Modern Ink: The Art of Huang Binhong [Mīkstie vāki]

"Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, Huang Binhong strove with steady passion to re-energize China's artistic tradition. Yet even as he believed that only through a solid foundation in time-honored brush-and-ink techniques could artists breathe new life into their cultural heritage, he also foresaw a profoundly interconnected world where the borders between Eastern art and Western art dissolved. This monograph, the fourth in the Modern Ink series, brings together the work of eight scholars in both East and West to explore Huang Binhong's life-long journey from his early mastery of classical methods to the transformative innovations of his later years. Widely esteemed as a major modern master within China, he has commanded relatively little attention elsewhere-an unwarranted gap which this volume seeks to remedy"--

Huang Binhong (1865–1955), a key twentieth-century artist and art historian, produced distinctive floral works and the rare figure painting but focused intently on landscapes. Influenced by early masters, he also studied nature directly. Near the end of his life, despite seriously compromised eyesight, he used rich and dark “burnt” ink to create sublime masterpieces that bridge representation and abstraction. Modern Ink: The Art of Huang Binhong demonstrates how nature, art historical erudition, a finely tuned compositional sense, and an appreciation for rich and even tonality—derived from epigraphic rubbings—come together in this consummate painter’s late, great landscapes. In addition, the book examines his work in other genres as well as the role of his extraordinary vision as a major force behind the persistence of traditional values in contemporary Chinese ink art.