TRADITIONS AND INNOVATIONS IN CHINESE «BIRD-AND-FLOWER» PAINTING FROM THE SECOND HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY TO THE BEGINNING OF THE 21ST CENTURY IN HE SHUIFA’S CREATIVE WORK

Abstract

The purpose of the work. The research is devoted to the study of the features of He Shuifa’s creative work and its influence on the development of Chinese traditional «bird-and-flower» painting from the second half of the 20^th century to the beginning of the 21^st century. The research methodology consisted in revealing the features of He Shuifa’s style through comparing his works with the works by other masters of «bird-and-flower» painting (taking into account the coloristic, stylistic and subject features), and by analyzing his works representing different time periods. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the deepened understanding of He Shuifa’s influence on the development of Chinese painting in the context of China’s cultural progress, socio-political changes in the state and the globalization of the modern world. The features of He Shuifa’s creative work of different periods were revealed. In his early works (from the early 1970’s), the artist used the «Gunbi» style and the «Sei» style. His favorite motive was the peony. In the late 1970’s the author started his experiments on mixing black ink and paints. In the 1980’s he explored different methods of mixing ink with paint, experimented with color and tone, improving his techniques of applying strokes and lines. At the beginning of the 1990’s there was a new approach to organizing the design – the painter focused on painting plants and birds only. The main characteristic of his artworks of the 2000’s was slightly blurry images. The features of He Shuifa’s modern creative work are «light» painting techniques, frequent small strokes, applying a dry contour or using a wet brush, as well as using moistened paper with liquid link on it. The thematic novelty of the painter’s works is images of mountain flowers, unusual plants and berries. Conclusions. It was proved that the art of «bird-and-flower» painting harmoniously synthesizes the traditions and individuality of the artist, leaving a great deal of space for experiments, making this area interesting for contemporaries. Global interest to He Shuifa’s artworks promotes the popularity of Chinese art and facilitates intercultural dialogue. At the same time, it proves the significance of He Shuifa’s role in the development of the «bird-and-flower» genre, which occurred to a large extent against the backdrop of socio-political tension and totalitarian regime.