How can one begin to describe an “original ecological painting”? Li Yingjie (李英杰)travels around the country divining the hidden art in boulders and rocks, unlocking Nature’s beauty in
the ecological "paintings" he unearths. As Phillipe de Gail, (former) ambassador of the Republic of Seychelles, describes in the forward to Li’s show at Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design in Jan. 2008,
“… out of thousands of tons of rocks and stones, Li Yingjie has extracted treasures of delicate sceneries and evocative landscapes made of impressionist color touches or surprisingly realistic drawing lines. He is like a water diviner in ancient times, but instead of using a forked hazel twig to find underground water, he relies on his vast geologic knowledge, and his extreme sensitivity and unusual talent to guess or feel the most precious pieces of ‘original ecological painting’ lay unearthed or just hidden to common eyes.”
Li is a modest man. A native of Chengde, he trained as an engineer, designer and was board chairman for a munitions works of the PLA logistics department as well as for many clothing industries in Beijing. He graduated from Tsinghua’s Academy of Art and Design in 1987 and, while a good party cadre with no avowed religion, he seems to follow a very Taoist path as he looks for beauty in nature and deems Nature to be the Artist and ultimate teacher.
His works are from the native stone of Hebei, sedimentary shale types showing delicate ferns and forests in their earthy tones; marble mirroring traditional Chinese brush paintings of mountain and water; and jade pieces highlighting forests of green trunks and hanging fronds. His eye for analyzing the raw stone for its hidden art is truly gifted.
Pieces in his gallery , located in the basement of one of his properties the A-C Embassy Hotel 奥加饭店 (located across the street from the Australian Embassy), are matted and framed to best echo the natural scene depicted. Gallery visits can be arranged during the hours of 9-11:30, 12:30-5:30, Monday-Friday. Call ahead to make arrangements.
Contact Information: A-C Embassy Hotel, #26 Dongzhimenwai Dajie. Yuan Sheng En Gallery. Tel. 010-6415 3388, etc. 3006 for the gallery.
东直门外大街26号， 奥加饭店， 原生恩艺术馆。 Tel. 010－6415 3388，转 3006.
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