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At the end of the 19th century, the Chinese nation and culture faced a crisis of survival and extinction together. How to survive and develop has become the focus of the top talented individuals in modern China. The nearly century long debate between Chinese and Western cultures and the modernization of Chinese art has not yet ended. In summary, in addition to the confrontation between "sticking to tradition" and "complete Westernization", it is to transform Chinese culture with Western concepts and methods; Or take Chinese culture as the main body and absorb the nutrients of other cultures to seek the regeneration of Chinese culture.

As far as Chinese painting is concerned, the efforts of modern painters on these two paths have indeed resulted in many extraordinary achievements. From the Opium War to the mid-20th century, among the top Chinese ink painters, Ren Bonian, Wu Changshuo, Huang Binhong, and Qi Baishi were figures who emerged from the traditional category of literati painting, revived and weakened, and opened up new paths; Xu Beihong, Li Keran, and Lin Fengmian belong to the painters who transformed Chinese painting with Western concepts and methods, and pioneered the trend.

Of course, this rough classification is only for the convenience of discussion and cognition, and cannot be made into an absolute binary. For example, Ren Bonian undoubtedly also accepted the influence of Western culture; The remarkable knowledge and persistence of Xu, Li, and Lin in their national artistic style are even more admirable. In fact, the exchange of art between China and foreign countries has a long history; Especially in modern times, the westward trend has spread to the east, directly influenced by the West, with only varying degrees. And every independently created great painter is a "special" and cannot be compared.

Fu Baoshi, who was active in the first half of the 20th century, was a great painter who was difficult to regulate in both categories. On the one hand, he has a strong belief in the subjectivity of national art, but at the same time, he carefully adopts some foreign art and methods; On the one hand, he developed Chinese literati painting, but at the same time, he lamented the demise of artistic life after the "sectization" of literati painting; On the one hand, he devoted his entire life to studying Chinese calligraphy, painting, seal carving, and art history, and borrowed methods from foreign art and academic research such as Japanese painting, watercolor, and sketching while studying abroad. He is not like Wu Changshuo and Huang Binhong, who crawl and comb their hair in ancient traditions, and finally turn decay into magic; It's not like Xu Beihong and Lin Fengmian, who have mastered the sharp tools of the West, transplanted flowers and trees, and created a unique style. Fu Baoshi set another example between the two.

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Fu Baoshi, originally named Changsheng, changed his name to Ruilin in the fourth grade of junior high school. At the age of eighteen, he studied at the First Normal School of Jiangxi Province and began art creation and research. He became the owner of the Baoshi Studio, Fu Baoshi. Born on October 5, 1904 (August of the 30th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty) in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, with ancestral roots in Zhangtang Village, Xinyu County. He passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage on September 29, 1965 at his residence in Nanjing, at the age of 62.

Fu Baoshi's father was an orphan who worked as a long-term laborer in the countryside. Due to lung disease, he couldn't bear the heavy workload and went to Nanchang to make a living by supplementing umbrellas. mother is a runaway child bride. They had seven children, but their livelihood was difficult. Six of them died young one after another, and Fu Baoshi was the only remaining seventh. In his childhood, His father has passed away and became a second-generation orphan, relying solely on his widowed mother to provide umbrellas and laundry to make a living. At the age of seven, he entered a private school, and at the age of twelve, he became an apprentice at a porcelain shop. His neighbor's framing and engraving shop sparked his initial interest in calligraphy, painting, and seal cutting, and he began self-learning. At the age of fourteen, a fellow villager provided financial support to attend the First Normal School Affiliated to Jiangxi Province. Graduates from primary and secondary schools are recommended to enter normal schools due to excellent academic performance. At the age of 22, he had already written his first work "Overview of the Origin and Development of Traditional Chinese Painting".

Graduated from the Art Department of Normal University at the age of 23 and stayed on as a teacher. At the age of 26, he completed his first art history monograph "Outline of the Changes in Chinese Painting" (published in 1931). This outstanding young man finally had a turning point and received praise and recommendation from Xu Beihong. In 1932, he studied in Japan at the public expense of Jiangxi Province. According to the accounts of Heroes of Yanchu and Zhuoro Kanhara [4], Fu Baoshi was already familiar with the great master of Japanese Eastern art research, Sugo Kanhara, and admired him greatly. He wrote a letter to seek advice and was well received. Fu Baoshi then studied at the Research Department of the Tokyo Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, under the guidance of Dr. Sugo Kinabara, who studied art history and theory; Mr. Peng Chun and others from Yamaguchi studied Japanese painting; Mr. Qingshui Duojia studied sculpture. Fu Baoshi is diligent and hardworking in Japan, which is beyond the reach of others. Over the course of three years,  translated the Japanese works "Wang Mojie" by Meize Hexuan and "Paintings of Tang and Song Dynasties" by Sugo Jin; Compiled "Theory of Chinese Painting"; In May 1935, a solo exhibition of calligraphy, painting, and seal cutting was held in Tokyo. A group of his calligraphy and painting works, photos, and books left behind in Tokyo were donated by the Kinwon family to the Musashino University of Fine Arts Museum, which was upgraded from the former Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, after the death of Shogo Kinwon (1958, 69 years old), and are still preserved to this day. But his family letters written in Japan were burned during the Cultural Revolution.

In July 1935, Fu Baoshi returned to China after completing his studies and taught at the Department of Art at Nanjing Central University until his death in 1965. The hardships of life cannot hinder his spiritual creativity. Over the past thirty years, Fu Baoshi has devoted his last drop of effort in teaching, research, writing, tourism sketching, and unremitting painting creation, leaving behind an extremely precious and rich artistic heritage in the world.

Fu Baoshi married Ms. Luo Shihui in 1930. In many memories and commemorative texts, we know that Mrs. Fu has worked hard for decades and supported the great artist's creation. Her achievements will be forever remembered by future generations in Fu Baoshi's art.

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Having spent the first half of his difficult and bleak life, returning to China at the age of 32 happened to be the starting point for the second half of Fu Baoshi's life. The different stages of the subsequent changes in time and space are closely related to Fu Baoshi's artistic style and achievements. The first stage lasted for four years from Japan's return to Nanjing to the entry into Sichuan during the Anti Japanese War. The focus of Fu Baoshi's academic research is on the painter Shi Tao, the history of landscape painting, and the exchange of Chinese and foreign art. During this period, the paintings had not yet established a unique style, and the limited works we could see were mostly deeply influenced by painters such as Shi Tao during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The second stage lasted for seven years from entering Sichuan to returning to Nanjing in 1946. The mountains and plants in Sichuan have particularly inspired this artistic genius. Throughout history, landscape painters have had inspiring "holy sites", such as Fan Kuan's Zhongnan and Taihua; Huang Zijiu's Fuchun River; Meiqing's Mount Huangshan, etc. Sichuan is a place where Fu Baoshi enlightened the natural charm. He once said, "If those who paint landscapes in Sichuan are not moved, they have truly let down the scenery in Sichuan." He also said, "The place I often run around Jingangpo for dozens of miles is truly a beautiful scenery that cannot be described. Every blade of grass, every tree, every hill, and every valley is a fan of painting. Smoke cages and mist locks, vast and magnificent, this realm is something that people who indulge in the southeast cannot dare not have." [8] His works, which are signed as "Chongqing" or "Dongchuan Jingangpo", are the most important masterpieces of his life. Part one.

After the age of 43, returning to Nanjing for ten years is the third stage. Fu Baoshi's creation has shifted towards a deeper inner level, mostly consisting of historical figures, ancient poetry, and landscape works that originate from his own imagination. This is another part of his lifelong masterpiece.

The fourth stage is the final nine years, starting from domestic travel and visits to Romania, Czechoslovakia, and other countries in 1957. During this period, there were five trips to Hunan, more than ten cities in six provinces in China (covering 23000 miles), Northeast China, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi for sketching. During this stage, Fu Baoshi's writing style underwent significant changes compared to before. Due to the reduction of imagination and fabrication, facing realistic scenes, the techniques are more diverse, while the depth of subjective introspection and strong poetic sentiment are relatively weak.

Unfortunately, after experiencing and practicing in the fourth stage, if Fu Baoshi could have another 20-30 years like Qi Baishi and Huang Binhong, he would be able to create another peak; But Fu Baoshi passed away at the age of 62 in his prime. For the past 150 years, most of the first-class Chinese painters, except for Ren Bonian and Xu Beihong, have lived very long, and even there are many painters who have not yet reached the pinnacle of art by the 1980s. Fu Baoshi originally had high blood pressure, and he was always afraid of taking a boat, and even more so, he was afraid of taking a plane. The decoration of Shanghai Airport had to be done by a great painter! It is still heartbreaking to think of such a national treasure level artist who fell ill and went to work on a plane, 37 years later.

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Fu Baoshi is a painter, but he has a profound understanding of art history and theory, making him a typical scholar. It is precisely because of his profound research in history and theory that he has created his own unique painting style. His extremely strong national self-esteem gave him a strong sense of mission in an era of national decline and cultural decline. He looked at the present and the past, and thus, the study of history became the first project of his grand wish to revitalize Chinese culture. He said, "I am quite obsessed with history... I never feel tired of studying art history and painting history, perhaps because of this obsession. Therefore, the size of my brushes often preserves a strong historical flavor." [10] It can be said that the formation of Fu Baoshi's painting style is closely related to his understanding and judgment of Chinese art history. In carrying forward and criticizing the history of painting, he established his own view of painting, so that he can draw essence as well as lessons in creation. From the age of 22 when he wrote "A Brief Account of the Origin and Development of Traditional Chinese Painting" to 1962 when he wrote "On Zheng Banqiao", he wrote, translated, and edited continuously for several decades, and there were also many individual texts. According to his wife, only one-third of his entire works are currently included in the "Fu Baoshi Art Collection", so his writing throughout his life should be around two million words, which is a considerable amount of works. What is particularly admirable is his unique insight and superb historical knowledge. He once said, "I am most interested in two periods in the history of Chinese painting, the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Six Dynasties, and the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The former starts from studying Gu Kaizhi and overlooks the Six Dynasties, while the latter starts from studying Shi Tao and expands up and down to Longwan in the Ming Dynasty and Qianjia in the Qing Dynasty. For the past decade, the hard work I have put into these two great artists is quite comforting to me personally. The Eastern Jin Dynasty was the hub of the great transformation of Chinese painting, and the Ming and Qing Dynasties were the era of Chinese painting with beautiful flowers and full moon. These two eras revolve in my mind, so the subject matter of my work can mostly be attributed to these two periods." One of the eras

Fu Baoshi studied Gu Kaizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and learned from his research in "The Record of Painting Yuntai Mountain" that "Gu Kaizhi was not only an outstanding figure painter, but also a landscape painter" [12], thus overturning the belief that landscape painting originated from the Tang Dynasty, the Six Dynasties, the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and more than a thousand years ago, and suggesting that it should be traced back to the Han and Wei dynasties. And the admiration for Gu Kaizhi's artistic views such as "moving to the wonderful" is just like his appreciation and admiration for Shi Tao's famous sayings of "writing with the times" and "searching for unique peaks to draft". Fu Baoshi's research in the field of painting history not only contributed his insights academically, but also established his own artistic views and methodology in creation. It is also a part of Fu Baoshi's creative inspiration and source of themes. This is the intersection of learning and talent, which is far beyond the reach of other painters. Due to his deep understanding of historical figures, sympathy for the ancients, and the support and embrace of the ancients, he is not on par with ordinary painters who paint beautiful women like Gao Shi.

In the preface to the Chongqing Renwu Painting Exhibition, it is mentioned that his creative themes come from four sources: (1) extracting nature; （2） Poetry into painting; （3） Historical facts; （4） Copying ancient people. The article was written in 1942. In fact, when I look at Fu Baoshi's paintings, there is also a fifth type that is "expressing one's emotions directly and spitting out blocks". This comes entirely from imagination and emotion. Of course, it can also be said that Fu Baoshi's most outstanding works, regardless of any one of the four, have a fifth element in them. Even when writing about historical figures, they are still expressing emotions, expressing the sense of the times, or based on their own situation. And his paintings also express his "historical obsession" in the subject matter, depicting an artist who runs through ancient and modern times and integrates Taoism.

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In terms of artistic style and expressive techniques, Fu Baoshi integrates the wisdom of history (traditional achievements) into his personal creation. He is well versed in the development of history and has a unique insight into the evolution and evolution of Chinese ink painting. His "historical obsession" is truly a sense of cultural heritage and a sense of mission to sacrifice oneself for others. Specifically, Fu Baoshi aims to inherit and promote the tradition of "grand freehand brushwork" in ink painting.

In recent decades, the debate over the "concrete" and "abstract" aspects of Chinese painting has been ongoing. In fact, abstractionism is just a reaction caused by the long-standing tradition of realism in Western painting, which has become a shackle of individuality. It is highly questionable whether concreteness and abstraction should be binary opposites in painting. In the past, China did not have Western style realism, nor did it have the necessity to follow Western modern artistic ideas, let alone abstractionism, which was just a branch of Western modernism. In fact, although traditional Chinese painting does not adopt purely abstract techniques, it has always been well versed in the exquisite expression of "abstraction" in painting. The lifelike and freehand brushwork in China are the highest level of abstract expression in painting. Western abstractionism wants to remove form (image) to write (essence) about gods, thinking that gods can be independent of images. However, during the Han Dynasty, Wang Chong had already "extinguished fire and extinguished light"; During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Fan Zhen said, "Abandoning the sword is useless.". Form and spirit are not binary entities that exist in isolation. Chinese painting has transcended the paranoia of concreteness and abstraction since ancient times. From Gu Kaizhi's "writing about gods through form" and "thinking about wonderful things"; Zong Bing's "understanding the mind with the eyes" and "feeling the spirit with the eyes"; Wang Wei said, "Those who are based on form have the same appearance, and those who are spiritually changing have the same heart."; Wu Daozi completed his painting of the Jialing River over three hundred miles in a day; Su Dongpo said that Wang Wei's paintings contain poetry and despise resemblance in form; Huang Zijiu's "painting is just the meaning"; Ni Yunlin's "Yi Bi Cao Cao does not seek resemblance in form", Cha Yihuang's "Dreams of Awakening from Calligraphy and Painting", and Shi Tao's "Mountains and Rivers Encounter with the Gods and Become Traces" and "Similarity in Similarity" all advocate for the unity of form and spirit, subjectivity and objectivity. [13]

Fu Baoshi's freehand brushwork is derived from the spirit that continues to develop in this tradition. His figure paintings may seem ancient and elegant, but they are like wild grass; His landscape texturing technique may seem like a chaotic brushstroke, but it combines and extracts techniques such as cloying hemp, unraveling rope, messy firewood, cow hair, ghost face, skull, rolling clouds, axe chopping, lotus leaves, and folding bands. Almost no texturing method is not accepted and absorbed, but it is combined with the use of broken strokes and scattered edges to create the famous "Baoshi texturing".

The in-depth study and experience of art history, art theory, and painting techniques, as well as the perception of the times, can seamlessly match personal aspirations and talents, casting an artistic style that is consistent with personality. This is a rare genius in art history! We only need to look at Zhang Daqian, who admires and studies Shi Tao; But Shi Tao only provided information on falsification, plagiarism, and imitation, because his personality lacked commonalities with Shi Tao, so he could only "learn from his tracks". Fu Baoshi's profound research and research on Shi Tao's life, painting theory, and paintings, as well as his corresponding spiritual and temperament, have made Fu Baoshi a confidant of Shi Tao and thus able to "learn from his heart.". There is a world of difference between the deeds of teachers and the hearts of teachers. We can also see how many experts and painters who specialize in painting history and theory can immediately depict traditional shackles with just one stroke. The perfect combination of knowledge, insight, talent, and insight is truly remarkable!

The diligent pursuit of knowledge and art, as well as the hardships of life's ups and downs, have tempered genius. Fu Baoshi has become a great figure of his generation, which is a great achievement.

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Fu Baoshi's paintings have absorbed the essence of traditional masters, such as Ni Yunlin, Gao Kegong, Chen Hongshou, Wang Meng, Kun Can, Mei Qing, Shi Tao, Yun Nantian, Cheng Yu, Xiao Yuncong, Wu Li and other painters, who have deeply influenced him. Early landscapes were particularly inspired by Shi Tao. Studying in Japan around the age of 30, those modern Japanese painters who were influenced by Chinese ink painting also had a lot of influence on Fu Baoshi. Such as Qiaoben Guanxue, Hengshan Daguan, Xiaoshan Fang'an, Pingfu Baisui, etc. He also studied (Western) sketching seriously in Japan [14]. He himself once said, "My paintings have indeed absorbed some techniques from Japanese painting and watercolor painting. As for whether they look like Chinese painting, later generations have their own conclusions! Chinese painting cannot remain unchanged, it should absorb the advantages of Eastern painting, digest them, and use them for me!" [15] Throughout history, both at home and abroad, Fu Baoshi has borrowed from them. Because he can absorb the strengths of others with a critical attitude and integrate them, he can establish an original style controlled by his own personality power.

In terms of figure painting, it can be roughly divided into two types: historical figures and allusions; A character painting based on literary classics or poetry.

The historical figures depicted by Fu Baoshi, such as Qu Yuan, Du Fu, Tao Yuanming, Li Bai, Wang Xizhi, and the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, are all great figures with noble personalities that have been embraced in history. Their grief, anger, depression, dissatisfaction with reality, desolation and ease, as well as the indescribable sadness and heaviness in the hearts of the characters, all resonate with the painter's heart in Fu Baoshi's works. It makes one feel that he is not painting people, but rather painting the mood, expressing the fate of life, and expressing the painter's understanding and resonance with them; It makes people feel that the painter is not painting the ancients, but rather painting the typical models that they admire and admire in their own hearts. This type of character painting was only occasionally seen in the works of Gu Hongzhong, Chen Laolian, Wu Wei, Luo Pin, Ren Yi, and others in ancient times. Deep character painting often does not use overly exaggerated dramatic movements, and the expressive technique is simple, calm, and plain. The portrait of Fu Baoshi is the pinnacle of this quality, and his achievements in expressing his mood and resonance are unprecedented.

Undoubtedly, the portrait of Qu Yuan and many works based on the Nine Songs are the best portrayed character paintings by Fu Baoshi. The earliest painting of Qu Yuan was made in 1942. There is no doubt that Fu Baoshi was influenced by the painting "Qu Yuan" in the Hengshan Grand View (painted in 1898). The poet and historian Guo Moruo, who highly praised and encouraged Fu Baoshi, wrote the five act script "Qu Yuan" in 1942, and also wrote a series of research texts such as "Qu Yuan Research", and translated "Li Sao" in language style. Influenced by Guo, Fu Baoshi not only created a portrait of Qu Yuan (Guo also wrote five character ancient poems), but also created other works of Qu Yuan, such as Xiang Jun, Xiang Madam, mountain ghosts, national mourning, etc., especially the Two Xiang, which became the most important subject of his figure paintings. Qu Yuan was a member of the "anti Qin faction" at that time. During the Anti Japanese War, Fu Baoshi expressed his patriotic and anti Japanese sentiment through Qu Yuan, which also had its own historical factors. More importantly, he fully embodies the essence of Chinese figure painting, which is "vivid". Traditionally, spring silkworm silk drawing, ancient silk drawing, iron wire drawing, and orchid leaf drawing are commonly used. From Gu Kaizhi and Wu Daozi to the Ming and Qing dynasties, most of the strokes are neat and neat. The character line drawing of Fu Baoshi is difficult to classify traditionally, but it is close to hairline and iron wire. The biggest difference between him and traditional techniques is his originality, which is the strict use of freehand brushwork and the use of sharp and white lines. Seemingly sloppy and absurd, in fact, it is a means created to convey the dynamics and charm of the characters, with a high degree of omission and summarization. Because clothing patterns, hands, feet, and accessories only outline their movements without accurately depicting them, one can focus all attention on the head and face, especially the eyebrows and eyes. The most captivating aspect of Fu Baoshi's character is often the expression on his eyebrows and eyes. Taking a step closer, he transformed ancient lines into flying and messy ones, and also used many sharp and white lines. This makes Fu Baoshi's figure painting techniques similar to his landscape painting techniques, showcasing characteristics similar to music - the beauty of melody and rhythm transcends the clarity of concepts and the constraints of depiction. It is precisely those vague and indescribable forms of brush and ink that emerge with the ups and downs of spiritual rhythm, that more deeply and vividly depict the richness, complexity, and subtlety of objects. At the same time, the expression of eyebrows, eyes, and head can be more prominent under the vague and sloppy contrast of pen and ink. The creative control of painting elements such as contrast and relationship is the key to the unique creation of Fu Baoshi's characters and landscapes.

Chinese figure painting from ancient to modern times has never had such an understanding as that of Fu Baoshi. In terms of character design, especially for ancient costume figures, whether they are high-ranking scholars or beautiful women (painted by beautiful women), they have been quite "standardized" and "Tang vulgarized" in later generations, and still remain so to this day. For example, "Gao Shi" must be handsome and graceful, while "Shi Nv" is charming and delicate. The characters of Fu Baoshi are vastly different. He painted Qu Yuan and historical tragic characters, such as sick ghosts, hungry ghosts, and unjust ghosts, but he had a proud, detached, solemn, and sincere charm; He painted beautiful women, mostly resentful women, with basic shapes derived from Tang figurines and Chen Laolian; Not thin and weak, but tall and plump; And it is quaint, intelligent and personalized. Qu Yuan's Fu often referred to himself as "beautiful women and fragrant herbs", and Fu Baoshi's painting of beautiful women did not focus on beauty, but rather on something else. The most noteworthy thing is that he painted autumn winds and fallen leaves on "Madame Xiang" or "Two Xiangs Map", with patches floating down from the sky, from far to near, small in distance and large in size, almost resembling a human head. This completely adopts the camera framing method, applying the depth of field principle of the camera to the picture. In Qu Yuan's "Madame Xiang", there is a line that goes: "The emperor descended to Beizhu, and his eyes were small and sorrowful. The autumn wind was gentle, and the waves of Dongting were under the leaves of wood.". Fu Baoshi was ingenious, and on the screen, apart from the characters, only a vast expanse of blue waves could be seen; I can't see the trees, but I can see the leaves drifting. No one has ever used this method to draw fallen leaves. These falling leaves, which brush against the face and fly, add to the sense of loneliness in the autumn breeze and misty smoke. Visually, these scattered leaves enhance the creativity of the picture.

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Landscape painting is the most important part of Fu Baoshi's creation. His best figure paintings are hard to distinguish from landscape paintings, but from a personal creative perspective, his landscape paintings undoubtedly have higher achievements.

In terms of layout, he often says that the peaks of the mountains extend out of the paper or against the edges of the painting paper, so there is not much space left for the sky; Breaking the traditional pattern and forming a magnificent and overwhelming atmosphere that covers the sky and the earth. The traditional methods of dealing with smoke, clouds, and virtual reality are also commonly used by Fu Baoshi, but they are not the formulaic and stereotypical approach of the traditional school. He is more of a paper filled with mountains and trees, forming a structure of "big articles". Such as the 19th picture "Xiaoxiao Evening Rain", the 21st picture "Bitter Melon Alchemy Platform Poetry", and the 41st picture "Landscape" in the 1958 painting collection; In 1988, the 34th picture \ "Dusk Rhyme Picture", the 54th picture \ "High Mountains Ending", the 56th picture \ "Du Fu's Poetry", and the 66th picture \ "Listening to the Spring Picture" were selected. His "big block" structure has layers and veins inside, but it is also vague and ink rich. This ambiguous vein constitutes Fu Baoshi's unique texture. (text).

The weaver of this unique texture is the one who overlooks the past and present, known as the "holding stone texture". As mentioned earlier, his texturing technique integrates and utilizes various traditional texturing techniques, and is incorporated into the application of "breaking the brush and dispersing the sharp edges". Some people believe that "baoshi cun" is "using cursive writing techniques to create cun" [17]; Some people have also pointed out that "in ancient times, there were only two types of writing techniques: the center and the side, and the changes were limited. The side, when used to create a texture, was prone to stagnation. The master creatively dispersed the pen, which was actually equivalent to countless center strokes." [18]. This is very insightful. In my experience, when breaking the pen and scattering the front, there are indeed countless center forwards when lifting up, and when pressing down, there are countless center forwards and side forwards combined. The ancients only knew how to use the center and side forwards, and only knew how to use the end of the brush to half (like writing), so painting is like writing a book; Later on, the pen belly and even the pen root (near the pen stem) were used, which broke the norm of drawing like writing a book. As long as you can express different traits and interests, there are no taboos in writing, painting, wiping, pushing, pulling, pressing, clustering, rotating, and scanning, truly achieving smooth and effortless expression. As Fu Baoshi once said, "I believe that Chinese painting needs to quickly input warmth, so that rigid things gradually regain their perception before attempting to change everything about them. In other words, Chinese painting must first make it move, and only by being able to move can there be a way." [19] The diverse changes and breakthrough patterns in Fu Baoshi's texturing techniques are truly unprecedented!

However, "Bao Shi Cun" is not just a form of playing with and creating visual novelty. His understanding and research on the geological structure of landforms, mountains, and rocks are probably unprecedented, and no one has seen it before. He provided a detailed analysis of the relationship between geological structure, rock type characteristics, and texturing methods in his 1957 book "Writing Mountain Essentials" compiled and published based on the Japanese author Takashima Hokkaido. This book has many of his own experiences and insights, so it is more appropriate to be called a compilation. After reading this book and looking back at Fu Baoshi's paintings, I was surprised to see that he could combine rigorous rational understanding with a gust of emotion like a storm! Just as his talent for meticulous study and creation of art history and theory can seamlessly blend into an artistic style, we see a classical yet romantic genius.

Fu Baoshi inherited the emphasis of literati painting on lines, believing that strong colors would not be tolerated by heavy lines. However, his colors are vastly different from traditional standardization and lack of tone. The color complements the charm of brushstrokes and also sets the tone of the work. He often has a new perspective in the use of colors, adding ink to the colors and rendering them extensively, creating a vast and profound atmosphere with a unique style.

Breaking the pen and scattering the sharp edges, the lines come from the tip, as thin as a hairline; Those who come from the belly and root of the brush have flying white and block like scratches or rough linear shapes. His handwriting and lines can be described as extremely varied and inexplicable. By subduing and compiling these chaotic and complex pens and lines, they become "textere" (i.e. "texture" in the previous text), displaying layers and generating vitality, it depends on rendering. In Fu Baoshi's landscape techniques, the art of rendering is also a major feature. In the early days, some people mocked it with "Japanese painting" and "watercolor painting", which is also known as this. Fu Baoshi expressed his sadness and disdain for refuting this, believing that the "sectization" of traditional literati painting, which inherited the legacy of predecessors, lacks local and contemporary characteristics, and even Japanese people look down upon it. Wu Beiqiu, Tang Dingzhi, Pu Xinshe, Zhang Daqian, Hu Peiheng, and others all make a living through traditional means. Japanese painters have absorbed Chinese painting and most of them have "become their own faces". "Their methods and materials are mostly ancient Chinese methods, especially rendering, which are all methods of the Song Dynasty." From the perspective of painting methods, adopting Japanese methods cannot be said to be Japanese painting. "[20]. This can be said to be a loss of art and a pursuit of the wilderness (Japan). In fact, in terms of accepting the influence of Japanese painting, Fu Baoshi and Lingnan painter Gao Shikunzhong have vastly different interests. The implicit digestion of foreign cultures and the imitation of superficial images also differ in depth.

The extensive use of heavy rendering methods unifies lines, textures, and points into surfaces and volumes. The most obvious appearance of Fu Baoshi's landscape paintings is a seamless integration, transforming and breaking through the common problems of traditional Chinese landscape trivialities and stacking. The atmosphere is also created due to the superb rendering techniques.

From structure to brushstroke techniques, all efforts are made to express the painter's thoughts and emotions, the imagery conveyed by these thoughts, and the realm conveyed by these imagery. All the top artists from ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad, have created their own independent works of art, regardless of the theme they use and the different techniques they use. Because behind their works lies the author's personality and spirit, many of their works must have certain common characteristics, expressing their feelings and attitudes towards the universe and life. Fu Baoshi is no exception. In his thousands of works throughout his life, there were differences in themes and techniques. In terms of landscape painting, the vastness of Sichuan and the grandeur of the Three Gorges; The rustling autumn, the flourishing spring willows Of course, they are different from each other, but first rate artists are not satisfied with depicting mountain shaped landscapes or spring flowers and autumn moons. Instead, they use the characteristics of objects to shape images, manage artistic conception, express their feelings, embrace them, and even unleash their imagination and passion.

Overall, Fu Baoshi's landscape paintings depict the vastness, darkness, grandeur, and danger of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers, as well as the loneliness, helplessness, and grandeur of people who suddenly feel like drifting dust. They also depict the heart wrenching bitterness and sadness\ The two lines of Chen Ziang's poetry, "Reciting the leisurely beauty of heaven and earth, and shedding tears alone, are incomparable.". He had already demonstrated his mature style during his time at King Kong Poe; It can even be said that his most representative works, regardless of landscape characters, were completed before the age of 50. The last decade of his life was just a continuation of this style and a transformation in different historical environments. As far as his most important landscape works are concerned, his personified landscapes, the valleys containing the painter's personal emotions, the boundless mountains and lush vegetation that burst with his passion and passion, the dark wind and rain, are the long songs triggered by the painter's movement in nature, and the tragic scenes presented by the charm of mountains and rivers when the painter's soul is summoned. He carved a seal with the phrase "speaking on behalf of mountains and rivers" by Shi Tao, and in fact, it can be said that he expressed his own feelings based on the theme of mountains and rivers. When it comes to the poetic realm of Chinese landscape painting, he said, "Reading the works of Ni Yunlin, Wu Zhonggui, the Eight Great Masters, and Shi Tao is nothing more than a lamentable melody from the depths of the cold night in the mountains." [21] This sentence, not to mention what Zhang Daqian and Hu Peiheng have in their hearts, even Huang Binhong cannot express. Among the landscape painters of the 20th century, Fu Baoshi was the most prominent one who integrated strong personal emotions, outlook on life, and the universe into the concept of landscape painting.

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In the 150 years of modern times, the mountains and waters that have climbed to the summit have each had their own unique features. I thought Huang Binhong's characteristic was "accumulation", Lin Fengmian was "purification", Li Keran was "construction", and Fu Baoshi was "explosion".

Fu Baoshi had a bumpy background, was impoverished and cramped, and was restless. However, he had great ambitions and never relaxed his pursuit of art throughout his life. Moreover, their emotions are passionate, loving their nation, country, history and culture, friends, students, and family and children. This passionate person, however, due to his love for knowledge and art, has been living for many years and has made great efforts in the history, theory, and techniques of Chinese painting, especially in the study of Shi Tao. The test of life and the cultivation of knowledge have prepared abundant fuel for the fire of genius. During the Anti Japanese War and the national crisis in Sichuan, the spiritual energy of the mountains and rivers in Sichuan triggered his inner passion and finally erupted into a raging fire. According to his close relatives, friends, and students, we know that after pondering and pondering on his paintings, he quickly painted and scanned like a lightning bolt. He once self mocked himself as a "ghost symbol" [23]. In fact, the outbreak of passion is like the possession of a deity. His paintings are the crystallization of talent, enthusiasm, passion, knowledge, poetry, wine and the essence of nature.

Fu Baoshi's best paintings come from the imagery that emerges from the depths of his heart. Although natural observation and reference from predecessors cannot be lacking, when he absorbs everything, he must create behind closed doors, allowing the majestic energy of his mind to be released on the canvas. He is not a landscape painter, but skilled at creating landscapes. He traveled several times to sketch from life, but failed to produce works that were comparable to his imagined creations. He is exactly the opposite of Li Keran. Li created and completed his best masterpiece in sketching; In his later years, due to heart disease, Fu was unable to travel long distances to sketch, so he had to close his door and use his imagination to paint. But painters who are good at depicting landscapes will not be as active as fish in water once they lose the opportunity to face nature. Because his construction requires realistic and natural materials. These two people are exactly two opposite examples. However, saying that Fu Baoshi is not a sketchist does not mean that his sketching is not good enough. We can see that his sketches and paintings with Czech titles such as "Da Teda Mountain" and "Prague" are still among the best. Because Fu Baoshi's paintbrushes are closely connected to literature and history, his painstakingly imaginative creations can best express the depth of art. His paintings have profound humanistic connotations, touching poetic sentiments, and charming techniques, thus having endless meanings beyond his paintings. In the latter part of his 1940 article "A Study of the History of Chinese Painting in Landscape, Freehand Painting, and Ink Painting", he talked about the various masters of the late Ming Dynasty, saying: "Because they were all painters who had experienced the pain of national downfall, they had no interest outside of mountains and rivers; there was no sustenance outside of poetry and wine; and apart from Tian and Ye Lao, there was no ignorance and understanding. With high character, ink and brush naturally created a desperate situation. However, their profound meaning was beyond ink and brush." [24] This can be seen as his own life and artistic situation.

Fu Baoshi is not only a first-class painter in 20th century China, but also a world-class painter. In the history of Chinese painting, he is also a genius artist that can only be seen for hundreds of years.

Note:

[1] He Huaishuo: "On Fu Baoshi", in "Huaishuo's Three Treatises" in "The Master's Mind - On Modern Chinese Painters". Published by Taipei Lixu Culture Co., Ltd. in 1998.

[2] "Observations on the History of Traditional Chinese Painting since the Republic of China", can be found in the "Collected Works of Fu Baoshi's Fine Arts".

[3] Zheng Li: "Xu Beihong Chronology" 1942 entry: "I discovered the art genius Fu Baoshi in Nanchang. In order to encourage Fu Baoshi to study abroad, I visited the Chairman of Jiangxi Province, Xiong Shihui." See "Xu Beihong's Story".

[4] Yanchu Hero is an honorary professor at Musashino University of Fine Arts and a former classmate of Fu Baoshi who studied in Japan. There are errors in the year Fu Baoshi went to Japan and returned to his home country in the writings of Zhuo Lang Jin Yuan. It should be based on Ye Zonghao's "Fu Baoshi Chronology" ("Fu Baoshi Art Collection"), which states that he went to Japan in 1932 and returned to China in 1935. Both articles were published in the "Commemorative Collection of the 20th Anniversary of the Death of Mr. Fu Baoshi" (hereinafter referred to as the "Commemorative Collection").

[5] Akihara Zhuoro: "Mr. Fu Baoshi and Akihara Shogo", see "Commemorative Collection".

[6] Luo Shihui: "The past is like yesterday", see "Commemorative Collection".

[7] There is no detailed biography of Fu Baoshi's life yet. The fragments known now are scattered in the commemorative collection. Among them, the "Fu Baoshi Chronology" written by Ye Zonghao is the most important reference material, but unfortunately it is too omitted.

[8] "Preface to the Chongqing Renwu Painting Exhibition" can be found in the "Collected Works of Fu Baoshi's Fine Arts".

[9] Qin Yifu: "Recalling Mr. Fu Baoshi", see "Commemorative Collection".

[10] Same note [8].

[11] Same note [8].

[12] "Research on the History of Ancient Chinese Landscape Painting" can be found in the "Collected Works of Fu Baoshi's Fine Arts".

[13] The above quotation mainly comes from Fu Baoshi's article "Investigation of the History of Chinese Painting in Landscape, Freehand Painting, and Ink Painting". See Fu Baoshi's Art Collection.

[14] Same note [9].

[15] Dong Qingsheng: "Remembering the Stone hugging Master", see "Commemorative Collection".

[16] Guo Moruo's research on Qu Yuan can be found in "Historical Figures" and "Collected Works of Pu Jian".

[17] Huang Miaozi: "Forever Remembered", see "Commemorative Collection".

[18] Shen Zuoyao: "The Edge of Art, Far and High", in "Commemorative Collection".

[19] See Fu Baoshi's Art Collection.

[20] This only elaborates on the main idea of the original text. Please refer to Fu Baoshi's Collection of Fine Arts for details.

[21] Same note [2].

[22] There are multiple descriptions in this regard in the commemorative collection. In addition, there are several pages of inscriptions and postscripts in "Fu Baoshi's Fan Collection", in which Fu Baoshi writes about his worries, thoughts, and prayers for his eldest daughter Yishan, who is sick and hospitalized. It is deeply moving to love and pity weak women to this extent.

[23] Zhang Wenjun: "Remembering You, Learning from You", see "Commemorative Collection".

[24] Same note [13].