Ren Weiyin: China's Master Post-Impressionist Forced to Repair Shoes 17 Years
Discovering Ren Weiyin -- Outlawed Artist and Shoe Repairman
In Shanghai’s Tian Zi Fang district (Lane 210, no. 3, off Taikang Lu) is an unexpected jewel -- the Ren Weiyin Art Gallery, which exhibits nearly 150 paintings of one of China’s most important -- and persecuted -- artists of the 20th century. The very existence of Ren’s work is a near-miracle in itself: in 1961 the authorities of “liberated” China shut down his studio and sent him and his family to a forced labor camp. Later he was forced to repair shoes -- for 17 years. But Ren continued to paint whenever he could, producing hundreds of works. Combining western impressionism with Chinese calligraphic techniques, Ren captured what he called the “vivid human life” of 1950s-70s China with more poetic depth than perhaps any other painter of his time. Though China’s art historians have long recognized this, they have only until recently been able to discuss Ren’s work, as the authorities had made it impossible for Ren to teach or his work to be shown, sold or even discussed. Consequently, Ren Weiyin is virtually unknown in the west, and not nearly as well-known in China as he deserves. As Chinese art expert Jia Fangzhou noted: “The reappearance of Ren Weiyin should revise the history of Chinese painting. Who can be regarded as similar to him?”
In 1940-1950s China, Ren Weiyin was already very well known as an artist and writer. But in the early 1950s the authorities re-assigned him from his job as editor of China's Travel magazine to department store salesman. Ren quit in frustration a few days later and opened his own painting studio in Shanghai, almost immediately known as one of the best in China. However, in 1961 the studio was shut down and Ren and his family (wife, 3 children) were given 4 days to relocate to a notorious “Re-education Through Labor” camp where many thousands died. They were allowed to bring only what they could carry. The rest of their possessions they sold or gave away. Ren carried as many of his paintings as possible -- more than 100 kilos of rolled canvasses.
After 9 months of debilitating treatment, the family escaped back to Shanghai. They were ordered to return to the forced labor camp. At this, Ren's wife, Jiang Sho-Ching said, “In that case we shall all just die in front of you now and save you the cost of the trip.” The authorities were outraged: “How can you dare to say such things!” “Because if we return to the camp we will all die anyway, so what’s the difference?” A few days later came the authorities’ decision: the Ren family could stay in Shanghai, provided they kept their mouths shut about the camp. They were assigned a 9 sq. meter concrete room with no heat, one hanging lightbulb, one small window and a communal kitchen and bath -- their home for 20 years. Ren Weiyin was forbidden to teach, exhibit or sell his work -- it was even forbidden to be spoken of.. Instead, he was forced to be a shoe repairman -- 6 days a week, for 17 years.
The family, designated as “counter-revolutionaries” and “enemies of the people,” endured abuse, humiliation and deprivation for years. Ren was often publicly denounced and he and the family endured countless insults, often physical. Eventually he took it all philosophically: “That someone remembered to beat me down meant my existence still had value.”
Despite all, Ren, with the constant support of his family, continued to paint. . . .
Apart from Ren’s dramatic personal history, however, his paintings demand attention on their own significant merits.
Ren’s work affirms that life goes on despite ideology, that humanity endures humiliation, deprivation and hardship and yet carries with it no small amount of culture, no matter how persecuted or banned. The combinations of past and present, conviction and lightness, description and experimentation transcend time, race and nationality and make the paintings of Ren Weiyin refreshingly relevant to the contemporary eye. We’ve become inured to the garish, shocking and irreverent. It is the very reverence, the quiet but almost ecstatic embrace of the everyday, that elevates Ren’s work to the high position it occupies. Now that his work has resurfaced, the intellectual and emotional freedom Ren Weiyin insisted upon in his work is available to all. In Tian Zi Fang the Ren Weiyin Art Gallery offers an opportunity to experience a glorious record of a time, a city and a man long suppressed but never more relevant than now.
China Now - Define the Indefinable Selling Exhibition of Young Contemporary Chinese Artists
Today, to be a Chinese contemporary artist, one does not need to be a spokesperson for any political ideology. The unprecedented diversity is the nature of YCA. —--Lang Xiao and Lin Shuchuan
ARTouch Consulting is proud to launch China Now Exhibition at Gallery@OXO at London Southbank from May 11th to May 22nd, 2016. Curated by Lin Shuchuan (b.1986) from The Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts, China NOW Exhibition invites 10 leading YCAs (Young Chinese Artists) to exhibit their works in London together for the first time. Ranging from painting to sculpture and digital art, artists Chen Chenchen, Double Fly Art Centre, Feng Zhengquan, Han Jianyu, Huang Yishan, Shan Dingkai, Wu Didi, Wang Yuyang, Wu Jian’an and Zhang Quan, represent the indefinable diversity of YCAs. CLUB1985 - an international and invitation-only network for collectors and patrons who are willing to foster a greater interest and understanding of Contemporary Chinese Art, will be launched during China NOW exhibition. chinanowexhibition.com
ICS Interview with Artist Mr.Fish (Yu Nancheng)ICS《秀外慧中》专访画家于南澄2.wmv
Yu Nancheng (Mr. Fish), born in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province in 1956, is a professional artist and currently living in Shanghai. He studied painting early in his childhood and has been engaged in art creation for up to 40 years. In the last few years he broke new ground in the field of oil painting by his original artistic style.
PAINTING TECHNIQUE :
The oil is painted layer by layer.Using traditional China Red as the main element of the expression of the artistic subjects combined with different somewhat misty and faraway temporal and special backgrounds, thus presenting powerful visual impact, warmth, ardour and lasting aftertaste, drawing the admirer into their dynamic vitality.
ARTWORKS :
Nowadays there are gorgeous series in works of Taichi, New Shanghai, The Quintessence of Chinese Culture, Dancers and Flowers as well.
RELEVANT INFORMATION :
His artworks have been exhibited across China and collected in and abroad, including various art institutions and professional art collectors in different regions and countries, such as U.S.A, UK, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Japan and Middle East.He has been interviewed several times in a special TV program Show by International Channel Shanghai (ICS), and widely reported by mass media. His artworks have been exhibited on Shanghai Art Fair 2009 and 2010.
Now you may stroll and appreciate the his artworks in London (Li KaiLin Contemporary Fine Art),Brussels and Shanghai (Lobby of Shangri-la Hotel in Pudong and Nancy's Gallery in TianZiFang, on Taikang Road, one of the two celebrated artists' quarters in Shanghai).
Art Experience
2010 Shanghai Art Fair --China Red Series
2010 Collected by Wellington Gallery
2010 Solo Exhibition, Nancy's Gallery
2010 Exhibiting at Shangri-La Hotel, Shanghai
2009 Collected by Tai Wan Private Art Museum
2009 Shanghai Art Fair-- Tai Chi Series
2009 Collected by H.L.C.C
2009 Collected by YPO Members
2009 Exhibited at Li Kai Lin Gallery, Manchester
2008 Participated in the Opening Ceremony Exhibition of China Mergers & Acquisitions Associations
2008 Participated in the Point Jing'an -- Five People Joint Exhibition
2007 Solo Exhibition -- Rhythm of Life, Shanghai
ICS Interview with Artist Mr.Fish (Yu Nancheng)ICS《秀外慧中》专访画家于南澄1.wmv
Yu Nancheng (Mr. Fish), born in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province in 1956, is a professional artist and currently living in Shanghai. He studied painting early in his childhood and has been engaged in art creation for up to 40 years. In the last few years he broke new ground in the field of oil painting by his original artistic style.
PAINTING TECHNIQUE :
The oil is painted layer by layer.Using traditional China Red as the main element of the expression of the artistic subjects combined with different somewhat misty and faraway temporal and special backgrounds, thus presenting powerful visual impact, warmth, ardour and lasting aftertaste, drawing the admirer into their dynamic vitality.
ARTWORKS :
Nowadays there are gorgeous series in works of Taichi, New Shanghai, The Quintessence of Chinese Culture, Dancers and Flowers as well.
RELEVANT INFORMATION :
His artworks have been exhibited across China and collected in and abroad, including various art institutions and professional art collectors in different regions and countries, such as U.S.A, UK, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Japan and Middle East.He has been interviewed several times in a special TV program Show by International Channel Shanghai (ICS), and widely reported by mass media. His artworks have been exhibited on Shanghai Art Fair 2009 and 2010.
Now you may stroll and appreciate the his artworks in London (Li KaiLin Contemporary Fine Art),Brussels and Shanghai (Lobby of Shangri-la Hotel in Pudong and Nancy's Gallery in TianZiFang, on Taikang Road, one of the two celebrated artists' quarters in Shanghai).
Art Experience
2010 Shanghai Art Fair --China Red Series
2010 Collected by Wellington Gallery
2010 Solo Exhibition, Nancy's Gallery
2010 Exhibiting at Shangri-La Hotel, Shanghai
2009 Collected by Tai Wan Private Art Museum
2009 Shanghai Art Fair-- Tai Chi Series
2009 Collected by H.L.C.C
2009 Collected by YPO Members
2009 Exhibited at Li Kai Lin Gallery, Manchester
2008 Participated in the Opening Ceremony Exhibition of China Mergers & Acquisitions Associations
2008 Participated in the Point Jing'an -- Five People Joint Exhibition
2007 Solo Exhibition -- Rhythm of Life, Shanghai
taikang lu @Shanghai
Taikang lu in Shanghai...
Vidéo sans prétention. filmé un peu à la râche (il faisait beau, j'ai sortie la camera de ma poche).
Shanghai Expo 2010- old Shanghai Tan 1931 oil painting
Shanghai Expo 2010- old Shanghai Tan 1931 oil painting
Artists Gallery
Daily Painters International Art Gallery
Telfair Museums presents A Collectors' Evening - Courtney McNeil
Courtney McNeil, Curator of Fine Arts & Exhibitions
Sponsored by: Debbie & Asa Davis and Nancy Boyd
The Flight Into Egypt, A Night Piece
Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669)
The greatest of the Dutch Old Masters and one of the most influential artists in all of Western art history, Rembrandt van Rijn was known for his compelling paintings and for his virtuoso talent as a printmaker. Nowhere is his printmaking skill as evident as it is in The Flight Into Egypt, A Night Piece, a biblical scene depicting Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus fleeing from King Herod. This particular impression is an early impression printed with great richness, either during Rembrandt’s lifetime of shortly thereafter; Rembrandt’s original plates were widely reprinted during the centuries following his death, making early impressions such as this one highly sought after.
The Telfair’s collection of prints is nearly encyclopedic and stands as one of the highlights of the permanent collection. Although other Old Masters, such as Dürer and Piranesi, are already represented in the collection, work by Rembrandt is noticeably absent. This fine example of Rembrandt’s printmaking would fill a conspicuous gap in an otherwise excellent area of the Telfair’s collection. As the museum moves toward exhibiting permanent collection works with greater frequency, this print would be a true star in any exhibition of prints from the collection.