In the study, the hand-scrolled work "Miscellaneous Flower Scroll" slowly unfolds: a peony, a broken branch, a bamboo, a bunch of grapes ......The charm of handscroll art is slowly presented in front of you, which is the beauty of patchwork and the beauty of one go. Guo Shifu, a flower and bird painter who is nearly eighty years old, said: "Beauty is a choice of cultural character. Whether the pen and ink are good or not, it is in an instant. Over the years, he has insisted on exploring the roots of traditional ink painting, and is famous for his freehand flower and bird paintings, as well as landscape painting, calligraphy, seal carving, poetry and Western painting.
Looking back at Guo Shifu's artistic path, this famous Chinese contemporary freehand flower and bird painter had neither a school nor a famous teacher to guide him, but with his extraordinary talent and love for painting, he relied on self-study to achieve his painting life.
*: Painter Guo Shifu.
In 1945, Guo Shifu was born in a family of pear orchards, and studied opera with Peking Opera masters since he was a child. When he was eleven or twelve years old, a few bookmarks painted with Peking Opera masks brought by his father's friends unexpectedly aroused Guo Shifu's strong urge to paint. He looked at the bookmarks, and with his understanding of Peking Opera, he created his own portrait of Peking Opera. To Guo Shifu's surprise, these hand-painted works were very popular as soon as they appeared in Rong Bao Zhai in Shanghai, Beijing, and Hubei, which is undoubtedly a great recognition of his talent for painting. Since then, Guo Shifu has begun a long road of self-study. Guo Shifu, who studied opera at an early age and joined the Peking Opera troupe as a Peking Opera performer as a child, believes that drama and painting are not separated: "There are many things that drama and painting have in common. Chinese painting pays attention to freehand, in fact, Chinese drama is the most freehand art. Over the years, Guo Shifu has never put down the brush in his hand. He often lingered in the painting galleries of Rong Bao Zhai and the Forbidden City, and was influenced by Chinese culture in a strong artistic atmosphereDecades of in-depth study of the works Xi of Wu Changshuo, Pan Tianshou, Qi Baishi, Bada Shanren and other masters have made him more aware of the painting styles of many famous artists. When Guo Shifu gradually found his own style in it, his opportunity came.
*: Guo Shifu's "Vision".
At the end of the seventies of the last century, the wind of reform and opening up swept all over the country, and the Chinese painting circle also ushered in new vitality and vitality. In 1979, Guo Shifu and a group of young painters founded the "Hundred Flowers Painting Association" in Beijing, absorbing more than 50 young Chinese painting artists to join the association. In the years that followed, they held regular exhibitions, gatherings, and learned from each other.
*: Guo Shifu's "Spring Rain".
In 1985, Guo Shifu held his first solo exhibition in the rotunda of the National Art Museum of China. In the same year, at the age of 40, he was transferred to the Beijing Academy of Fine Arts and became a professional painter, focusing on freehand flower and bird painting. In the earliest and largest professional painting academy in the founding of New China, Guo Shifu was like a fish in water and had more opportunities to cooperate with Chinese painting masters. Zhang Lichen, a Chinese painter and professor at the ** Academy of Fine Arts, is one of his frequent partners. When talking about Guo Shifu's paintings, Zhang Lichen praised: "Guo Shifu's brushes are more refreshing and pungent. He was more influenced by Qi Baishi, and later he was also greatly influenced by Wu Changshuo. His peony flowers are very well painted, and he has his own new exploration in the form and method of expression compared to previous generations. He took a step forward on the basis of Yuanren's hook flower and dot leaves, and the combination of hook and dot made the flower head very rich and heavy. The colors are also used calmly, thickly, and brightly. Guo Shifu said: "What I recognize and love most about Chinese culture is Chinese freehand flower and bird painting. The cultural content behind it is huge, and it is also recognized by our art circles as the most difficult type of painting in Chinese painting. He believes that in order to paint ink painting well, it is not only necessary to practice Xi and study traditional culture over the years, but also to have a pair of eyes that are good at discovering and a heart that is sensitive to perception. This artist thinks: "What you see in the wind and rain at four o'clock, it is different. Watching the birds singing and the fragrance of flowers, watching the wind and rain will touch you with different inspirations. You have to have the ability to find beauty, and you can find the beauty of life everywhere. ”
Picture: An excerpt from Guo Shifu's album of grass insects.
Artist Liu Jindang is a student of Guo Shifu, and he believes that Guo Shifu's artistic concept - the pursuit of traditional freehand flower and bird painting is very significant in the contemporary painting and calligraphy world. He said: "Mr. Guo Shifu advocates that the freehand flower and bird painting should not be stingy, and it is necessary to practice more calligraphy, especially the golden script, seal script, Han monument and then Xingcao. Using books into paintings can show a kind of domineering spirit and a tenacious life atmosphere on the picture. ”
Picture: Guo Shifu's seal carving.
For thousands of years, in addition to poetry, calligraphy and painting, there has been an indispensable element in Chinese literati ink painting - seal. Nowadays, there are not many painters who can still take care of seal carving, and Guo Shifu is one of them. There are many seals of different styles in his study, all of which are meticulously created by him. Guo Shifu's purpose in learning seals is precisely for his own painting. In his opinion, the seal he carved is consistent with his painting style. "Poetry, calligraphy, painting, and printing should be studied deeply as a Chinese painter. Because it's all about culture behind them, and this culture is deep, deep, and it takes a lifetime of effort. Looking back on the past, Guo Shifu, who is nearly eighty years old, feels extremely lucky. Even after going through the ups and downs, his ambition when he was young has never changed: he is still the descendant of the pear garden who loves singing, and he has been able to use decades of time to carve his passion for Chinese study art into his bones.
Author: Editor: Sun Xinqi Responsible Editor: Kong Tao.
*：cgtn