User:松雪鳴海/Zhao Jinghuan

Zhao Jinghuan (November 22, 1934 – November 29, 2022) was a professor, a Manchu, and a native of Fushun, Liaoning. He was a renowned master of Chinese printmaking and a prominent scholar in aesthetics. He was a member of the Central Committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association, a recipient of the first batch of special allowances from the State Council of China, a winner of the "May 1st Labor Medal" of China, an "Outstanding Printmaker" of China, an executive member of the International Printmaking Research Association, a member of the China Artists Association, a member of the Liaoning Provincial Political Consultative Conference, the vice president of the Liaoning Printmaking Society, and an expert with outstanding contributions in Liaoning Province.

Zhao Jinghuan was a representative figure of Chinese printmaking art since the 20th century. He was the founder of Chinese silk screen printing, mixed media printmaking, and formal aesthetics. In 1999, the Dalian Economic and Technological Development Zone General Union established the Zhao Jinghuan Works Exhibition Hall (which has since been abolished). His works were included in various historical materials such as "The Great Dictionary of the History of the People's Republic of China," "Index of Biographical Data of Chinese Figures in the 20th Century," "Chronicles of Chinese Contemporary Art (Local Records) - Dalian Volume," "The Development History of Emerging Chinese Printmaking," "The History of Modern Chinese Printmaking (1931-1991)," "20th Century Chinese Printmaking Literature," "Individual Cases of Chinese Printmaking Masters," "Chinese Printmaking Yearbook," and "Dictionary of Fine Arts."

Biography of the Person
In 1957, Zhao Jinghuan was admitted to the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts (now the Academy of Arts and Design at Tsinghua University). However, his enrollment was cancelled due to the "Anti-Rightist Campaign" in the same year. He was later rehabilitated in 1979.

In 1965, Zhao Jinghuan was seconded to the Printmaking Creative Group of the Liaoning Provincial Artists Association as the deputy group leader. He participated in the collective creation of a large-scale group painting titled "Angry Flames in the Mines," with group members including Zhu Minggang, Chen Zunsan, Li Fula, Quan Xian-guang, and others. In 1966, the Liaoning Provincial Artists Association issued a transfer letter for him, but due to the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution, his plans were disrupted, and he spent the rest of his life teaching at the grassroots level.

In 1972, Zhao Jinghuan created a propaganda poster titled "Study Well in Socialist Cultural Courses," which was published simultaneously in the People's Daily and various provincial newspapers as a "model poster." It was also used as the cover for the Japanese version of People's China and was featured in related documentary films, creating a nationwide impact.

In 1973, he created a New Year print titled "Uncle Lei Feng is With Us," which was published by Liaoning Fine Arts Publishing House and collected by the Luxun Academy of Fine Arts.

In 1982, his silk-screen prints were featured in an article titled "Zhao Jinghuan's Silk-Screen Prints" in the magazine New Observation, which included six works such as "Fishing Ground," "Two Girls," "Daughter of the Sea," and "Forest and Spring." The article also included the first-ever Chinese thesis on silk-screen printing and silk-screen prints, titled "Silk-Screen Printing and Silk-Screen Prints."

In 1983, he held his first solo exhibition in Fushun, where he exhibited 133 experimental works created in the past four years using new techniques. Zhang Wang, the president of Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts, Zhao Min, the president of Liaoning Fine Arts Publishing House, Li Pingfan, the editor-in-chief of "Printmaking World," and Song Yuanwen, the head of the printmaking department at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, among others, attended the exhibition.

In 1985, published an article titled "On the Beauty of Painting Texture" in the journal "Fine Arts," which was later reprinted in "Renmin University Photocopy Materials." It was the first article in China to explore the texture of brushstrokes in painting and had a significant impact. Based on this article, Hunan Fine Arts Publishing House published a series of books；As an outstanding individual serving the Four Modernizations as a member of the democratic parties, he was received by national leaders including President Li Xiannian and CPPCC Chairman Deng Yingchao at the Great Hall of the People, and his name was published in the list of award recipients by People's Daily.

In 1986, he held a solo exhibition in Osaka, Japan, and his works were reviewed and featured in various Japanese newspapers such as Mainichi Shimbun毎日新聞、Yomiuri Shimbun読売新聞 andSankei Shimbun産経新聞. He also published an article titled "Modern Chinese 'Three Printings' and My New Techniques" in the Tokyo-based magazine "Print Art" along with his works. He was awarded the National Labor Medal on May 1st of that year and was appointed as a standing member of the International Printmaking Association.

In 1987, he published an article titled "The Golden Rule and the Laws of Formal Beauty" in the journal "Mei Yuan," which was later reprinted in "Renmin University Press Materials." He also published an article titled "The Social Benefits of Modern Art" in the journal "Fine Arts," which was also reprinted in "Renmin University Press Materials."

In 1988, he was promoted to the position of professor by the Liaoning Provincial Department of Personnel (at the time he was the head of the Department of Art at Fushun City Education College and a lecturer) in an exceptional case; he was awarded the title of "Outstanding Contribution Expert" in Liaoning Province; he published a paper titled "On the Principle of Complementary Colors" in the Fushun Education Journal, which was reprinted in the People's University Reprographic Materials; in November, he was elected as a member of the 8th Central Committee of the China Democratic Promotion Association.

In 1989, seven works including "Creation and Annihilation" from the "Mural Style" series were published in the Korean magazine "World Modern Printmaking" and collected by the Seoul Art Criticism Society.

In 1991, over 200 of his works were collected by the WAK Gallery in Tokyo, Japan, and were featured in the Japanese printmaking magazine "Hangaka Geijutsu" until 1995. The "Guangming Daily" also published an article titled "The Person Who Climbed the World Printmaking Art Hall" introducing Zhao Jinghuan's achievements.

In 1992, Zhao Jinghuan was awarded the Government Special Allowance by the State Council for his outstanding contributions to higher education. In December, he was also elected as a member of the 9th Central Committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association.

In 1993, he held a solo exhibition at the 3rd Tokyo Art Expo, where he displayed the painting series "Mid-Autumn Festival in Pingdingshan." He also held a solo exhibition of print collections at the WAK Gallery in Tokyo..

In 1994, he was invited to participate in the "Spark Program" of world printmakers in Germany. In 1996, he won the Lu Xun Printmaking Award (title of Outstanding Printmaker in China).

In 2013, the State Post Bureau issued a set of 6 commemorative stamps titled "Works of Zhao Jinghuan, a Famous Contemporary Chinese Calligrapher and Painter" to honor his significant contributions to China's cultural and artistic industries.

In 2014, People's Fine Arts Publishing House published "Chinese Modern and Contemporary Masters Painting Collection: Zhao Jinghuan," which was the first printmaker's painting collection in this series. Zhao also published an article titled "The Root of Formal Beauty - How to Answer Marx's Three Questions on Formal Beauty," which was published in "Literature, History, and Philosophy" and reprinted in "Selected Digests of Xinhua News Agency."

In 2016, his paper "Mathematical Aesthetic Model and Formal Aesthetics System" was published in the journal "Wen Shi Zhe," and was reprinted in "Higher Education Humanities and Social Sciences Digest" and "Renmin University of China Digest." This paper proposed the concept of "scientific formal aesthetics" for the first time in the field of Chinese aesthetics. The Dalian Art Museum held the "Unveiling the Mystery of Beauty - A 60-Year Retrospective Exhibition of Zhao Jinghuan's Artistic Exploration," which included an academic symposium and the publication of an exhibition catalog. In the same year, his paper "Mathematical Aesthetic Model and Formal Aesthetics System" was also reprinted in "Higher Education Humanities and Social Sciences Digest." In 2018, his book "Visual Formal Aesthetics - Based on the DNA Aesthetics" was published by Science Press. This book proposed the concept that "beauty originates from the double helix structure of DNA, the genetic molecule of life." It was the first scientific formal aesthetics monograph in China, and answered the question of "the origin of beauty" from the perspective of natural science for the first time.

In April 2019, Zhao Jinghuan was invited by the Central Academy of Fine Arts to give a lecture on "DNA Aesthetics" to the faculty and students. In August of the same year, he was invited by the Aesthetics Society to present his thesis "Beauty Originates from the Double Helix Structure of DNA Molecules of Life" at the National Academic Seminar on "Vision Integration: Theoretical Construction of Aesthetics, Literary Studies, and Art Studies" at the annual conference of the Aesthetics Society.

In 2021, he participated in the 90th anniversary exhibition commemorating the Chinese New Emerging Printmaking Movement. The Chinese Printmaking Museum awarded him the honorary title of "Master of Chinese Printmaking Art and Famous Aesthetic Theorist" and collected 86 of his works, including "Mid-Autumn Festival in Pingdingshan."

In August 2022, the "Zhao Jinghuan Printmaking Art Research Exhibition" was held at the China Printmaking Museum. On November 29th, at 2:30 am, he passed away at his home in Dalian. The China Printmaking Museum and others released an obituary.

Artistic achievement
Zhao Jinghuan's artistic creations include woodcut prints, watermark prints, screen prints, and heavy color freehand painting, with a total of 27 domestic art exhibitions, 42 international art exhibitions, 11 solo exhibitions at home and abroad, and 5 published collections of prints. He was one of the first group of Chinese artists to participate in international art exhibitions and also one of the first group of Chinese artists to introduce and promote new printmaking techniques such as screen printing and plastic plates when he returned to China. Some of his major domestic art exhibitions include the Silk Road Art Exhibition (1989), the 50th Anniversary of Victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan Art Exhibition (1995), the 100th Anniversary of Chinese Printmaking Exhibition (2000), the Contemporary Chinese Art Achievements Exhibition on the Road to Rejuvenation (2011), and the 90th Anniversary of the Emerging Chinese Printmaking Movement Exhibition (2021). His major international art exhibitions include the Japan-China Modern Print Exhibition (1985), the International Printmaking Exhibition in the United States (1987), the China Modern Print Exhibition in Hong Kong (1987), the China Modern Print World Tour Exhibition in Italy (1992), the 12 Country 12 People Flash Plan World Tour Exhibition in Germany (1994), the Korea-Japan-China Modern Print Exhibition (2001), and the Lu Xun and Chinese Printmaking European Tour Exhibition (2020). His major solo exhibitions at home and abroad include the Zhao Jinghuan Osaka Art Exhibition (1986), the Zhao Jinghuan Tokyo Art Exhibition (1992), the Zhao Jinghuan New York Invitation Exhibition (1999), the Zhao Jinghuan Retrospective Exhibition of 60 Years of Artworks (2016), the 90th Anniversary of the Emerging Chinese Printmaking Movement Exhibition (2021), and the Zhao Jinghuan Printmaking Art Research Exhibition (2022). His artwork was serialized for four years in Tokyo's Print Art magazine and published in five single volumes in various languages, which introduced the world to his work, including "Mid-Autumn Festival in Pingdingshan".

Among them, the series of wall mural style and the combined painting "Mid-Autumn Festival in Pingdingshan" have become classics in the history of printmaking. The color ink works such as "The Blind Child Walking By," "The Rich and Noble Picture," and "Listening to Truth" have become the new force of modern Chinese painting. The series of iPad prints in his later years, such as "Old Man Portrait" and "Lotus," have also opened up new horizons for Chinese digital printmaking. His works are collected in world art centers such as UNESCO, the British Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as well as in many national art galleries in China and abroad, including the National Art Museum of China, the China Printmaking Museum, the Guangdong Art Museum, the Guanshan Yue Art Museum, the Yan Huang Art Museum, and the Liaoning Provincial Museum, with more than 500 public collections at home and abroad.

Zhao Jinghuan has published over 70 papers in CSSCI journals such as "Fine Arts", "Art Newspaper", "World Art", "Meiyuan", and "Literature, History, and Philosophy", with 27 papers reprinted by "Renmin Fotocopying" and one by "Xinhua new Digest". He has also published five monographs. Among them, "Screen Printing and Screen Printing Art"  is the first article in China to introduce the technique of screen printing. His papers such as "On the Aesthetics of Painting Texture" , "The Golden Ratio and Formal Aesthetic Rules" , and "On the Principle of Complementary Colors"  pioneered the research on Chinese formal aesthetics. His monograph "Introduction to Formal Aesthetics"  used the golden ratio as a methodology and proposed the "dialectics of form", making it the first formal aesthetics monograph in China and laying the foundation for Chinese formal aesthetics. His papers and monographs such as "The Root of Formal Aesthetics: How to Answer Marx's Three Questions about Formal Aesthetics" , "Numerical Aesthetic Model and Formal Aesthetics System Framework" , and "Visual Formal Aesthetics: Based on DNA Meta-Aesthetics"  are the first to propose the concept of "scientific formal aesthetics" in the field of Chinese aesthetics. They are the first to answer the question of the origin of beauty from the perspective of natural science, establish the "Golden Ratio Aesthetic Model", and further explore the relationship between DNA and the double helix structure, making breakthrough progress in the meta-problems of aesthetics. They are the first to direct the exploration of the origin of beauty to the microscopic field of genetic molecules of life, and combine biological genetic molecules with the golden ratio aesthetics, making new contributions to the study of scientific concepts in aesthetics.