Li Keran, Red over the Mountains as if the Forests are Dyed, oil on paper, Dimensions: 69.5h x 45.5w cm

Source: https://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/culture/2015-11/16/content_22465548.htm 

Red over the Mountains as if the Forests are Dyed is an oil painting that was made in 1989 by Li Keran. Li Keran has made a series of ‘red landscape’ paintings. Since Li Keran passed away in 1989, this was one of his final works. This piece shows how his style and form evolved over his life and career. This painting shows the transition from the traditionalist perspective that he learned from Qi Baishi and Huang Binhong to the Western perspective where Li Keran uses landscapes, light, shadowing, and more vivid coloring. Mao Zedong released a collection of poems. This painting is representative of one of the poems written by Mao Zedong (Qin Yuan Chun•Changsha). The title of the painting is an excerpt from a verse from the poem (“Red over the Mountains…”). 

The poem sets the scene in Autumn where all the leaves are changing to the color red. In the middle of the composition, there sits a small village that sits upon the ever-changing beauty of the mountain. The landscape creates a sense of grandeur depicting the impressiveness of nature. To obtain the look as if the red paint was dyed on the canvas, Li Keran used special minerals in the pigments such as cinnabar to create the vibrant red leaves in the trees (“Red over the Mountains…”). The medium of the painting is oil paint and color on paper. The painting is taller than wider to emphasize the landscape of the mountains. The painting is very realistic and portrays the beauty of nature, which was very characteristic of Western art. The beauty of this landscape creates a great sense of pride for those in the Republic of China. 

References 

“Red over the Mountains as If the Forests Are Dyed – Li Keran – Google Arts & Culture.”   Google Arts and Culture. China Modern Contemporary Art Document. Accessed April      17, 2020.           https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/red-over-the-mountains-as-if-the-forests-are-dyed/zAFnEYxpnRbZ2A