In Florence the anthological exhibition of Chinese painter Li Fangyuan, a leading artist of the Lingnan school

From April 2 to 14, 2022, the exhibition hall of the Società delle Belle Arti - Circolo degli Artisti Casa di Dante in Florence will host the anthological exhibition Indelible Colors by Chinese painter Li Fangyuan, a leading exponent of the Lingnan School who passed away in 2018. Curated by Zhiying Li and Chunmeng Yang, organized by Società delle Belle Arti - Circolo degli Artisti Casa di Dante and Pedone Associazione per Interscambio Culturale, in collaboration with NoiBrera APS, Loris CES, Spazio Amato, Cubeart - Asociación cultural nonprofit, Qi Mei Studio, and under the patronage of the City of Florence, the exhibition presents thirty-six works by the artist through which we intend to retrace his long career, with a special focus on water collision, a technique that, thanks to water or ink poured on rice paper, allows for the creation of particular visual effects.

Inspired by the Song Dynasty and Qing Dynasty styles, Li Fangyuan was a student of Gao Jianfu and Gao Qifeng, traceable to the Lingnan school, which greatly influenced his painting style. Born in a village in Guangdong, southern China, Fangyuan has always had a solid connection with his homeland, and this is well evident in the landscapes and animal subjects so frequent in the works, the beauty of the colors, the light that illuminates naturalistic elements, the mountains, rivers and lakes that hark back to his hometown.

The landscapes, characterized by an almost muffled atmosphere, outline poetic and evocative atmospheres, where the brushstrokes convey the feeling of wind and rain. Trees, streams and lakes express the various moods of man, and the brushstrokes create harmony between black ink, color and water. A separate reflection deserves the works depicting red cottonwood and bamboo trees that seem to float in the air, supported by the wind. The landscape works depict a wide range of subjects: wind, sun, rain, dew, lush flowers; plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo and chrysanthemums express serenity and delicacy, as if caught in a state of contemplation.

Eagles, cranes and birds, peacocks and roosters, with brightly colored plumage and extraordinary expressiveness, are portrayed in the dynamic act of movement, as they leap and take flight, or motionless, surrounded by pine trees, hills and streams, embodying vigor and intelligence. Among the works in the exhibition, the viewer’s attention is caught by the painting depicting the eagle gliding, wings outstretched, intent on targeting a prey that lies at the bottom of the composition. So, too, in the work depicting a group of three fleshy-crested roosters colored vermilion red.

In Chinese painting, it is very common to intentionally leave blank spaces in paintings and white spaces; black is very recurrent color.

In 2012, Li Fangyuan’s work A Red Cotton Tree was selected by the Sun Yat-Sen Library of Guangdong Province and included in the centennial calligraphy and painting collection. In September 2008, a major solo exhibition of his work was held in the prestigious Guangzhou Art Institute in a ten-thousand-square-meter hall where more than one hundred works were exhibited.

The exhibition has free admission and is open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to noon and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Closed on Mondays.

In Florence the anthological exhibition of Chinese painter Li Fangyuan, a leading artist of the Lingnan school

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