Lin Fengmian— The Art Educator

Lin Fengmian, the twentieth century pioneer of modern Chinese painting was famous for blending traditional Chinese painting style with the best Western style. He was also an important innovator in the area of Chinese art education.

Lin was born in 1900 in Mei County, Guangdong, Qing, China and displayed fascination for arts since early childhood. He went to France in a study program and was trained at the prestigious Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1923 he went to Berlin, Germany for a study tour. In 1925 he returned to China, where he became the principal of the Beiping Vocational Art School, which is at present known as Central Academy of Fine Arts.

In 1927 Lin became a member of the Committee for the National Art Education and facilitated the process of establishing the National Art College (now known as the Zhejiang College of Fine Arts). In 1928, with encouragement from Cai Yuanpei, he founded the National Academy of Art, which is presently called the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, becoming its first principal and taught western painting. In 1938 he became director of the National Art Academy, which was created by an amalgamation of the Hangzhou and Beiping art academies. Lin Fengmian was the most important contributor to the idea of shaping the development of Western art training in China. He was the father figure and taught some of the most renowned painters in 20th-century China, including Li Keran , Wu Guanzhong , and Zhao Wuji.

He also published a number of articles on the interrelation of Eastern and Western art and importance of integration of both the styles. He regularly discussed the future of Chinese painting. He earned the title of one of ‘The four Great Academy Presidents’. The works by Lin Fengmian are all available online for you to have a look at. Explore them. If you like paintings of this seminal Chinese painter, buy Lin Fengmian paintings online.

Lin’s works and life met with great tragedy. While many of his early works were destroyed by Japanese soldiers during the Sino-Japanese War, many of his later works were destroyed during Cultural Revolution. In 1966 he was targeted by the Cultural Revolution. Fearing prosecution, Lin destroyed many of his experimental works by soaking them in water and flushing the pulp through toilets. But he was nonetheless imprisoned for four years. In 1977, when the Revolution ended, he travelled to Hong Kong and was showcased in a hugely successful exhibition, the first of many successful international retrospectives of his work in the late 20th century.

Lin Fengmian lived in Hong Kong in his late years. Lin Fengmian’s works can be explored online. If you are interested to check his artworks, go online and explore them. If you like Lin Fengmian’s works, buy Lin Fengmian’s paintings online.