When Xu Beihong (1895-1953), one of the most influential figures in 20th-century Chinese art, enrolled at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris in the 1920s, he immersed himself in an academic environment that would profoundly shape his artistic vision.
Often, he spent long hours in a skylighted classroom where natural light poured in from above, bathing the sculptures in the room in a soft, ethereal glow. These early years in Paris, particularly Xu's time spent sketching the human form and studying classical works, played a pivotal role in his development as an artist.
"My father always said that sketching is the foundation of all visual arts," recalls Xu Qingping, 79, son of Xu Beihong and the current director of the Xu Beihong Memorial Museum. "One must undergo rigorous training and produce hundreds, if not thousands, of practice sheets to achieve harmony between the mind and the hand."
Xu Qingping, himself an artist, reflects on the discipline and dedication his father instilled in him. "He believed that sketching was the most direct way to connect one's inner thoughts with external reality," he says.
