Xu Beihong began to study with his father at the age of 6, and when he went to Liyang by boat with his father at the age of 10, he had a poem "Green in spring, beautiful in green hills, sail well, sail across Qian Shan", which was famous for his artistic talent of improvisation. At the age of 9, after reading Four Books and Zuo Zhuan, I began to learn painting with my father, copying a picture of Wu Youru's boundary paintings and figures every day. Wu Youru is the greatest illustrator in the late Qing Dynasty. He can depict pavilions, insects, fish, birds and animals, exotic flowers and plants, and even hordes in a certain proportion. Every time Xu Beihong goes to town with his father, he will go to the painting shop to see the works of Shi Tao, Ba Da and Ren Bonian, and then write them down from memory when he gets home. Influenced by his father's diligent teaching and innovative predecessors, he laid a solid foundation for China's painting. In his lonely youth without toys, Xu Beihong quietly fell in love with many animals around him, and made a detailed observation and description of them. The docile cows, Mercedes-Benz horses, quacking white geese, ducks floating on the water, and flower cats lying in the corner or playing in trees all appeared in his works.
/kloc-When he was 0/3 years old, his hometown was flooded and Da Zhanggong went to other places to make a living. Draw people figures, landscapes, flowers, animals, carve seals and write Spring Festival couplets. At that time, only cities had portrait photography, so portraits were often painted. This is a very strict test for Xu Beihong, a teenager, and has a great influence on his outstanding achievements in figure painting in the future. Of course, this busking career not only honed his artistic skills, but also made him more exposed to the lower classes and working people, which aroused his feelings of worrying about the country and the people. At that time, he often signed "China Youth" and "Jiangnan Poor Man" in his paintings to express his lofty aspirations.
Xu Beihong's hometown, a teenager in Qitingqiao Town, Yixing, Jiangsu Province, has been exploring new painting styles. There were pictures of animals in the robber brand cigarette box at that time. Beihong loves to collect and watch all kinds of animal specimens, so he sketched them strictly and seriously. Replicas of some western masters made him dream of studying art in Europe, but the cold reality stood in front of him. His wandering life made his father seriously ill and they had to go back to their hometown.
17-year-old Xu Beihong has become a famous painter in Yixing, teaching fine arts in Yixing Women's Normal School, Pengcheng Middle School and Shi Qi Primary School. 19 years old, his father died of illness. After deeply burying his father, Hong Bei decided to go to Shanghai to find opportunities for work-study programs. When Zhang Zufen, a normal Chinese teacher in Yixing Primary School, saw him off, he enthusiastically encouraged him to say, "You are young, smart, hardworking and have an unlimited future. I want you to remember a sentence:' People should not be arrogant and impatient'. I have nothing to give you, just take this as a gift! " Xu Beihong felt infinite gratitude from the bottom of his heart and took this sentence as his motto all his life. Until the end of his life, he said to me warmly: "Mr. Zhang Zufen can be called my first confidant!" "
Xu Beihong 19 years old, in Shanghai 19 14 years old. Xu Beihong came to Shanghai. Xu Zeng, a fellow countryman and professor of China College, recommended Beihong's paintings to the president of Fudan University, which was highly appreciated and promised to arrange work. When Xu accompanied Xu Beihong to see the headmaster, the headmaster was very surprised and whispered to Xu, "He is still as young as a child. How does he work? " Xu Ziming argued enthusiastically: "As long as he is talented, why should you care about his age?" Later, Xu Beihong wrote to the president of Fudan University several times, but there was no reply. So Xu Beihong lives in Shanghai. While wandering around, Xu Ziming introduced him to Yun Tieqiao, editor of Novel Monthly. Xu Beihong took his own paintings and Xu's letter to see Yuntie Bridge, which was very popular. He promised to find Xu Beihong a small job as an illustrator in the Commercial Press, and told Xu Beihong to hear back in a few days.
At this time, it is already the season of autumn rain. Xu Beihong didn't have an umbrella to explore the echo in the rain. Mr. Lian Tieqiao said happily, "It worked! You can go to the Commercial Press soon. " A warm current surged into Xu Beihong's cold body. He immediately rushed back to the hotel and wrote to his mother and friends in his hometown, saying that he had found a job. No sooner had the letter been sent than someone knocked at the door in a hurry. Yuntieqiao stood in front of the door, holding a paper bag in his hand, and said in a hurry, "Things are desperate!" " Xu Beihong quickly opened the paper bag, only to find that in addition to his own paintings, there was an approval: "Xu Beihong's paintings are inappropriate." Xu Beihong felt that his heart suddenly exploded and his blood kept rising. An uncontrollable pain and disappointment seized him strongly. He ran to the Huangpu River to end his life. Turbid and fast-flowing rivers hit the riverbank, and the ship's whistle screamed sharply. Xu Beihong unbuttoned his skirt and let the relentless wind and rain hit the young chest. When a cold shiver slowly spread from the heel to the whole body, he soberly said to himself: "It is not cowardice for a person to extricate himself at the end of his tether! "
Xu Beihong returned to his hometown and sent away the first melancholy New Year's Eve without his father. A folk doctor in the town sympathized with him and gave him a small sum of money. So Xu Beihong came to Shanghai again and still couldn't find a job. By chance, Huang Zhenzhi, a wealthy businessman in Shanghai, saw Xu Beihong's works, appreciated his genius, sympathized with his experience and generously provided him with accommodation. But soon, Huang Zhenzhi unfortunately went bankrupt and Xu Beihong was helpless. At that time, Gao and Xu Beihong, a famous Lingnan painter, opened an aesthetic library in Shanghai, and Xu Beihong painted a horse and sent it there, which was greatly appreciated. I wrote back and said, "Although Han Gan is ancient, it is beyond reproach!" And asked Xu Beihong to draw four more pictures of beautiful women. At this time, there were only five copper coins left on Xu Beihong, and it took a week to draw four pictures of beautiful women. Xu Beihong can only buy a rice ball with one copper coin every day to satisfy his hunger. On the sixth and seventh days, I didn't eat all day. When he finally sent four photos of beautiful women to the aesthetic library, it was snowing heavily and brother Gao was away, so Xu Beihong had to give them to the doorman to accept. Because of hunger, he had to take off his thin clothes to pawn.
When the cold gradually subsided, Xu Beihong saw the job advertisement of Aurora University, registered for the exam and was accepted. However, he had to go to Ruan Zaiguang, a fellow countryman who was not rich, to pay tuition fees. Ruan Zaiguang warmly received him and gave him help. So Xu Beihong went to school and continued to draw besides learning French. One day, he read in the newspaper that Wise Man University attached to Harbin Garden asked for a portrait of Cang Xie, so he drew a portrait of Cang Xie according to the narrative of ancient books, hoping to get some remuneration and solve the difficulties in life. A few days later, Ruizhi University sent a car to pick him up, praised his works and invited him to teach art. Xu Beihong explained that he was still studying until the end of the semester.
When the summer vacation came, Xu Beihong came to the wise university with his painting tools. At that time, wise universities often invited some scholars and celebrities to give lectures. Xu Beihong therefore met famous scholars Kang Youwei, Wang Guowei and others. Kang Youwei found that Xu Beihong was a genius in the art garden, asked him to paint himself, his dead wife and his friends, and gave all his collections to Xu Beihong for appreciation. Under the guidance of Kang Youwei, Xu Beihong traveled around places of interest, and his calligraphy was refined and his taste was profound, which gradually formed his magnificent and unique personal style.
Xu Beihong was paid by Wise University and decided to study fine arts in Japan. 1965438+In May 2007, Xu Beihong arrived in Tokyo, looking for places to hide paintings all day. He feels that some Japanese painters no longer stick to the old methods, gradually get rid of the old habits, and can observe and describe nature in detail, reaching a profound and wonderful realm. This made Xu Beihong more determined to integrate Chinese and foreign techniques. In Japan, he also met the famous artist Nakamura, and saw many ancient China stone tablets and Japanese paintings in his collection. Nakamura faithfully entrusted Xu Beihong to bring the Japanese version of Guang Yi and Zhou Shuang to Kang Youwei.
19 17, when Xu Beihong went to Japan to study Japanese painting, Kang Youwei saw off the presented words. 19 17, 12 years, Xu Beihong came to Beijing and began to make his mark in the China art world with his paintings full of vitality and national characteristics. He was hired by Peking University as the tutor of the painting research society. He saw a large number of excellent China ancient paintings in the Forbidden City, from which he learned rich nutrition.
At that time, the intelligentsia in Beijing was very active, and publications such as New Youth and Weekly Review lashed out at feudal ideas and spread democratic ideas and culture. Xu Beihong was also deeply influenced, making him stand at the forefront of the new culture movement and become the most determined innovator among Chinese painters. He is in the north.
In the first issue of Peking University Painting Research Journal entitled "On the Improvement of Chinese Painting", he lashed out at the conservative forces in Chinese painting and pointedly pointed out: "Up to now, the decline of China painters is extremely great. Where the world is civilized, reason will not degenerate. Today, Chinese painting alone has retreated 50 steps from 20 years ago, 500 steps from 300 years ago, 400 steps from 500 years ago, 1000 steps from 700 years ago, and 800 steps from 1000 years ago. If the nation is weak, it can be generous. " He believes that the reason for the decline of Chinese painting is: "Conservatism means losing academic independence." He sighed and wrote, "It's a great shame to look at those who were caught by our ancestors thousands of years ago." On the question of how to innovate, he clearly put forward: "Those who are good at the ancient law should preserve it, those who are bad at it should continue it, those who are not good at it should change it, those who are not good at it should increase it, and western paintings can be integrated with those who enter it." Thanks to the help of Fu Zengxiang and Cai Yuanpei, Xu Beihong finally got the spare money to study in France. 1965438+In March 2009, with the determination to learn science and democracy from the West and revive China's fine arts, Xu Beihong set off for France by boat and began a turning point in his artistic career.
19 18 Xu Beihong was hired as the instructor of Peking University Painting Research Association. This is a photo taken at that time. After Xu Beihong arrived in Paris, he carefully observed the essence of western art in major museums and compared them with oriental art. He never painted for several months, and then came to Xu Liang Painting Academy to study sketching. Later, he was admitted to the National Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied under Flemish and Galmonte. Every time you try, you are among the best. After school, I went to the Louvre and Luxemburg Art Museum to study the similarities and differences of various schools and their achievements. Copy the works of Prudence, Delacroix, Velazquez, Rembrandt and other masters. /kloc-in the winter of 0/920, the great French sculptor Don Porter introduced Xu Beihong to Dayan Bwele, the leader of the French Chinese Painting Association. The painting association opposed the conservative French Artists Association and advocated innovation on the basis of absorbing the strength of various factions, which enjoyed high prestige at that time. From then on, Xu Beihong went to Dayang Studio every Sunday to listen to Dayang's teaching and attend the tea party of school artists, especially in the conversation with Ben Nair, which was deeply inspired. Dayang encouraged Xu Beihong to say, "It's hard to learn fine arts. Don't be overjoyed and don't be satisfied with small achievements. " He asked Xu Beihong to sketch carefully and get into the habit of dictation.
192 1 French national art exhibition opened in April, and Xu Beihong watched it carefully from morning till night. When he walked out of the meeting, he found that it was snowing heavily outside. He didn't eat all day and lacked a warm coat. He suddenly felt hungry and cold, and his abdominal pain was like cramps. Since then, he has suffered from severe intestinal spasm. He often deliberately forces himself to paint. A sketch that has been preserved so far reads: "People look at my paintings and don't know why I do it. It hurts every time."
19 19 Photo of Xu Beihong studying in France This summer, his illness became more serious, and his tuition was completely cut off, so he had to go to Berlin. In Berlin, Xu Beihong met CommScope, president of Berlin Academy of Fine Arts, and saw the works of Menser, Sui Gandiji and CommScope. He felt that although there were many excellent works he saw in France, they were still limited. He likes Rembrandt's paintings best, so he went to the museum to copy them. He continued to paint for 65,438+00 hours every day without even taking a sip of water. Especially when copying the portrait of the second lady Rembrandt, I made great efforts and felt that I had gained something, but I still couldn't use it in my own works, so I worked harder.
1923, after Xu Beihong returned to Paris, his oil painting "The Old Lady" was selected for the first time in the French national art exhibition. Once again, I admire you. I declare that although I have not slackened off in my studies, I have made little progress. Ocean said: "people need to have the habit of suffering, so does learning ... people who have never experienced suffering often lack lofty aspirations." The greatest writers are mostly people with the strongest perseverance, so they can achieve high achievements and complain bitterly for mankind. " Dayang asked Xu Beihong to further refine the sketch. When he painted the human body, he should study the segmentation carefully, understand the subtleties and not pursue bright and striking strokes. Xu Beihong followed Dayang religion, which was very effective, so he worked harder. His representative works include Disappointment, Xiao Sheng, Piano Sound, Portrait of a Cat, Distant News, Groom and Horse, etc. Only 1927 has 9 works selected for the French national art exhibition and won favorable comments.
Xu Beihong's teacher, Mr. Dayang, a famous French painter, also went to Singapore to paint for Chen Jiageng and its Xiamen University on 1925, and exhibited his works over the years in Shanghai, which aroused great interest in the cultural circles. Kang Youwei wrote at that time: "10 years ago, Xu Beihong wrote a vivid portrait for me, Wen and Shen Zipei. He is also a genius in painting. After traveling to Japan, I studied painting in France and Germany for 7 years. Today, what I painted shows me my profundity and magnificence. I am unique in China. His paintings are unprecedented in China and his painting school is unprecedented in China. "
From 65438 to 0926, Xu Beihong went to the museum in Brussels to paint. He loves Rubens' works and thinks he is one of the best color painters in ancient and modern times.
1927 In the spring, Xu Beihong went to Italy and Switzerland, where he enjoyed the masterpieces of Renaissance masters, visited the ancient city of Pompeii, and experienced the atmosphere of ancient western art. Then he wandered between the famous sculptures of St. Peter's Temple and the murals of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.
After studying hard for eight years, Xu Beihong felt that he had a well-thought-out plan before his creation, so he returned to his long-lost motherland with superb painting skills and extensive artistic knowledge, and devoted himself to innovating the realistic movement of China's painting. As an upright and honest artist, Xu Beihong's artistic activities have always been closely linked with the fate of the motherland.
1928, Xu Beihong, Tian Han, Ou Yangyuqian and others founded "Southern Art College" in Shanghai, with Xu Beihong as the head of the fine arts department. 1927 After returning to China, Xu Beihong and Tian Han co-founded South China Art Institute. As the head of the Fine Arts Department, Xu Beihong began to create a huge oil painting "Tian Heng 500 Scholars", praising the most precious spirit of the oppressed people, that is, richness and unyielding.
1928 Nanjing central university also hired Xu Beihong as a professor of art, and Xu Beihong suggested that he could not quit his job at NTU. So he stayed in South China for half a month and taught in CUHK for half a month.
1929, Xu Beihong became the president of Beijing Institute of Art. He hired Qi Baishi as a professor with a firm attitude of "opposing everyone" and tried his best to promote the innovation of Chinese painting teaching.
Feeling that many talents in China were buried and depressed, he created a huge Chinese painting "Nine Square Heights". After several drafts, a swift horse meets the joy of a bosom friend. Although Jiufanggao is a woodcutter, he has a far-sighted demeanor and shows it incisively and vividly.
From 193 1 to 1933, Xu Beihong spent two years painting a huge oil painting "Worry for Me" with the theme of Shangshu, expressing the people's desire to resist the oppressors and get relief.
In 1930s, Xu Beihong went to Europe to hold the 1933 China Art Exhibition in order to publicize China's fine arts and improve China's international status. The exhibition first caused a strong shock in Paris, and 3,000 important people attended the opening ceremony. At the request of the audience, the exhibition will be extended for 15 days, the catalogue will be printed in three editions, and more than 200 articles will be introduced in newspapers. French writer Paul Valori wrote an introduction for the exhibition. Xu Beihong's works were warmly praised by the public, and his painting Cooper was bought by the French government. French newspapers praised this painting as comparable to Rousseau, the master of barbizon school.
Subsequently, Xu Beihong went to Brussels, Berlin and Frankfurt to hold a solo exhibition, which was a great success. More than 50 newspapers and magazines published praise articles.
Xu Beihong's China Art Exhibition in Milan, Leningrad and Moscow also caused a sensation. The documentary of this exhibition is shown all over the country and is regarded as the most important cultural exchange after Kyle Polo. Elmy Tashi Museum in the Soviet Union also set up an exhibition room for China's paintings. Xu Beihong wrote in the article "The Promotion of China Fine Arts in Europe": "This time I held an exhibition of China paintings abroad, which was exhibited seven times in France, Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Soviet Union, and four Chinese painting galleries were set up in major museums. Due to various exhibitions, there were 20,000 articles and magazines praising China culture. In all my contacts at the exhibition, I have never used the name of the government, either internally or externally ... Any organization that claims to be a cultural fund and has huge sums of money has no Bunnosuke. All my citizens, please pay attention to this. "
Xu Beihong brought back precious masks of Lenin and Tolstoy from the Soviet Union and promoted the exhibition of Soviet prints in Nanjing and Shanghai.
From 65438 to 0935, Xu Beihong went to Guangxi and created a landscape painting "Spring Rain on Lijiang River", which described Guilin's landscape as the best in the world by splashing ink. It is the representative work of China's freehand brushwork landscape painting.
After the outbreak of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Central University moved to Chongqing, and Xu Beihong returned to China to teach, creating Chinese paintings such as Ba People Pumping Water and Ba Poor Women, which reflected the hardships of people's lives.
1932, moved to No.6 new house in Hougang, Nanjing. In view of the national disaster at that time,
Xu Beihong named it "Dangerous Nest". He wrote in "Dangerous Nest Notes":
"The ancients were trained to be prepared for danger in times of peace",
It means that if you lie on the credit book and dare to forget the danger in autumn, you will be named. From 65438 to 0938, Xu Beihong came to Nanyang with his own works, and held exhibitions in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Ipoh successively, with unprecedented pomp. Xu Beihong donated all the income from the exhibition to the refugees who helped the motherland.
1940, Xu Beihong gave a lecture at India International University at the invitation of Indian poet Tagore, and held an exhibition of paintings in Kolkata. Tagore wrote in the preface of the exhibition: "Xu Beihong, a master of art in China, provided us with an ancient image that has disappeared from our memory with rhythmic lines and colors, and at the same time showed the local colors and unique styles of his own experience to the letter ... I like these paintings very much, and I believe our art lovers will get rich inspiration from them ... so I will lift the curtain of conversation and guide the audience to their seats.
Xu Beihong made more than 10 sketches for Tagore, and finished Tagore's Chinese painting according to them. The great poet is conceiving a beautiful poem, and the quiet and mysterious garden has infinite poetry. It is one of the representative works of Xu Beihong's portrait. Under Tagore's introduction, Xu Beihong also drew a sketch of Mahatma Gandhi.
In India, Xu Beihong created a long-conceived huge Chinese painting "Yu Gong Yi Shan". The picture is shocking, indomitable spirit, and faith will win. At the critical juncture of the Chinese nation's life and death, he used his brush to write a great image worthy of the times for unyielding compatriots. Xu Beihong created more than 100 exercises and drawings for this painting. Finally, huge rice paper is used to represent the human body in strenuous exercise. This is unprecedented in Chinese painting, which opens a new page for the development of Chinese painting and is the perfect combination of history and reality, western painting and Chinese painting.
From 65438 to 0942, after Xu Beihong returned to Chongqing, he founded China Academy of Fine Arts under extremely difficult conditions. At the same time, he created a large number of excellent Chinese paintings, among which animal paintings occupy a very important position. The animals in his works are endowed with the painter's own spirit and have a strong sense of the times. He likes to write about the lion of beasts in Weizhen, and points out his eager national awakening and rise with the inscription "New life is alive". When the motherland was invaded and the people were trampled, he was a wounded lion with an angry look. The horses he painted are loved by people all over the world for their indomitable spirit and unyielding character. "What's the use of healthy fruit? Try your best to make a living", "As long as the world is not a long night, the desert and poverty will have an end", "The mountains and rivers will return to democracy after hundreds of battles, and the bumpy road will be leveled", and the painter's joys and sorrows have been integrated with the galloping horse that can be entrusted with life and death. The cock crowing in the wind and rain, the sparrow flying against the wind, the greedy white goose and the chaotic lazy cat are all lifelike and endowed with profound meanings. Their meanings and implications give people a good aftertaste and profound enlightenment.
/kloc-0 In the summer of 943, Xu Beihong made two figure paintings in Qingcheng Mountain, both of which were based on Qu Yuan's Nine Songs. One is lonely Shan Gui in the valley, and the other is a soldier who died for his country in close combat. Whether Shan Gui or mourning for his country, the painter's grief and indignation transcends painting and is closely related to the pulse of the motherland.
1946, Xu Beihong came to Beiping as the president of Beiping Art College. He hired many influential and capable outstanding artists to teach in the school. In view of the weakness of China's art teaching, he attaches importance to strict basic skills training, and emphasizes that sketch is the basis of plastic arts, and the description of objects should be accurate. At the same time, he also opposed copying physical objects, advocated focusing on selection, advocated realism, asked students to express people's lives as their own responsibility, and advocated the development and innovation of Chinese painting, rather than copying the ancients.
1949 in April, he attended the first world congress to defend peace as a representative of the new China. In the same year, he was appointed president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and elected president of the National Artists Association. Heavy teaching work and social activities did not stop him from painting. He painted many portraits of famous model workers. In addition, he continues to care about young people outside school. Every day, when the first morning light shines on the window, he gets up and goes to work. The first thing I did was to answer the letter I received the day before. Most of them are young people from all over the country who love art, and some even send their works to me for revision. Xu Beihong answered them one by one, pointed out the advantages and disadvantages of each scroll, and gave praise, encouragement or criticism and suggestions. As a result, he shortened his sleep time for decades. As a senior painter, he feels a responsibility to care for the younger generation. At the same time, the review of his painting sufferings also burned his enthusiasm for a long time. Therefore, many outstanding contemporary artists have given help or placed deep feelings on the road to success.
1933 Xu Beihong went to Europe.
Hold exhibitions of modern Chinese paintings and personal works,
China's paintings have a great influence in Europe. 195 1 year, Xu Beihong went to Daojiao water conservancy project site to experience life, painted many portraits of migrant workers, and prepared to create a huge oil painting "Contemporary New Gong Yu". During my composition, I suddenly had a cerebral hemorrhage and was paralyzed.
1953, when Xu Beihong was able to get up and act, he went to the Central Academy of Fine Arts to give lessons to the graduating students and teachers' further education group. He felt that there was still a lot of knowledge to teach them, so he worked tirelessly to teach them, changed his plan, and completely forgot that he was still sick. On September 23, the second national congress of literary and art workers opened, and he served as executive chairman and presided over the meeting. He had a sudden cerebral hemorrhage that night and died on September 26th. Representatives of literary and art circles from all over the country escorted Xu Beihong's body to Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in the western suburbs of Beijing for burial.
In 65438+February of the same year, the exhibition of Xu Beihong's posthumous works was held in Beijing, and Premier Zhou Enlai personally visited it. Standing in front of Xu Beihong's portrait, the Prime Minister affectionately pointed to the couplet written by Xu Beihong: "Xu Beihong has this spirit." The Prime Minister praised Xu Beihong's works as masters of his time, combining ancient and modern Chinese and foreign techniques.
Xu Beihong's former residence was turned into Xu Beihong's memorial hall, and Premier Zhou Enlai wrote the plaque of "Hong Bei's former residence" in striking font.
Xu Beihong has more than 200 pieces of works 1200, including more than 200 pieces of works/kloc-0 1000 by painters in Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing and modern times, and more than 200 pieces of Chinese and foreign art books, paintings and inscriptions1000, all of which were donated to the country by their families.
Xu Beihong lived only 58 years old, and life was too short. However, his love for the motherland and people from beginning to end is eternal. His works were exhibited in Xu Beihong Memorial Hall in Beijing with strong patriotism and exquisite artistic skills, which excited the hearts of thousands of viewers and aroused people's deep memory of him.
It's just that the last paragraph I sent was, hey hey ^_^o