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Edutainment > Articles on Art > Yunnan Art School > Shi Yi - born 1939

Hani Grindery, 1999
copyright Shi Yi

Shi Yi is one of the best known contemporary Chinese printmakers. His woodcuts with rural Chinese landscape and village scenes appeal much to Westerners. Indeed, the artist's concept of art and his technical capabilities bear the stuff for success in it.

We at artelino received our first modern Chinese prints in May 2003 and were amazed and impressed. China has not been visible in the international art scene for decades. By and by we are trying to conquer a new world by learning more and more about Chinese printmaking.

The information on this page comes from Chinese sources and was given to us by our partner in China. And we added some of our personal impression to the factual information.

Artist Resume of Shi Yi

• 1939 - Born in Shanghai.
• 1965 - The artist graduated from Printmaking Department at China Institute of Fine Arts.
• 1991 - Bronze Medal at the National Art Exhibition.
• 1993 - Personal exhibition at the University of California in Los Angeles.
• 1994 - Personal exhibition at the Friedrich-Weinbrenner College in Freiburg/Germany.
• 1994 - 10th International Art Exhibition in San Francisco, U.S.A.
• 1994 - Bronze Medal at the 12th National Woodcut Exhibition.
• 1994 - Outstanding Award Prize at the 8th National Art Exhibition.
• 1996 - 11th International Art Exhibition in San Francisco, U.S.A..
• 1996 - Golden Medal at the 13th National Woodcut Exhibition.
• 1998 - Bronze Medal at the 14th National Woodcut Exhibition.

Works by the artist are in the possession of the Asian Art Society, U.S.A. and of several museums in Europe, Japan and the United States.

Presently Shi Yi works as professor at the Art Department of Yunan Art College.

What Shi Yi Has to Say

Winter Moon, 1999
copyright Shi Yi

And this is what the artist says about his concept of art:

"The real works of art, from my point of view, should reveal and convey the inner world of the artist. And those feelings which are true and real stem from the artist's personal experience, his accomplishments in learning and his aestethic interest. Though a man with experiences and frustrations, I still prefer a simple life. Meanwhile, the oriental culture in which I was born exerts on me an edifying influence and therefore develops a deep love inside me for peace and tranquillity, and for the harmony between human beings and that between man and nature.

And for this reason, I loathe preachy and pretentions, revelation and weirdness in art, but am more willing to manifest the beauty and charm in ordinary things; and all those which remain as they were even under the attack of the modern civilization; and those which have vanished or are about to vanish in the long river of history. These are what tempt me and make me feel nostalgic all the time.

I wish I can build in my pictures a pure land - a true world full of beauty and good, a world which can free people of the hardships, anxieties and worries of the worldy land. I wish that in my pictures you can find the instant serenity of soul, like seeing a cool and clear stream in front of after the long journey in the vast desert, or the the first ray of dawn before you after the endless night. I wish that in my pictures you may feel joyous and above all worldly troubles and worries.

To treasure life, and enjoy the pleasures of nature, and let this world forever full of beauty and love. This is my ideal of life, and my aim in art pursuit."

Woodcuts for Dreamers Created by a Dreamer

Green Mountains Beside the Crystal River, 2000
copyright Shi Yi

Yes - Shi Yi could have expressed it with fewer words, but certainly not better. When we saw his color woodcuts, we were immediately reminded of art works by the Japanese Shin Hanga artists or by contemporary Japanese-Western printmakers like Clifton Karhu.

The color woodcuts created by Shi Yi are a depiction of an ideal countryside world à la Chinese. It still might exist today, but it is certainly doomed. One of the artist's prints, titled Home Beside the Streamuds reminds Ukiyo-e connoisseurs of prints by Elizabeth Keith with scenes from China.

Other than the color landscape woodcuts, the artist makes rather different prints in black and white of fossils and diverse objects with symbolic characters. But we bet that his color woodcuts of idealized Chinese landscape scenes will be the ones that will have a big success in the West.

Just to avoid any misunderstandings, we think there is absolutely nothing wrong to show the world a little better than it really is. After all, isn't this an important aspect of art too? Making you dream a little!

Limited Editions, Signed and Numbered

The artist's usual edition sizes for more recent works from the late 1990s and later are from 100 to 300 - rather large for a contemporary Chinese printmaker. It reflects the growing popularity of the artist in the West.

The prints are numbered and signed by the artist. Contemporary Chinese artists follow the Western concept of limited editions, numbering and signing by hand. Compared to the Japanese practice of often unknown edition sizes and unnumbered and unsigned prints, this makes a purchase a more reliable thing for art lovers. And with prices still more on a national Chinese than an international level, all signals are clearly on Buy now.

Dieter and Yorie

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