Ma Jian (1962-) is a native of Liaoyuan, Jilin Province, and a member of the Beijing Oil Painting Society. Having graduated from the Oil Painting Department of Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts in 1987, Ma Jian served as an artist at The Changbaishan Audio-Visual Publishing House in Jilin Province from 1988 to 1992; participated in the “Contemporary Oil Painting Exhibition” in the three eastern provinces in 1993; settled in Beijing in 1995; participated in the “China Art Fair” twice in 1995 and 1997, the latter winning him the Excellent Work Award; held the Beijing Art Exhibition at the Great Wall International Club in 199; in 1999, at the Beijing International Art Garden, he held the “Cross-century Oil Painting Exhibition”; in 1999, his works “Sunshine” and “Tibetan Girl” were selected for the Traveling Exhibition of Chinese Oil Painting Style in Australia and New Zealand; in 2001, “Mother” and “Dolma” were selected into the “Outstanding Works Collection of Contemporary Chinese Youth”; in 2001, the work “Door” was selected for the “Love Me China” Oil Painting.

Ma Jian’s oil paintings reflect remarkable artistic skills and achievements in both art and performance. His works act as a transient space between the artistic realm and our own through careful demeanor, strict realism, subtle portrayal, and overall coordination, reflecting his outstanding talent and accomplishment.

As a classical realistic painter, his creative tendency is sublime, harmonious and aesthetic; he is also devoted to using classical language to narrate the facts of life, with his paintings undoubtedly alluding to the visual orientation of contemporary people, but also vividly guide the viewer as to what is noble, elegant, pure and beautiful.

Ma Jian’s oil paintings have a traditional sense of order due to the skillful brushstrokes, but this is completely different from conformism. His drawing on classicism lies in the self-demand for precision, simplicity, lyricism, tradition, realism, and the works always have a kind, gentle, fresh and pure characteristics. Simplicity, sincerity, and reverence are Ma Jian’s attitude towards art and life. Ma Jian is not just a painter, but a creator who integrates poetry, music, and philosophy into art, life, and spirit. It is evident that in the more than 30 years that Ma Jian has been engaged in artistic creation, painting has taken on a meditative practice. Ma Jian always praises those beautiful things with a balanced mind, away from the darkness and yearning for the light.

Although Ma Jian’s works are folk themes, and the painting language is modern, the picture reflects the artist’s inner world and artistic realm, today’s Ma Jian is more calm, loose, with some of the previous stubbornness put down.

As an artist, no matter what kind of artistic theme Ma Jian creates, the focal point will be on the elements of Chinese culture. The portraits of Chinese ethnic minorities and contemporary individuals alike painted in a classical way strengthen the sense of volume in a classical way, and the composition, shape, light and shade of the picture form a unified whole, showing a different sense of beauty. The primary feature of Ma Jian’s works, above all, is the beauty; he has depicted the beauty of such groups in a manner unique to his interpretation of the world.

Ma Jian mainly paints characters, placing people in carefully refined environments with props, costumes, posture design, and an unprovoked appearance, making picture portrayal real and vivid. The image created in Ma Jian’s works is delicate but not light; the expression is subtle but not charming; the skin is gelatinous but not glamorous; all culminating into masterful displays. The holy and elegant style, delicate and subtle painting language, expresses the world view of the German aesthetician Lessing that “beauty is the highest law of plastic arts”, which is undoubtedly Ma Jian’s aesthetic view. Ma Jian used reason and sensibility to create, forming his unique neoclassical academic style!

Ma Jian’s works are vivid, the picture is beautiful, the agility of color makes people fall in love at first sight, the style of realistic classicism objectively expresses the artistic essential characteristics of things, most of the creative themes come from women, and the delicate and rigorous color style is an important language of the picture, driven by the brushstrokes, so that every detail of the picture is full of vitality. Not only that, his depiction of the human body is also very in place, every still life in the scene complements the frank brushstrokes, the simple technique, the perfect light color makes the picture breath. The composition is also quite intentional, every step of the brushstroke, every stroke needs to be patiently considered, there will be vitality of things, painting the feeling of life, Ma Jian is good at conveying emotions to the characters, feminine portraits, immersive visual enjoyment, magnified details can be seen that each stroke is very fine, the model’s movements, demeanor. The seductive eyes seemed to come alive on the canvas. Vivid shapes give the painting a soul! The beautiful picture gives people the impression of flowing water!

Over the years of his creative career, Ma Jian has boldly tried to open up various creative styles and expression methods, such as “Ethnic Minorities Series”, “Dream Series”, “The Last Pure Land Series”, “Dusty Memory Series”, “National Essence Series”, etc., all of which reflect the uniqueness of Ma Jian’s artistic concept and the refinement of artistic language, as well as the depth and height of exploration of human nature. The work is both severe and profound, clear and objective without losing its dreamy ethereality, full of mystery and shocking power. Dream and reality, man and nature, religion and belief, past, present and future are like magnificent lyrical narrative poems, which pulsate the artist’s superhuman imagination and creative inspiration. The works have multiple meanings such as symbolism, suggestion, metaphor, and implication!