The exhibition Painting for People--Rediscovery of Jiang Zhaohe’s Art will be opened on 28th Jun. and will last to 11th Jul. 2012, at Art Museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy. The exhibition is hosted by Calligraphy &Painting Workshop of the CPPCC, China Artists Association, CAFA, Beijing Artists Association and Beijing Fine Art Academy, co-organized by Research Institution of Jiang Zhaohe’s Art, Wu Zuoren International Foundation of Fine Arts and Art Museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy. About seventy paintings, documents like Jiang Zhaohe’s Album and Sketches of Vagabond which published in 1941 etc. were included in the exhibition. According to image materials in 1940s, Jiang Zhaohe’s studio will reappear in the exhibition, with the portraits which painted in different periods; audience can see a true art master and his art career.

         An Art Master who Teach Himself

          One of the exhibition’s feature is the display of Jiang Zhaohe’s design, oil painting, sketches etc. which painted when Yong Jiang Zhaohe was in Shanghai. Among these sketches, the design Consolation took part in Republic of China’s first national exhibition in 1929, just because of this exhibition, Jiang Zhaohe left commercial circle and stepped into art field. Due to war, a lot of Jiang Zhaohe’s paintings were lost, especially painting in his early years, the background make these sketches and portrait very precious. Most artists in traditional Chinese art history didn’t receive Art Academy Education; they studied as apprentice and became master, Jiang Zhaohe is one of them, Jiang Zhaohe learn painting though life and social, and emphasize on normal people when he start his water-and-ink portrait. 1936, Jiang Zhaohe returned to Chong Qing from Shanghai, he painted on road. Drought disaster happened in Si Chuan when Mr.Jiang arrived, the painting Extravagant Life of Society’s Upper Level was painted outside, other paintings like Charity, Boys on the Street, Laundry Woman was also the first time meet the audience. These paintings convey the artist sincere wish of painting for people.

         Vagabond in the Studio

          Vagabond is the largest achievement of Mr.Jiang’s water-and-ink portrait and an important masterpiece in Chinese art history. When the painting exhibited in Imperial Ancestral Temple in 1943, it was disturbed by Japanese authorities; there is a long story and too much endeavor behind the painting. The prepare the painting was last about one year, teachers and students from Beiping Art Academy provided their support to Mr.Jiang, some of them even acted as models in person, they also invited vagabond in Beiping as models. In order avoiding Japanese authorities, Jiang Zhaohe find models one by one and painted separately, so people can see only one or two figures on the wall and can’t get whole image of the painting. After many years, only half of the painting Vagabond survived and most sketches were destroyed during the Culture Revolution. In the exhibition we will display some sketches of Vagabond, and photographs, palette, brushes to show the proceeding of painting Vagabond to the audience.

          Master of Chinese Painting

           Qi Baishi had wrote inscription on Jiang Zhaohe’s Album which published in 1941, the general meaning of the inscription is: Jiang Zhaohe is master of Chinese painting, his painting Selling Son is better than my paintings. Jiang Zhaohe practiced Xu Beihong’s ideal of Chinese Painting’s Transform, though the life long portrait painting, Mr.Jiang absorbed some western painting elements, and emphasizing on facing objects while painting, however his portrait still contends traditional spirit. He inosculated charcoal drawing and water-and-ink language and made points on figure inner spirit. Paintings in the exhibition covered 1930s to 1981, the last painting Portrait of Jiangfeng. Though these paintings we can see the artist’s career and his art style’s change, the rulers and spirit in Mr.Jiang’s paintings will benefit today’s portrait development.