Chinese Watercolour master
Rong Gen Yin
Photo credit: Kelly Morris
Chinese painting is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. Traditional Chinese painting uses many of the same techniques as calligraphy, where gesture and control of the brush form part of the artistic method. Since earliest times nature, in particular the landscape and the creatures that inhabit it, has been the main source of inspiration for Chinese artists.
Michael Rong-Gen Yin, originally from Shanghai, began painting in the traditional Chinese manner in the 1970s. During the 1980s he was a member of an artist collective and had occasions to tutor painting in Japan and Germany. Having come to Northern Ireland in 2003 Rong-Gen has continued to paint and teach traditional Chinese painting techniques. Rong-Gen practises the two main techniques of Chinese painting – Gongbi, where intricate brushstrokes form detailed coloured landscapes, which can include narrative themes and Xieyi, which is much looser using bold brushstrokes and watercolour wash. Rong-Gen currently tutors Chinese watercolour painting in the Chinese Resource Centre and the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast.
