Yang Jianyong (b. Shanghai) is known for pioneering the language of “Song Painting Deconstruction,” where he draws inspiration from Song-dynasty masters such as Fan Kuan, Guo Xi, and Li Tang – reinterpreting their spatial structures and philosophical principles through a contemporary lens. Trained across classical Chinese painting and modern media, Yang integrates concepts of li (principle), zhen (truth), and qiyun (spirit resonance) with his own emotional and intellectual experience.

Yang works primarily with watercolour, often combined with unconventional materials, dissolving traditional ink boundaries, emphasizing translucency, atmosphere, and the poetic tension between form and emptiness. His visual language is further shaped by Western modernists including Anselm Kiefer and Egon Schiele, creating a bridge between ancient Chinese aesthetics and contemporary global sensibilities.

Yang has held solo exhibitions across Europe, China, and Japan, further establishing his international presence. His recent projects, including upcoming exhibition at Vermilion Art in Sydney, bring the spirit of Song-dynasty into the present, allowing its philosophical depth and visual vitality to re-emerge in a new era.
Yang Jiangyong currently lives and works in Shanghai.