That year, that day

Author: Zhu Yeqing / Yuan Yunsheng (Illustrator)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The motivation behind writing this book stems from a series of ink portrait works by Yuan Yunsheng. According to the date inscribed on the paintings, it was May 1981, in Dunhuang. The people depicted in the works are mostly students from the (Chinese Painting), (Oil Painting), and (Printmaking) classes of the 77th grade at the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts. They went to Dunhuang for study and met Yuan Yunsheng, a teacher from the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Thus, under the candlelight of the night, this connection was formed. Twenty-three years have passed, and the people in the paintings have scattered across the world. Some have become internationally renowned artists (e.g., Huang Yong in France), some have become successful entrepreneurs (e.g., Zha Li), some were shot to death on the streets of New York (e.g., Lin Lin), and some are still imprisoned in the United States (e.g., Lu Hong). Many have become significant figures in the field of Chinese art education. The author is also among them. He was invited to write about the experiences of the people in the paintings over more than two decades, but unexpectedly delved into the history and figures of the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts over five decades. From there, it touched upon the complex relationship between the development of New China's art and ideology, revealing major themes.