Chinese Fine Art Registry™ Member, Dasheng Hu,
Carries on a Long Tradition of Chinese Landscape Painting
by
Lihua Zhao
China and landscape painting
China has an extensive tradition of landscape painting, with recorded and preserved works going back almost to the beginning of the first millennium A.D. The earliest landscape painting appeared from the Wei Dynasty and Jin Dynasty, (A.D. 220 – 420). This genre was as important in China as portrait painting, and stayed that way all the way through to the Sui and Tang dynasties, (A.D. 581 – A.D. 907) and to the present day.
Some of China's greatest landscape painters, Zhan Ziqian, Li Sixun and Wang Wei emerged during the Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty.
The traditional medium of Chinese landscape painting was ink and wash, although watercolor has also been much used. It can be said of Chinese landscape painting that it fully matured, and gradually formed a separate branch of painting.
In order to produce these masterpieces, the best and most famous landscape painters immersed themselves in nature, and gained a full appreciation of the splendor of China's scenery, rivers, trees, mountains and valleys. They found that they are subjects very worthy of being represented in painting. To complete the canvas, they then devoted themselves to creation.
In the 17th century, landscape painting in China began to flourish even more. Along with it appeared the seascape, the nocturne, the streetscape and other landscape categories.
In the19th century, Chinese artists turned more from the formal look which traditional landscape painting had kept up to that point, toward a more naturalistic representation of scenery, the mountains and sea, autumn scenery, morning mists and scenes that had not been depicted so much up to this time. Later in the 19th century, the landscape painters began to use chiaroscuro and delicate color harmonization which brought the landscape painting to its fully developed state.
In the 20th century, through constant innovation and improvement of methods and materials, the works became more real, more alive, more emotional and more meaningful. The market expanded.
The merging of Eastern and Western cultures is having a profound effect on Chinese art, including the traditional representation of the landscape. China's national aesthetic concepts have long determined the appearance of the country's landscape painting but, by incorporating Western artistic sensibilities, the work of the contemporary Chinese landscape painter will display even more vitality and brilliance in the years to come.
Dasheng Hu
Dasheng Hu, pen name Yang Zhi, one of the most recent Chinese artists to join the ranks of Fine Art Registry™, was born in 1945 in Gansu, China.
When he was growing up, Dasheng lived and worked in the Hexi Corridor and Longman Mountains in Gansu. He spent much time in the mountains and also crossed the sea and traversed the jungle, immersing himself in nature and gaining experiences and images which would later be reflected in his painting. He also visited places famous for their art, such as Dun Huang, Mai Ji Shan, both in the province of Gansu. He got a thrill out of exploring the artistic heritage of his native land and, over the years, acquired the spirit of the art. He combined all these perceptions and concepts into a tasteful and somewhat abstract style which also embraces the rhythm and circular shapes of calligraphy.
Dasheng bases his work on a deep and thorough understanding of all aspects of China's rich tradition of landscape painting. He studied in the Fine Arts Department of the Northwest University under Han Buyan, a very close student of the famous artist Qi Baishi. With this teacher's instruction, he acquired a solid foundation in the techniques of traditional Chinese landscape painting, which became his specialty. Dasheng learned landscape painting by studying the famous artists of the Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty, especially from the Yuan Dynasty artist Wu Zhen; also from Ming Dynasty artist Tang Yin; and the well known Qing Dynasty artists Shi Tao, Shi Xi and Huang Binhong.
Since he learned the traditional styles from Han Buyan, Dasheng has been considered superior in skill to many other Chinese landscape painters. After several decades of study and practice he became so expert with the pen that his work is considered on a par with Mr. Buyan's traditional style.
Dasheng carved himself a beautiful signature block of characters with which he signs his pieces.
For many years, Dasheng himself taught landscape painting at the university. In recent years he has made in-depth studies of modern famous landscape artists such as Zhang Daqian, Lu Yanshao and others. He researched their works, their methods and style and gained a profound understanding which helped him in his teaching and in his own art. Dasheng can be considered a modern master of Chinese landscape painting. Without experiencing the Chinese scenery, the mountains, the water, clouds, trees and architecture and delving deep into traditional Chinese landscape painting and living with nature over a period of many years, it is very difficult to achieve the mastery that Dasheng displays in his work.
Dasheng combines Western modernist art, especially abstract art, with his own paintings, showing great flexibility in his portrayal of trees, stones, clouds, water, etc. The result is a combination of traditional Chinese painting, his own inspiration from nature, and the creative freedom of someone who can see beyond the rules and traditions. His work shows that he has a very solid foundation of traditional methods and styles. His landscape painting is focused on formal beauty but is independent from the traditional pen and ink.
Basis for success
Dasheng's own view is that "Artistic development must be founded on the essence of traditional arts, and any departure from the traditional artistic concepts and any innovation tends to be superficial and skin deep." This is why his work is so firmly rooted in traditional Chinese artistic fundamentals, even though he has created his own unique style by adding in some Western methodology.
But there is yet another factor which has contributed to Dasheng's success and sets him aside from many professional painters. He had a very extensive grounding in traditional culture, philosophy and the humanities. Dasheng spent more than ten years studying books such as Kongzi, Mengzi, Laozhuang and the great philosophers, educators and thinkers. He studied Buddhism and aesthetics and other material from ancient books, while also studying calligraphy and art history and theory.
Dasheng is also a poet and an accomplished writer. This learning, and these skills and accomplishments, have combined into a gentle artistic style. Mr. Wei Zhonglin, a professor at Guangdong Shaoguan College said of Dasheng's work: "His foundation of integrity to the Chinese traditional culture has set him apart from most other painters."
Despite the variety in Dasheng's work, each piece is elegant and in excellent taste and valued so highly because of the intellectual content and values.
Dasheng's achievements in landscape painting
Dasheng's masterpieces were featured in numerous important exhibitions and won many awards between 1987 and 1999. He has had solo exhibitions between 2000 and 2002, and in 2002 the paintings in his solo show in Hong Kong were also published in full in Hu Dasheng Paintings. He is a member of the international Art Union Association, committee member of the China Cultural Arts Association, a member of Guangdong Art Association and other art-based organizations.
Finding Fine Art Registry
Dasheng Hu is also the first Chinese landscape painter to join Fine Art Registry™. Now that his landscape paintings have achieved widespread acclaim, he was looking to expand internationally and gain more exposure for his work abroad. He says, " I need such a good site to work with, because FAR® offers so many services, and Lihua Zhao, FAR representative in China, has been able to help me. FAR is available worldwide and opens a huge potential market. Not only will I be able to sell more works but also I can read articles and gain knowledge which is so great!"
It is also great for FAR to count Dasheng Hu among its membership and to be able to contribute to the preservation of the long tradition of Chinese landscape painting which he embodies.
— by Lihua Zhao
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October 1, 2007
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