Bidspirit auction | Bamboo,by Xiao Shu

Bamboo,by Xiao Shu - Xiao Shu (born 1935 in Beijing), originally named Han Mingkui, endured a childhood marked by adversity. After losing his parents during the Japanese invasion of China, he became an orphan in the 1940s. Despite these hardships, he developed a profound passion for traditional Chinese culture and arts. Deeply influenced by the renowned guqin master Guan Pinghu, he taught himself classical poetry, literature, calligraphy, and painting amidst a life of solitude and struggle. In the 1950s, Xiao Shu had the opportunity to meet and learn from literary figures such as Shen Congwen, as well as master painters including Li Keran, Li Kuchan, Hu Peiheng, Fu Baoshi, and Li Xiongcai. Under their mentorship, he achieved remarkable accomplishments in poetry, calligraphy, and painting. His poetry is distinguished by its unique style and heartfelt emotion. In calligraphy, he mastered multiple scripts, blending archaic simplicity with vigorous, distinctive brushwork. His paintings cover a wide range of subjects—landscapes, bird-and-flower compositions, and figure paintings—all executed with dynamic, expressive strokes and profound artistic conception.