. Xu was born on 19 July 1895 in
Yixing,
Jiangsu, during the late
Qing dynasty. He began studying classic Chinese works, beginning with calligraphy at the age of six, and Chinese painting at the age of nine. He was taught by his father Xu Dazhang, who was a private school teacher. His painting has been showcased in various platforms and used by learner in understanding what transpired during the early period in relation to Chinese art industry. He and his partner
Jiang Biwei came back to China in 1927 and, from 1927 to 1929, he gained a number of posts at institutions in China, including teaching at
National Central University (now
Nanjing University) in the former capital city
Nanjing. In 1933, Xu organized an exhibition of modern Chinese painting that traveled to France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and the
Soviet Union. He studied and traveled in Europe in more than a decade and was mainly inspired by Classic traditions of European art and culture, which helped him in incorporating improved creativity and innovation elements in his artwork. During
World War II, Xu traveled to
Southeast Asia, holding exhibitions in Singapore and India. All the proceeds from these exhibitions went to Chinese people who were suffering as a result of the war. After the
founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Xu became president of the
Central Academy of Fine Arts and chairman of the
China Artists Association. Xu Beihong was a master of both oils and Chinese ink. Most of his works, however, were in the Chinese traditional style. Xu Beihong had a free technique of brush in his art works; he also believed that painting should be more real and should be more understood by people. In his efforts to create a new form of national art, he combined Chinese brush and ink techniques with Western perspective and methods of composition. He integrated firm and bold brush strokes with the precise delineation of form. As an art teacher, he advocated the subordination of technique to artistic conception and emphasizes the importance of the artist's experiences in life. Of all of the Painters of the modern era, it can be safely said that Xu is the one painter most responsible for the direction taken in the modern Chinese Art world. In the painting of Beihong in 1949 and the specific influence such has in the art as well as politics . It is evident that Xu's art was aimed at creating a picture to the viewers to understand various events occurring in China. Nonetheless, Xu's work could also be used in understanding not only social but also political events specifically in the New China. The policies enacted by Xu at the beginning of the Communist Era continue to control not only official Government Policy towards the arts, but they continue to direct the overall direction taken in the various Art Colleges and Universities throughout China. Xu enjoyed massive support from art collectors across Asia. Between 1939 and 1941, he held solo exhibitions in Singapore, India and Malaya (
Penang,
Kuala Lumpur and
Ipoh) to help raise funds for the war relief effort in China. In one war benefit exhibition in March 1939, Xu held a group exhibition with
Chinese ink painting masters
Ren Bonian and
Qi Baishi, and showcased 171 works of art at the
Victoria Memorial Hall. He also met
Rabindranath Tagore and
Mahatma Gandhi during his stay in India, and received inspiration which led to the creation of iconic works such as the 4.21m-wide
The Foolish Old Man Who Removed the Mountains painting on show at the
Singapore Art Museum (SAM). Artworks including
After a Poem of the Six Dynasties,
Portrait of Ms Jenny and
Put Down Your Whip were also created during his sojourns in
Southeast Asia. SAM Director Kwok Kian Chow mentioned that Xu's name tops the list in Asian modern realism art, and his connections with various parts of Asia and Europe opened a new chapter of historical narratives, exchanges and influences of aesthetics and ideas in art. Xu died of a stroke in 1953. After his death, a Xu Beihong Memorial Museum was established at his home in Beijing by his wife
Liao Jingwen.
Family feud In 2008, two ceramic vases created by Xu Beihong scheduled for an art exhibition in Singapore spurred local media attention. Family disputes broke out over the vases sales and profits, which led to legal tussles between the Huang descendants and the Singapore Art Museum. The Singaporean art collectors, Huang Man Shi and Huang Meng Gui, were famously supportive of Xu Beihong. The 18-cm high vases were made in the 1940s, titled
Malay Dancers and
Orchid were to be shown in a Jack Bonn curated exhibition in collaboration with the Singapore Art Museum, "Xu Beihong in Nanyang", as an attribution to the late grandfather and granduncle for the periods when Xu was a guest at his grandfather's estate. These items were returned as certain family members' feud led to the eventual auction failure and cancellation. The Museum maintained they were unaware of the legal implications surrounding the artifacts. Members of the Huang family adheres to the artifacts returning to the "original owners", in 2009.
Controversy Xu's son, Xu Boyang, signed an affidavit that a nude portrait that had been found was of his mother Jiang Biwei. The painting was then sold for approximately $11m in 2010 at Beijing Jiuge Auctions. After the sale it was claimed that the painting was not by Xu Beihong but it was a piece created in 1983 by a student at the
Central Academy of Fine Arts. ==Gallery==