What kind of spirit does Li Keran's story show?

In 1946, another key moment in Li Keran's artistic career came when two letters of appointment reached him at the same time. One was from his alma mater, the Hangzhou National Academy of Arts, and the other was from Xu Beihong, who asked him to go to the Beiping National Academy of Arts. Keran deep affection for his alma mater, back to his alma mater to work can be his wish. The latter is more attractive, Beiping is the ancient city of Chinese culture, the Forbidden City collection of paintings, as well as Li Keran has always admired the masters Qi Baishi, Huang Binhong. In Keran's mind at the time, Beiping was almost synonymous with first-class art, so he chose to go north. At this time, Keran was 40 years old, and had already held many exhibitions and won wide acclaim from famous artists such as Xu Beihong, Guo Moruo, Tian Han, Shen Junru, etc., and had already gained a high reputation in the Chinese painting world. Shortly after arriving at Beiping, Xu Beihong introduced Li Keran to the long-desired 80-year-old Qi Baishi, expressing his desire to learn from his master. 1947 spring, Keran brought 20 paintings to see Qi Baishi for the second time, which led to a touching story.

At that time, Qi Baishi was recuperating in his recliner, and when the paintings were brought to him, he took them in hand. At first he was still half lying down to see, to see after two, he has involuntarily sat up, and then continue to see, Qi old eyes put out a bright light, with the body also stood up, while looking at the side, said: "This is the capitalization it?" Qi Baishi late years have a habit, recognize the painting does not recognize the person, after looking at the painting, he will shift his attention to the body of Keran, asked: "you are Li Keran?" Li Keran was busy agreeing. Qi old man was happy, praised: "30 years ago I saw Xu Qingteng authentic, I did not expect to see you 30 years later this young man's painting." Xu Qingteng that is Xu Wei, is the Ming dynasty famous flower and bird, landscape painter, its painting to the brush bold and unrestrained, dashing and elegant, famous for a while, the later generation also has great influence. Qi Baishi was a great admirer of Xu Wei in his life, which shows his appreciation for Keran. Then, qi said with deep meaning: "but I see your portrait is writing cursive, I want to write cursive all my life, but I'm still writing block letters ......" so, the two to paint as a bridge, and all of a sudden become very close. When Keran said goodbye, Qi old man stayed for dinner, Keran repeatedly excused, Qi old man angry, on the threshold of the Keran was about to step out of the loud said: "you go?" At this point, Qi Lao family signaled, Keran you have to listen to Qi Lao, stay. From then on, Qi Baishi and Li Keran formed an unbreakable bond.

Li Keran is very important to the worship of the teacher, that the ceremony must be solemn, so delayed for a period of time. Qi Baishi, however, could not wait, once he asked Keran: "Do you want to worship?" Li Keran said, "You have been my teacher for a long time." Qi Baishi misunderstood, depressed, from time to time to the nurse around him recited: "Li Keran this young man, he will not worship me as a teacher, his achievements, the future will be very high." These words reached Li Keran's ears, and he hurriedly went to see Qi Lao to explain the reason. Qi Lao was straight-talking and said repeatedly, "Nothing is needed, nothing is needed." Li Keran was enlightened, that day in Qi old 3rd son Qi Ziru accompanied by the disciple salute. Qi Baishi quickly stood up, help Keran up, happy, eyes are a little wet, murmured: "you ah, is a thousand generations of people which?" After that, Li Keran officially became Qi Baishi's favorite disciple, 10 years of work, as much as the essence of the art of Qi master.

Qi Baishi in his later years as a disciple of life as a great pleasure, on the Keran very highly. He once painted "Five Crabs" and gave it to Keran, with the following inscription: "In the past, Sima Xiangru's writings were rampant in the world, and now Keran's calligraphy and painting can be rampant as well." Keran drew a picture of the old man in the melon rack, painting an old man napping in the cool under the melon rack, the whole painting is elegant, outstanding. Qi Shi looked, praised, inscribed: "Keran brother painted this, as a picture of the green vine can be carried out. If the old man to make the green vine for their own, I am afraid that there is no such superb also." Also in the "rake grass resting cattle figure" on the title: "mind hand-made, worthy of the Qianjia after the rise of masters, eighty-seven years old white stone dinghai."

Keizen has a deep affection for Qi Shi, until his later years still remembered Qi Shi. He mentioned many times, "I studied painting at Mr. Qi Baishi's home for 10 years, mainly learning his creative attitude and brushwork." "The biggest lesson I learned from studying with Master Qi Baishi was that the lines should not be fast. A good line should be completely active, completely controlled, controlled to every point, to the extent of accumulating points into lines." He learned the essence of Qi Master, but not the subject matter painted. Shrimps and crabs, which often appeared in Qi's paintings, rarely appeared in Keran's paintings. When he painted "rain is also strange" is to think of qi master's "rain after the mountain", but qi baishi used point method, Li Keran borrowed watercolor and bone-less flowers in the dye method, carving is quite soft, fully depicted "such as silk, such as fog, wet people's clothes" of the south of the Yangtze River drizzle.

"Valuable courage, the soul of the desired": "courage" means to dare to break through the old, "soul" means to create the spirit of the times a new world