Biography
Yitai Li (born 1944) is a Chinese printmaker and educator whose woodblock prints have earned international recognition for their masterful use of the traditional wet water-based printing technique. Born in Shanghai, he began his studies at the Zhejiang Fine Art Academy in 1956, and after graduating, remained at the Academy as a professor. He serves as vice president of the Zhejiang Printmakers Association and is a member of the Chinese Art Association.
Li employs the traditional water-based woodblock printing method—a technique closely related to the Japanese mokuhanga tradition—that uses water-soluble pigments and hand printing to achieve delicate tonal gradations and luminous color. His subjects draw from Chinese landscapes, literary themes, and scenes of daily life along the Yangtze River and the lakes of Zhejiang Province.
His work has received significant international recognition. In 1980, his artwork Lu Xun was selected for a United Nations-organized exposition of Chinese painting art that traveled to multiple international venues. In 1984, his prints "March in Lower Reaches of Yangtze" and "Fishnet" were featured at the International Print Exposition in Ljubljana, and in 1986, his piece "Lakefront" was exhibited at the International Peace Year Exposition organized by the United Nations. Li is also an accomplished author, having published several books on art and printmaking techniques. Most of his designs are produced in limited editions of several hundred copies, each signed, dated, and numbered.
Key Facts
- Active Period
- 1944
- Nationality
- 🇨🇳China
- Movement
- Contemporary Mokuhanga
- Subjects
- Rivers & LakesLandscapes
- Works Indexed
- 1
Frequently Asked Questions
Yitai Li (born 1944) is a Chinese printmaker and educator whose woodblock prints have earned international recognition for their masterful use of the traditional wet water-based printing technique. Born in Shanghai, he began his studies at the Zhejiang Fine Art Academy in 1956, and after graduating, remained at the Academy as a professor. He serves as vice president of the Zhejiang Printmakers Association and is a member of the Chinese Art Association.
Yitai Li was active born in 1944. They were associated with the Contemporary Mokuhanga movement.
Yitai Li's work was shaped by the Contemporary Mokuhanga tradition in Japanese woodblock printmaking. Contemporary Mokuhanga: Contemporary mokuhanga (literally "wood-block print") encompasses artists working from approximately 1970 to the present who continue or reinvent traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques.
Yitai Li's prints frequently feature rivers & lakes, landscapes.
Original prints by Yitai Li can be found in collections including Art Institute of Chicago.
Yitai Li is a contemporary printmaker contributing to the ongoing tradition of woodblock printing. Contemporary prints offer collectors an affordable entry point into Japanese printmaking. Prices range from $100 for smaller works to $1,500 for major compositions. Most prints sell in the $200–$600 range. The contemporary printmaking scene is active and international, with artists exhibiting at galleries, art fairs, and print biennials worldwide.