Li Yan, born in September 1973 in Xingyang, Henan, graduated from the Department of Literature and Art of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1996. He is currently a member of the China Artists Association, the Shanghai Artists Association, the Ink Painting Art Studio of the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, the Secretary-General of the Jiangnan Painting and Wind Art Committee of the Shanghai Sino-Foreign Cultural and Art Exchange Association, a visiting professor and master tutor of Donghua University, and a member of the China Democratic League. In 2017, he won the 9th Shanghai Fine Arts Exhibition and the 5th Magnolia Award.
Unlike others, Li Yan is a painter who thinks less and thinks more, cautiously dealing with the world and painting solidly. Man's plainness cannot be said to be a mediocre, but his style is to draw things to prove that he is a wise man. His paintings have Song and Yuan plots, especially the northern landscape has a unique understanding, he has worked hard in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, but he is more diligent in going deep into the mountains, and the landscape of his hometown borders Taihang, a song style bone. I have read many of his series of landscape creations, the changes rise and fall outside the common sense, especially in the color and technique can participate in the Western painting techniques, diverse forms, pure meaning, he read the spirit of Song Ge landscape from nature, in the painting to find a high and strong weather, his northern landscape in the Hai school painting circle is both pure and chic. He is constantly looking for a new visual expression, starting from the shape of the landscape, using square folded lines, participating in the change of ink color, beyond the Song Ge writing method, there is a kind of natural wild interest. Although others are humble, they have an undeserved external tension in their hearts, the shape of the mountain and the open interest, and the exaggerated brush line and the ink-colored flood show a rugged and extraordinary style. (Xiao Haichun)
Looking at his paintings, you can't see a trace of chicken and dog fragments of the little family temperament. In recent years, there have been several schematic renovations in various paintings in the exploration period, but they are all well-fitted, dignified, and the overall grasp is in place. This may be the feeling of love in the circle! I look at paintings and value this very much. This is a kind of talent, more important than technology, technology can be practiced, this is difficult to practice. (Zhang Peicheng)
Li Yan's paintings have their own painting style and language, you see this line is thick, thin, far, near, sparse, dense, looking at this picture is beautiful, just like listening to a beautiful music, is a kind of enjoyment. But the music can only be heard and cannot be seen. Appreciating paintings is the same as listening to music, and feeling beautiful is good! (Liao Jiongmo)
Sun Guoting's "Book Genealogy" said: "A point is a rule of one word, and a word is the accuracy of the final chapter", and it should be a good way to interpret Li Yan's landscape from the source of calligraphy. In the "Back Mountain" series, we first see pen and ink, pen and ink on a piece of rice paper that is not dry. The semi-wet paper pen needs to be decisive and composed, in connection with Sun Guoting's book theory, after Li Yan's first stroke is completed, it sets the tone for his second stroke, and then there is the atmosphere of the whole picture, the formation of this atmosphere has little to do with the depiction, but it is closely related to the calligraphy pen. The calligraphy and painting presents the spirit of oriental aesthetics, starting from the Central Plains and occupying a place in Haipai painting, which is our expectation of artists. (Yang Jianyong)