Yang Jiansheng is the vice chairman of the Henan Literary and Art Critics Association, a member of the China Artists Association, a director of the Henan Artists Association, the director of the Henan Provincial Artists Association's Brush Painting Art Committee, the vice president of the Henan Provincial Chinese Painting Society, a member of the Henan Provincial Committee of The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Calligraphy and Painting Institute, the vice president of the Henan Branch of the Central Academy of Fine Arts of the China Democratic League, and the master tutor of the Academy of Fine Arts of Henan University. Chinese painting works were selected for the "Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Twelfth and Thirteenth National Fine Arts Exhibitions". He has won the bronze medal of the National Art Exhibition twice, the Excellence Award four times, and the first prize of the "Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth and Thirteenth Fine Arts Exhibitions of Henan Province". His works have been collected by the National Art Museum of China, the National Museum of China, the Lao National Museum, etc., and six personal albums have been published, and the magazine "Fine Arts" has been selected as two covers.
Poetic choice: from music to painting
Yang Jiansheng's ability to achieve such achievements in painting is closely related to his early experience.
Yang Jiansheng was born in 1965 in the Grand Canyon of Taihang Mountain in Linzhou City, Henan Province, in a remote mountain village at the junction of three provinces. When he was in elementary school, the teacher found that some of the imaginary drawings drawn by Yang Jiansheng on the back of the homework book were vivid and interesting, so he asked Yang Jiansheng to be responsible for the design and copying of the school's blackboard newspaper. Since then, Yang Jiansheng has become more and more obsessed with painting, and when he was in elementary school, he began to try to draw sketches and sketches, and used his spare time to paint portraits of classmates, grandparents and neighbors, which laid a solid foundation for his subsequent comic strip creation.
Not only that, but in elementary school, he also loved music, learned erhu and banhu, joined the village propaganda team in the fourth and fifth grades, and served as a banhu player. Yang Jiansheng, a repertoire of Yu opera Chaoyanggou and other plays, can be skillfully played, and often accompanies the propaganda team to tour other places.
In junior high school, an accident caused Yang Jiansheng to fracture his leg and needed to stay in bed for three months, and it was these three months that made Yang Jiansheng's life path begin to abandon music and turn to painting. As the saying goes, "a hundred days of broken bones", the injured Yang Jiansheng had to rest quietly, during which Time Yang Jiansheng got several teen books and comic books from his aunt, of which the comic strips "Wise Tiger Mountain" and "Red Girl Scout Army" left a deep impression on him. Yang Jiansheng said: "After seeing more, I gradually became inspired, and I began to express the words I saw with my imagination with a paintbrush. At this moment, Yang Jiansheng secretly vowed to publish a comic strip of his own creation in the future. Yang Jiansheng will paint according to the content of ancient poems in his spare time, and will expand his imagination to form comic strips when reading novels. He used the pocket money used to buy the villain book comic strip, and slowly accumulated two large cardboard box comic books. These comic books became his treasures and brought Yang Jiansheng enough nutrition to learn.
Peng Tiangui, an art cadre at the county cultural center, and Sang Guozhen, an art cadre at the Anyang Mass Art Museum, can be said to be Yang Jiansheng's enlightenment teachers, who encouraged Yang Jiansheng to fully display himself and guided his works many times. In his sophomore year of high school, Yang Jiansheng adapted his composition into a comic strip "My Little Neighbor" and submitted it to the editorial department of The Sunflower Magazine of Henan Children's Publishing House, which was actually adopted and published by the editor. The publication of his debut work gave him great encouragement and gave him a strong spiritual impetus. Coincidentally, at the same time that Yang Jiansheng's comic strip "My Little Neighbor" was published, the propaganda poster works he created in high school also stood out in the provincial exhibition sea selection, at this time, Yang Jiansheng learned that he was admitted to the university as he wished, which was really a three-joy! The good academic atmosphere in the university allowed his talent in painting to be unleashed, and since then, Yang Jiansheng has developed his love into a lifelong profession.
Yang Jiansheng's college entrance examination registration process was not smooth. When applying, Yang Jiansheng regrettably missed the application time of the Comic Strip Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and under the advice and encouragement of the teachers of the Anyang Mass Art Museum, he applied for the art major of the art department of Henan University (then Henan Normal University), the only undergraduate art major in Henan Province at that time. After entering school, in addition to seriously studying professional knowledge, he will also use his spare time such as weekends and holidays to illustrate newspapers and magazines, draw sketches at vegetable markets and railway stations on holidays, and use his spare time to serve as the editor of "Primary School Students' Learning Newspaper". Because of his love of fantasy and solid art skills, Yang Jiansheng received many invitations from publishing houses during his college years, published a number of novel illustrations, and won the Excellent Novel Illustration Award of Henan People's Publishing House. During his college years, Yang Jiansheng painted thousands of illustrations for newspapers and magazines in Henan Province, and he not only did not complain, but also enjoyed it and enjoyed the creative process, which Yang Jiansheng felt was the exercise and improvement of his own ability.
When graduating from college, Henan Children's Publishing House and Education Times Newspaper came to Henan University to name Yang Jiansheng, and in the face of many job choices, Yang Jiansheng, who could bear hardships, be practical enough, love professionalism, concentrate on learning, and wanted to become an excellent painter, chose to stay in the school to teach. He believes that the academic atmosphere in the university is more suitable for him, teaching and learning, creating at the same time, and has a lot of time to improve his major.
Preaching and teaching: It is necessary to use poetic pictures to reflect the life of the times
In the face of students, Yang Jiansheng adheres to the creative point of view of "pen and ink should be contemporary", and he teaches students that painting art must have the spirit of the times and innovate on the basis of tradition.
Yang Jiansheng said: "Some painters are always immersed in the time they remember most deeply, and the appearance of their works is easy to stale, and others are prone to aesthetic fatigue. "Throughout the history of world art, all of them are closely related to the author's era, society and the author's quality, sensitivity and expressiveness. Yang Jiansheng believes that painters must first pay attention to the changes that have taken place in the country over the years, pay attention to life, pay attention to the times, pay attention to everything around them, and have the ability to keenly observe life and capture beautiful moments, so as to create works with a sense of the times and temperature.
Magnolia 169.6cmX196.8cm on paper, 2001
"I have been selected for the exhibition several times in a row, except for the technical aspects, my self comes down to being able to adjust my mentality in time, follow the times, express the current life, and show the face of the times." Taking works such as "Magnolia" and "Outside the Examination Hall" as examples, in the creation of these works, Yang Jiansheng pays attention to the description of the contemporary youth spirit, and at the same time adds modern elements, exudes the breath of life and modern atmosphere, and uses poetic language to reveal life. "The calmness and eternity in nature, the harmony between man and nature, is what I pursue in my paintings." Integrating the characters with the natural environment, using the well-designed surrounding environment to set off the spiritual emotions of the characters, and strengthening the formal beauty in the picture structure have become a major feature of Yang Jiansheng's character paintings.
Outside the exam room 192cmX200cm on paper, 2019
Someone once asked Yang Jiansheng: "During the epidemic, works often expose problems such as similar subject matter and lack of imagination caused by relying on photos, how do you think we can create unique works?" In this regard, Yang Jiansheng gave his own answer. He admitted that many times, painters cannot go deep into the front line to obtain materials, but obtain materials through TV programs or networks, which is the case with the fight against the epidemic, as well as the previous flood prevention and rescue, earthquake relief and disaster relief. Due to the similar channels and the same title, similar appearances often appear, but Yang Jiansheng believes that this is the time to test the level of painters. Painters can not make cars behind closed doors, imagination, art comes from life and higher than life, but not simply copied or restored, but after refining the re-creation, the painter needs to carry out secondary processing according to the laws of art, or generalization, or exaggeration, or transfer, add their own imagination and understanding, with their own unique artistic language and form of expression, so that the work is both artistic and ideological, thus bringing readers a unique spiritual experience.
Tao Li does not speak, and the next is a mystery. In teaching, Yang Jiansheng has always been tireless and followed good examples, and he is both a good teacher and a good friend, and has won a piece of praise. Nowadays, Yang Jiansheng's students are scattered all over the world, and they are all contributing their own strength to art. Yang Jiansheng not only made a vivid footnote to the true artistic spirit, but also inserted a pair of modern wings into the future of traditional Chinese gongbi painting.
Splash ink: based on tradition, keen on innovation
As far as the art ontology is concerned, Yang Jiansheng has a unique understanding of traditional Chinese gongbi painting. This is reflected in his valuable character of being both good at inheritance and courageous in innovation.
Chinese gongbi painting has a long history and has become popular as early as the Tang Dynasty. GongBihua uses the brushwork of "doing its best", and obtains the perfect fusion of appearance and form by "taking the shape of the god, standing in the line, and reaching the meaning with the shape". Therefore, the exquisite and exquisite Chinese Gongbi painting has achieved outstanding artistic achievements. Yang Jiansheng attaches great importance to the inheritance of tradition, he said: "My foothold is tradition. The foothold is in the tradition, that is, to firmly grasp the most fundamental things of Chinese Gongbi figure painting, and grasp the roots, the development of Gongbi character painting can be pure, authentic, tasteful, and can withstand the test of time. The rich accumulation left behind in the tradition is the spiritual wealth of our Chinese nation, and if we throw away the tradition, it is equivalent to throwing away the wealth. ”
In Yang Jiansheng's paintings, the color, background, composition, and original expression techniques of the character image all present a classic quality, revealing a large pattern and atmosphere, and is a rich whole. He pursues the simplicity of solemnity and magnificence, the brightness of deep and thick, the richness of simplicity and simplicity, and his works are often bright and powerful, strict and careful, with accurate character modeling, delicate description of the state of mind, and illusion of pure poetry. And these are the results of the painter's emphasis on intuitive perception. In the process of returning to intuition, he found the connection between life and art, expression and aesthetic emotion, found a real personalized experience, and advanced the intrinsic connection between the two. The long creative process is a psychological process of continuous exploration and creation, and Yang Jiansheng integrates a strong imprint of life and spiritual pursuit into the simple and quiet picture.
But Yang Jiansheng did not blindly follow the rules. According to the needs of the artistic conception of the work, he appropriately absorbs the techniques of other paintings and integrates them into the self-language system, which not only does not have a sense of far-fetchedness, but makes the works present a modern atmosphere. For example, he absorbs the rubbing rendering of freehand painting, the combination of brushwork and freehand, to create an illusory and empty artistic conception; absorbs the light and shadow of Western painting, the texture, and the contrast between cold and warm, resulting in a real three-dimensional spatial situation. The background of "Magnolia" is based on blue, which effectively sets off the flowers as white as jade in the foreground, and the light and shadow and texture of the trunks and stones are just right, which greatly enhances the overall sense of holiness of the picture. "Hope" absorbs the essence of the Tang and Song Dynasty Gong's brush strokes, and participates in the modern plane composition, showing the theme of youth innocence, liveliness, sunshine, full of vitality, and the youth is strong and the country is strong, they are the future of the country and the hope of the nation.
Yang Jiansheng uses his brush to construct a pure world. He placed the ideals in his heart in these figures. Yang Jiansheng's painting spirit is full of paper, fresh and compelling, and his rich artistic connotation has won high praise from all walks of life, and has blown a fresh wind for the artistic creation of Gongbi Painting.
Hope 180cmX200cm on paper, 2014
Fighting the epidemic with art: Under the epidemic, art has a lot to offer
On August 1, 2020, the opening ceremony of the "Unity of Purpose – Exhibition of Anti-epidemic Theme Art Works" jointly sponsored by the National Museum of China, the China Artists Association and the Chinese Calligraphers Association was held at the National Museum of China. Yang Jiansheng's "Victory in Battle" stood out from more than 70,000 works across the country and won the opportunity to be exhibited in the country's highest cultural and artistic hall.
Yang Jiansheng said that he was excited to learn that his work had been selected for that exhibition. "The exhibition is the most representative 96 pieces (sets) selected from more than 75,000 works in the country, and it is very difficult to be selected." Although he was unable to go to the exhibition site, Yang Jiansheng has been paying attention to the exhibition process and found the official release frequency and pictures for the first time. The anti-epidemic art exhibition allowed Yang Jiansheng to review the complete anti-epidemic process of the people of the whole country, reminding him of the bits and pieces of everyone's unity of purpose to fight the epidemic, and the days of home-based creation during the anti-epidemic period. Yang Jiansheng said: "The selection of this work is the judges' affirmation and encouragement for my artistic creation, which makes me more determined in my creative direction, and in the future, I will pay more attention to realistic themes and focus on social and people's livelihood." ”
Battle Must Win 160cmX145cm on Paper 2020
Talking about the performance content and creative process of "Battle Must Win", Yang Jiansheng recalled that during the epidemic period, medical teams were sent across the country to support Wuhan, and in the face of the raging virus, medical staff did not hesitate to retrograde upwards, those resolute faces, sleepy bodies, those parting scenes, and fighting scenes often moved Yang Jiansheng to tears and blood to boil. At the beginning of March, the epidemic was initially under control, and people had seen the dawn of victory. The scene before the medical staff went out was fixed in Yang Jiansheng's mind, so he painted this painting "Battle Must Be Won".
Yang Jiansheng wants to use this work to alleviate people's fear and pressure on the epidemic, while singing the praises of ordinary heroes on the frontline of the fight against the epidemic, and showing China's strength and Chinese spirit through painting. "This painting was originally painted in a 4-foot whole sheet, because of the specifications of the National Museum exhibition, when I painted the second draft, I adjusted it to a scale of 1.45m × 1.6m, and cut off the big characters of 'Wuhan Hospital' on the top of the picture, and the whole picture used gray and red contrasts, which highlighted the calmness and perseverance of the character image." From the beginning to the end of the pen, this painting Yang Jiansheng painted for more than ten days. The work was exhibited at the National Museum of China for two months, collected by the National Museum of China, entered the National Memory Bank, and was adopted on the cover of the 10th issue of fine arts magazine, the organ of the China Artists Association.
In fact, not only "Victory in battle", since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, Yang Jiansheng has also created a large number of paintings that reflect reality, such as "Community Epidemic Prevention Officer", "Chi Aid Wuhan", shorthand "Rescue", "Oath", "Infusion", "Healing" and so on. Some people say that "art is useless in the face of the plague", and Yang Jiansheng does not agree with such a statement. He believes that although art cannot stop the spread of the epidemic, it does not mean that art is meaningless in the face of disaster. On the contrary, human civilization uses the hand of art to record the moments under the plague, which helps us to understand reality and the cohesion of confidence. Through the brushstrokes of art, the artist expresses social phenomena, shows the brilliance of human nature, gives the public a kind of psychological comfort, and can be used as a witness of history to spread all the way down, so that future generations can "learn from history", which is one of the reasons why he insisted on creating during the epidemic.
Due to the special theme, timely creation and full of true feelings, Yang Jiansheng's works reflecting the epidemic have been published and disseminated in national-level online media such as the China Artists Association, the Central Committee of the China Democratic League, and the Li Kejian Painting Institute, as well as provincial and municipal network WeChat platforms, and have received considerable attention, with hundreds of thousands of views and great influence. During the epidemic period, Yang Jiansheng also participated in the donation activity of "Dedication to Love with Art Fighting the Epidemic" organized by the Henan Art Education Association, and the donation activity of Henan University to the wuhan epidemic area, actively donating money and paintings, and contributing a part of the strength of literary and art workers to the society.
Pen and ink are contemporary, and painting has its own spirit. Yang Jiansheng actively innovated the Gongbi painting method on the basis of criticizing the inheritance of the Gongbi tradition, and formed an outstanding aesthetic art style. At the same time, Yang Jiansheng's artistic spirit and sense of social responsibility have inspired successive generations of Xinxin students to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the era when art reflects reality and focuses on people's livelihood.
Regarding Yang Jiansheng's art, Ma Hongzeng, former deputy director of the Theory Committee of the China Artists Association and a well-known art critic, said: "In the queue of contemporary Gongbi figure painters, although Yang Jiansheng has just passed the age of "not confused", he has already emerged, and his aesthetic personality is distinct and his artistic style is outstanding. Based on the life of the mountain village and the campus life, he has built his own artistic world through diligent artistic exploration. The beauty of youth, the song of youth, natural innocence, simplicity and harmony, this is Yang Jiansheng's artistic characteristics, but also the true beauty and true feelings that many people in today's society desire. Jia Dejiang, art critic, editor-in-chief and vice president of Beijing Arts and Crafts Publishing House, said: "Jiansheng's paintings appropriately express the temperament and mentality of young girls with their own unique angles, their own understanding methods, and the use of skillful skills. He deliberately chooses the subject matter that suits his own strengths, so the language of his works is not unobstructed, rough and straightforward, but the pen is emotional, the scene is blended, and the meaning is profound..." Chen Shanshan, a charming Chinese journalist, commented: "From the level of aesthetics and culture, it is necessary to grasp and express the spiritual beauty, temperament beauty, and image beauty of the characters, and then make his works contain rich aesthetic charm, and elevate life to a special beauty of art." The exquisite and extreme Gongbi painting method and the observation of the characters, the unique composition, the work but not the board, the fine but not the mud, Yang Jiansheng's painting spirit is full of paper, fresh and compelling and his rich artistic connotation has won high praise from all walks of life, and has blown a fresh wind for the artistic creation of Gongbi painting. ”
Three years of guerrilla warfare in the South 110cmX165cm on paper, 2018
Frost leaf red in February flower 181cm X 191cm on paper, 2004
Battle of Guandu 155cmX240cm on paper 2020