The One Beyond the Ordinary: Classic Works of Li Tiefu
- show time：2018-12-12 to 2019-01-13
- Organizer：Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Guangdong Artists Association, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou Museum of Art, Beijing Fine Art Academy
- venue：Beijing Fine Art Academy
As the final exhibition organized by the Beijing Fine Art Academy in 2018 in the “20th Century Chinese Artist Series Exhibition”, this exhibition officially kicked off on December 12th, 2018 at the Art Museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy. The exhibition comprehensively covers Li Tiefu’s work in various art categories such as oil painting, watercolor, Chinese painting, calligraphy, etc.. A total of 73 sets of Li Tiefu’s masterpieces collected by three art institutions in Guangdong Province are gathered, providing a great opportunity for the audience in Beijing to know and appreciate Li Tiefu’s art.
Li Tiefu is regarded as “the first person in Chinese oil painting”, and Mr. Sun Yat-sen once praised him as “the number one giant in East Asian painting circle.” Li Tiefu is not only the earliest known Chinese who went abroad to study Western art, but he is also a forerunner of the Tongmenghui and a pioneer of China’s democratic revolution. Li Tiefu once said: “I have two hobbies in life: one is revolution, the other is art.” This sentence perfectly explained Li Tiefu’s life.
Li Tiefu remained unmarried throughout his life and he kept alone. His life experience was full of legends and left numerous mysteries to future generations. In his youth, he went to North America to earn a living and study, and he lived overseas for 40 years; he studied under the guidance from American masters such as John Singer Sargent and William Chase, and made impressive achievements in the American art circle; he organized and established the Overseas Chinese Film Company and acted as a director to raise funds for the promotion of the democratic revolution in China.
The exhibition is divided into three themed sections based on Li Tiefu’s artistic creations and life trajectory. The first section “Oil Painting Creations and Revolutionary Moments” focuses on Li Tiefu’s overseas revolutionary experience and oil painting creations before and after returning to China, such as “Portrait of a Musician” and “Portrait of Feng Gangbai” which can be regarded as classic works in the history of Chinese oil painting. The second section “Watercolor Sketching and Turmoil Experience” focuses on Li Tiefu’s life experience in many places after returning to China and the watercolor works had been drawn based on natural sketching. The third section “Calligraphy and Metaphorical Symbolism” is intended to highlight Li Tiefu’s explorations in the field of traditional Chinese ink and wash, especially the ink and wash works on eagles and tigers, which collectively reflect Li Tiefu’s personality, concern and sense of responsibility for the fate of the country.
In this exhibition, two independent units are also set up to tell the public about Li Tiefu’s main life experience and artistic propositions after he returned to China in his late years: “Li Tiefu and Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts” gives a detailed account of the relation between Li Tiefu and Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts as well as Li Tiefu’s many influences and contributions to the oil painting teaching in Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. “Li Tiefu and Qi Baishi” reflects to a certain extent on Li’s pursuit of artistic creation. Although Qi Baishi and Li Tiefu did not intersect during their lifetime, Li Tiefu highly respected Qi Baishi’s art, and there were many similarities between the two in terms of artistic concepts. In the early literature documents, there was a saying about “Northern Qi and Southern Li”. Qi Baishi is the first honorary Director of Beijing Fine Art Academy, which is also the art institution with the largest collection of Qi Baishi’s work in the world. When classics works by Li Tiefu were on display at the Art Museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy, it can also be considered as a dialogue between Qi and Li from the North and South in art, which also leaves a deed praised far and wide in the art circle.
