In the 40s of the 20th century, Rong Bao Zhai of Beiping Liuli Factory, there was often a middle-aged man in his forties who came to wander here. Rong Bao Zhai undertakes the business of mounting paintings and selling paintings, which is a century-old store and an important base for painters in Beiping to sell paintings in the last century.
This middle-aged man, when he saw an old framed painting, copied it in the small book he carried with him. More often than not, he came to see how his paintings were selling. This person is Wang Xuetao.
Wang Xuetao (1903-1982), formerly known as Tingjun, the word Xiaofeng, the number Chiyuan, a native of Cheng'an, Hebei, has been fond of painting since childhood, a famous modern Chinese freehand flower and bird painter, successively taught by Chen Shizeng, Xiao Qianzhong, Tang Dingzhi, Wang Mengbai and other predecessors, especially by Wang Mengbai The greatest influence. In 1924, he took Baishi as his teacher and changed his name to Xuetao by order of his teacher. Later, he learned freehand flowers and birds from Wang Mengbai. In 1980, he was appointed president of the Beijing Fine Art Academy. He has successively served as a director of the Chinese Artists Association, vice chairman of the Beijing branch of the Artists Association, and president of the Beijing Flower and Bird Painting Association.
Wang Xuetao is good at depicting the colorful and lively life of the world of flowers and birds, especially the small life in nature, such as butterflies, praying mantises, grasshoppers, longhorns, frogs, dragonflies, wasps, etc., which are lifelike and lovely.
The traditional inherent colors are integrated into the color rules of Western painting to add rhythm to the picture. The flowers, birds, insects and fish in his pen are meticulously depicted, vivid and colorful, and full of interest. In the fifties and sixties of the twentieth century, his flower and bird paintings had reached an artistic peak, and no one else has surpassed it so far.
In the decades he has been associated with Qi Baishi, the old man has praised his paintings more than once, perhaps with beauty, but more often from the heart. For example, in 1931, the old man Baishi inscribed on the lotus pond painted by Xuetao: "Painting can only teach its method, and I have not heard of anyone who teaches it." Today, Xuetao looks like a white stone handiwork, when will it be awarded?"
In 1933, the title of his calligraphy and painting book said: Wu Xian's pen is as expected, and he envy Ru to become famous and not silky. The following year, it was inscribed again: Blue has been green. It can be seen that in the heart of the old man Baishi, the young Wang Xuetao is already in a high position. Wang Xuetao's paintings are rich in materials, the brushwork is calm and elegant, the colors are bright but harmonious, and he often draws on the patterns and methods of Western painting, but he has no habit of carving.
The content of a painting is good, but it always has to be interesting to move people's hearts.
In 1927, after graduating from the Beiping National Art School, Wang Xuetao stayed on to teach, teaching and learning from the previous masters. However, ten years later, after the July Seven Incident and the national disaster, Wang Xuetao originally planned to leave Beiping with the National Art School and go south, but he didn't want to coincide with his wife's illness, and the southbound traffic had been blocked, so he was unable to make the trip, so he had to stay in Beiping. In addition to teaching at the National Art School, Wang Xuetao also has some positions in other schools.
After the fall of Beiping, many schools were controlled by the enemy and puppeteers, and Wang Xuetao resigned from all teaching positions. The enemy puppet authorities once "invited" him to go out of the mountains to teach, and the Japanese came to his home three times to look for him, but Wang Xuetao closed the door and did not see him, so that his wife said that he had a "lung disease", and the Japanese had no choice but to give up.
Catch up all night painting to make ends meet
Without a teaching position, Wang Xuetao was almost cut off from his financial resources. In the past few years, his daughter and son were born one after another, and the family's livelihood could only rely on Wang Xuetao to sell paintings. "Sometimes I can't do it all night, it's all for my livelihood. Wang Xuetao's daughter-in-law said.
"He paints at home every night, from 10 o'clock until 4 a.m. the next day, and then rests when he finishes painting. During the day, I went to the glaze factory to see calligraphy and paintings, and I slept for a short time every day. Wang Xuetao's disciple Li Zanzhou said.
According to Li Zanzhou's recollections, the paintings at that time were very cheap, about two or three hundred yuan per square foot. Beginning in 1944, Wang Xuetao worked as an apprentice in his own home.
At that time, Mr. Xuetao had already become popular all over Beiping. He took in a lot of apprentices, and I was introduced by Mr. Luo Fukan to learn from him. His studio is at his house, and I stay at his house at night. Every day for him to cut paper, polish ink, adjust paint, Mr. painted, sometimes I help him send to Rong Bao Zhai to sell. Li Zanzhou said.
The masterpieces of the ancients on the walls are changed regularly
Although Wang Xuetao had to stay up all night painting for food and clothing, Wang Xuetao did not give up any opportunity to learn during this period. "He has been studying traditions all his life, absorbing culture very broadly, and learning deeply. Wen Ying said.
In the 40s and 50s of the 20th century, Wang Xuetao would borrow the original works of famous artists from Liulichang painting shops, painting shops, collectors and teachers and friends, as long as possible. In Wang Xuetao's studio, there is an empty wall opposite the painting case, and the wall is always hung with masterpieces of the ancients. At a certain time, it will be replaced.
When hanging a painting, most of the things Wang Xuetao painted are related to this painting. Among these hanging ancient paintings, there are works by Lin Liang, Chen Chun, Zhou Zhimian, Li Yin, Shi Tao and others.
"Copying is an important way for a painter to learn to paint, but the learning of a painter is not just copying. Some of him is adversary, some are back, some are imitated, and some are imitated. For the time being, he is not what you paint, he is what he paints. For example, he imitated Lin Liang's "Shrubs and Birds" in the Ming Dynasty and painted the "Hundred Birds", which is by no means a simple copy, but absorbs the painting methods of the ancients and draws his own characteristics.
His study is a creative one, a way to truly understand the spirit of the paintings of the ancients. Wen Ying said, "In Lin Wangqian's "Double Eagle Picture", the mountain in the original painting felt relatively full, so he changed it to a plant, and twisted the head of one of the eagles.
In short, he feels that the deficiencies will be changed, and in the process of reform, it is a kind of creation. The most important thing for a painter is creativity. ”