He Jianguo

He Jianguo (Chinese: 何建国，梨花书屋主人, 1951–2021) is a contemporary Chinese idiosyncratic. He Jianguo is regarded as a twentieth-century artist who is continuing the literati tradition. His brushstrokes and calligraphy are unorthodox and he has no fear of turning his back on traditional methods. He draws heavily on traditional subjects, but offers his own interpretation and takes joy in depicting typical Beijing scenes and the life of his family and friends. As a strong based on Chinese ink artist, he studied privately with many Chinese calligraphy top masters for traditional techniques. In the meanwhile the freedom expressed in his works can be seen as the direct result of not having endured a restrictive art school education.

He seeks to unite the scholaramateur aesthetic, Chinese brush work and certain compositional principle interest in Formalism. Being a great fan of artists such as Matisse, Picasso, Cézanne and Kandinsky, He Jianguo uses principles of rhythm to compose his paintings and grid like structure to order the picture surface.

Ink painters are generally labelled conservative, irrespective of their work, because they do not sever ties with Chinese tradition. He Jianguo is not part of the 'avant-garde' but he is one of the few ink painters who are working creatively with what in lesser hands is a stultifying tradition. He seeks to achieve a union of Chinese and Western artistic languages that is relevant to themselves.