李胜玉Li Shengyu

Li Shengyu, born in April 1939, is from Jiuwu Village, Gaopingshan Town, Jincheng City, Shanxi Province. He is a member of the Communist Party of China and was formerly the vice principal in charge of teaching at Jincheng Vocational No.1 Middle School. The school has grown from scratch to excellence and has become a provincial and national key school. After retirement, I have a passion for calligraphy and painting and participated in provincial, municipal, and national calligraphy and painting competitions. I won the Excellent Works Award at the 3rd China (Xuchang) Wu Daozi Hometown Calligraphy and Painting Festival and the 6th Calligraphy and Painting Masters Competition. My works are permanently collected by Wu Daozi Art Museum, and I have been appointed as a director calligrapher and painter of Wu Daozi Art Museum. In 2006, to commemorate the 140th anniversary of Sun Yat sen's birth, he won the Zhongshan Art Award. In 2005, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the victory of the Anti Japanese War, he won the third prize. In 2008, to commemorate the 110th anniversary of Premier Zhou's birth, he won the gold award. To commemorate the 120th anniversary of Chairman Mao's birth, he won the gold award. In 2012, to celebrate the successful convening of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, he won the silver award for "Flowers Blooming in the Sun". In 2014, the successful hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit resulted in the silver award for "Fragrant Flowers and Uyghur Language VIP". In February 2015, the artwork was collected by the APEC Chinese Art Museum. In May 2014, the works were exhibited in Taiwan, China Art Festival. In 2017, the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China successfully held a fine exhibition of contemporary Chinese calligraphy and painting masters titled "Ode to the Party's Grace with Thousands of Red Colors", which won a gold medal. In 2019, we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and won the National Honor Award. In 2021, the centennial work of the CPC won the gold medal. In June 2020, he was awarded the title of People's Artist by China International Art Network. In November 2021, he was appointed as the "United Nations Art Ambassador" by the China Arts Federation, UNESCO, and the National Glory Organizing Committee. In May 2022, the International Art Exchange Association and other units rigorously evaluated and repeatedly selected the winner of the "Nobel International Art Prize", and awarded the honorary title of "Top Figure in International Art". In September 2022, the highest achievement award in Chinese literature and art was awarded by the Republic Literature and Art Meritorious Network, the Chinese Cultural Celebrity Famous Network, and the Chinese Literary Poetry, Calligraphy, and Painting Network.

 

Ink colors condense emotions, flowers and birds send their aspirations

——The Traditional Connotation and Contemporary Spirit of Li Shengyu's Chinese Painting Art

 

Huang Jinliang (Editor in Chief of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Guide)

 

Li Shengyu self proclaimed himself as a "Seven Foshan People", and his flower and bird paintings not only inherit the essence of traditional Chinese literati painting, but also inject distinct contemporary meanings, constructing an artistic field of dialogue between tradition and contemporary through brush and ink.

 

In terms of thematic orientation, he is particularly skilled in classic imagery such as peonies, birds, and pine stones. Peonies, such as "The Fragrance of Jade," are beautifully colored but not vulgar. The layers of petals are blended with ink and color to showcase the grace of the "king of flowers," in line with the Song Dynasty painting theory that "those who write flowers must have both form and spirit, as well as excellent color and charm." They blend the rich and elegant atmosphere of peonies with their refined style. The birds depicted in his works, such as the pheasant in "Blossoming Wealth and Welcoming the New Year" and the ribbon bird in "Spring Blossoming Flowers during Qingming Festival", are exquisitely shaped without losing the charm of the brushwork. Through the strokes and coloring, they convey the vividness of "birds flying and chirping, all have business", which is in line with the aesthetic pursuit of the Five Dynasties Huangdang's "feathers and bones".

 

In terms of artistic expression, Li Shengyu is well versed in the concept of "painting and calligraphy share the same origin". The calligraphy on the inscriptions is simple and vigorous, complementing the brushwork of the painting. The regular script postscript of "The People Have a Good Life" has a stable structure and strong brushwork, which not only points out the work's wish for a peaceful life, but also strengthens the artistic tension of the picture with the texture of calligraphy lines, echoing the artistic proposition of Zhao Mengfu in the Yuan Dynasty that "calligraphy and painting are originally the same". At the same time, he pays attention to expressing emotions through objects, using the prosperity of peonies, the peace of white doves, and the longevity of pine and cranes to integrate his personal expectations for the prosperity of his country and the happiness of people's livelihoods into his creations, making his works transcend the aesthetic category of traditional flowers and birds and possess contemporary humanistic care.

Overall, Li Shengyu's flower and bird paintings are a creative transformation of traditional brush and ink language. On the basis of adhering to the classical painting theory of "combining form and spirit, and having vivid charm", he reconstructed the spiritual connotation of flower and bird imagery from the perspective of the times, making traditional flower and bird painting vibrant in the contemporary context and becoming an artistic link connecting classical aesthetics and modern emotions. As Shi Tao said in the Qing Dynasty, "brush and ink should follow the times", his works are a vivid example of the resonance between traditional brush and ink and the spirit of the times.