The Art Of Jian Guan

(Via)

Jian Guan (aka Masterkey 23) is a Chinese illustrator with an amazing art style drawing from the rich history and legends of his country, both in execution and lore. His piece titled 'warrior' above draws from Shui-mo ( 水墨), a technique based on watercolor and brush styled painting. While his work is exclusively digital, there's tell tale signs of an education that was mostly traditional, especially looking at his color usage and painterly style.

Much to my chagrin though, Jian Guan is one of those excellent artists who doesn't bother to post online much. Unlike what some people might think, not all artists are out to seek the limelight, instead opting for a more humble path of self improvement away from the public eye. Despite having scoured the net for a portfolio, I was only able to get a glimpse of this artists amazing work, which you can check out after the break. His take on a battle between Mongol leader Temujin (The early name of Genghis Khan) and his mortal rival Jamukha is one of the coolest historical paintings I've seen in a while.