Continuing the Historical and Cultural Lineage through Masterpieces of Brush and Ink

“What I care about most is the most precious elements in the Chinese civilization that have run through its vicissitudes. We must protect and cherish the gems of our nation with all means and pass on this civilization that has no parallel in the world as it is the only one that has continued uninterrupted from the earliest times to the modern day,” the General Secretary Xi said. When visiting an exhibition of New Year pictures and picture-story books, he said: “These are all complete sets of picture-story books. I thumbed through them so often in my childhood that they became dog-eared — Yue Mu Ci Zi, Niu Tou Shan, Qiang Tiao Xiao Liang Wang, Shuang Qiang Lu Wenlong, Xiao Shang He…” The General Secretary knew them all like the back of his hand. “These picture-story books are very educational. The artists who drew them were also highly skilled. All of them were masters.”

Yes, it is the mission of painters to pass on the fine traditional Chinese culture and ensure the Chinese civilization will run long and prosper. On the wall of Dai Dunbang’s studio was pasted a paragraph he had transcribed: “We should honor our past, stay oriented to the future, and better foster Chinese spirit, Chinese values, and Chinese strength, to provide our people with guidance.” He called himself a folk artist, unassuming and modest, but his artistic achievements have attracted worldwide attention. He is especially praised in the industry for his intensive study of Chinese classical literature. Mr. Dai painted the Water Margin again and again throughout his life, and each time he created something new. From the modeling and brushwork to the portrayal of the characters’ inner world, his works all reflect his love for the Water Margin and his unremitting pursuit of art. In his own words, he wanted to “paint the stories of the Water Margin most vividly.” Mr. Dai created the modeling of all the characters in the TV series The Water Margin produced by China Central Television. There were more than 180 pictures and more than 200 characters in total. Mr. Dai said: “It can be said that there were all types of roles, and I worked hard for a while before I finally completed the task.”

Mr. Dai Dunbang’s portraits of the Water Margin characters are considered classics, have won the hearts of the people, and are a monument in the history of modern Chinese figure painting! The Water Margin is a treasure of Chinese literature, and illustrating the Water Margin was Mr. Dai’s masterpiece. The exhibition hall presents the chapters of the Water Margin stories created by Mr. Dai, and the series of Water Margin chapter stories will be updated continuously. Stay tuned!