Osmanthus Fragrans and Two Rabbits

Wang Xuetao, formerly known as Tingjun, was born in Chengan, Hebei province. His courtesy name was Chiyuan. He passed the entrance exam and began to study at National Beiping Art College in 1922, where he was taught by established painters including Chen Shiceng, Xiao Qianzhong, Tang Dingzhi, and Wang Mengbai. He became a student of Qi Baishi in 1924, who changed Wang’s name from Tingjun to Xuetao. Wang assumed a teaching position at the college after graduation. During the War of Resistance against Japan when Peking was sacked, he quitted teaching and became a full-time painter. In 1955, he helped prepare for the establishment of Beijing Chinese Academy of Painting and became a painter and member of the administrative committee there in 1957. He served as President of Beijing Chinese Academy of Painting and a councilor of China Artists Association from 1978 onward. Wang was famous for his freehand-style painting of flowers and birds and paid great attention to sketching. His paintings cover a wide range of subjects and feature varied use of colors.