


Pan Yuliang (originally named Zhang Yuliang) was born in 1895 in Xiangcheng, Anhui Province. Both her parents died before she was eight. She was sold to a brothel in Wuhu County of Anhui province. In 1916, she met Pan Zanhua, a local customs official, who bought her out of the brothel and renamed her Pan Yuliang. They moved to Shanghai where she had an opportunity to learn painting from Hung Ye and started a new life and career in fine arts. She was admitted to the Shanghai Art Institute in 1918, where she learned from Wang Jiyuan and Zhu Qizhan. In 1921, she received a government scholarship to Rome National Fine Arts Institute. Later she studied at L’Ecole National Superieur des Beaux Arts, and then at the Rome National Fine Arts Institute. She returned to China in 1928 and taught at the Shanghai Art Academy, Shanghai Xinhua Art Institute, and the Central University’s Department of Fine Arts. In 1937, she returned to Paris. Her work has been honored with numerous awards, including the Salon de la Promotion Violette-Madaille d’Argent de l’Amopa, the L’Art Libre Confederation Francaise Salon International-Diplome D’Hononneur Medaille d’Argent, the Belgian National Gold Medal for Art, the French National Gold Medal, and a Class One Medal from the Ministry of Cultural Education of France. Liu Haisu once remarked of Pan Yuliang’s art, “Pan Yuliang’s works have healthy subject matters. Her techniques are well trained; her brushwork is strong yet graceful. She is truly a pioneer among female artists, and is an excellent painter among her peers”. Her works are being exhibited at China National Art Gallery in Beijing and Anhui Provincial Museum in Hefei.
Posing, 1950
Chinese Ink and Color on Rice Paper
19 1/2" x 13" (49.3cm x 33cm)About this work
This is a combination of impressionist and Chinese traditional ink wash techniques. Posing was done in exquisitely fine yet powerful lines. She chose Chinese ink and colour on rice paper as the suitable medium. Yuliang invented this unique style of nude human figure paintings, using style of hues and fine, flowing lines for a delicate and animated curvilinear figure.