survey_30 — printmaking and poster art
1. Xu Bing — 徐冰 (Chongqing, 1955)
A printmaker by training: he came to art through woodcut and turned the printed impression into a reflection on language and the sign.
- Path — born in 1955 in Chongqing, grew up in Beijing; from 1977 to 1981 he studied in the printmaking department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing (under Li Hua and Gu Yuan), and in 1987 he received a master's degree.
- “Book from the Sky” — “天书” (1987–1991): several thousand invented characters carved in wood, set in movable type and printed in scrolls and volumes.
- Early prints — the series “碎玉集” (1977–1983), “繁忙的水乡” (1980) and “鬼打墙” (1990–1991) — impressions taken from a relief surface, including a section of the Great Wall.
2. Fang Lijun — 方力钧 (Handan, Hebei, 1963)
The author of “玩世现实主义” (“cynical realism”), for whom printmaking has remained the starting point: he began with woodcut and continues to make large prints.
- Path — born in 1963 in Handan (Hebei province); in 1989 he graduated from the printmaking department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.
- Prints — he has worked in woodcut since 1982; for large-format sheets he uses an electric saw and rough plywood instead of a burin, and mounts the finished prints like Chinese scrolls.
- Exhibition — in 2021 the Hunan Museum in Changsha showed the woodcut exhibition “方力钧版画” (132 works: from his first print of 1982 to works of 2020).
3. Wang Lifeng — 王利丰 (Inner Mongolia, 1962)
An artist working with historical printmaking techniques: he combines paper pulp, ink, carving, rubbing impressions and imagery from old book engravings.
- Path — born in 1962 in Inner Mongolia; in 1979 he began working in woodcarving and painting; in 1986 he graduated from the School of Stage Design at the Beijing People’s Art Theatre (National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts).
- Material — he builds works in layers: paper pulp, prints and ink, seal stamps, silk, fragments of old books; at the core is work with the carved block and the impression.
- Series — the cycles “大汉”, “大唐”, “大宋”, “大明”, “青·山”, and also “籍” (2013–2016), which refer to the woodcut illustrations of Ming- and Qing-era popular literature.
4. Yang Feng — 杨锋 (Shengxian, Zhejiang, 1960)
A printmaker and teacher who combines woodcut, lithography and ready-made-material techniques on a single sheet.
- Path — born in 1960 in Shengxian county (Zhejiang province); in 1984 he graduated from the printmaking department of the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, where he later became a professor and head of the printmaking department.
- Awards — in 2000 he received the Lu Xun Prize for printmakers of the 1980s–1990s; he has won prizes at national printmaking exhibitions and the national art review.
- Techniques — his sheets include woodcut, lithography and “mixed media”; his solo exhibition “杨锋，在这里” was held in Xi’an in 2023.
Sources: Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts (xafa.edu.cn), profile · culturechina.cn on the 2023 exhibition
5. Wang Jiazeng — 王家增 (Shenyang, Liaoning, 1963)
A printmaker from the old industrial belt: printing and handwork with metal describe the city and factory labour in his work.
- Path — born in 1963 in Shenyang (Tiexi district, Liaoning province); in 1987 he entered the printmaking department of the Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, then studied at the Central Academy of Fine Arts; he taught at the Liaoning academy, and since 2012 has been a professor in the School of Arts at Renmin University of China.
- Printmaking — he works in etching (铜版) and other techniques; among his series are “铁盒子里的人”, “工业日记”, “从阴影出发”.
- Collections — his sheets are held by the Hubei Museum of Art: “工业日记系列之54” (铜版, 2010) and “车间里的男女” (铜版, 2000).
6. Gao Rongsheng — 高荣生 (Beijing, 1952–2020)
A master of printmaking and book illustration: the black-and-white woodcut impression as the foundation of the book’s image.
- Path — born in 1952 in Beijing; in 1982 he graduated from the printmaking department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and stayed on to teach; a CAFA professor, he headed the illustration studio and the Illustration and Book Design Committee of the China Artists Association.
- Works — the woodcut “钟楼” (1988), woodcut illustrations for works by Lao She, including “猫城记” and “骆驼祥子”.
- Books — author of the teaching works “黑白涉步” and “插图全程教学”.
