I bear the burden of the art——Wu Guanzhong's Autobiography: Wu Guanzhong's Autobiography

Author: Wu Guanzhong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Preface (Author's Words): Who cares about the controversies after death? In fact, it's also impossible to manage the controversies during one's lifetime. But the history of life only has one true version. Fabrication or distortion will all be exposed by time. I have always opposed writing my own biography, feeling that an ordinary life is unnecessary to be recorded. At the age of over eighty, I often see long and short articles narrating my life stories and actions, with both good and bad intentions, praise or criticism, truth and falsehood mixed together. Although I see it all clearly, I can only let it spread freely. But it prompted me to reflect that it would be better to write a true account of myself for those who might seek me after my death. The book is divided into three parts. The first part narrates "The Flow of Life," which records the growth, development, transformation, and decline of my thoughts and emotions as time passes and life experiences accumulate. This flow of life is like a painting of the "River Scene at Qingming Festival," focusing on the overall picture of the long river and its major turning points, while many local details require a magnifying glass to observe. The second part, "This Feeling, This Scene," is entirely a magnified close-up, including aspects of life and artistic views. Many of the articles were written in response to the realities of the time and caused strong reactions and controversies. They are presented to new readers unchanged, and readers have the greatest freedom to choose chapters that interest them. The third part is a chronology, which is the bill of life, for checking the errors in payments. This autobiography, written by Wu Guanzhong in three parts: The first part narrates the flow of life, recording the growth, development, transformation, and decline of his thoughts and emotions. The second part is a "magnified close-up," concerning life and artistic views, with many articles written in response to the realities of the time and causing strong reactions and controversies. The third part is a chronology. Additionally, in the book, he depicts the historical images of Lin Fengmian, Pan Yuliang, Pan Tianshou, Xu Beihong, Wei Tianlin, Jiang Feng, Liang Sicheng, Lin Huiyin, and others. Wu Guanzhong said, "Literature is more than painting." He explained that his later choice of art was a variation of failing to succeed in learning literature. "I bear the burden of painting, and painting bears me!" With his clear-cut personality, straightforward sincerity, and passionate writing, Wu Guanzhong elaborates on the true life journey of an artist and the boundless worldly thoughts of an ordinary person.