Guan Bu was born in 1928，on the boundless Inner Mongolia Grassland.He has reveled in music and paint— ing since his childhood.He could sing aloud on the vast pasture，but had to bury his love for painting deep in his heart.With the support of his family，he eventually left the grassland and entered a national high school where he began tying his life to the fine arts.

　　Due to his diligence，he was then sent to the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing to study oil painting.Thanks to the professional education he received there，Guan has given full play to his potential in painting and has created a number of excellent oil paintings.Many of his works，including Happy Meeting，Little Sisters on the Grassland，At Dusk，At Daybreak，and Athletes of the Grassland， won prizes at national fine arts exhibitions.Not satisfied with his achievements in oil painting，he then devoted himself to traditional Chinese painting.He has combined Chinese and western painting techniques and thus formed his own style.With his brush，he gives colored souls to grasslands and forests——two subiects that are the most difficult to paint.

　　Perhaps because he 10ves music very much too.in his studio are also housed a four—stringed insUrument，a matouqin ra two—stringed bowed instrument with a SCl‘01l carved in the shape of a horse’s head). and even an Italian violin.Playing musical instruments，singing，and composing，all of this inspires him，so it is no wonder that his paint— ings 100k like music.Even the titles 0f his paintings are more like songs：Pastoral Song of Green Mountains，The Morning Melody of’ the Grasslands，Natural Rhythms of Spring Wind, and The Symphonic Poenl ofA Birch Forest.His paintings may bring us to a col— ored world of music.

　　The horse is the main theme of his paintings，a creature that most represents the essence of the grasslands and the nature Of the Mongolian people.In his paintings，the horses，whether loitering on the grasslands or in valleys or bathing in the moonlight，alone or in herds，are in harmony with their surroundings.His Running Horses is a long scroll displaying great momentum and bringing Guan’s sym— phony—like painting style to its zenith.

　　The most dynamic subject in his paintings is the river.Rivers. whether as themes or as backgrounds，are the most beautiful strokes under his brush.Viewing threadlike streams，wandering rivers,pow— erful waterfalls，and the torrential，roaring Changjiang(Yangtze)and Huanghe(Yellow)rivers in his paintings，one might hear their sound and feel their flow.

　　Relying on his unique，profound technique，he draws the be-loved grasslands，birch forests，and cattle herds of his hometown.as well as the imposing landscapes around other places of China.He imbues his paintings with an artistic touch of the Mongolian ethnic group，turning them into heartfelt songs that captivate every viewer. One after another，Guan has been an executive director of the Chinese Artists’Association and acted as secretary—general of the Beijing Artists’Association and chairman of the Promotion Society for the Fine Ags of Chinese Minorities.He has held ten personal painting exhibitions in Beijing， Shanghai，Inner Mongolia，and the United States.In addition.he has published albums in— cluding An Ahun ofGuan Bu’s Traditional Chi- nese Paintings and A Collection of Guan Bu's Works(U.S.edition).Many of his works have been collected by national art galleries and museums，as well as individual collectors.