Background
Han Meilin was born on December 26, 1936, in Jinan, Shandong, China.
Han Meilin
Han Meilin at the age of 13.
In 1955 Han Meilin was admitted to the Central Academy of Arts and Design, now part of Tsinghua University.
In 1960 Han Meilin graduated from the Central Academy of Arts and Design.
Han Meilin
Han Meilin
Han Meilin creating a graphic painting.
Han Meilin creating a big painting.
Han Meilin celebrates his 60th birthday.
Han Meilin creating a sculpture.
Han Meilin creates a calligraphic work.
Han Meilin at work.
Han Meilin and mascot he designed.
Han Meilin in the years of imprisonment.
Han Meilin at Huainan Porcelain Factory.
Han Meilin at the age of 13.
In 1955 Han Meilin was admitted to the Central Academy of Arts and Design, now part of Tsinghua University.
In 1960 Han Meilin graduated from the Central Academy of Arts and Design.
Han Meilin
Han Meilin
Han Meilin creating a graphic painting.
Han Meilin creating a big painting.
Han Meilin celebrates his 60th birthday.
Han Meilin in youth.
Han Meilin creating a sculpture.
Han Meilin in the years of imprisonment.
Han Meilin at Huainan Porcelain Factory.
Han Meilin creates a calligraphic work.
Han Meilin at work.
Han Meilin and Olympic fire.
Han Meilin at the UNESCO Headquarters.
Han Meilin and mascot he designed.
https://www.amazon.com/paintings-Han-Meilin/dp/B0007AUL0M/?tag=2022091-20
1979
https://www.amazon.com/Still-Land-Living-Han-Meilin/dp/B001LWI58U/?tag=2022091-20
1980
https://www.amazon.com/cardamom-Shaotou-Meilin-body-collection/dp/7534425719/?tag=2022091-20
1991
https://www.amazon.com/Essays-Paintings-Han-Meilin-Chinese/dp/7530674250/?tag=2022091-20
2018
2008
2019
https://www.amazon.com/Beijing-2008-Olympics-Mascot-Fuwa/dp/B00GYCRM9A/?tag=2022091-20
1978
韓 美林
Han Meilin was born on December 26, 1936, in Jinan, Shandong, China.
In 1955 Han Meilin was admitted to the Central Academy of Arts and Design, now part of Tsinghua University. In 1960 he graduated.
Several years after Han Meilin's graduation, the Cultural Revolution began. In 1968, he was arrested for befriending foreigners, tortured and spent nearly five years imprisoned. He was sent to work in the Huainan Porcelain Factory in Anhui Province.
Following his release in 1972, Meilin became one of China’s leading Contemporary artists. In 1979, Han was elected to the China Artists Association and held an exhibition at the National Art Museum of China, which attracted more than 200,000 visitors over 21 days. The next year, he became the first Chinese painter to hold an exhibition in the United States, traveling to dozens of cities.
Between 1989 and 2010, Meilin held solo exhibitions in more than 20 countries, including Taipei, Canada, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and India. He was also invited to speak at Harvard and Yale. In addition, he published a number of albums, such as Meilin’s Paintings, Art Works of Han Meilin, Mountain Flowers in Full Bloom, and the Selection of Arts and Crafts Works of Han Meilin.
In addition to his work as a painter, Meilin also designed the Five-Dragon Clock Tower sculpture for the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics and created the Air China Phoenix logo in 1988.
Meilin works in a range of different media, including painting, ceramic, glass, and sculpture. Han’s works, often depicting animals, are characterized by their adherence to traditional Chinese art techniques, including folk art. Calligraphy is also an essential component of his work. His most famous creations are the Fuwa ("good-luck doll") mascots, which debuted at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Meilin designed a set of two stamps to mark the Year of the Pig in 2019, which were issued by China Post in January. And he held a solo exhibition on the Chinese culture of shengxiao, zodiac animals, at the Palace Museum in January and February.
Stamps to mark the Year of the Pig 2019
2019Fuwa mascot for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing
2008Han Meilin is known to have lived through hard times during the Chinese Cultural Revolution due to his non-conformity regime. He was arrested, tortured and imprisoned.
Han Meilin said that he is inspired by hardship and that China is the root of his artistic creation. He is also an outspoken advocate of better policing of China's art sales to rid the auction markets of fakes.
Quotations:
"The flower of my art is rooted in Chinese soil, but it is nurtured by rain, sunshine, and dew from other countries.”
"I never complain. No matter what bad things happen, I try to be optimistic. Life is short. Even if you can live 100 years, that is only 30 thousand days. What we have experienced becomes history; so, why not just let it pass and don’t think too much about it. A person should be optimistic and have a philosophical approach to life. That means people should think from the perspective of the future. When a baby is born, he cries because he will go through some hardships. We never hear of a baby born smiling. Life is short and not easy; so, we should look on the bright side of things."
"No one is a “born artist”. People become artists after years of hard work. Every day I spend four hours reading books and two hours practicing calligraphy; the rest of my time I paint."
Han Meilin loves life, even though he went through many hardships during his life and miraculously survived.
Quotes from others about the person
"Han Meilin has been able to create his own fantastic universe, populated by graceful creatures or by animals interpreted according to the positive or negative characteristics attributed to them by Chinese tradition, or even with objects, inlaid woods, textiles, bronzes. Meilin can create art forms with roots to the past yet also with an imaginative projection into the future." - Ambassador Umberto Vattani
