Biography
Yang Jianhou (1910–1993), formerly Zan Nan and Bai Lang, courtesy name He Ye Cun Ren, was a painter and art educator of the twentieth century.
Life and work
Yang Jianhou (1910–1993), formerly known as Zan Nan and Bai Lang, with the courtesy name He Ye Cun Ren, was born in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. He was a prominent Chinese painter and art educator of the twentieth century.
In 1935 he graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at Central University, where he studied under Xu Beihong. He later served as an associate professor at Guangxi Provincial Art School and Jinling University. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China he taught at Nanjing University and at Nanjing Normal College (now Nanjing Normal University), as associate professor and professor.
He was a member of the China Democratic League, an executive member of the Jiangsu Branch of the China Artists Association, a committee member of the Jiangsu Federation of Literary and Art Circles, director of the Xu Beihong Scholarship Committee, and an advisor to the Jiangsu Chinese Painting Academy and the Jiangsu Bird-and-Flower Painting Research Association.
Art and teaching
Like his teacher Xu Beihong, Yang was a versatile painter. He excelled in traditional Chinese painting—landscapes, flowers and birds, and figures—with particular skill in plum, bamboo, cypress, and pine. He was also proficient in oil painting and exceptional in sketching. His work combined Chinese and Western strengths: lively spirit, passionate expression, and concentrated meaning.
Notable works include Flock of Geese Returning, Teacher’s Home Visit, Liberation of Nanjing, and Celebration Across the Land. In 1954 Teacher’s Home Visit was shown at the National Art Exhibition; in 1956 it won the First Prize for Oil Painting in Jiangsu. Liberation of Nanjing (1957) was collected by the Military Museum of the Chinese People and issued nationwide as a postage stamp.
He followed a realist path. Art, he held, is the unity of thought, life, and technique. Realistic art must convey vitality through form: expressing spirit through form, and harmony of form and spirit. Drawing on traditional aesthetics, he valued works that are ancient yet fresh, subtle yet profound.
He often said, “I am first an art educator, then a painter.” He published practical guides on figure painting, freehand flower-and-bird painting, illustrated-story composition, and Zheng Banqiao, and essays on drapery, Dunhuang, and linework. He treated copying, drawing from life, and creation as the essential methods for Chinese painting, and sketching as the foundation of visual art.
Critical acclaim
Your daily efforts in creation show constant progress. One day, these works will be ready for the National Art Exhibition. For figure outlines, you should use dense ink with a dry brush. Such works must be discussed collectively with peers before painting.
Yang’s greatest quality is his pursuit of excellence in art, never satisfied with the status quo. After a long day in the mines everyone was exhausted, but Yang continued organizing his sketches at night, working under the street lamps after lights out. He does not seek personal fame or gain; he only knows how to create, and creates earnestly.
As a painter, Yang Jianhou is a model in the art world; as a professor, he is an exemplar in education. He learned from nature, often sketching alone in remote mountains. His works radiate the uplifting spirit of the era.
He set an example in artistry, character, teaching, and creative work. Although he lived modestly, he frequently provided money, paper, brushes, ink, and paint to students in need. He believed his works should remain for the nation and the people.
Whether large-scale figure paintings, landscapes, flora and fauna, or small daily-life sketches, they are imbued with vivid life and a strong sense of the era. His art inherits national traditions, integrates Western scientific approaches, and fully expresses his thoughts and emotions.
He devoted most of his life selflessly to art education, burning himself to illuminate others. He often said that a teacher must pass on experience: one mind becomes a hundred minds and hands. Without personal cultivation, one cannot become a true artist.
Chronology
- 1910
Birth
Born on 19 June in Heyecun, northern suburb of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, into a family of boat-building craftsmen; childhood name Fugen.
- 1927Age 17
Wuxi Art School
Enrolled in the private Wuxi Art School, studying traditional Chinese painting under Hu Tinglu. After one year, shifted focus to Western painting.
- 1931Age 21
Central University
Admitted to the Department of Fine Arts, Central University. Studied under Xu Beihong and became his formal disciple.
- 1933Age 23
Early exhibitions
Oil paintings Ironworker and Contemplation exhibited at the Shanghai Artistic Style Society Exhibition; Ironworker featured in Art Life.
- 1935Age 25
Graduation
Graduated from Central University; employed as a drawing and anatomy instructor at the Shanghai Forensic Research Institute.
- 1936Age 26
Furen High School
Appointed at Wuxi Furen High School; compiled textbooks for Drawing and Labor classes, recognized by the Provincial Department of Education.
- 1943Age 33
Chongqing exhibition
Solo exhibition in Chongqing organized by the New Life Movement Association, presenting nearly 100 Chinese and Western paintings.
- 1947Age 37
Guangxi and Jinling
Taught at Guangxi Provincial Art School and Jinling University, Nanjing.
- 1949Age 39
New China
Created the illustrated story King Wu’s Campaign Against Zhou, the Chinese painting Building the Embankment on the Yangtze, and the oil Casting Iron. Began Flock of Geese Returning to mark the First National Political Consultative Conference.
- 1951Age 41
Nanjing University
Transferred to the Department of Fine Arts at Nanjing University. Completed the oil Third Shanghai Workers’ Uprising for Nanjing Museum.
- 1954Age 44
Teacher’s Home Visit
Created the oil Teacher’s Home Visit, exhibited at the National Art Exhibition.
- 1956Age 46
Teaching method
Compiled Chinese painting textbooks; authored essays on drapery, Dunhuang, and linework. Developed the Three Rings, Five Sections teaching method. Teacher’s Home Visit won First Prize in Oil Painting in Jiangsu.
- 1957Age 47
Liberation of Nanjing
Oil painting Liberation of Nanjing acquired by the Military Museum of the Chinese People; its sketch used by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications for the August 1 commemorative stamp.
- 1962Age 52
Huaihai painting
Completed Millions of People Support the Frontline, now in the Huaihai Campaign Memorial Hall; wrote on Zheng Banqiao’s artistic achievements.
- 1979Age 69
Nanjing Calligraphy and Painting Academy
Appointed special artist at Nanjing Calligraphy and Painting Academy; created Cypress and Deer and Pine and Crane as state gifts.
- 1989Age 79
Eightieth-birthday exhibition
Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture, Jiangsu Artists Association, Nanjing Normal University, and Jiangsu Art Museum held a commemorative exhibition for his eightieth birthday and sixty years of artistic practice.
- 1992Age 82
State honors
Awarded the lifetime special contribution stipend by the State Council and the inaugural Literary and Art Honor Award by the Nanjing Municipal Government.
- 1993Age 83
Death
Ink Bamboo acquired by a Canadian museum. Died of heart failure on 17 July, aged 83.
References
- Editorial Committee of Dictionary of Chinese Artists, Dictionary of Chinese Artists, Modern Volume V, Hunan People’s Publishing House, 1985.
- Nanjing Municipal CPPCC Gulou Committee, Painter and Art Educator Yang Jianhou, Jiangsu Fine Arts Publishing House, 2005.
- Zuo Zhuangwei, Zhu Kui, Yang Jianhou, et al., Commemorative Publication for Yang Jianhou’s 80th Birthday / 60 Years of Artistic Practice, 1989.
- Wu Yuhua, Spirit of the Plum Blossom, Timeless Art, Rongbaozhai, May 2018.