress.
The author of this article refers to the research data of Huang Binhong
Interview Notes
Text/Qian Sheng
I was able to take advantage of this interview to visit Ms. Huang Gaoqin's home on the secluded Shanyin Road. It was a three-story new-style lane where Mr. Huang had lived for 70 years. When Mr. Huang Binhong came to Shanghai, he always came here to sit and talk. As soon as I stepped into Teacher Huang's door, I was attracted by the elegant arrangement, the Chinese furniture in the living room and the Muxia goddess of the four seasons on the wall were fused and modern, not obtrusive at all, showing the owner's extraordinary taste. On the eve of the Pacific War, Teacher Huang fled back to Shanghai with his mother and younger siblings, went to Hong Kong after the victory of the War of Resistance, and returned to Shanghai after graduating from high school. She is gentle and amiable, telling the story of her association with her grandfather and her rich and wonderful life experience.
Group photo of Huang Gaoqin (right) and Qian Sheng (left).
Her father, Wong Yong Ming, served the Commercial Press for 60 consecutive years from 1924 to 1984, from being a top typestreaker to being sent to Hong Kong to manage the printing plant. It can be said that from Mr. Huang Binhong to Mr. Huang Yongming, we have witnessed the growth footprint of the Commercial Press and the development of the entire Chinese publishing industry. On the centennial celebration of the Commercial Press, Mr. Huang Yongming was also invited to participate in the grand celebration.
Ms. Huang Gaoqin herself was one of the first management talents in China's insurance industry, and was awarded a work certificate by the Municipal Finance Bureau that year. The daughter and son have successful careers, although they are about seventy years old, but because of the irreplaceability of work, they still shine for the unit. The family was once restricted and suppressed in special years because of the composition of their birth, but they were eventually overcome.
Ms. Huang's living room has a very eye-catching "White Binhong" style landscape, I roughly think it is the masterpiece of Mr. Huang Binhong, and then look closely at Ms. Huang's signature. Although she repeatedly modestly stated that her level was limited, she could see her pen and ink cultivation. "The wind of a humble gentleman" is most appropriate to describe her demeanor.