Li Dongjun. Li Dongjun. Born in 1975 in Heze, Shandong. In 1998, he graduated from the Department of Chinese Painting of ** Academy of Fine Arts with a bachelor's degree; In 2009, he graduated from the School of Chinese Painting of ** Academy of Fine Arts with a master's degree, under the tutelage of Professor Tang Yongli. He is currently working at the Academy of Fine Arts of Henan University.
Man Tingfang 1" ink and color on paper, 144cm, 183cm, 2023
Wen Jia Tao. I was very surprised by the creativity and artistic enthusiasm of Li Dongjun's young painters.
I haven't seen Li Dongjun's new work for at least a few years, and when I suddenly looked at it, I felt that it was fresh and abnormal. The usual painting elements and symbols are still there, but the creative methods, aesthetic perspectives, emotional directions, and especially the cultural spirit behind the pictures are very different.
Man Tingfang 2" ink and color on paper, 144cm, 183cm, 2023
Li Dongjun is still good at sketching young and beautiful women with a relaxed brush, and often places them in a pure and quiet background, although the expression does not change much, and the posture and clothing are different. The biggest feeling of looking at his works is beauty - the beauty of people, scenery, flowers, trees, and mood. This kind of beauty is completely natural, not deliberately not carved, not distorted, and does not use special materials, other tools, is the traditional painting paper and brush, with a pair of artistic hands, the beauty of the world is vividly displayed. This is the result of his continuous exploration and tempering over the years, not only to learn from the tradition and predecessors, but also to self-improvement, self-transcendence, kung fu and confidence, and thus form his own unique artistic symbols and picture characteristics. This kind of painting style realm cannot be said to be unique, and there is basically no similarity in the Chinese painting world.
Man Tingfang 3" ink and color on paper, 144cm, 183cm, 2023
After reading Li Dongjun's new works, I began to understand why painters in history created different styles of works in different periods; Why do they have to change their methods and be different in the process of constantly surpassing? It's really because painters don't want to stick to the old rules and repeat the old tunes, and they all want to change and innovate on the basis of mature styles. The famous art educator Lu Fengzi once said that if a painter "has a shell" and "a scab", that is, his style has been solidified, his artistic life will be at the end and over. This is a fact, and the last thing an artist can tolerate is to stick to the old ways and stop moving.
Man Tingfang 4, ink and color on paper, 144cm, 183cm, 2023
Li Dongjun is even more so. Although the basic symbols and conventional elements in his paintings have not changed much, the way of thinking and creative orientation have been changed while painting, and the aesthetic interest is directed to the human heart rather than the surface of the object. For example, most of his original beauty images are ancient costumes, or ancient and modern, with some dreamy, cold, alienated, and non-cannibalistic feelings; Later, these young and beautiful women gradually showed a modern style, and their clothes, dynamics, and emotions gradually became life, and they began to walk in front of the audience from a distance, showing their hearts and moving hearts. In other words, his characters have gone from fantasy to reality, blended into life, less strange, and more intimate. Li Dongjun is very handy in portraying these fashionable women, with ever-changing hairstyles and costumes, saying that he is a painter, but he is more like a famous fashion designer, ever-changing, harmonious and decent. As a stout Shandong man, it's hard to imagine how he did it?
Man Tingfang 5, ink and color on paper, 144cm, 183cm, 2023
Another change is that his previous paintings are mainly based on character portrayal, the character is the main body, the expression, posture, and action of the character can have a special interpretation, and people appreciate the works, most of them will be measured by the standard of figure painting, and ponder and experience from the perspective of figure painting, while the background is only a few strokes, simple to clean up, just a kind of foil, an embellishment. Later, slowly, gradually, Li Dongjun shrunk and pushed the characters away, and the mountains, water colors, lakes and stones, trees, flowers and plants, insects and fish, etc., suddenly became rich and active, and became the main body of the picture. Of course, in this way, the figures have a more spacious and pleasant space to move, and it is difficult to say whether such a painting is a figure or a landscape. In any case, in this way, the picture is open, transparent, and clear. People are in harmony with the environment, and there is indeed another feeling like a dream, like crying. In comparison, I like this style more.
Man Tingfang 6" ink and color on paper, 144cm, 183cm, 2023
Placing groups of quiet and elegant women in a broader background, the richness and layering of the picture are self-evident. Compared with the past, he just replaced the characters and backgrounds, and in the past, he mainly focused on character expression, but now he has both character backgrounds. That's a great leap forward! I figuratively liken it to "the logical progression of the development of human painting". That is to say, the maturity and development process of Li Dongjun's painting is extremely consistent with the history of human painting: the first concern in the history of painting is human beings themselves, so the description of characters is the center, and the scenery and so on are just foil embellishments. When painting became more and more mature and the techniques became more and more sophisticated, people began to pay attention to the surrounding environment and the objects around them, and landscape painting came into being—the history of Chinese and foreign painting is incomparable.
For example, Chinese painting has gradually evolved from the original clumsy state of "people are greater than mountains and water is not permissible" to independent and mature landscape paintings, flower and bird paintings, in which figures are secondary. This change in Li Dongjun's style shows the maturity of his creative mind. As we grow older and have more experience, we will have a different understanding of social life and interpersonal relationships, and we will feel more and more about the insignificance and inadequacy of human beings, and we will appreciate the greatness and eternity of nature more. The pursuit of harmony between man and nature, adapting to the environment, understanding beauty, living in harmony with it, and fully showing it in the picture will become natural and natural.
Man Ting Fang 7, ink and color on paper, 144cm, 183cm, 2023
Such feelings, coupled with the creative mentality of not wanting to repeat and not repeating, have led to steady changes in Li Dongjun's painting style, and his creative concepts and methods have also moved: sometimes he chooses to be rich, the pictures are extremely rich, the colors are overwhelming, and the objects and images are scattered and intertwined; Sometimes he chooses to be simple, clean and bright, with a few brushstrokes, without carving, and even retains a large blank space without a single stroke, but the aesthetic attitude and realm effect have been greatly improved.
Man Tingfang 8, ink and color on paper, 144cm, 183cm, 2023
As long as he is willing, as long as he loves it, a person's art will gradually get better and go to profoundness; What's more, Li Dongjun, a top student of CAFA in the 00s, is full of youth and perseverance? Li Dongjun's dedication to painting is really impressive, he likes to paint, is willing to paint, and regards creation as a part of life, no different from food, clothing, housing and transportation. When painting is a kind of life, life will also be integrated into his works. Dongjun can paint all day and night, all day and night, and forget to eat and sleep, but he paints without pain, misery, or boredom, because he likes, he loves, he devotes, and he regards shaping beautiful artistic conceptions, beautiful images, and beautiful things as a kind of enjoyment, intoxicated, enjoyable, and unswerving. This is very different from those scenes of painstaking painting, desperate painting, and unscrupulous creation: one is burning life, and the other is recuperating in life. In the era of peace, I appreciate Li Dongjun's artistic state even more, and I feel that this is the real artistic life and the art of life, which can be sustained, and this kind of artistic life can gradually get better.
Man Tingfang 9" ink and color on paper, 144cm, 183cm, 2023
Not being satisfied, and then knowing, this may be the true state of art. We believe that the trajectory, process and style of Li Dongjun's painting will change, and the techniques will be more diverse, which will bring more surprises to people. Because he is not the kind of artist who is satisfied with the status quo and complacent, his heart is full of beauty and love, and is full of artistic impulse and vitality. Through his brushes, these energies will gradually condense into extraordinary pictures and landscapes, which are worth looking forward to.
February 11, 2023 in Kaifeng Weixiangju.
Man Tingfang 10" ink and color on paper, 144cm, 183cm, 2023
Man Tingfang 11, ink and color on paper, 144cm, 183cm, 2023
Man Tingfang 12, ink and color on paper, 72cm, 367cm, 2023
Man Tingfang 12" part.
Man Tingfang 12" part.
Man Tingfang 12" part.
Man Tingfang 12" part.
Man Tingfang 13, ink and color on paper, 72cm, 367cm, 2023
Man Ting Fang 14, ink and color on paper, 72cm, 367cm, 2023
Man Tingfang 14" part.
Man Tingfang 14" part.
Man Tingfang 15" ink and color on paper, 72cm, 367cm, 2023
Man Tingfang 15" part.
Man Tingfang 15" part.
Man Ting Fang 16" ink and color on paper, 72cm, 367cm, 2023
Man Ting Fang 17" ink and color on paper, 72cm, 367cm, 2023
Man Tingfang 17" part.
Man Tingfang 17" part.
Character Creation, ink on paper, 144cm, 183cm, 2023
**10,000 Fans Incentive Plan