Guan Liang (; 1900–1986),
courtesy name Lianggong (), was a Chinese painter. He was an important representative of the first generation of oil painters in China and was known for blending Western and Chinese art styles.
Biography
Guan Liang was born in
Panyu,
Guangdong province in 1900. In 1917 he went to
Tokyo, Japan, where he studied oil painting under
Fujishima Takeji
was a Japanese people, Japanese painter, noted for his work in developing Romanticism and impressionism within the ''yoga (art), yōga'' (Western-style) art movement in late 19th- and early 20th-century Japanese painting. In his later years, he ...
.
After returning to China in 1922, he taught at the Shanghai Fine Arts School and the National Academy of Art (present-day
China Academy of Art) in
Hangzhou.
In 1927 he joined the
Northern Expedition (Beifa War) against the northern warlords, and was in charge of arts and publicity for the Expedition army.
In 1940 Guan Liang held his first solo exhibition in
Chengdu
Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...
,
Sichuan province. In 1957 he was among the three artists chosen by the government to exhibit at the Berlin Arts Institute in
East Germany. Guan settled in
Shanghai in the 1960s, where he lived until his death in 1986.
He was vice chairman of the Shanghai branch of the
Chinese Artists Association and a member of Shanghai Research Institute of Culture and History. He was also a recognized art educator, and was director of the art research office at
Shanghai Jiao Tong University. In 1987, the
Shanghai Art Museum held an exhibition of his works in his memory.
Although Guan began his career as an oil painter, he later focussed on traditional Chinese
ink wash painting featuring characters from
Peking operas. He is considered the first artist to introduce Western painting techniques to traditional ink wash painting and is known for his unique portrayal of Peking opera figures.
His representative works include ''Stealing the Royal Horse'' () and ''Farewell to my Concubine'' (), both scenes from traditional Peking operas.
Guan Liang is one of the seven artists featured in the Exhibition for Noted Painters at the
China Art Museum in
Shanghai.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guan, Liang
1900 births
1986 deaths
Artists from Guangzhou
People from Panyu District
Republic of China painters
Painters from Guangdong
Shanghai Jiao Tong University faculty
China Academy of Art faculty
Educators from Guangdong
Chinese expatriates in Japan
20th-century Chinese painters
People's Republic of China painters