Author:Hu Nian-Zu

Size:Length:98 x Width:216 (cm)

Size description：98×216

Introduction：Hu Nian-Zu (1927-2019), also known as Xinyuan, and later as Taojiang Youzi (wanderer) and Shiniu Laomu (old shepherd), was born in Shiniujiang Town, Yiyang County, Hunan Province. He is a famous Taiwanese ink painting artist. In 1946, Hu was admitted to the Traditional Chinese Painting Department of the Nanjing Art School, and in 1948, he was apprenticed to Huang Jun-Bi in Nanjing to study landscape painting. The following year, he moved to Taiwan and in 1951 was hired as a teaching assistant in the Art Department of the Taiwan Normal College, where he learned calligraphy from Huang Jun-Bi and Pu Hsin-Yu (Pu Ru). He also studied calligraphy under Chang Long-Yan. In 1985, Hu received an honorary doctorate from Dewey University in the United States. In 1988, he returned from New York to teach at the National Art Academy and Arts School. His contributions to the art world have been widely recognized, and he has served three terms as the Chairman of the Taiwan Ink Painting Association, the China Art Association, and the China Painting Association. In 1982, his return exhibition at the National Gallery of the National History Museum attracted a large audience, and he has held over one hundred exhibitions at home and abroad.

Hu Nian-Zu was passionate about painting from a young age, and he established his basic skills by studying "The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting" and other ancient and modern painting manuals. He followed Huang Jun-Bi's teachings for a long time and was honored as "Flying waterfalls and cloud-covered mountains, capturing the essence of Baiyuntang", thus easily earning the title of "Heir of Baiyuntang". In 1953, together with Yu Zhong-Lin and Sun Jia-Qin, he founded "Li Shui Jingshe (abode)". When the three held a joint exhibition, Hu created landscapes, Yu painted flowers and birds, as well as Sun depicted figures, earning them the title of the "Three Outstanding Artists of the Painting World." Although Hu Nian-Zu's paintings draw from his predecessors, he successfully integrated the grandeur of the Huang school and the delicacy of the Pu school to create his unique style. Advocating the preservation of the traditional spirit of brush and ink while absorbing modern concepts, he dedicated his life to the modernization of ink painting. Beyond traditional techniques, he innovated new painting methods such as splashing and imprinting, giving his style a fresh and unique edge. This work depicts the majestic scenery of Taiwan's high mountains, ancient trees, seas of clouds and waterfalls with clear and beautiful brushwork and elegant colors, reflecting his mature and unique brushstrokes even in plein air painting.

Accession Number:PT10000700