方楚雄，庚寅年十月生于粤东汕头，自幼酷爱丹青，六载，拜王兰若先生为师，后得刘昌潮先生教诲，遂奠国画根基。

楚雄少时，倾心绘事。童年记忆，画即生活。初以木炭涂地，后父恐家乱，特购黑板粉笔以助习。虽有友劝粉笔灰损身，然楚雄之志未曾稍减。五岁时，偶至新华书店，得见《齐白石老公公的画》，书中小鸡、小鸭、小鸟、鱼虾，笔墨简练，生动传神，楚雄一见倾心，自此对画动物尤感兴趣，融此热爱于日后丹青。

方楚雄五岁启蒙绘事，承蒙汕头王兰若先生教导。兰若技艺精湛，涉猎广泛，尤擅梅兰竹菊。其全面修养，题材多元，深植楚雄心中，使其于画事上亦趋广泛。时得刘昌潮先生点拨，刘氏笔墨泼辣，苍劲淋漓，令楚雄对兰竹之意蕴有更深领悟。二师教诲，令方楚雄自幼即入传统笔墨之堂奥。

庚戌年初，方楚雄入广州美术学院，广美教育系统全面，使其既习传统山水、花鸟、人物，亦触西方技法。受杨之光、黎雄才、陈金章等名师影响，方楚雄在写生与创作中精进。杨之光重形准、笔墨果断，启发良多;陈金章求写生基础扎实，令楚雄创作时避概念化，力求独特具体。

方楚雄以写生为本，教导弟子从自然中取材，深信良师必为良画家。通过言传身教，楚雄助学生在写生中快速提升，同时自省艺道，不断进步。他认为传统技法固然重要，然欲化为己用，必先深入自然，紧扣生活，以将自然生机融入笔墨。在花鸟创作中，方楚雄拓展题材，将非洲草原野生动物融入中国画，以独特视角与细腻笔触，形成新颖艺术表达。他强调绘画非止形似，重在通过概括强化，展现动物灵性与情感。

方氏教与创相辅而行。久历教学，常自省创法，随时调正，且于创作中汲取新意，充实艺语。楚雄深信，画家之个性重于画派传承，惟有不断吸纳创新，方能于当代画坛自立风格。

方楚雄为当代岭南画派之杰出花鸟画家，以独特艺风与深厚笔墨立足画坛，动物画尤为称道，誉为“方氏一绝”，其作温馨动人，宛如在观者心中播种平淡灿烂之情。楚雄画风源于对自然之深挚热爱，善捕山林农家常见之物，化凡景为画中诗。久居岭南，受其形神兼备、色彩绚丽之影响，然其动物画偏于内敛宁静，与高剑父、高奇峰兄弟之气势动感异趣，此与其性情契合。楚雄之艺，承海派遗韵，融岭南传统，既承宋代精细笔致，复纳西方写实之技，开拓岭南花鸟新貌，展现新美学，注活力于新时代。

方楚雄尤重岭南风物，题材独特，作品涵盖花卉蔬果、猛禽走兽，甚至珍禽异鸟、古藤红叶。无论尺寸大小，皆精工绝伦，广受赞誉。其画有三妙：其一，翎毛走兽，种类繁多，无论猛禽猛兽，抑或常见鸟兽，皆描绘精准，神态各异，个性鲜明;其二，尤擅花木禽兽之生命状态，笔下古梅老松，如龙虬盘旋，枝繁叶茂，生机勃发，既展自然之旺盛，亦蕴礼赞生命之意;其三，花鸟画不止水墨色彩之妙，更蕴精神力量，以笔墨传情，令观者感悟生命与生态之美。

方楚雄为新岭南画派翘楚，于花鸟画造诣深厚，当代少有匹敌。

Translation

Fang Chuxiong: Master of Fine Brushwork, A Celebrated Artist of Lingnan

Fang Chuxiong was born in October of the Gengyin year in Shantou, Guangdong. He developed a deep love for painting from a young age, and at the age of six, he studied under Master Wang Lanruo. Later, he received guidance from Master Liu Changchao, thereby laying a solid foundation in Chinese painting.

From a young age, Fang Chuxiong was deeply devoted to painting. In his childhood memories, painting was a central part of his life. He initially drew on the ground with charcoal, but his father, concerned about the mess, bought him a blackboard and chalk. Despite a friend's warning about the health risks of chalk dust, Fang's passion remained undiminished. At the age of five, he visited a Xinhua Bookstore and encountered Qi Baishi's Paintings, featuring lively depictions of chicks, ducks, birds, and fish rendered in concise yet expressive brushwork. Fang was instantly captivated, and this sparked a lifelong interest in depicting animals, which would later become a central theme in his work.

Fang Chuxiong began his formal art education at the age of five, under the tutelage of Master Wang Lanruo in Shantou. Wang's skills were profound and wide-ranging, especially in the depiction of the "Four Gentlemen"—plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. His comprehensive training and diverse subject matter deeply influenced Fang, broadening his artistic scope. Later, under the guidance of Master Liu Changchao, whose brushwork was bold, vigorous, and dynamic, Fang gained a deeper understanding of the essence of bamboo and orchid painting. These teachings allowed Fang to delve into the traditional techniques of Chinese brushwork from a young age.

In the early Gengxu year, Fang Chuxiong was admitted to the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. The academy offered a comprehensive and systematic education, where Fang studied traditional Chinese landscape, flower-and-bird, and figure painting, while also being introduced to Western techniques. Under the influence of renowned teachers such as Yang Zhiguang, Li Xiongcai, and Chen Jinzhang, Fang honed his skills in sketching and creation. Yang Zhiguang emphasized precision in form and decisive brushwork, which greatly inspired Fang; Chen Jinzhang's insistence on a solid foundation in sketching helped Fang avoid conceptualization in his work, striving instead for uniqueness and specificity.

Fang Chuxiong based his teaching on sketching from life, instructing his students to draw inspiration from nature, believing that a good teacher must also be a good artist. Through hands-on teaching, Fang helped his students rapidly improve their sketching skills while continually reflecting on and advancing his own artistry. He believed that while traditional techniques are important, they must be personalized through deep immersion in nature and a close connection to life, allowing the vitality of nature to be infused into the brushwork. In his flower-and-bird paintings, Fang expanded his subject matter, incorporating African wildlife into Chinese painting, using a unique perspective and delicate brushstrokes to create an innovative artistic expression. He emphasized that painting should not merely capture likeness but should distill and emphasize the essence, revealing the spirit and emotion of the animals.

Fang’s teaching and creation are mutually reinforcing. Over his long teaching career, he frequently reflected on and adjusted his creative methods, continuously refining his approach and drawing new inspiration into his work. Fang firmly believed that a painter’s individuality is more important than the inheritance of a particular school of thought; only through constant innovation and absorption of new ideas can one establish a unique style in the contemporary art world.

Fang Chuxiong is a distinguished contemporary artist of the Lingnan School, known for his unique artistic style and profound mastery of brushwork, especially in animal painting, which has been praised as the "Fang’s Mastery." His works, often imbued with warmth and emotion, seem to sow a sense of both simplicity and brilliance in the hearts of viewers. Fang’s style is rooted in his deep love for nature, where he excels at capturing the everyday scenes of forests and rural life, transforming ordinary moments into poetic expressions on canvas. Having long resided in Lingnan, he has been deeply influenced by its tradition of balancing form and spirit, and its vibrant use of color. However, his animal paintings differ from the dynamic, vigorous style of Gao Jianfu and Gao Qifeng, leaning instead toward introspection and tranquility, reflecting his own temperament. Fang’s artistry carries the legacy of the Shanghai School, intertwined with Lingnan traditions. He combines the meticulous brushwork of the Song dynasty with Western realism, pioneering a new direction for Lingnan flower-and-bird painting, showcasing a fresh aesthetic that invigorates this art form in the modern era.

Fang Chuxiong places great emphasis on the distinctive flora and fauna of Lingnan in his work. His subject matter is unique, ranging from flowers and fruits to birds of prey and wild beasts, even including rare birds, ancient vines, and red leaves. Regardless of the size of his works, they are all exquisitely crafted and widely acclaimed. His paintings have three distinct qualities: First, his depiction of feathers and animals covers a wide variety, from birds of prey to common beasts, all rendered with precision, each creature displaying its own unique personality and expression; Second, he excels in portraying the vitality of plants and animals, capturing the ancient plum and pine trees in his brush as if they were dragons and serpents, with lush branches and leaves brimming with life, reflecting both the exuberance of nature and a reverence for life itself; Third, his flower-and-bird paintings offer more than just a visual delight in ink and color—they convey a deeper spiritual power, expressing emotion through brushwork, allowing the viewer to feel the life force and beauty of the natural world.

Fang Chuxiong is a leading figure of the new Lingnan School, with profound achievements in flower-and-bird painting, making him unmatched in the contemporary art scene.

责任编辑：苗君