Yan Jiyuan

From Wiki China org cn
Yan Jiyuan (right)

Yan Jiyuan (July 11, 1901 – Feb. 10, 2011) was a master of traditional Chinese painting. With his unique talents, comprehensive skills and extraordinary longevity, the prominent painter was dubbed the Painting Immortal.

Born on July 11, 1901 to a wealthy landlord’s family in Neijiang, Sichuan Province, Yan was close with a distant relative, Zhang Daqian, whose mother taught Yan to paint. He lived with the Zhangs while studying at the Sino-French Industrial College in Shanghai from 1928 to 1934. He left the city for Japan to study mechanical engineering at the University of Tokyo and Waseda University, but returned to China when the Anti-Japanese Aggression War broke out in 1937.

Yan reunited with Zhang in Peking (now Beijing) and held their first joint exhibition in the city’s Zhongshan Park to raise money for their tour to Chongqing, the war-time capital and seat of the Kuomintang government. In Chongqing, the brothers held many exhibitions to finance the Chinese fight against Japanese invaders. Zhang left for Taiwan before the establishment of the People’s Republic, and the two would never see other again.

After 1949, Yan worked as a technician in Chongqing Municipal Industrial Bureau. In 1957, he was labeled a rightist during the anti-rightist movement and sent to work at a toothbrush factory. In 1964, troubled by arthritis, Yan sought treatment in Beijing where he was knocked down by a bicycle. He was paralyzed for a long time but magically recovered eight years later. Yan finally reappeared in public when the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) ended. He traveled and painted the country’s sceneries until he was more than 100 years old. His longevity and health became another legend in addition to his paintings. He passed away at the age of 110 on Feb. 10, 2011.

An influential painter, Yan's freestyle technique is a favorite among collectors. According to Zhu De, a Communist military leader who founded the Chinese Red Army (the predecessor of the PLA), Yan's works are like those of Zhang, another leading 20th century painter. His Red Sun in Green Pines Garden was a favorite of Mao Zedong and was presented to the former leader for his 70th birthday.