“Moistening Silently – Li Hongren’s Teaching and Research Exhibition of Lithographs” is about to be held at the Underground Teaching Exhibition Hall of CAFA on August 29 through to September 7, 2013. The dual identities of printmaker and educator is the clue to the exhibition, there are three parts of the exhibition including “Research and Exploration of Lithographic Technique of Li Hongren”, “Li Hongren’ Lithographic Art”, “the Works of Li Hongren’s Students”, reproduction of the research and dissemination of lithographic techniques by Li Hongren.

The exhibition focuses on highlighting what Li Hongren had silently preached and taught as an art educator, making an indelible contribution to Chinese printmaking. It collectively features a large number of relatively rare valuable materials, including the experimental works using the lithographic technique of Li Hongren, lithographic teaching materials, Li Hongren’s photos, articles, archives, drafts, etc., as well as videos of interviews with Li Hongren, artists talking about Li, in a special part of the exhibition, it presents works by the students of Li during his career in teaching lithographs, including a total of 17 works of graduation by Li Fan, Lu Zhongming, Wu Changjiang, Yu Chen, Jing Rong, Wang Qiang, Zhang Hong, Huo Youfeng, Li Chunlin, Xu Yu, Xiao Ge, Yin Zhaoyang, Li Yue, Wen Guozhang, Su Xinping, Guo Zhaoming, Zhang Mingjie.

Li was the founder of the major of lithographs in CAFA, Li had spent decades and a lot of effort in getting to know and studying the materials and technologies of lithographs, until it became a mature and diverse artistic language of expression. Li laid the basics of professional lithographic teaching at CAFA, and was a key character in introducing lithography into lithographic teaching, one of the most important founders of lithographs in new China.

In 1953, professional printmaking was set up in CAFA, while the Department of Printmaking was established in 1954, in the same year, as the lithographic teaching profession was established, Li Hongren was appointed to undertake the task of the establishment of the lithographic professional teaching system of CAFA by Li Hua, when he was a sophomore master of CAFA. Since 1954, not until he retired in the 1990s (recruited for several years after his retirement), did he create a large number of lithographs for the research of lithographic technique within the five decades of lithographic teaching.

It includes the basic techniques of special drawing, ink, scraping the oil layer, chromatography, transfer, spraying, etc., by experiencing countless destructed experimental works, reaching a satisfactory application and systematic spreading level. Li had taken painstaking effort to establish and improve the system of establishment and improvement of lithographic teaching, and his students have been pillars of the printmaking industry, playing a leading role in printmaking leadership and organization, education, creation, etc.

About the exhibition

Duration: August 29 - September 7, 2013

Opening Reception:?15:00 pm, August 29, 2013

Venue: Underground Teaching Exhibition Hall, CAFA

Host: CAFA, School of Plastic, CAFA, Department of the Printmaking of School of Plastic, CAFA, Chinese Artists Association, Printmaking Art Committee of the Chinese Artists Association

Academic Advisor: Su Xinping, Wen Guozhang

Curator: Ma Kai

Committee Members: Li Fan, Li Yue, Wu Hong, Zhang Yifan

Exhibition Coordinator: Zhao Jinxiu

Photo courtesy of Ma Kai, translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO.