The son of the literati of the sea school, early in the era of childhood and childishness
Feng Zikai, formerly known as Fengrun, with the characters Benevolent and still, later changed to “Zikai”, also known as "Yuanyuantang", was born in Shimen Town, Tongxiang, Zhejiang (now Jiaxing) into an educational family. He has studied pottery at home since he was a child, reciting Tang poetry at the age of six, and studying Han steles and Linke Luo's pictures at the age of eight. He has shown a strong interest in painting, calligraphy and music since he was a child.
In 1914, he entered Hangzhou National No. 1 Normal University and studied under Li Shutong and Xia Baozun. He started a learning journey of integrating Chinese and western art and literature, and studied Chinese painting, music and other subjects at the school. This study experience laid the foundation for his cross-disciplinary art style.
Studying in Tokyo and starting a school: Teaching and the Beginning of Art
After graduation, he went to Shanghai to organize a normal school, and in 1921 went to Tokyo to study for 10 months, studying painting, music, English and Japanese, etc., combined with Takehisa Yumeji's Toyo stick figure style, established his refined lyrical and aesthetic philosophy.
After returning to China in 1922, he taught at Chunhui Middle School in Shangyu, Zhejiang, and created comics after school, gradually forming a unique style. From 1924 to 1929, he founded and taught at Lida Middle School in Shanghai. At the same time, he wrote and edited art for Enlightened bookstores and magazines, showing the style of the times when teaching and art went hand in hand.
Convert to Buddhism, the humanistic spirit sublimated in art
In the autumn of 1927, Feng Zikai converted to Master Hongyi (formerly Li Shutong), the teacher of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism, in his “Yuanyuantang” apartment, with the legal name “Yingxing”, showing that his life and art are moving towards a more compassionate and humane deep thinking.
Since then, his comics and essays have conveyed the aesthetics of life warmth and compassion through Buddhist meditation on the concepts of "childlike heart" and "nursing life", leaving far-reaching insights for today's civil society.
Pen and ink records of the war years: Internal Migration and Teaching dedication
After the outbreak of the War of Resistance, Feng Zikai moved to Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hankou, Guilin, Chongqing and other places. He taught in various national schools successively, and participated in anti-Japanese propaganda through Yishan and Zunyi. During the period of Chongqing, he served as a professor and academic director of the National Academy of Fine Arts. After canceling his teaching position, he made a living selling paintings and kept working hard.
The role of identification and teaching promotion after the Founding of the People's Republic of China
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Feng Zikai was engaged in translation, writing and comics in Shanghai. The room number was “Sun Moon Building”. He served as the executive director of the Chinese Artists Association, the chairman of the Shanghai Branch, the curator of the Shanghai Museum of Literature and History, and the Dean of the Chinese Academy of Painting.
He was persecuted during the ten-year cultural catastrophe, but his brushstrokes are still intact. On September 15, 1975, Feng Zikai passed away in Shanghai at the age of 76. He was well-known for his lifelong dedication and literary achievements.
The essence of pen and ink: comics, prose, and Chinese painting in one
Comics-The author of "Life Comics”
His comic works are scattered in "Yuanyuantang Essays", "Zikai Comics", etc., the subject matter is mainly ancient poetry artistic conception, daily life and children's world, combining poetry and humor, and writing about life in a simple and shallow style. Lin Yutang praised it as a "life comic".
Representative works such as "Girl Woodcutter with Red Leaves all over the Mountains", "Village Music Lesson", "Growing Melons and Getting Melons", etc., use ordinary materials to convey the charm of life.
Prose-fresh and peaceful, childlike calling the world
Prose series such as "Gradual", "Life Comics" and "Yuanyuantang Essays" praise innocence and interest in life with light and simple words, and criticize the world through Buddhist thinking. They were later included in college textbooks in Taiwan and mainland China.
Chinese Painting--Fusion of Song Yuanshan Water and Xu Xi Moqu
He studied with Song Yuan, Guo Xi, Dong Yuan, and Juran, using Junyi's ethereal tone; flower and bird painting moved from Lao Lian to the style of the two Song Dynasties, and in his later years absorbed Xu Xiluo's ink method to create a unique realm that uses ink as the ground and reflects the five colors.
Calligraphy and seals-the meaning of the stele is hidden, and the style is self-contained
Proficient in cursive, he studied Lao Lian for the first time and then transferred to the Song Dynasty. In his later years, he was inspired by Zhang Xu, and his banners were strong and sparse. And self-carved seals, with styles such as ”Feng Zikai“ and ”Yuanyuan Hall Master" as personal styles.
Introduction to the list of masterpieces (Selected essence)
| category | Title of work | introduction |
|---|---|---|
| comics | "Girl Woodcutter with Red Leaves All over the Mountains" | It delicately presents rural life and interpersonal warmth. |
| "Village Music Class" | Capture the innocence and kindness of children's learning in the bottom society. | |
| Prose | "Gradually"、"Life Comics" | A collection of essays, the text is subtle, humorous and poetic. |
| Chinese painting | Song Yuanshan Water Sketch | Strict law, Song Yuan's pen intent, the landscape is vast and ethereal. |
| Xu Xi oozes ink painting | Using ink as the ground, the colors are hidden, and the artistic conception is full. | |
| calligraphy | Cursive banner works | The structure is stable, the dredging is powerful, and the monument has a strong meaning. |
| seal | Seal of "Lord Yuanyuan" | The seal means high antiquity, carrying the imprint of cultural self-confidence and personality. |
Humanistic concepts and Influence in addition to art
Feng Zikai uses "childlike heart” as his artistic methodology, integrates Buddhism and Confucianism, advocates popular art and humanistic care, and comments on traditional ethics and social changes. He observes daily stories, “the situation in front of the mud dragon, bamboo and horse...seeking the aftertaste of the strings”, and pursues the artistic subtlety of “seeing the big in the small, but not dying”.
He also introduced European translations into China, translated "The Story of Genji" and "The Hunter's Diary", etc., and promoted cultural exchanges and cross-language organizations.
A Lifetime of brilliance: Art Educator and Cultural Pioneer
He is not only an artist, but also a pioneer in art and music education. He co-founded Lida School in 1925, and took over as the first dean of the Shanghai Chinese Academy of Painting in the 1950s, practicing art education to the level of cultural institutions. And serve the Shanghai Museum of Literature and History, Xiling Yinshe and other institutions, and do their best to protect Chinese cultural heritage.
Dehuatang acquired Feng Zikai's works at a high price—Guarding the childlike Heart and the style of painting and calligraphy
Feng Zikai has devoted his life to “painting poetry with painting, painting with poetry”. His works contain the beauty of innocence, compassion and the fusion of east and west. They have traveled through time and space and have touched people's hearts so far. If you have Feng Zikai's paintings, calligraphy or comics in your home, Dehuatang sincerely invites you to provide an appreciation，We provide professional appraisal and high-priced acquisition services。 Let these masterpieces of pen and ink full of childlike and humanistic feelings continue their cultural value and artistic life, Share the innocence and beauty of culture with you，Welcome to call or contact online.
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Children in Xifeng Pear Zaoshan Garden steal a long pole，
Don't send others to surprise the old man to watch quietly. ｜
Not afraid of floating clouds to cover your eyes
Self-fate is at the highest level
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