Brush up on the past
New exhibition pays tribute to Huang Binhong's dedication to tradition and innovation, which helped initiate a new era for Chinese ink painting, Lin Qi reports.
His landscape paintings show his predilection for the scenery of southern China, where he grew up and spent the largest part of his life.
Born in Jinhua in Zhejiang province, in later years, he returned to his ancestral village in Shexian county, Anhui province, several times. The distinctive natural landscape of Shexian has drawn artists and intellectuals for centuries, and it is also famous for producing fine quality ink and ink slabs.
Huang was also inspired by the landscapes of Hangzhou, especially by the areas around the West Lake. He spent seven years teaching at the China Academy of Art, which is located by the picturesque lake, before his death in 1955, and the view inspired him to paint several of his signature paintings.
He made a reputation with his landscapes, and so visitors to the exhibition may be surprised by his flower-and-bird paintings, which show a majestic grace.
No one has summarized this strand of his work better than Zhang Zongxiang, an eminent late calligrapher and seal artist. "The brushwork, color arrangements and composition of Huang's paintings show us a brand-new world he created; they are serene and classic, and they soothe one's heart," he once commented.
