The 1950s witnessed the second climax of watercolor painting in China, centering in Shanghai. Fan Mingti, Li Ximing, Sheng Roujian, Zhang Chongren, Li Jianchen and many others were all famous for their watercolor works.
The third wave of watercolor painting occurred in the 1980s. During this period, with numerous watercolor painters and frequent watercolor painting exhibitions, a national watercolor painters association was founded. During this period, watercolor painting reached unprecedented popularity and success.
Jiang Zhinan: Impressions of light and shadow
Jiang Zhinan entered the field of watercolor painting in the 1990s. In 1991, his painting "Sea" was displayed at the Watercolor Paintings Exhibition inBeijingfor the first time, receiving favorable critiques. In 1992 Jiang was invited to exhibit his "Kangling Stone Tablet" in Taiwanat the First Exhibition of Works by the Renowned Mainland Watercolor Painters. His works were frequently displayed in the following years, and he gradually established his academic status in the field of Chinese watercolor painting.
As a major the art of dyeing, Jiang graduated from the Central Academy of Arts and Design. Before the advent of computers, dyed designs were executed solely by hand, using "gouache" or watercolors. This training provided Jiang with a good foundation for mastering watercolors.
Jiang's watercolors can be divided into three stages. The first stage consists mainly of sketches from daily life, where subjects include rice fields, flowers, village scenes, his wife and her cat. All though such themes may appear to be random they are all close to his heart. This stage has two characteristics: One is Jiang's respect for light (using warm colors he creates a sense of intimacy in life) and the second is his careful brushwork (Jiang uses the natural veins of objects as a medium to establish the visual order of his paintings). These concrete images transmit a certain sense of abstractness. It is this abstract quality that appears to be the real backbone of the structural logic of Jiang's pictures.
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