The exhibition of Easy and Difficult—Li Keran’s world will meet audience from 5th Dec. 2011 to 9th Jan. 2012 at Art Museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy, the exhibition is hosted by the Calligraphy &Painting Workshop of the CPPCC, China Artists Association, CAFA, National Fine Art Academy, Beijing Artists Association, Beijing Fine Art Academy and Li Keran Art Foundation. The exhibition is the second section of Li Keran’s World Exhibition Series, audience can see about 80 Li Keran’s sketches including sketches drawn by pencil and water colors, also including a lot of documents, accompanying with the sketch album’ publishing and introducing from Zou Peizhu and Li Xiaoke, it is the first time to show Li Keran from sketching aspect, the exhibition combined art history introduction, art appreciation and academic study.
Tracing Master’s Sketch Steeps
After Republic of China’s establishment, for the propaganda of Chinese painting in the new era, Li Keran rethought tradition and nature in the way of drawing outside to try to find the way of Chinese painting’s transition. In 1950s, Li Keran, Zhang Ding and Luo Ming painted around Xi lake in Hangzhou and held an distinguish exhibition there, he guided students to the outskirts of Beijing and Huang Mountains in An Hui province; 1970s, Li Keran visited Jiangxi etc along Long March, and then he also visited Guilin to paint the landscape there. Sketches drawn outside was the key point for Li Keran’s art and his life long work, he visited different areas of China, as a result his numerous sketches also contained various themes. Items of this exhibition are selected from thousands of sketches. Besides there are also documents, Li Keran’s visiting map and photos taken when the artist painted outside displayed in the exhibition, all these materials provide audience comprehensive information of Li’s art.
Album of China’s Landscape
Li tried to drawn an Album of China’s Landscape, he painted China’s landscapes including Xi Lake, Tai Lake, Huang Mount, Yandang Mount even landscapes in Germany, normal landscape in his sketches become attractive, some of these scenic spots are beautiful in the real world but they are even more beautiful in Li’s paintings. The exhibition divided into eight sections as old cities, foreign countries, south of China, Yan Dang lake and Xi lake, Si Chuan area, Huang mountain area, Li River Area and others, with photos taken in these areas audience will understand better how Li makes his sketches. Mountain and water paintings included natural beauty, appreciate these paintings can also arouse our feelings to motherland.
Art Revolution
Great achievement of Li Keran influenced Republic of China’s mountain and water painting’s time spirit, these paintings are important materials for knowing how the Chinese traditional landscape painting’s style formed. Li made experiments when he drawn sketches outside and wrote a large amount of notes. Problems considered by Li are basic problems like how to reflect new landscape in Chinese traditional paintings, how to break traditional painting’s composition etc., from the exhibition audience can find how Li resolved these problems when he drawn sketches outside. During the exhibition, a public lecture will also be held, Li Keran’s son Li Xiaoke will bring audience more acknowledge about the artist whose painting methods, art revolution and painting’s style can still benefit today’s art development.
