1. Enlightenment and Exploration: From Loess to Danqing World
Liu Wenxi was born in 1933 and grew up in the Guanzhong Plain full of loess. As a child, he had a natural keen perception of the simple life and local customs of the working people. This deep local feeling has become the deepest nutrient for his future artistic creation.
In the 1950s, Liu Wenxi was admitted to the Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts (then known as Northwest Art College) and received rigorous traditional Chinese painting training and revolutionary realist art education. He studied painting in the Tang and Song Dynasties in his early days, learning the creative spirit of famous masters such as Xu Beihong and Jiang Zhaohe, and was deeply influenced by Western customs and revolutionary themes during his time in school. During this period, his solid pen and ink skills and heavy realistic style were laid down.
2. Taking root in Life: the Artistic beliefs of People's painters
"Life is the source of creation" is the artistic creed that Liu Wenxi has always adhered to. Since 1958, as a member of the "Yan'an Literary and Art Delegation", he has been deeply involved in Yan'an, Northern Shaanxi and other places, eating and living with farmers, and feeling the blood temperature of the working people. In the decades since, Liu Wenxi has frequently traveled on the Loess Plateau, covering Gansu, Shaanxi, Ningxia and other places. Regardless of the severe winter and heat, he insisted on sketching, and found the soul of creation from the resolute faces and simple expressions of the working people.
This kind of practice of "coming from life and going to life" makes Liu Wenxi's works always contain a strong sense of reality. The vigorous lines of the loess slopes, the good-natured smiles of the village elders, and the rough and resolute hands of the laborers, these most realistic scenes in life, through his large pen of thick ink, turned into strong emotions and distinctive images at the bottom of the pen.
3. The development and integration of artistic styles
Liu Wenxi's paintings combine traditional pen and ink skills with realistic subject matter, gradually forming a unique style of "loess painting". He is well versed in the spirit of pen and ink based on "bone method with pen" in Chinese painting. The lines are vigorous and vigorous, and the ink color is rich and thick. It has both the meaning of literati painting and the power of realism.
In terms of character modeling, Liu Wenxi is good at using broad gestures and layered ink rhymes to portray the expressions and physiques of characters. He often outlines the outer contours of the characters with long lines, and then uses heavy scratches and ink color changes to shape the inner tenacity and warmth of the characters. The peasants and the elderly in his works are full of the vicissitudes of time and the tension of life. They are both witnesses of the times and transmitters of the national spirit.
In addition to the exploration of pen and ink, Liu Wenxi paid more attention to the sense of the times and epic temperament of the composition of the picture. He is good at using group image combinations and grand scenes to create a strong picture rhythm, showing a majestic and emotionally sincere aesthetic pursuit.
4. Calligraphy cultivation: the bookish style between pen and ink
As an all-around calligrapher and painter, Liu Wenxi also has a soft spot for calligraphy. He is convinced of the "homology of calligraphy and painting" and regards calligraphy as the foundation of Chinese painting, pen and ink. He often uses running script and cursive script to draw, paying attention to the rhythm and rhythm of the lines, making the picture more dynamic and beautiful and vibrant.
Liu Wenxi's calligraphy style is simple and muddy, and the vigor and broadness of the loess land are revealed between the ups and downs of pen and ink. He once said: "If you don't work hard at calligraphy, there will be no bones in painting. "This kind of "bone strength" requirement makes his paintings powerful, full of a strong and majestic aura.
5. Representative works: Dan Qing taking pictures, reflecting the times
Liu Wenxi has created a wealth of works in his life and has many masterpieces. The following pieces are particularly well-known：
- "Loess"
This work is based on the theme of farmers in Northern Shaanxi. The image of the farmers in the picture is simple, their eyes are resolute, and the background is endless loess. The pen and ink are vigorous and powerful, symbolizing the tenacity of life and the weight of the land. - "Chairman Mao and the Peasants"
As a classic in Liu Wenxi's revolutionary theme, this painting reproduces the scene of Chairman Mao's cordial conversation with the peasants in a strong realistic tone, showing his sincere respect for historical figures and the masses. - "Mountain Flowers are Brilliant"
Depicting the blooming mountain flowers and the smiles of workers, the colors are bright and the composition is vivid, which sustains the artist's love of life and nature. - "Old Man from Northern Shaanxi" Series
This is the theme of his sketching that has lasted for many years. It has captured the demeanor and demeanor of countless old people on the Loess Plateau and has become a distinctive symbol of his artistic career.
6. Cultural inheritance and education
Liu Wenxi is not only an artist, but also an enlightener and guide for countless later generations of painters. As a professor and dean of Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts, he has persisted in teaching for many years and has cultivated a large number of outstanding Chinese painting talents. He emphasized that "life is the foundation of creation", encouraged students to go deep into life and take root in the people, and formed a unique teaching concept and artistic inheritance.
In terms of artistic concept, Liu Wenxi advocates the combination of pen and ink and the spirit of the times, and opposes empty imitation and stereotypical tricks. He said: "Painting must have true feelings. Without true feelings, there is no soul in the picture. "This kind of unpretentious teaching attitude has a profound impact and has become an important guide for the creation of younger generations.
7. Honor and affirmation: the Aura of a People's Artist
Liu Wenxi enjoys a high reputation in the Chinese painting scene. Since the 1980s, he has won many national art awards and held solo exhibitions at home and abroad. His works have been collected by many museums and art institutions. In 2019, he was awarded the title of "Lifetime Achievement Artist of the Chinese Federation of Literature and Art", becoming one of the winners of the highest honor in the Chinese painting scene.
His artistic footprints have also crossed national borders. His works have been exhibited in Japan, the United States, France and other places, allowing the world to see the magnificence of China's loess and the style of the people.
8. Old age: calmness and endless pen and ink love
Even in his later years, Liu Wenxi continued to work hard, insisting on sketching and painting every day. He once said: "Painting is a lifelong career, and it is the placement of the soul. "This calmness and persistence make his artistic creation always full of vitality and vitality.
In 2022, Liu Wenxi passed away in Xi'an at the age of 89. He has been like a pen all his life, writing the style of the nation and the power of the people, and has become one of the most attractive artists of modern Chinese character painting in the times.
9. Conclusion and Sincere invitation: Collecting Liu Wenxi's artistic light
Liu Wenxi's paintings are not only a poetic ode to the loess, but also a monument in the history of modern Chinese art. With endless pen and ink affection, he turned the style of the workers and the call of the times into a masterpiece handed down from generation to generation.
Dehuatang sincerely invites you to collect Liu Wenxi's fine paintings and calligraphy and feel the temperature and style of the people's painters. We provide professional art appraisal and high-price acquisition services, so that the pen and ink light of this master of art can last forever in your collection.
If you need to know more, please feel free to call or contact us online, so that we can witness Liu Wenxi's eternal art and the glory of the times.
