It's just that leaving blank space is a wonderful place

Using a fountain pen to wander in the world of black and white and color, the persistence and persistence of pen painting comes completely from the heart, from the belief that ordinary people in the depths of the soul cannot see. This is Han Xiuqiang and his pen drawings.

Han Xiuqiang, a well-known painter of Chinese fountain pen painting, a standing director of the China Pen Painting Alliance, and the chairman of the Xingtai Pen Painters Association. On August 10, 2019, his "Taihang Warm Snow Series" fine pen paintings were exhibited in Blagoveshchensk, Russia, and received great attention and praise from the local area. In the same year, the "Taihang Warm Snow Series" won the 2019 "Xingtai City Literary and Art Excellence Creation Award".

Han Xiuqiang sketched in an ancient village

Han Xiuqiang's pen paintings are different from the traditional black and white decorative paintings, his painting style is unique, deep and ethereal in the artistic conception, calm and beautiful, can make people calm down in an instant. In terms of painting techniques, Han Xiuqiang boldly combines the characteristics of Chinese painting and Western oil painting in pen painting, and the picture is full of similarities and differences.

I have known Han Xiuqiang for nearly ten years, and watched him grow richer all the way, but I know more than others the sweat and efforts he put in behind the success. Han Xiuqiang is a serious and persistent, diligent and down-to-earth person, many people have been surprised that he is tall and burly, he can paint such vivid and delicate works, but as long as he comes into contact with Han Xiuqiang, he will always be moved by his simple temperament.

Try pen drawing for the first time

Han Xiuqiang's love of calligraphy and painting made han Xiuqiang the organizer of the class board newspaper in middle school, and it was also in this year that the school's teacher took him to Hejiaping with several classmates who loved painting to sketch. In the eyes of fifteen or sixteen-year-old Han Xiuqiang, the stone houses in the ancient villages are like huge and charming ancient castles, and the teacher has outlined its form and charm in a few strokes. Under the guidance of the teacher, Han Xiuqiang drew a pen sketch for the first time, and the stone mill and simple shack on the edge of the village were the best sketching elements, which fascinated Han Xiuqiang deeply. To this day, the western mountains of Xingtai are still Han Xiuqiang's favorite places for sketching, and when he sees old objects such as ploughs for cultivating land and bellows for cooking that are disappearing or have disappeared, Han Xiuqiang will paint them down, wanting young people to know these tools that have benefited the people.

People have souls, and works must also have souls. Han Xiuqiang said: "In this noisy world, I prefer to quietly pick up a pen and get along with myself, enjoy the passion of the pen on the paper, and pursue my artistic dreams." With the growth of age and the love of painting, Han Xiuqiang secretly firmed up his ideals, and he visited famous teachers everywhere to try to improve his painting skills.

Later, he studied painting with Professor Sun Tingzhuo of the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, and was admitted to hebei normal university of science and technology that year. During the SARS epidemic in 2003, Han Xiuqiang, who had painted oil painting for many years, tried pen painting for the first time, and he had a new inspiration between black and white, and he found that this was a form of painting with a unique aesthetic, with strong contrasts between black and white, strong lines and smooth lines, so he was out of control. In 2006, Han Xiuqiang was invited to participate in the "First National Pen Painting Invitation Exhibition" and achieved good results, this exhibition has a milestone significance for Chinese pen painting, with the formal establishment of the "China Pen Painting Alliance", Han Xiuqiang as the first batch of members, got to know many domestic pen painting enthusiasts, played a great role in promoting his future creation and development.

Han Xiuqiang, who graduated from the Normal College, aspires to become an art teacher, preach and teach, and lead more art talents to embark on the road of art. In 2008, he finally realized his dream and founded the Art Department of Xingtai No. 8 Middle School, which has trained a number of outstanding art talents. Among the students, some of them ranked in the top ten in the country and were admitted to the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, and another student was admitted to Zhejiang Sci-Tech University with the first place in the national comprehensive ranking.

Inspiration from the snow scene in Taihang

In the winter of 2009, Han Xiuqiang took a train to Hunan to participate in the "China's First Pen Painting Art Festival", snow drifted on the way back, outside the car window, a thousand mountains of twilight snow, silver makeup wrapped, Han Xiuqiang was shocked by the snow in front of him, he looked out of the window in a daze and fell into meditation. When he got out of the car, a huge billboard came into view - "the national is the world", a few big characters seemed to wake up Han Xiuqiang, who was struggling to make a breakthrough, he hurried home to put down his luggage, there seemed to be countless inspirations in his chest that wanted to gush out, and it was as if there was a huge force leading him!

Han Xiuqiang did not care about resting, and the next day he came to Yangzhuang Village in Xingtai County, which was the village where he had sketched when he was in middle school. He found that only in his hometown, in the place he was most familiar with, could he make the brush in his hand more exciting. On this day, Han Xiuqiang became more and more clear about the direction of his painting.

The background of childhood life cannot be changed, and the scene of the countryside has been deeply engraved in Han Xiuqiang's bones and has become the most important source of creation in his works. From composition to finalization, after repeated revisions, Han Xiuqiang's first pen painting "Taihang Snow Scene" was painted for 45 days. He uses delicate brushstrokes to outline his love for Taihang Mountain on paper, showing the vastness and exuberance of Taihang, the simplicity and nostalgia of his hometown in black and white.

"Our Taihang Mountains are beautiful, but I prefer to use black and white to create a fascinating artistic realm." Since then, in addition to work, Han Xiuqiang has spent a lot of his spare time collecting style and creating. In the circle, Han Xiuqiang is known for his diligence and intentions, and he always believes that mountains and rivers give people inspiration, and life is the source of creation. He used all his vacations to travel more than 40,000 kilometers, traveled through Xindu District, Neiqiu, Shahe, Lincheng and other counties (cities, districts), nearly 300 natural villages, accumulated tens of thousands of materials, and created a series of pen paintings that reflected the taihang culture.

Every moment in life can inspire Han Xiuqiang. He can often feel an inner strength and spirit, he hopes that his Taihang snow scene will make the viewer realize a spirit, and he hopes to use his own brushstrokes to show a stubborn strength and upward attitude towards life, tenacious and persistent, and refuse to accept defeat.

On December 28, 2013, Han Xiuqiang held his first solo exhibition - "Taihang Snow And Looking for Rural Scenery", which caused strong repercussions in our city. In 2016, Han Xiuqiang's solo exhibition was unveiled at the Hebei Provincial Library, which once again attracted high praise from the art circles in the province.

Han Xiuqiang's painting style has become more pure and concise, and in the continuous exploration and practice, he has gradually formed his own style, and his paintings have matured day by day.

Pen drawings appear in Russia

Han Xiuqiang, who has painted oil paintings for more than ten years, has always had a special Russian complex. Almost all those who have been educated in fine arts have unforgettable memories of famous painters such as Repin and Surikov. It can be said that Russian painting and teaching have accompanied many art lovers on an artistic journey full of beautiful ideals.

In 2019, at the invitation of the Russian Amur Oblast Artists Association, Han Xiuqiang carried his carefully created works in recent years to Russia to hold the "Taihang Warm Snow Series" fine pen painting exhibition. This is not only to realize the dream, but also to enhance the friendship between the Chinese and Russian peoples and to prosper the cultural exchanges between China and Russia.

Before going to Europe, Han Xiuqiang previewed dozens of works exhibited at the Guo Shoujing Memorial Hall in Xingtai City.

"This preview exhibition is not only a report exhibition to Xingtai's fathers and fellow villagers, but also a call for the emergence of more good calligraphy and painting works." Han Xiuqiang mentioned the preview with great emotion: "This exhibition not only attracted calligraphy and painting lovers in the city and foreign tourists visiting the Guo Shoujing Memorial Hall, but also attracted many citizens who were concerned about the protection of the ancient village of Xingtai. An old lady came to see the report and said that she couldn't believe that such a beautiful work was from the hands of our Xingtai people, and we should publicize the history and beauty of our Xingtai!"

After the exhibition, the Municipal People's Congress launched the research and study of the legislative project of local regulations for the protection of ancient villages.

In order to hold this exhibition to Russia, Han Xiuqiang and his team have carried out meticulous planning and careful arrangements for more than half a year. On August 10, 2019, when Han Xiuqiang brought his own works to the city of Blagoveshchensk, the hospitable Russian people welcomed the Chinese painters who came from afar with the most solemn ceremony in the local area.

"The opening ceremony, which was scheduled to take place at 10 a.m., was not nearly 9:30 a.m. in front of the Amur State Library." According to local media, this is the highest level of reception of painting exhibitions in recent years.

Vajim Kanidraevich, academician of the Corresponding Academy of the Russian Academy of Arts, vice president of the Far East Branch of the Academy of Arts, and chairman of the Amur Oblast Artists Association, praised Han Xiuqiang's Taihang snow scene, and he delivered a warm speech at the opening ceremony, not only marveling at the superb skills and superb art of Chinese painters, but also falling for the beautiful scenery of the Taihang Mountains.

In just a few days of the exhibition, many well-known Russian artists came to visit the exhibition, and nearly 10,000 people witnessed these masterpieces of Chinese painting origin, Western realism, and Taihang snow scenery. The exhibition hall of the event is crowded with Russian people who come to feast their eyes every day, and the 30 works of different styles and exquisite pictures of Taihang Snow Scene not only attracted many local audiences, even Chinese tourists who traveled to Russia also came to appreciate, and many Chinese students came to visit, this smooth line, full of nostalgia, Taihang snow scene, evoking the homesickness of all Chinese students.

During the exhibition, Han Xiuqiang not only accepted an exclusive interview with several local mainstream media, but also invited a guest at the studio of Afanassiev Vladislav Petrovich, a russian meritorious artist and academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, to discuss and exchange views with relevant Russian people, which made the exhibition more eye-catching and aroused strong repercussions.

Russia's Pravda newspaper reported on the exhibition, praising Han Xiuqiang's visual miracle created with elegant snow symbols. All the events and interviews during the exhibition were featured in the local media and in prime-time programs, "Taihang Warm Snow" set off a climax in Russia again and again. A senior media person accompanying him was very emotional: "As a post-80s generation, Han Xiuqiang went out of the country with his paintings, not only telling Chinese stories to international friends, showing the image of Xingtai, to a certain extent, also strengthening cultural exchanges between the two sides and jointly prospering the cultural undertakings of China and Russia, which is inseparable from his tireless pursuit for many years, and even more inseparable from his hard work!"

On the day when the exhibition ended, Han Xiuqiang refused everyone's help and insisted on carefully putting away each painting alone. As he silently crossed Lenin Square, his heart suddenly became very calm, and he told himself that this was only the beginning, and it would be a new beginning.

Russian painter Paint Tai Xing

Han Xiuqiang's Russian painting exhibition is undoubtedly a success, he not only left a deep and beautiful impression on local artists with his works, but also made the charm of his hometown take root in the hearts of Russian painters. On October 24, 2019, the Russian American Association sent representatives to form a return visiting group, and successively went to the Taihang Mountains in the west of our city, Luluo, Pulp Water, Tianhe Mountain, Yunmeng Mountain and other places to sketch. In The Ancient Village, Russian painters marveled at the beauty of the ancient villages while painting beautiful works with enthusiastic oil paint.

On October 29th, the Sino-Russian Cultural Exchange and Invitation Exhibition of Chinese and Russian Artists of "Art And Good Neighborliness" was held in Xingtai City Library. More than 100 works of Han Xiuqiang's Taihang Warm Snow series of pen paintings and oil paintings, Chinese paintings and pen paintings by Russian artists Popov, Vajim and Singvgeni were exhibited in a concentrated manner, providing a visual artistic feast for the masses of our city.

True artists must be able to withstand loneliness. In the spring of 2020, due to the epidemic situation, Han Xiuqiang stayed at home every day and immersed himself in creation at home. In order to attract more art lovers to understand pen painting, on March 5, Han Xiuqiang opened Douyin and began to teach online, he taught pen drawing in the live broadcast room from 5 to 8 o'clock every morning, gaining thousands of fans and nearly 10,000 people watching at the most.

The gas machine of a painting needs to be guarded and put. Every time I see Han Xiuqiang's "Taihang Snow Scene" series of works, I always think of the famous painter Mr. Feng Zikai. He once wrote in "Seeking Deficiencies in Life and Not Seeking Satisfaction": "True cultivation is not to blindly pursue perfection, but to learn to leave blanks." "Blank space is an important artistic expression in the creation of Chinese painting, and the blank space is not a vacuum, but a place where the aura flows and the life flows.

In Han Xiuqiang's painting creation, the blank space in the composition is a major feature of Han Xiuqiang's pen painting, so that everywhere there is no painting becomes a wonderful situation, resulting in the dynamic and situation in the work.

Han Xiuqiang's pen paintings seem to have their own filter function, he filtered out the interference of flowers and greenery for us, natural and beautiful, endless life, so that the viewer and him with the purest gaze, more focused on life and art itself.

In fact, life itself is an art, and it also needs to be left blank. Life is the same, leave blank, you can go further. (Author: Bi Luo)

Han Xiuqiang's resume

1980.6.13. Born in Longyao County, Xingtai City, Hebei Province

Graduated from the Fine Arts Department of Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology

Graduated from the CAFA Super Realism Seminar

incumbent:

Vice Principal of Xingtai No. 8 Middle School Fine Arts High School

Member of the CPPCC Xingtai Municipal Committee (Invited)

Cppcc member of Xiangdu District, Xingtai City

Visiting Professor, Department of Art, Baoding Vocational and Technical College

Standing Director of China Pen Painting Alliance

Chairman of xingtai pen painters association

Art consultant of Hainan Pen Painters Association

Exhibits:

2003 "National Art Exhibition commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Speech" (sponsored by China Artists Association)

2006 "The First National Pen Painting Invitation Exhibition" (Changsha)

2007 "The Second National Pen Painting Invitation Exhibition" (Xi'an)

2008 "The 3rd National Pen Painting Invitation Exhibition" (Tianjin)

2009 "The 4th National Pen Painting Invitation Exhibition" (Nanjing)

2010 "The Fifth National Pen Painting Invitation Exhibition" (Wenzhou)

2010 "Han Xiuqiang and His Students" Painting Exhibition (Xingtai Literary Association)

2011 "The First National Pen Painting Art Festival" (Chenxi)

2012 "Sino-Korean Calligraphy and Painting Masters Exchange Exhibition" (Seoul, South Korea)

In 2012, he initiated the establishment of the Xingtai Pen Painters Association

In 2013, "Taihang Snow And Looking for Countryside" Han Xiuqiang's pen painting solo exhibition

In 2013, he was awarded the Advanced Individual in Literary and Art Creation (Xingtai Literary Association)

In 2014, he curated the exhibition of "The First Pen Painting Art Group Exhibition in Xingtai City"

2015 "Sponge City International Art Invitational Exhibition" (Częstochowa, Poland)

2015 "Memories of Taihang Warm Snow" Solo Sketch Exhibition (Melbourne, Australia)

2016 "Return to the Origin - Han Xiuqiang Pen Painting Solo Exhibition" (Hebei Provincial Library)

2017 "Top Ten Internet Talents" (Cyberspace Administration of Hebei Province)

In 2018, the "China Warm Snow in Taihang" tour exhibition in Europe was launched

In 2019, at the invitation of the Russian Amur Oblast Artists Association, he held the "Chinese Warm Snow in Taihang - Han Xiuqiang Pen Painting Solo Exhibition" (Amur Oblast, Russia)

2019 "Invitation Exhibition of Chinese and Russian Artists" Curatorial Exhibition (Propaganda Department of the Municipal Party Committee)

2020 "The Story of Zhangjia Courtyard" solo exhibition

2021 "Party History in Comic Strips" Han Xiuqiang solo exhibition touring exhibition

Collection:

Dongying Municipal Library

Xingtai Municipal Library

Art Research Center of Amur Oblast, Russia

Hebei Provincial Library

Department of Infrastructure, Melbourne, Australia

Polish Sponge City Construction Office

Hebei Pictorial

publication:

2003 "Qinhuangdao Institute of Education Teachers and Students Portfolio" works are included

In 2004, he was included in the "Chinese Contemporary Art Archive"

In 2006, the works of the first national pen painting excellent work collection were included

2009 China Cultural Heritage News special report

2010 "Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Masters 365" special report

2011 "China's Fifth Excellent Collection of Pen Paintings" works are included

Character illustrations in the 2011 Xingtai Historical and Cultural Dictionary

The first volume of the 2012 Chinese Pen Painting Yearbook is included

2013 "Han Xiuqiang Pen Painting Art" painting monograph

Illustration of the 2014 poetry collection "Dripping Stone Wear"

Illustration of the 2015 novel "The Story of Montenegro"

2016 "Return to origin - Han Xiuqiang's pen painting collection" painting monograph

Illustration of the 2017 novel "The Years Are Lost"

Illustration of 2018 "Big Han Giant Deer"

Illustration of "Miscellaneous Talk about the World" Miscellaneous

Illustration of the novel "The Story of ZhangJia Courtyard"

Illustration of the novel "Sister-in-law"

2019 "Aconitum Prime Minister Wei Yijie" comic strip

"Xingtai Taihang Ancient Village" painting edited

Illustration of 2020 Xingtai Ancient Village

2021 "Taihang Warm Snow Mark" painting monograph

"Zhangjia Courtyard" comic strip

Media Coverage:

Hebei Satellite TV "Look at this Dynasty" 2016.7

People's Daily "China's Warm Snow in Taihang" 2019

Special Interview "Small Town Story - Preserving the Face of History"

"The Sound of the Pen Tip and the Snow Field"

"Hearsay", "Take a Break. More than ten special interviews such as "Waiting for War" and "Han Xiuqiang's Taihang Warm Snow Love" were interviewed

Many of his works have been published in publications such as "Art Vision", "Painter", "Hebei Pictorial", "Fine Arts Newspaper" and many albums have been published.