Artist: Guan Liang (1900-1986)

Date: Modern

Material: Ink and color on paper

• Object Type：
  • PAINTINGS
• Location：
  • The Painting and Calligraphy of Shanghai Gallery
• Tag：
  • figure novel water margin handscroll guan liang modern ink and color paper

Guan Liang (1900-1986), also known by his zi (designated name) Lianggong, was a native of Panyu (in present-day Guangzhou, Guangdong province), and resided in Shanghai. He served as a professor at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts and as a painter at the Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy, among other positions. In his early years, he went to Japan to study oil painting, but from the late 1920s, he turned to ink colour painting to depict figures from Chinese opera, creating a distinctive style. This scroll depicts the heroes in the novel Water Margin, including Li Kui, Chao Gai, Wu Yong, Ruan Xiaoqi, Ruan Xiao'er, Wu Song, and others. Guan Liang fully captured the spirit of the figures with minimal brushwork, showing an innocent simplicity and vividness with a rich ink play.