Chinese artist uses modern painting to document change

Fan Yang is one of the top contemporary Chinese painters majoring in landscapes. Over the past decades, he has used the traditional forms of Chinese painting to portray major historical events in the country, using his brush to record the sweeping changes.

He credits the guidance and support of his uncle Fan Zeng, a contemporary master of traditional Chinese painting, for his decision to embark on the road of fine arts.

Fan Yang grew up in Nantong of East China's Jiangsu province, a city abundant in cultural riches dating back to ancient times. He hailed from a famous literary family, whose influence grounded in him a solid foundation and love of traditional culture and painting.

After graduating from high school, Fan gave up a stable job in a factory and chose to work at the Nantong Arts and Crafts Research Institute. He studiously applied himself to learning about folk art, which played a significant role in his future development.

In 1978, Fan Yang was admitted to the Art Department of Nanjing Normal University, a school with a 120 year history. Over the past century, it has cultivated many Chinese artists such as outstanding Chinese artist known for horse paintings, Xu Beihong (1895–1953), revolutionizing Chinese ink painting master, Fu Baoshi (1904-1965), pioneer of 20th-century Chinese oil painting Lyu Sibai (1905-1973) and China's famous painter, fine art historian and educator Qin Xuanfu (1906-1998) .

During his four years of college life, Fan absorbed the skills and knowledge of his predecessors before going on to form his own painting style.

After many years of creative experimentation, Fan gained a strong reputation among contemporary Chinese painting circles.