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Painter reveled in masterstrokes of lines, colors
July 15, 2013, Monday
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CHENG Shifa (1921-2007), an ink-painting master, left a legacy to the world in his traditional brush portraits of rural nature and village folk.
Born in Songjiang, Chen grew up on a farm. He spent his boyhood observing birds, flowers and farmers - themes that were later to dominate his canvases.
He initially studied medicine but later switched to the first love of his life - art. He graduated from Shanghai Art College in 1941 and held his first exhibition a year later.
Cheng, originally known as an illustrator, initially gained notice by illustrating the short stories of renown Chinese author Lu Xun. However, he ultimately is remembered best for his paintings of minority ethnic groups in the southwestern province of Yunnan.
Among the traditional gods, Zhong Kui was Cheng's favorite. "Zhong is me," he once said. But unlike traditional portrayals of Zhong, whose frightening face was said to scare away devils, the god in Cheng's paintings becomes a gentle, carefree and always smiling figure.
Vivid and colorful with simple lines and neat brush strokes, Cheng's paintings are full of child-like innocence and gentleness.
"I treasure very much that I can express myself with lines and colors," he once said. "I'm no better than others, but I'm different. Actually, everyone is different. Each person has different experiences, feelings and dispositions, which form unique styles that can't be duplicated."
Born in Songjiang, Chen grew up on a farm. He spent his boyhood observing birds, flowers and farmers - themes that were later to dominate his canvases.
He initially studied medicine but later switched to the first love of his life - art. He graduated from Shanghai Art College in 1941 and held his first exhibition a year later.
Cheng, originally known as an illustrator, initially gained notice by illustrating the short stories of renown Chinese author Lu Xun. However, he ultimately is remembered best for his paintings of minority ethnic groups in the southwestern province of Yunnan.
Among the traditional gods, Zhong Kui was Cheng's favorite. "Zhong is me," he once said. But unlike traditional portrayals of Zhong, whose frightening face was said to scare away devils, the god in Cheng's paintings becomes a gentle, carefree and always smiling figure.
Vivid and colorful with simple lines and neat brush strokes, Cheng's paintings are full of child-like innocence and gentleness.
"I treasure very much that I can express myself with lines and colors," he once said. "I'm no better than others, but I'm different. Actually, everyone is different. Each person has different experiences, feelings and dispositions, which form unique styles that can't be duplicated."
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