Vigor of daily life at heart of ink artist's creation

Ren Jianguo rose to fame in the world of ink art in the 1980s with his figure paintings that depict the vitality of ordinary people's life, in the traditional gongbi style marked by meticulous brushwork.

A graduate of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, he produced several paintings that were shown at national exhibitions and collected by the National Art Museum of China, such as Our Restaurant, The Old Man and His Corn Field and Four Landscapes of Beijing, showing his progressive exploration of the method of ink paintings. His paintings over the past two decades also show a transition in Ren's creation to embrace a semi-abstract brushwork style. Still, he centers his work on common people, including the ethnic groups living in Sichuan province.

Ren's upcoming exhibition at the National Art Museum of China will review the evolution of his creation since the 1980s. It is a celebration of his commitment to ink art and to hailing the vigor of his people.