New Thinking artworks
1978–1999
After the reform and opening up of China that started in 1978 under leader Deng Xiaoping, Chinese art developed in new ways. Artists absorbed techniques from modern Western art while at the same time appreciating and being influenced by traditional Chinese art. They broke free from purely realistic styles and were encouraged to experiment in modernist art practices. The combination of the spiritual expression of traditional Chinese paintings and the expressive and abstract notion of Western art created a dynamic new form of Chinese art during this period.
All works are from the National Art Museum of China.
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Remote Mountain, 1996
Ink and Wash, 66cm x 88cm.
Tian Liming, born in 1955, is from Hefei, Anhui province. He graduated from the Department of Chinese Traditional Art in the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1991, where he became a teacher. He is the vice-president of the Chinese National Academy of Arts, dean of the graduate school, professor and supervisor of doctoral students, and a member of the Chinese Painting Committee of the Chinese Artists Association.
In recent years, Tian has applied the traditional painting technique of using infill colour only, without outlines, to figure painting. This has resulted in a soft and delicate treatment of his subject matter in a unique style. Tian does not attempt to construct a three-dimensional effect but instead uses light and shadow to create a transparent and illusory image, blending the human figure with the environment.
Soul of Bai Mountain, 1984
Sculpture, 60cm x 94cm x 80cm.
He Zhongling, born in 1935, is from Dehui county, Jiling province. In 1964 he graduated from the Sculpture Department of Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, where he now teaches.
Towards the World, 1985
Sculpture, 32cm x 40cm x 60cm.
Tian Jinduo, born in 1932, is from Shulu, Hebei province. In 1960, he enrolled in Liu Kaiqu's postgraduate sculpture class at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. In 1963, after he graduated, he returned to Luxun Academy of Fine Arts to teach, becoming director and a professor in the Sculpture Department.
