In 1942, due to his poor family, Sun Lirong had no choice but to come to Qingdao to work alone. During this period, Sun Lirong did not give up his love for painting and insisted on seeking advice from his teacher at night. The teachers he came into contact with at that time included Xu Peiji, Chen Shourong, etc. They did not expect that the teacher-student relationship at this time would write a good story a few years later - in 1962, by chance, Sun Lirong and Xu Peiji jointly created the acclaimed "Lion Awakening Picture". It was also while working and studying in Qingdao that Sun Lirong began to learn calligraphy from teacher Gao Xiaoyan. During this stage, Sun Lirong insisted on studying calligraphy and painting hard while working to make money. Mr. Sun recalled: "That period was difficult, but it was also a long-lasting treasure in my life."
Meeting famous artists and gaining true knowledge on the road of art
1947 In 2001, Sun Lirong returned to Weifang from Qingdao. At this time, Xu Peiji introduced Sun Lirong to learn figure painting from Guo Lancun, a famous figure painter at the time. At this time, Sun Lirong also came into contact with an important art celebrity in his life who was both a teacher and a friend - Mr. Guo Weiyu (at this time Mr. Guo was the principal of a middle school in Weicheng District), and under his guidance, he began to develop his own painting style of shaping. It was also from this time that Sun Lirong's art made a big leap.
In 1956, Mr. Guo Lancun, who particularly admired Sun Lirong, transferred him from a certain government agency, and the two established an art research laboratory, which was the predecessor of the later Arts and Crafts Research Institute. At that time, the two put forward four goals, namely: excavating traditional crafts, cultivating new successors, organizing old artists to return to the team, and combining tradition and innovation. With the unremitting efforts of the two, almost all folk crafts in Weifang were restored, including New Year pictures, rubbings, kites, embroidery, etc. At the same time, they also founded the Weifang Arts and Crafts School, from which Yao Zhixing later emerged Waiting for a group of famous calligraphers and painters. During this period, Sun Lirong had extensive contact with a group of art education experts.
In 1963, he came to the Central Academy of Fine Arts for further studies and studied meticulous painting under Tian Shiguang. Afterwards, under the introduction of a friend, Sun Lirong learned cat painting from Cao Ke, who was famous for his cat painting at that time. Mr. Sun recalled that learning at this stage was particularly significant for him to form his own artistic style.
In 1989, Sun Lirong retired from his job. With the support of the Municipal People's Political Consultative Conference, the Weifang Painting and Calligraphy Research Institute was established. Sun Lirong served as the first director. The Painting and Calligraphy Research Institute also became a famous local calligraphy and painting institute. art salon. Everyone gathers together, communicates while writing and painting, and innovates and improves through continuous correction. When he recalled this, he once looked out the window with a smile, recalling the good times at that time.
During the interview, the reporter learned that during Sun Lirong’s artistic career, central leaders and foreign friends had collected his works.
Poetic and artistic, there is truth in nature
Many artists summarize the artistic characteristics of Sun Lirong’s works in four words: poetic and artistic.
Sun Lirong has his own opinions on these four words. He believes that any painting cannot lack poetic flavor. He said that the so-called "poetry" means to achieve the unity of poetry, painting and calligraphy, and to have poetry within the painting. The so-called "emotion" means to achieve Any painting must have emotion in it. The butterfly rests on the peony, and the cat looks at the butterfly and the peony with curious eyes. This means there is emotion in it. The so-called "painting" is to make the picture full and beautiful. , we need to work hard on details; the so-called "meaning" means that every painting must have artistic conception, a story in it, and a meaning to express. It is difficult to see separate objects appearing in his paintings. Cats and butterflies appear, and butterflies and peonies appear together. Mr. Sun always uses connection and coordination techniques to bring art to its fullest.
During the interview, the reporter learned that Sun Lirong’s paintings emphasize detail, and the most expressive ones are the cat’s eyes, so people also affectionately call him “Elvis”. Sun Lirong said that his paintings tend to take more time. This is mainly because he pursues delicacy and lifelikeness. He does not just pursue the gorgeous colors, but also expresses the spirit. It is not just about drawing the form, but also the spiritual resemblance.
Looking back at his artistic career of more than 70 years, Sun Lirong rated himself with a humble smile. Over 85 years old, he told reporters that he is still working and maintains a workload of at least one painting every week. He said that his requirements for life are: to continue working, to live a regular life, to exercise every day, and to eat a variety of vegetables.
Seeing the sincere smile in Mr. Sun’s bright eyes makes people feel sincerely gratified. I hope he can continue to maintain a healthy body and add more excitement to his artistic life.