"World of Art--Me and Contemporary Chinese Art

Author: Liu Chuanming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-06-01
Features: Heroes and gods do not need people's adoration; rather, it is we who gain spiritual impetus and elevation, and happiness, from our "" of heroes and gods. When "" becomes a cultural trend, when pairs of commercial hands pick up scattered cultural symbols and hawk them on the streets under the guise of promoting national spirit, the lack of reverence has become a serious ailment in society. At this moment, I have compiled articles on art that appeared in books, journals, and newspapers over the past twenty-five years. It requires both patience and courage. I don't know how readers will view it in the future, but there is one thing I firmly believe: my respect for those hardworking, wise, and down-to-earth people is sincere, and the continuation of the torch of civilization is extended through their transmission. I hold reverence for tradition and elite culture.
In memory, the first painting I ever read was Bruegel's The Shoeboy. It was in a worn-out rural cottage by the Chaohu Lake, over thirty years ago, in an old English-language magazine that I came across this illustration. The scene depicts a tired but happy boy resting against a wall corner in the afternoon sun. The colors in the painting are rich and full, and the boy's forehead, face, and chubby hands holding the nail hammer are depicted with such emotion that it seems as if the carefree innocence of childhood and the happiness of the laborer are about to spill out of the canvas. Before this, my only understanding of the darkness of capitalism and the suffering of the working class came from Hugo's Les Misérables, Jack London's The Call of the Wild, and K?the Kollwitz's woodcut Selling Blood. But this painting gave me a completely fresh perspective, freeing me from the constraints of conceptual politics. I must admit that my love for painting stems from literature, as I first entered the world of art through reviews and introductions to paintings. For example, with Qi Baishi, I first learned about anecdotes like "Frog Sounds Resound from the Mountain Spring" before I seriously began to study his shrimp, crabs, flowers, landscapes, and figures. This initial encounter determined my destiny with art and the mission I, as a critic, naturally bear.
When it comes to my true connection with art, I cannot mention Fan Zeng without hesitation. It was in the spring of 1980 when he and Zhang Ting returned from a painting exhibition they had just held in Hong Kong and were invited to Anhui to prepare for the "Luzhou Tour" exhibition. At that time, he was at the peak of his prime, eloquent, and full of vigor. He possessed extraordinary realistic skills, and I have seen him time and again sketch vivid images of ancient figures with a single stroke on Xuan paper. In portraiture, he was just as decisive, using the central brushstroke with precision, as if capturing light, achieving an exquisite and accurate result. We discussed history, literature, and poetry, and spoke of stories like Ji Zha hanging his sword, Bo Ya playing the qin, and countless other wise anecdotes from history. Our conversations were so engaging and delightful. Through Fan Zeng and his paintings, I truly felt the transcendent charm of art's serene and surreal allure.
After that, I had the fortune to meet other influential figures in contemporary art, such as Liu Haisu, Huang Zhou, Wang Zhaowen, Ya Ming, Wu Guanzhong, and Cheng Shifan. Though their styles varied—some grand and majestic, some simple and unadorned, some warm