Li Keran, formerly known as Yongshun, a native of Xuzhou, Jiangsu, is a famous modern Chinese painter and art educator. Li Keran has been fond of painting since childhood, and in his childhood, he often used broken bowls to paint opera characters on the ground, which won the attention of neighbors.
It is said that Li Keran painted cattle is a must, but in fact, the master's landscape is not a must.
Let's take a look at the magnificent life of the master.
In 1916, at the age of nine, Li Keran began to teach himself calligraphy, and once imitated the works of Xuzhou painter Miao Juwu from memory, writing a large "Changhuai" character. In 1917, at the age of ten, Li Keran entered primary school, and Wang Qinfang, a painting teacher, saw that he was smart and studious, and his children could teach, so he gave him the academic name "Keran".
Beginning in 1939, Li Keran joined the literary and artistic front of the Anti-Japanese War, and used his own brush to create anti-Japanese war propaganda posters to inspire the determination of his compatriots to desperately defend the mountains and rivers.
At that time, the Japanese bombed Chongqing for a year, and Li Keran, who happened to be living in Chongqing at that time, was indignant and created a number of works on the theme of the Anti-Japanese War.
After 1941, Li Keran lived in the countryside, and the farmer he lived in had a buffalo, and from then on, he began to study Chinese painting with a cow, painting cows with ink.
Li Keran once recalled in his later years, "I think the cow not only has the quality of lifelong hard work and dedication, but its image is also really cute, so let's use my neighbor as a model." ”
In 1944, Li Keran held an exhibition in Chongqing, which was appreciated by Xu Beihong, who was not very famous at that time, and Xu Beihong was a leading figure in the art world at that time, and he was famous. It is precisely because of Xu Beihong's appreciation that Li Keran has brought unexpected opportunities.
In the more than ten years that the two have been dating, Xu Beihong has also been a teacher and friend, and he has been with Li Keran again and again, and it can be said that Xu Beihong has the grace of knowing Li Keran.
In 1946, Li Keran was invited by Xu Beihong to go to Beiping Art School (now ** Academy of Fine Arts) to teach, and met Qi Baishi under the recommendation of Xu Beihong, and was also appreciated by Mr. Baishi, and later officially kowtowed to Qi Baishi's disciple.
Subsequently, Li Keran continued to devote himself to the study of Chinese painting, he introduced the chiaroscuro method in Western painting into Chinese painting, harmoniously melted Western painting techniques in the profound traditional brush and ink and modeling imagery, and began to travel to the great rivers and mountains of the motherland, creating a large number of hand-me-down works.
Li Keran deeply loves the great rivers and mountains of the motherland, and in his pen, the land of China has no mountains and no beauty, no water and no beauty, and he sincerely praises them, and he wants to paint their spirit.
In his later years, Li Keran's landscape painting reached the peak of the realm, he applied heavy ink, in the layers of dyeing, the mountains and trees are rich and rich, showing the vastness, this is the unique charm of Li Keran's painting, such an artistic conception is deep and resolute, simple and quiet, full of oriental charm of beauty.
Throughout his life, Li Keran has been committed to promoting the art of Chinese painting, cultivating a large number of art talents, and making outstanding contributions to the cause of Chinese art.