Luo Shirong

Luo Shirong, male, Han ethnicity, master of Xizhi Pavilion, was born in Gangu, Gansu in 1945. After graduating from university, he worked at the Gangu Ink Factory in Gansu. He has a deep passion for calligraphy and painting art; his calligraphy style is inspired by the contemporary master Qi Gong. He received guidance in calligraphy from his elder brother, Luo (Luo) Shiming, a contemporary Chinese earth scientist, calligrapher, writer, and lyricist. Over the years, he has diligently studied and practiced, self-motivated and devoted to mastering the styles of numerous masters, taking ancient steles and rubbings as his teachers, rooted in tradition, and never ceasing his practice for decades. His primary focus in regular and clerical script has been on the steles and rubbings of Zhao Mengfu, Qi Gong, Liu Bingsen, and other masters, drawing nourishment from them to pursue a style characterized by simplicity, solemnity, depth, and elegance; he integrates the spirit of stele art with varied brushwork, combining round and angular strokes, employing both central and side brush techniques to express a free, elegant, and vigorous style. His written works include long scrolls such as "One Hundred Quatrains on Calligraphy by Qi Gong," "Thousand Character Text," and "Former and Latter Exhortations to the Army." His paintings mainly focus on Chinese flower-and-bird subjects, particularly excelling in orchids, bamboo, plum blossoms, and landscapes, earning him the title of "King of Orchids of Longshan." Luo Shirong is currently a council member of the China Calligraphers and Painters Association, a member of the Gansu Provincial Calligraphers Association, vice president of the Qi Gong Style Calligraphers Association of China, a permanent researcher at the Qi Gong Style Calligraphy Technique and Creation Research Institute, a specially invited painter of the Gansu Academy of Chinese Painting, a member of the China Association for Elderly Calligraphy and Painting Research, and a member of the Tianshui Association for Elderly Calligraphy and Painting Research. His works have been exhibited and awarded in numerous large-scale exhibitions both domestically and internationally, and are collected by institutions and individuals. In April 2009, the China Qi Gong Style Calligraphy Website hosted a personal online exhibition of his calligraphy and painting works. His calligraphy pieces were selected for the 3rd and 4th Gansu Provincial Calligraphy and Seal Carving Exhibitions for Middle-aged and Young Artists, the New Talent New Works Exhibition, the First Gansu Calligraphy and Seal Carving Exhibition, and the Exhibition Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Qi Gong’s Birth. His works have been published and featured in publications and websites such as China Calligraphy and Painting Daily, Gansu Culture Network, Chinese Art Network, China Qi Gong Style Calligraphy Network, Huaxia Collection Network, Huaxia No.1 County Website, and the Tianshui Daily and Evening News.