传统中国画历史悠久，远在2000多年前的战国时期就出现了画在丝织品上的绘画——帛画，而这也可以说是中国画最早的起源。通常概念中，国画多用水墨表现自然风物，风土人情，数千年来不外乎青绿山水、金碧山水、浅绛山水、没骨山水等。而画家何起宝却以“水”画火，以“墨”画火，以自己的生命去画火，以其一己之力开创了用“火”的特殊风格来表现中国传统山水画艺术的“火墨画”，堪为中国画“火”第一人，也是“火墨画派”的创始人。
何起宝近影
何起宝，1958年出生于河北省三河市，插过队，当过知青，推崇毛泽东、周恩来、马克思等历史伟人。后参加到油田工作。期间，白天积极投入到工作当中，晚上自学山石盆景制作、摄影和潜心研究佛教思想理论，人生经历丰富而坎坷。在荒无人烟的山林大漠工作多年的特殊经历，使得其性格也如大山一般，超绝而逸气超拔。在确定自己的绘画艺术之路后，经过自己的拼搏学习和努力，考入中央美术学院，受教于当时的“黄润华、李行简、胡勃”等老师。后又经过几年努力，进一步提高了自己的绘画水平，也看到了自己更多的不足，认识到想要在绘画上有更深一层的突破，光靠自己单一的研究是不够的，通过一番努力，有幸结识了中国山水画名家“陈克永”先生，并认其为师父。而陈克永先生为一代国画大师白雪石的入室弟子，这样看来，可以说何起宝先生也是白雪石大师的再传弟子。白雪石先生曾为北京山水画研究会的会长，曾多次为中南海绘制巨幅作品，何起宝先生继承了白雪石先生对于大场面的把握能力，接其衣钵，何先生作品开创了“大气魄”，“大场面”，“大意境”的山水画风格。从中也可一窥白雪石先生广采博取北派，南派，运用传统技法和现代章法创造出具有独特风格的白派山水。而何起宝先生山水画中那苍莽大气的画风，劲健恣肆的笔墨运用，结构丰富细腻的画风又可看出其亲授老师陈克永的影响，而何起宝在兼收两位恩师艺术之精髓的基础上又以自己的天赋异禀与勤奋予作品以旋转强烈的动势、大胆不羁的色彩，笔到意达，笔笔直抒内心波澜壮阔的奔放激情，寓作品以深远的意境。画家在继承传统绘画技法风格的深刻体会之上，逐渐认识和形成了自己的艺术观念和笔墨技法，在自己几十年的艺术创作上逐渐形成了“火”和传统山水完美融合的创新风格，实现了几千年来传统山水画上的一个巨大突破与革新，也由此创立了独一无二的“火墨画”派系。
何起宝作品
何起宝先生的作品借鉴自然物质之物来表现自己的思想观念和内心世界。对佛法有着精深研究的何起宝先生把表现万物生命的和平、美好、希望的思想放在其艺术创作的首位。把强烈、积极向上、充满激情的内心世界融入到自己的作品当中。而“火”的创新艺术作为先生的独有风格，在何起宝的绘画生涯中占据了最为重要的位置。画家通过自然载体，把内心世界的大美、激情通过那一团团熊熊燃烧的烈火以自己独创的艺术形式在传统的中国山水画中淋漓尽致的表现了出来。
何起宝作品
如何把佛家积极、向上、美好的思想理念传递给观众始终是何起宝老师最大的愿望。万物都有红火的希望，而何起宝老师把“火”的创新风格融入传统山水，希望通过“火”本身的寓意把追求红红火火、蒸蒸日上、希望、好运的思想想法表达出来，也实现了何起宝老师传播佛家积极、向上、美好理念的愿望。
何起宝先生不仅在中国画千年发展史上做出了重大突破，更是在作品的境界上达到了前无古人的气势。笔者有幸亲见画家数幅巨作，无论是“山火魂”还是“万家灯火”皆为大气磅礴之鸿篇巨制，站在这气势恢宏的长卷前，笔者被其画面中所表现的大气恢弘所深深震撼。正如何起宝先生所言：“我的作品不仅仅需要体现技法，那未免流于肤浅，我认为更重要的是表达出我内心世界的思想。”何起宝老师“火”的创新风格在突破传统山水风格之上，又把自我想要传递的佛教思想完美的融入其作品当中，达到了传统山水融入创新风格而体现内心思想的完美结合。
当我们驻足在画家作品前时，那发自灵魂深处的熊熊之焰铺面而来，气场强大而摄人心魄。画家用笔狂放不羁，脱离了技法与俗事的羁绊，意境脱俗而天地合一，何起宝笔下作品既是自己多年传奇人生经历的现实关照，更是对人生，对佛学的大彻大悟后的淋漓挥洒而写就的壮阔篇章。先生艺术的核心与唯一性就在于其图像意境的创新，风格与审美情趣的不同，如何在传统水墨这些几千年来传承下来的文化精髓中突破出新？这一难题可以说在先生的“火墨画”作品里得到了完美的解答。“水”与“火”的冲突与和谐在何起宝先生的画作中完美体现。先生借古托今，使我们看到了予感性中的一种理性抗争，以及对自由境界的不懈追求。
To paint flames with water
——The founder of flame painting
Jun Liu
Chinese painting has a long history. Painting on silks in the Warring States period, named Bo Hua in Chinese, is possibly the origin of the Chinese painting. Generally, traditional Chinese painting is characterized by green and blue landscape, shallow purple landscape and non-sketch lines landscape. In the long-term development, natural scenery and local conditions and customs have been following above characteristics. However，He Qibao’s painting works show us the fire’s characteristics，shape, quality and momentum. He has been painting the image of flame and has devoted himself to it. As the founder of the Flame Painting School，Mr. He makes a breakthrough in Chinese painting history.
He Qibao was born in the city of Sanhe, Hebei. Since his birth in 1958, he suffered a lot. Once he was sent to live and work in a production team as an intellectual. His special experience in the mountains, forests and deserts, made his bold and unconstrained character. He learned many years from famous painter Chen Keyong, Bai Xueshi's disciple. That is to say, He Qibao is the indirect-disciple of Bai Xueshi, who was the chairman of Beijing Landscape Painting Research Association. Bai Xueshi painted many times for Zhongnanhai. He Qibao has inherited Bai Xueshi’ability of controlling big spectacle and has created the landscape style of great spectacle, great artistic conception and great boldness of vision, where we can see the Bai School’s landscape unique painting style by traditional techniques and modern tricks, absorbing painting elements of South of China School and North of China School. He Qibao’s painting styles, indistinctly broad vision, powerfully unrestrained color and diversely delicate techniques, are influenced by the painting style of his teacher Chen Keyong. Moreover, with standing on the shoulders of his two mentors and depending on his own gift and hard work, every line of his paintings, strongly gyrating, unstrained color and delicate techniques, manifests his intense emotion and the deep artistic conception. He has formed his own artistic concept based on the traditional painting techniques and styles. He has created his unique painting works, image of flames, originating from his decade’s art making. He has made a revolution in Chinese landscape painting.
Mr. He expresses his thought and emotion by what natural things show in his works. Mr. He deeply studies Buddha dharma and he puts the thoughts of peace, kindness and hope in the first place of artistic creation. He has made intense passion and positive attitude into his painting works. As a unique style, the flames painting works play an important role in He Qibao’s painting career. Through the unique painting of naturally raging flames, he fully expresses the Broad Beauty in his heart, and his unique artistic creation also stands out in traditional Chinese landscape painting.
Mr. He’s best wish is to present the peace, positive attitude and beauty of Buddha dharma in his painting works. As a new medium, image of fire has perfectly expressed the Buddha dharma under Mr. He’s painting techniques.
He Qibao not only makes a breakthrough in painting images but also attains high artistic conception. I luckily saw his two great works, Soul of Mountain Flames and Myriad Lights manifesting his boldness and grandness. Standing before these great works, I was shocked. As Mr. He says, “Mind and thought underlying painting works are the most important things, while techniques of painting works is superficial.” Mr. He’s flames painting based on traditional landscape painting fully contains Buddha dharma what he wants to expresses. It is a perfect combination of traditional painting characteristics, innovative styles and his own thought and emotion.
When we see Mr. He’s painting works, we can shockingly feel that the fire flames up to our face, which shows great scenery. Mr. He boldly gets rid of traditional painting techniques and trivial matters and creates elegant artistic conception, the sky and the earth in one. His great painting works on the understanding of Buddha dharma and life represent his special experience. The artistic conception is unique. His painting style and aesthetics are different from others. The flame painting is the development of traditional wash painting and it also can be thought as a revolution. In Mr. He’s painting works, the contradiction and harmony between water and fire are completely manifested. Mr. He has developed the traditional Chinese painting. His emotion contains the rational conflict and he will pursue freedom and liberty in his painting career.