A hot passion for cold reality

An exhibition will provide some cold comfort, literally, against the capital's summer heat with its depictions of snowy landscapes. The Art Museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy is currently hosting Incredible Xiaoke, until Sunday, to commemorate Li Xiaoke, a shuimo ink-water artist who died in April in Beijing at 76. He developed a passion for depicting snowy landscapes in a career spanning four decades.

The works on display show Beijing, where Li was brought up and lived most of his life; the Tibet autonomous region, which he traveled to every year since the late 1980s; and Huangshan Mountain in Anhui province, known for its spectacular views.

The exhibition highlights not only the purity and serenity of nature, but also pays tribute to an artist who was devoted to creation, and who was down-to-earth and happy with a low-profile and modest lifestyle, according to Wu Hongliang, head of Beijing Fine Art Academy.

Li was a son of Li Keran, one of the preeminent ink masters of 20th century China. He spent years accompanying his father on his travels and attending social events. After Li Keran died, Li Xiaoke helped his mother, Zou Peizhu, a sculptor in her own right, further study and preserve his father's legacy.

Meanwhile, Li Xiaoke endeavored to form a distinctive approach to art on his own. He also took on students to enliven the highly expressive style of the mountain-and-water paintings opened up by Li Keran.