Biography

Guan Liang was a Chinese painter known for his use of Western painting techniques. His clumsy yet balanced landscapes were noted for their color relationships and compositional structure. “I generally apply color lightly, and mix it directly on the canvas. Simplicity is an element I strive for and I handle my subjects with reserve,” he once explained. Born in 1900 in Panyu, China, he traveled to Tokyo to study oil painting under Fujishima Takeji in 1917. While in school, Guan was influenced by Western artists, including Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, and Vincent van Gogh. After returning to China, the artist held various teaching positions at the Shanghai Fine Arts School and the Hangzhou National College of Art. He had his first solo exhibition in Chengdu in 1940, displaying both his atmospheric landscapes and scenes from Beijing operas. The artist died in 1986 in Shanghai, China. Today, Guan’s works are held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.