Keran Li

(b Jiangsu province, China, 1907; d Beijing, China, 1989) Chinese painter. Li Keran began to study landscape painting when he was 13. In 1923, he entered the Shanghai Art College, in 1929, he continued his study at the Hangzhou National Art College, and he had his first one-person exhibition in 1932. After the Sino-Japanese War, Li started to experiment with figure painting in ink and wash, endowing the traditional subject matter with new significance with the use of innovative technique of splashed ink. He accepted the invitation to join the Beijing National Art College as a faculty member in 1946. With his training in both traditional Chinese painting and Western art, Li’s painting style emulates the ancient Chinese tradition with rigorous contemporary oil painting techniques, making him a pioneer in merging two trends in 20th century Chinese art. In his later years, Li attracted many students and followers, who formed the “Li School” in 1980s.