Both scholar and painter, Xu’s an art practitioner
Print Edition
AN exhibition opened in June at the Han Tianheng Art Museum in Jiading, featuring more than 130 works by Xu Jianrong, a Shanghai ink-wash painter.
Xu is also a collector of paintings, an art historian at the Shanghai Research Institute of Culture and History and a professor at the College of Fine Arts of Shanghai University.
Xu grew up in Gaoqiao Town. As a child, whenever he got a break from helping his mother with chores, his favorite hobby was learning how to paint. He looked for books on ink-wash painting techniques to teach himself.
In the winter of 1977, the national college entrance examination resumed after the “cultural revolution (1966-76).” Xu was 28 years old then and decided to give it a shot.
At that time, the government realized the importance of science and technology and began advocating that more young people devote themselves to basic scientific research.
Xu passed the exam. He answered the government’s call by choosing the physics major at Shanghai Normal University. Later he graduated and became a physics teacher in a local middle school.
Even though he didn’t get professional art training in college, his passion for ink-wash painting never died.
In 1981, Xu heard that renowned ink-wash painter and professor Wang Bomin is starting a master’s program at Zhejiang Academy of Art (now China Academy of Art).
“About seven or eight people applied and took the test,” Xu recalls. “The competition was fierce and I didn’t think I was the most qualified candidate.”
But the test went better than he thought.
One week later, Professor Wang and two staff members from the dean’s office traveled from Hangzhou to Shanghai with the sole purpose of visiting Xu.
“When they came, my paintings were laid out everywhere in my physics lab. They seemed very interested in my work and asked if they could go to my old home in the countryside to see more paintings.”
In his house, Wang asked Xu to write an inscription on one of his works, something commonly seen in Chinese literati paintings where artists writes a short piece of calligraphy on the painting to convey their thoughts and ideas. Xu picked up a brush and finished the task within a few minutes.
Wang was amazed at how well Xu pulled it off and was more than happy to take him on as a graduate student. Xu studied Chinese painting history under Wang’s guidance. It was his first professional training experience in the field of art.
Xu remembers meeting a famous Jiading-based painter Lu Yanshao during his days at the academy.
“Lu was teaching there when I was a student. We communicated a lot on the subject of art.”
Xu also mentions Han Tianheng, another Jiading artist.
“I heard quite a lot about Han’s work in Zhejiang but never got to know him in person, which was a shame,” Xu said. They eventually met years later, and this year, Xu is holding an exhibition at Han Tianheng Art Museum. “I guess it’s fate that brought me to his museum in Jiading,” he said.
After graduation, Xu compiled the 12-volume “Chinese Art History” with a group of art historians. He was in charge of the parts about the Song (AD 960-1279) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties.
This is a key project of the national science and research program. This arduous but fulfilling job helped to lay a solid foundation for his subsequent career.
Xu’s academic expertise is different from what’s been popular across China over the last century. In the art world, literati paintings of the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing dynasties are valued much higher culturally than paintings of the Tang and Song dynasties. It’s partly because Tang (AD 618-907) and Song painters were strongly promoted by emperors, something considered “feudalistic and reactionary” during the cultural revolution. On the other hand, literati paintings were seen as the essence of the people’s wisdom and a reflection on the artists’ lofty character and noble pursuit.
Xu started out idolizing literati painters, like most fellow art historians. In the 1980s, he began studying under artists Xie Zhiliu and Chen Peiqiu, who spoke highly of the Tang and Song tradition.
As a result, he questioned whether his earlier praise of literati paintings was an independent perspective or just parroting the established view.
With this question in his mind, Xu delved into further research on the history and theory of ink-wash painting.
“I think that Tang and Song were the times when artists really focused on the craft itself other than the things beyond the image,” Xu says.
On the other hand, literati painting of the Ming and Qing dynasties were more about the personality and ideology of the painter. In other words, top-notch techniques were not valued as much during this period.
“If we want to carry on the proud tradition of ink-wash painting, it is essential to go back to the roots and foundation of the art that were established in the Tang and Song dynasties,” Xu says.
Xu calls himself a “practitioner of art history.” He is both a scholar and a painter. He paints to deepen his understanding of artistic theories.
Even though Xu is in love with Tang and Song’s paintings, he doesn’t necessarily look down on Ming and Qing artists.
“I’ve created ink-wash paintings that incorporate poems and inscriptions. These are usually features of literati paintings. It never hurts to learn from artists of different eras. We shouldn’t let prejudice get in the way of great artistry,” says Xu.
He agrees with painter and education Pan Tianshou that it’s unwise for a person to judge something they’re not familiar with. Xu thinks that the fusion of various artistic styles is an effective way of keeping Chinese traditional art alive. For instance, paintings of the Song Dynasty was largely influence by Japanese paintings; Buddhism also became an important influence on Chinese culture when it was introduced from India.
“Chinese traditional art is still evolving and learning — that’s why it can thrive after 5,000 years of history.”
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