Observing the Growth of Life – Art by Shuyu Yin

Presented by Lipont Gallery and curated by scholar Wu Tiehan, the Observing the Growth of Life – Art by Shuyu Yin Exhibition will open on January 13, 2024. This exhibition will display over ten exquisite flower and bird ink-on-rice paper prints by Yin. The famous art critic Mr. Yongnian Xue commented: Shuyu Yin’s freehand flower and bird paintings are very good at expressing inner beauty. This kind of inner beauty is nothing more than two things: one is the touching poetic feeling of dialogue with nature, and the other is the tranquil and peaceful feelings rich in cultural accomplishment. His inheritance and development of the freehand tradition lies not only in the form of the brush and ink structure, but especially in the freehand concept and cultural spirit.

Yin was born in Hebei, China. He studied at the China Academy of Art by the West Lake, and later studied at the Central Academy of Fine Arts under Mr. Lichen Zhang, a famous contemporary flower and bird ink painter. Yin later received his master’s and doctorate degrees. After graduation, he worked at the China Academy of Art and became deeply involved in creation. He is good at freehand flowers and birds and has meticulous theoretical thinking. He is a distinctive young artist.

In addition, Yin has a unique understanding of pen and ink sketching. This exhibition is named Observing the Growth of Life based on this. Sketching in modern art education refers to sketching of objects. Sketching in ancient flower and bird history refers to “moving animals” to express the characteristics and life status of flowers and birds. Yin’s sketches have two outstanding characteristics. First, they are free and casual, without any trace of deliberate workmanship. The second is to imitate while sketching, combining imitation, and sketching into one.

In freehand flower-and-bird ink painting, it is not only inseparable from the generalization and refinement of objects, but also must be achieved through the operation of brush and ink. Sticking to the ancient schemas of refining objects will obscure individuality and fresh feelings. If you blindly use your brush and ink based on your personality without paying attention to the details of the depiction, it will also weaken the expressive power of art. Yin is not only good at expressing the most significant features of objects with concise, free and controlled brush and ink, but also notices that the various contrasting and unified relationships of brush and ink forms conform to the laws of formal beauty, just like calligraphy. Through the combination and separation of the brush that dominates the ink and the images extracted from the objects, he maximizes the “image-external meaning” and “brush-external interest” of brush and ink-like objects to write the heart.

As a representative young flower-and-bird ink painter born in the 1970s, Yin’s growth and creation in the art process are exemplary. The images of his hometown are becoming more concise and concise through the communication of brush and ink. In the traditional Based on the foundation, it shows the interest of the times. The moving part and contemporary value of Yin freehand flowers and birds lies in its creative inheritance of the essence of freehand brushwork.

Among the prints on display, four of them of flowers and birds are accompanied by poems and calligraphy by Xuefeng Yi, which complement each other interestingly.

Observing the Growth of Life – Art by Shuyu Yin
Curator: Tiehan Wu
Opening Reception: Saturday January 13th, 3-5pm

Curator Talk (in Mandarin): January 13th, 2-3pm

Exhibition: January 8 – February 29, 2024