This new art genre had rapidly reached its maturity. However, after its further development in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the creation of literati paintings gradually revealed a certain trend toward formulism under the brushes of the four Wangs, namely Wang Shimin (1592-1680), Wang Jian (1598-1677), Wang Shigu (1632-1717), and Wang Yuanqi (1646-1715), all court painters of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), —— which had invited widespread criticisms. During the New Culture Movement (1915-1919) hosts of Chinese painters went to Japan and Europe to learn painting, and used the Western experiences in modeling and coloring for reference in an effort to reform China's traditional painting techniques. Traditionally, ancient Chinese figure painters often depicted somewhat stereotyped images of court ladies, hermits, or scholar officials. This situation did not change until the early 20th century when the Western realistic way of painting was introduced into China. The large-sized "Foolish Old Man Removing the Mountains" made by Xu Beihong (1895-1953) in 1940 with a Western composition stands out as a milestone in the creation of figure paintings in modern China. And the "Portrait of Refugees" by Jiang Zhaohe (1904-1986) following Xu's artistic style has been rated as another masterpiece describing real-life circumstances and reflecting the weal and woe of the people. After 1949, Fang Zengxian and others from Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (the predecessor of today's China Academy of Art) took people's life and the newly-established republic's industrial and agricultural production as material for their works, thus forming the so-called "Zhejiang school of figure painting" that had a widespread influence at that time. Equipped with good sketching techniques, contemporary Chinese figure painters are able to create themed works of huge size that are full of zeitgeist. Under their brushes, the figures are painted in more accurate proportions. Nevertheless, having long neglected the training of calligraphy and possessing very little knowledge of the national culture, a majority of them show poor skill in drawing pictures with ink and brush. In many cases, their works look more like oil paintings made on Xuan paper that has been traditionally used for Chinese painting and calligraphy.
Table of Contents
Figure Paintings Portrait of Master Hongyi Approaching the American Indians Lin Daiyu Buries Fallen Flowers The Legend of the White Snake Telling a Heroic Story Each Grain of Rice Costs Someone Else a Drop of Sweat Four Generations of a Family Portrait of a Bride of Taiwan's Paiwan Nationality Golden Autumn Share the Pleasure of Reading a Rare Piece of Writing and Discuss Its Subtleties Together Portrait of an Old Fisherman Drama Characters Female Nude Bodies A Little Tibetan Yak Rider Portrait of a Tibetan Girl Portrait of a Tibetan Woman in Splendid Attire Drunkenness Portrait of a Beijing Resident Picture of Flying a Kite Pastoral Song A Mongolian Herding Family Dream of Dunhuang: Hope Autumn Harvest Springtide Turpan in August Picture of Pine Forest and Mountain Springs Portrait of Tibetan People Defending the Yellow River The Pure Land Portrait of a City Girl Fallen Petals Autumn The Song of the Yellow River A Group Portrait of Local People in Mt Daliang The Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness Yang Zhi Selling His Treasured Sword in Bianliang City Three Models and a Finished Still-life Sketch Rosy Memories Watching a Fire from the Other Side of the River Scenes of Family Life Embroidering Girls Piety Gentle Breeze Warm Room (Ⅰ) Warm Room (Ⅱ) Cicadas Singing at High Noon Enjoying the Mountain Scenery Composite Head Portraits and Landscape Paintings
Landscape Paintings Mount Xiang (Elephant) in the Morning The Lijiang River A Sketch of Shengouwan Village in Taihang Mountain Village Houses in South China A Residential Area in Hainan Province Mountain Scenery Green Hills and Blue Waters Drinking Horses and Weeping Willows The Bird Islet Windless Beach An Old Man Squatting at the Foot of a Hill Landscape Spring Waters and Emerald Hills Boatmen's Song Stillness White Beans Sitting in Meditation Autumn Stream Mount Miaofeng ……
