LI ZHONG LIANG (China)

Li Zhong Liang was born in Shanghai, P.R.C. I 1944. Li Zhong Liang was influenced by the Realist artist Titian, as well as Impressionist artists, Monet and Degas.  Li paints the canals of Suzhou as well as figurative scenes of Chinese and Tibetan people.  His landscapes tend to be more impressionistic while his figures are more realistic.  Despite this difference in style, Li typically places an emphasis on light and detail.  He uses effects of light to create a mood in his paintings which have a peaceful and solitary quality about them.    

Suzhou is known as the Venice of China because of its canals, stone bridges, pagodas, and beautiful gardens.  Li captures the beauty of Suzhou and the charming houses along the canals by studying the light and reflection in each landscape.  The artist uses this technique to depict the time of day in addition to the season.  Although Li does not use the typical Impressionist technique of impasto or accentuated brushwork, his paintings are characteristic of Impressionism in many other ways.  The quality of light and glass like reflections he values so highly, his contemporary scenes, and his unusual visual perspectives can all be attributed to the Impressionist movement.

Li is intrigued by the facial features of people, specifically women, and the activities of everyday life in China.  He portrays each individual with detail and precision, bringing the figure to life.  Using the methods of under-painting and glazing Li is able to create depth and dimension within the composition.  These techniques are reminiscent of Classical Realism.  Li illustrates the culture and lifestyle of each figure through his or her skin, which ranges from pale and pristine to leathery and sun baked.  He has a talent for depicting fabrics such as kimonos, silks and furs as well as drapery.  The meticulous and delicate quality with which Li renders surfaces and materials is remarkable.

It is his ability to capture light, detail and the essence of each figure that sets Li Zhong Liang apart from his contemporaries.  Instead of resisting the art of the past, Li embraces it, referencing classical techniques and integrating themes from Impressionism and Realism into his works.  By merging methods of the past with present day subjects Li creates paintings that are distinct, captivating, and enchanting.

EDUCATION:

Li Zhong Liang attended the Preparatory School of Zhejiang Fine Arts Academy in 1961. He was chosen to join the oil painting department’s staff in 1965. After graduation Li Zhong Liang moved to Beijing, where he was a professional artist at the Beijing Painting Academy. Li Zhong Liang is a member of the Chinese Association of Fine Arts Worker Faculty and a member of the China Beijing Fine Arts Academy.

HONORS:

- 1984: Won Silver Medal in the Sixth National Fine Arts Works Exhibition
- 1984: Won First Prize in the Fine Arts Works Exhibition in Beijing
- 1987: Won Golden Key of the City of Santa Cruz
- Name collected in the Chinese Fine Arts Workers Name Dictionary

EXHIBITIONS:

- Selected for National Exhibition in Beijing ( Museum Collected), 1972
- Selected for Contemporaries Exhibition in Beijing, 1980
- Selected for Chinese Contemporary Painting Exhibition in New York, 1981
- Selected for British Broadcast Company 100th Anniversary Celebration Exhibition in Britain, 1982
- Selected for Beijing Artists Works Exhibition
- Selected for Chinese Dancing Art Exhibition in Sweden
- Selected for Chinese Fine Arts Works Exhibition in Zaire, Congo, 1983
- Selected for the Sixth National Fine Arts Works Exhibition in Beijing, 1984
- Selected for Beijing Fine Arts Works Exhibition in Beijing
- Selected for Chinese Contemporary Oil Paintings Exhibition in Beijing, 1985
- Selected for the Second Exhibition of Fine Arts
- Selected for Chinese Oil Painting Exhibition
- Selected for the Third Exhibition of Fine Arts, 1986
- Selected for World Exhibition of Contemporary Works of Arts of the Recent Three Years in India
- Selected for Exhibition in Cosmos Club, Washington, 1987
- Selected for Exhibition in Santa Cruz, California
- Selected for Exhibition of the Contemporary Paintings from The People’s Republic of China in Toronto, Canada
- Since 1994 several paintings have been auctioned at Christie's Auction House in Hong Kong and Taipei
- Exhibition at Chetkin Gallery, Red Bank, New Jersey, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2004

MUSEUM COLLECTIONS:

- The Chinese National Fine Art Museum, has collected four paintings by Li Zhong Liang between 1972 and 1985
- Museum of Chinese Military History
- Museum of Japan, Temple of Confucius, Nagasaki

PRIVATE COLLECTIONS:

Many Company Executives, Bankers and Ambassadors of Japan, Hong Kong, England, Germany, Australia, Switzerland, U.S.A. and China.

(Please contact the gallery for additional works available.)