© Ali Ghandtschi

Chen Jianghong [China / France]

Chen Jianghong was born in the Chinese port city of Tianjin in 1963 and grew up during the Cultural Revolution. He studied painting from 1979 to 1982 in his hometown and completed his studies in Beijing in 1987 at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts. Since then, he has lived in France, where he works as a freelance painter and illustrator of picture books that have been translated into more than ten languages to date.

Chen Jianghong’s international fame is due largely to his picture books. In »Zhong Kui« (2001; tr: The Horrors of Evil) Chen skillfully evokes the atmosphere of the theater, transferring it to the two-dimensional level of a book and allowing its pages to become the stage for an allegory of justice and truth. »Le cheval magique de Han Gan« (2004; Eng. »Han Gan’s Magic Horse«, 2006) is about the legend of Han Gan, an 8^th-century Chinese artist whose paintings of horses come to life one day. The striking and colorful compositions are parables of power, responsibility, and the miracle of art: »Le Prince tigre« (2005; tr: The Tiger Prince) is an enchantingly illustrated and fascinating story about a mother-son relationship between a tigress and a little prince. »Petit Aigle« (2001; Eng. »Little Eagle«, 2007) tells the tale of a young boy who is taught the secrets of eagle boxing by Master Yang, a famous Chinese wiseman. Chen’s autobiographical »Mao et moi« (2008; Eng. »Mao and Me«, 2008) is about his childhood, during which he was strongly influenced by his grandfather. The book »Le petit pêcheur et le squelette« (2013; tr: The Little Fisherman and the Skeleton) appeared five years later and impresses with its dynamic illustrations and, above all, the combination of classic Chinese painting with modern Western imagery. In »Sann« (2014), a six-year-old wants to remove the mountains that threaten the survival of his village. Unable to achieve the task alone, he is helped by heavenly powers embodied by three dragons to keep his promise, making his efforts worthwhile.

His paintings have been exhibited in various galleries and museums in Europe, Asia, and America. To date, he has written and illustrated eleven of his own books and provided illustrations for more than twenty works by other authors. His books have been awarded numerous important prizes, including the Prix Sorcières (2004) and the German Youth Literature Prize (2005).

Chen Jianghong has lived in Paris since 1987 and has had a studio in Berlin since 2011.

Bibliography

Zhong Kui

Ein Besuch in der Peking-Oper
Moritz
[Ü: Erika u. Karl A. Klewer]
Frankfurt a. M., 2001

Han Gan und das Wunderpferd
Moritz
[Ü: Erika u. Karl A. Klewer]
Frankfurt a. M., 2004

Der Tigerprinz
Moritz
[Ü: Erika u. Karl A. Klewer]
Frankfurt a. M., 2005

An Großvaters Hand
Meine Kindheit in China
Moritz
[Ü: Tobias Scheffel]
Frankfurt a. M., 2009

Der kleine Fischer Tong
Moritz
[Ü: Tobias Scheffel]
Frankfurt a. M., 2014

Ich werde Berge versetzen!
Moritz
[Ü: Tobias Scheffel]
Frankfurt a. M., 2015