Li Keran: the painter who surpassed
the present century
Li Keran's accomplishments in landscape painting may be regarded as a bridge that has led Chinese paitning to step from the past to the step from the past to the present. Through his portrayals of actual scenes , the deteriorating tradition of Chinese painting since the ming and Qing dyansties, which were deprived of any period spirit, had finally been wiped away.
The most significant features of Li Keran's paintings is that he was fond of portraying from life and, technically, his paintings are noted for 'Full composition', 'black ink tone' and 'archaic resonance'. His paintings depict the mountains, rivers and land of the comtemporary period, on which the Chinese race lives. His mastery of brush work and ink is also imbued with a sense of the contemporary. The figures in his paintings are not the ancient people holding a staff, which lack any period significance. His landscape painting portrays the landscape which modern people observe in their daily life, which is different from the imaginative landscape of the past.
The works collected in this album were selected by the artist himself, which represent the spirit of his art.
Li keran will be of great interest to collectors and students of ink painting, and to all those who love Chinese art.