Scott No: 2229-31
Serial number: T141
Values in set: 3
Date of issue: September 1, 1989
Denomination: 58 fen
Designers: Ye Qianyu, Li Keran, Wu Zuoren
Size of stamps: 54*40mm
Perforation: 11
Sheet composition: 28(4*7)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

T141 "Selected Contemporary Art Works (I)" special stamps were issued on September 1, 1989. The set consists of 3 stamps, printed by photogravure, with a stamp size of 54 × 40 mm, perforation gauge 11, and 28 stamps per sheet (4 × 7). The three painters Ye Qianyu, Li Keran, and Wu Zuoren created the works themselves, and the stamps were printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory.

Theme of the Set

This set is the opening of the Contemporary Art Works series, selecting representative masterpieces of three modern and contemporary masters of Chinese painting, with subjects covering opera figures, landscapes, and animals, encompassing different genres of figure painting, landscape painting, and ink painting. The stamps adopt the album-leaf format, with each painting paired with an inscription, integrating painting and calligraphy and showcasing the development achievements of New China's Chinese painting art while offering a glimpse of the masters' brush-and-ink style and artistic propositions.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Ye Qianyu, The White Snake

On the right side of the design is the opera-themed Chinese painting The White Snake, depicting the stage images of Bai Suzhen, Xiao Qing, and Xu Xian with fluttering sleeves. It is a classic opera figure work by Ye Qianyu, originally a draft poster for an overseas Peking opera performance. On the left is the painter's own inscription: "Be content with life and always joyful; strive for perfection in art," which was his lifelong artistic creed.

Li Keran, Drizzle over the Li River

On the right side is Drizzle over the Li River, with misty rain and the strange peaks of the Li River standing by the water, and a small boat drifting on the river. It is Li Keran's signature ink landscape, with an ethereal and gentle artistic conception. The inscription on the left reads: "True knowledge is gained through hardship; from the high peak one sees the broad road," conveying reflections on scholarship and exploration and the spirit of fearing no hardship.

Wu Zuoren, Advancing Together

On the right side is the ink painting Advancing Together, in which two yaks run forward side by side, with concise and vigorous brushwork full of strength. The inscription on the left reads: "Method changes by me; art is for life," reflecting the painter's creative philosophy of not being bound by ancient methods and of art serving the era.

Artistic Design Features

The set adopts the traditional Chinese painting album-leaf layout, with calligraphy and painting placed separately on the left and right of each stamp, and the seal-script "China People's Post" arranged vertically between the calligraphy and painting, creating a novel layout. It faithfully reproduces the brush-and-ink charm of the original works: Ye Qianyu's lines are lively and free, Li Keran's landscapes are heavy and misty, and Wu Zuoren's ink painting is concise and vigorous. Each painting and its calligraphy set off each other, combining painting and calligraphy with a strong literati flavor.