The exhibition of Water Buffalo from Li Keran collected by Beijing Fine Art Institution will be opened from 5th Dec. to 19th Jan 2012 at Art Museum of Beijing Fine Art Institution; about sixty paintings from Li Keran are included. The exhibition is hosted by Calligraphy &Painting Workshop of the CPPCC, China Artists Association, CAFA, National Fine Art Institution, Beijing Artists Association, Beijing Fine Art Institution and Li Keran foundation; it is also the third edition of Li Keran’s World Series Exhibition. The exhibition focuses on Li Keran’s Water Buffalo theme, and documents. Meanwhile art histories’ criticizes are also displayed for help audience better understanding of Li Keran’s paintings.

        Water Buffalo in art history

         The exhibition is designed with the clue of art history. The first part tries to redisplay water buffalo in art history. Buffalo is one of the most important animals in history, and also painted during the ancient times. As early as Shang and Zhou Period, there are a lot of decorations about buffalo on bronze ware and cliff paintings, from Five Cattles in Tang dynasty to Pasture in Different Seasons in Nansong dynasty, ancient painters’ expressed observation and interest on the animal. The theme also lasted in Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties’ paintings. Until recently, animal’s image re-emerged in modern artists’ creation, Xu Beihong (徐悲鸿)，Liu Haisu(刘海粟)， Pan Tianshou (潘天寿)，Huangzhou (黄胄) had painted animals too, but Li Keran painted more buffalos and the theme became an important part of his art.

         New Chapter of Art History

          Like Ran painted water buffalo since 1940s, when he lived in Chongqing, because his wife passed away he was too sad to sleep in night, he heard the neighbor’s water buffalo ate grass at neight. It makes the artist rethought life’s meaning, and the contribution of the kind of animal. He began to observe water buffalo carefully; it is a good temple and hard-working animal, just like human’s character. Consequently, the theme appeared on his painting again and again.

          While landscape painting represents the solemn aspect of the artist, the water buffalo theme represents the naive aspect of the artist, just like children. He also used this kind of motif to try new ink or brush techniques, sometimes even new structures. Maybe because he is very relax when he paint Water Buffalos. Just as president Wang Mingming wrote: as a master on landscape painting, the water buffalo theme also has great influence on his landscape painting. Water buffalo in his early paintings are very close to the nature, but in his late paintings are more abstract, and deleted lots of details. This is the first exhibition about Li Keran’s Water Buffalo in China.