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Wang Rongshan
Wang Rongshan
Personal Profile
Wang Rongshan, born in 1965, is a native of Lanling County, Shandong Province. He graduated successively from the Chinese Painting Department of the College of Fine Arts at Shandong University of Technology and from Wu Jingchu’s Flower-and-Bird Painting Studio at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University. Currently, he is a member of the China Fine Brush Painting Association, Deputy Secretary-General and Director of the Flower-and-Bird Creation Studio of the China Overseas Chinese Painting Academy, a member of the Shandong Artists Association, and Deputy Director of the Flower-and-Bird Art Committee of Linyi Artists Association.
His works have been consecutively selected for and awarded in the 2nd through 10th National Flower-and-Bird Painting Exhibitions. Seven of his works have been selected for national Chinese painting exhibitions organized by the China Artists Association. His works were also included in the 6th National Academy of Painting Exhibition organized by the National Academy of Painting in 2019. Many of his pieces are collected by art galleries, museums, and memorial halls, and are included in numerous large-scale painting and calligraphy anthologies. Over twenty of his works have been published in journals such as China Culture Daily, China Calligraphy and Painting News, Art Newspaper, Xizhi Calligraphy and Painting News, and Times Art.
In 1994, his Chinese painting “Morning Dew” won the Excellence Award at the First National Youth Chinese Painting Exhibition;
In 1999, his Chinese painting “Spring Dawn in Yimeng” won the Outstanding Work Award at the National Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition “Welcoming Macao’s Return,” organized by the China Artists Association;
In 2001, his Chinese painting “Fragrant Golden Autumn” was selected for the national exhibition “Land Sentiment · Democratic Spirit,” organized by the China Artists Association;
In 2002, his Chinese painting “Rooster Announcing Dawn” won the Second Prize at the National Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition “Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the PLA,” organized by the Ministry of Culture;
In 2003, his Chinese painting “First Snow Beyond the Frontier” won the Excellence Award at the “Prosperous National Style” National Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition organized by China Calligraphy and Painting News;
In 2005, his Chinese painting “Falling Golden Leaves” was selected for the “Western Charm” National Invitational Exhibition of Masters’ Chinese Paintings, organized by the China Artists Association;
In 2007, his Chinese painting “Snowy Wilderness” won the Silver Award at the “Rendezvous with Hong Kong” National Flower-and-Bird Painting Exhibition organized by China Calligraphy and Painting News;
In 2008, his Chinese painting “Charming Shade under Banana Leaves” won the Creation Award at the 14th National Flower-and-Bird Painting Exhibition;
In 2009, his Chinese painting “Autumn Wind and Morning Dew” was selected for the 5th National Flower-and-Bird Painting Exhibition;
In 2013, his Chinese painting “Flower-and-Bird Series” won the Bronze Award at the 6th National Flower-and-Bird Painting Exhibition;
In 2014, his Chinese painting “Autumn Frost Dampened by Dew” won the Elite Award at the 7th National Flower-and-Bird Painting Exhibition;
In 2015, his Chinese painting “Morning Dew” won the Excellence Award at the 8th National Flower-and-Bird Painting Exhibition;
In 2016, his Chinese painting “Autumn Colors in the Homeland” won the Excellence Award at the 9th National Flower-and-Bird Painting Exhibition;
In 2016, his Chinese painting “Autumn Wind and Morning Dew” was selected for the “Wannian Pujiang” National Chinese Flower-and-Bird Painting Exhibition organized by the China Artists Association;
In 2017, his Chinese painting “Golden Autumn in Yimeng” won the Excellence Award at the 10th National Flower-and-Bird Painting Exhibition;
In 2017, his Chinese painting “Sentiment of the Homeland” was selected for the “Ink Hanqingzhou 2017” National Chinese Painting Exhibition organized by the China Artists Association;
In 2018, his Chinese painting “Golden Fields in May of My Hometown” was selected for the “Grand Ceremony of National Style” First National Chinese Painting Exhibition organized by the China Artists Association;
In 2018, his Chinese painting “Evening Autumn Wind” was selected for the “Ink Melting with Affection, Maritime Silk Road Dream” First National Chinese Painting Exhibition organized by the China Artists Association;
In 2019, his Chinese painting “Autumn Wind, Morning Dew, and New Fragrance” was selected for the 6th National Academy of Painting Exhibition organized by the National Academy of Painting;
In 2019, his Chinese painting “Harvest” was selected for the “Rain Flowers Everywhere” National Chinese Painting Exhibition organized by the China Artists Association.
Wang Rongshan: A Brief Discussion on Chinese Freehand Brush Painting
Chinese painting is a traditional Chinese ethnic art form with a long history and fine traditions, embodying the wisdom, character, psychology, and temperament of the Chinese nation. With its distinctive features and style, it forms a unique system in the global art world. Chinese painting emphasizes subjective perception in the use of color and ink, prioritizes emotional expression and the pursuit of artistic conception, and values the vivid expression of personal emotion and spiritual resonance. Chinese painting stands tall among world cultures due to its unique contributions. Freehand brush painting is a refined art form of literati, representing the highest, if not the sole, tradition of Chinese painting. If one seeks to distinguish between Chinese and Western painting, freehand brush painting undoubtedly embodies the quintessential spirit of the Chinese nation.
I. Understanding Freehand Brush Painting
The term “freehand brush painting” emerged during the Ming and Qing dynasties, frequently appearing in contemporary painting theories as phrases like “immediately resorting to freehand expression.” The spirit of freehand brushwork is undeniably the most important cultural and aesthetic quality of Chinese painting. The essence of freehand brush painting lies in two principles: first, it must be “written,” not “painted,” “depicted,” or “produced”—and it must be written spontaneously, not meticulously. If a work is “painted,” “depicted,” or “produced,” even if it conveys subjective “intent,” it does not qualify as freehand brush painting. Second, it must embody “intent”—not just any common subjective emotion, but rather the unique, personal “private” emotion of “this particular” painter. This is typically manifested in the treatment of imagery as “not seeking likeness in form.” Seeking likeness in form belongs to objective representation, which naturally diminishes the subjective “intent” of expression. As Ni Zan described his own bamboo paintings: “casual brushstrokes, not seeking likeness in form, expressing the transcendent spirit within my heart.” “Casual brushstrokes” refer to “writing,” while “not seeking likeness in form, expressing the transcendent spirit within my heart” refers to departing from the “real” to convey “intent.” However, in its development after the Ming dynasty, any work executed with “casual brushstrokes” and not seeking likeness in form came to be called “freehand brush painting.” Examples include figure paintings by Liang Kai, Jin Nong, and Min Zhen; landscape paintings by the Mi brothers and Shi Tao; and flower-and-bird paintings by Su Shi, Chen Chun, Xu Wei, Bada Shanren, and the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou. Freehand brush painting is a traditional Chinese painting style, contrasting with meticulous brush painting, not pursuing detailed precision but advocating simplicity of form and richness of meaning, emphasizing the spirit of the subject and the expression of personal emotion.
The terms “meticulous brush painting” and “freehand brush painting” in Chinese painting are not strictly opposing concepts; meticulous brush painting also requires freehand qualities. Chinese painting is only divided into “sparse” and “dense” styles (as per Zhang Yanyuan); using a brush on Xuan paper does not necessarily constitute freehand brush painting.
The distinction between Chinese and Western painting lies in “writing”; the future of Chinese painting also depends on “writing.” The lines in Chinese painting are alive, whereas those in Western painting are lifeless. Freehand brush painting emphasizes brushwork formed at the moment of execution; the Chinese concept of form is profoundly deep. To promote Chinese painting, we must promote “freehand brush painting.”
II. To Master Chinese Freehand Brush Painting, Calligraphy is the First Priority
As the ancients said, “Calligraphy and painting share the same origin,” highlighting the importance of calligraphy to Chinese freehand brush painting. “Same origin,” “same form,” “unity,” and “same essence” of calligraphy and painting are core terms frequently mentioned in historical calligraphy and painting culture. Calligraphy serves as a fundamental basis and element of painting technique; calligraphic brushwork is also the foundation of painting brushwork. Using calligraphic ink techniques enhances the freehand nature of Chinese painting. Calligraphy-based painting, especially freehand brush painting, breaks the “fundamental rules of painting” centered on form, dissolving the boundary between likeness (integration of form and spirit, fusion of object and self) and unlikeness (painting qi rather than form, expressing heart rather than object), thereby enriching the ink and brush expression of Chinese painting. While traditional Chinese painting is vigorously developing today, preserving its “cultural lineage” is an inviolable baseline. What deserves our attention within this “cultural lineage”? “Brush technique” is at its core. Traditional Chinese painting can absorb various simple artistic styles and concepts to gain new compositional methods, new painting subjects, and new aesthetic tastes, but the adherence to “brush technique” remains unshakable, as this concept is deeply rooted in traditional Chinese painting. As Qing dynasty painter Yun Nantian stated: “A painting must have brush and ink.” The quality of brush technique determines the grade of the painting; of course, composition and layout are also crucial for shaping the artistic conception. Even with plain ink, good brush technique can produce works of high taste, such as Huang Binhong’s焦墨 (dry ink) sketches. Naturally, while emphasizing brush technique, attention should also be paid to ink tone and compositional variation. In Bada Shanren’s works, stones and leaves are either extremely dry or extremely wet, creating a striking contrast that imbues them with vitality. Learning Chinese freehand brush painting by focusing solely on ink technique while neglecting brush technique is unacceptable. Creating Chinese paintings like woodcuts, relying merely on large blocks of contrasting ink tones, would render them unappealing. An artist’s achievement is not measured solely by the uniqueness of their artistic style but also by the cultural depth and spiritual height of their work. “Novelty” in art does not necessarily equate to culture; “novelty” must reflect the unique cultural and aesthetic values of the nation.
Song dynasty paintings highly valued brush technique and representational accuracy. Song painters generally employed running script in their brushwork. Ming dynasty painters Chen Xiangyang and Xu Wenchang primarily used cursive script, with their calligraphic lines perfectly consistent with their painted lines. After the Jiaqing reign of the Qing dynasty, due to the rise of literary archaeology and the excavation of many Qin and Han dynasty bronze inscriptions, painters employing seal script, regular script, and clerical script in painting emerged and achieved remarkable success. Masters such as Jin Nong, Zhao Zhiqian, Wu Changshuo, Huang Binhong, Qi Baishi, and Pan Tianshou all integrated calligraphy into painting.
Calligraphy and painting are closely related; in terms of line expression, they are entirely consistent. Broadly speaking, Qi Baishi’s painting emphasizes natural charm, Wu Changshuo emphasizes eccentric charm, and Pan Tianshou seeks heavy, forceful strokes. In his early years, Mr. Pan studied under Wu Changshuo, who used seal script in painting, emphasizing the metallic and stone-like quality of his works. Later, Mr. Pan studied Shi Tao and Bada Shanren, also pursuing a metallic and stone-like quality, employing brush techniques such as “leaking wall traces” and “bent hairpin strokes” to express force—styles conveniently rendered through finger painting. Additionally, because Mr. Pan mastered finger painting techniques well, he produced a large number of masterpieces. Mr. Zhu Lesan’s painting primarily employed seal script brushwork, while Mr. Wu Fuzhi used running and cursive script brushwork; differences in brush speed, rhythm, and expression naturally resulted in different painting effects. Mr. Zhu Lesan emphasized that painting freehand brush works requires carefulness. “Carefulness” means bold initial strokes followed by meticulous refinement; the combination of brushwork, planes, and dotting techniques is extremely important in Chinese freehand brush painting. In terms of artistic language, brush and ink are not only the medium but also the soul of freehand expression. The brush and ink language, evolved from the writing nature of the brush, is the vital essence through which the freehand spirit becomes the cultural and aesthetic character of the nation.
III. Cultural and Technical Concepts of Freehand Brush Painting
“Freehand” is essentially a cultural concept, yet when we put brush to Xuan paper, it becomes a very practical technical concept. However, our brush and Xuan paper cannot fully express the texture of objects, unlike Western painting. The spiritual depth of “brushwork” in freehand brush painting cannot be achieved overnight. Due to differing understandings of brush technique, each person’s expression varies, naturally resulting in different spiritual qualities of “form.” This “form” cannot be viewed as purely abstract nor purely objective. How should it be viewed? Qi Baishi said, “The wonder lies between likeness and unlikeness.” Many contemporary Western painting expressions are purely subjective, completely abandoning concrete imagery—a mode of expression foreign to Chinese painters. Consider a single stroke by Xu Gu, Bada Shanren, Shi Tao, or Qi Baishi—each is distinct. Huang Binhong’s paintings contain many strokes; can you call it one stroke? No. Huang Binhong’s paintings accumulate dots into lines and shapes; none of the forms in his paintings are representational—they are all ambiguously suggestive, including his flower-and-bird paintings. In Zhao Zhiqian’s flower-and-bird paintings, both flowers and leaves are rendered realistically, clearly resulting in a lower artistic taste compared to Huang Binhong’s works. Huang Binhong painted using Chinese philosophical concepts of yin-yang and cosmic awareness; employing this Chinese philosophical perspective naturally emphasizes spatial awareness and spiritual depth in the painting. I believe this is something all painters should consider.
Learning tradition does not mean using traditional brushwork to depict contemporary objects; learning tradition is to better transcend tradition—this holds a certain truth.
The difficulty in freehand brush painting creation lies in pursuing “intent.” If your painting lacks this intent, your brush and ink language becomes pale. Many factors contribute to the formation of style: first, comprehensive cultivation encompassing poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving; second, longevity—without a long life, it is difficult to form a mature style, as Chinese painting is an art that ripens late in life; third, solid foundational skills—only with deep roots can the foliage flourish.
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Wang Rongshan