Prelude
Bian Xiaoxuan

As one of the ancient Chinese cultural cities, Yangzhou is known for its beautiful scenery, colorful lifestyle and most importantly, the talents of art. It is from Qing Dynasty that the Yangzhou painting has been widely acclaimed across China. It could be quoted from some writings, like the “Collection of Yangzhou Painters” written by Li Dou, one of the well-known writers at that time, telling stories of the most significant painters in Yangzhou. Among the dazzling Yangzhou painting schools in Qing Dynasty, the most eye-catching one should be the “Eight Eccentrics”, which refers to the eight representatives of an extraordinary painting style, featuring flowers and birds. Some of them elegant, like the works of Hua Ai and Wang Shichen, and some bold and straight, like that of Li Chan and Li Fangying, who are all among the “Eight Eccentrics”. But they have one common spirit, that is renovation.

Actually the “Eight Eccentrics” has a profound influence on the following generations. Some supporters did just imitation and could not be independent, while some like Wu Changshuo and Zhao Zhiqian had eventually become masters, with an addition of new techniques on the basis of Li Chan's style. It seems that the right way is to learn from them, but not to be confined to them.

As one of the most outstanding followers of the “Eight Eccentrics”, Shen Weifeng has become the well-known artist in the contemporary Chinese paint circle and created a unique way in drawing flowers and birds. He has shown his talent even when he's very young in Yangzhou and thus was caught the attention by the renowned painter Ye Juwu, who is one of the students of master Zhang Daqian. After several years of hard practice, Shen Weifeng has got to grasp the spirit of Ye's unique routines and techniques and gradually been recognized by the circle. It was in 1994 that Shen Weifeng moved to Suzhou and was then addicted to the Wu painting style, emerged from the Ming Dynasty in Suzhou area and represented by the famous artist Tang Bohu.

Weifeng enjoys and treasures nature around him, like the trees, grass, flowers, birds, fish and even insects. These common subjects on his paintings seem alive, transcendental and poetic, with a unique combination and imagination of the subjects. Even on the same matter, he can brush them into different compositions, which welcomes people in to begin their own thought. He once surprisingly painted seasons' things together on one big piece of paper, like the spring's orchid, the summer's seedpod of the lotus, the autumn's loquats, and the winter's plum blossoms, which has been given a lavish praise by people.

East meets west. The unique character in Weifeng's painting is that he has blended the technique of the western painting style, like the modern translucent touch of color and light into his traditional drawing.

The lines under his brush are sometimes thick but not rough, sometimes slim but not weak, sometimes lush with order and sometimes simple with stress. The most attracting point is the combination of using color and ink together. They are permeated into each other and appear an integral entity.

In recent years, Shen Weifeng has exhibited his works in many countries, like Japan, America, France and Germany, and through which, his technique has reached to a new high and got a great reputation.

Right on the prime of his life, Weifeng never stops his efforts to become a true master in Chinese painting circle. And I hope he could create more spiritual and beautiful paintings in the future, purifying people's souls in this world.

As the fellow townsman, I know Weifeng much better and I feel very glad to write this prelude before his eighth painting collection is going to be issued.