Luminous cup Passion is not extinguished

Artist Chen Junde can achieve outstanding achievements by relying on the indomitable "one-headed" spirit.

　　"I do my own thing, I have no one in my eyes, I am overbearing", this set of seemingly negative words, if used as a metaphor for an artist's painting style, can be described as the highest praise. Chen Junde, the protagonist of the art biography "Passion Is Not Extinguished", deserves such an evaluation, and it cannot be more appropriate. He was obsessed with pure artistic creation, did not cling to power, did not flatter capital, and was willing to endure the dilemma of deviating from the entire era for the sake of artistic belief. His outstanding achievements rely on the indomitable spirit of "one head".

　　In September 2021, coinciding with the second anniversary of Chen Junde's death, Liu Haisu Art Museum joined hands with the China Oil Painting Society and the Shanghai Theater Academy to host the "Special Exhibition of Art and Documentation of Chen Junde, Master of Oil Painting of Haipai". I was invited to be one of three curators. I revisited Chen Junde's paintings, studied his diaries, manuscripts, letters, etc., spanning a nail, and from time to time came to mind an image of an artistic person with a frank heart and a proud bone. He is an oil painter and art educator who devotes his whole body and mind to art, and he uses his hands that roast the fire of life to paint in the world, and as long as the fire is not extinguished, he has been painting selflessly and tirelessly.

　　Chen Junde was born in Shanghai. As a student, he showed a talent for painting, especially with a special interest in color. His early influence was deeply influenced by European modernism, and the oil paintings he created in the 1960s and 1970s were most affirmed by Lin Fengmian, Liu Haisu, Guan Liang, Yan Wenliang, Min Xiwen, etc., which is the expression of his use of color for natural light and shadow. The young Chen Junde was full of confidence because of this. Later, he traveled with his friends to the Yungang Grottoes. He was struck by the charm of the statues and murals there that "the colorless color is the most 'colored'". After returning to Shanghai in Datong, Shanxi, Chen Junde was once confused and depressed, and fell into a swamp of thoughts. Liu Haisu learned about it and "pulled" him in time, pointing out: For oil painting, the line is the skeleton, and the color is flesh and blood. You can see that the Yungang Grottoes murals seem to be colorless and the most colorful, such an understanding is profound, but it is not necessary to simply deny yourself, let alone despise the value of color.

　　Liu Haisu's reminder helped Chen Junde get out of the swamp. Since then, Chen Junde has dive deep into the national culture to recuperate and continue to climb Mount Everest in color. He once sought a color breakthrough in the paintings of Liu Haisu, Lin Fengmian, Guan Liang, Yan Wenliang and other predecessors, but failed to achieve his wishes. Later, I found another way and played various oil paint experiments on the canvas, and gradually saw the dawn. For example, in the use of color surfaces, Chen Junde boldly embedded white in a pile of dark colors, and this "white" is not thin, but thick and thick. Unexpectedly, the whole picture seemed to be mobilized by thick white, the colors were activated, and the picture suddenly showed a high and distant atmosphere. For example, in repeated practice, he firmly tends to: color transition does not have to follow the "law" to move light and dark, and the use of color changes to present imagery is more immersive. Chen Junde has repeatedly broken into the "no man's land" in the cliffs of art. He believes that foreign countries will always belong to foreign countries, others will always belong to others, and the reason why I Chen Junde is Chen Junde, we must explore a painting language with Chinese cultural characteristics and our own unique characteristics. So what exactly is it? Poetic culture? Lao Zhuang philosophy? Pen and ink fun? The search for "on the way" is accompanied by difficulties and even pain, not to mention that his requirements for himself are "beautiful colors, beautiful brushwork!" "He was an aestheticist who studied color and brushwork deeply. He realized this lesson: "Color is not isolated, isolated color has no life, and living colors are integrated with thoughts and emotions." The same is true of the brushwork, and the living brushwork is vivid and moving. ”

　　Chen Junde was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. As his physical strength deteriorated, he refused to put down his pen. There is a "Don't Forget Me Flower and Fruit Diagram", which is the last large painting completed before standing on the easel after his serious illness. After his death, we found that he wrote behind the picture: "How can a seriously ill body be supported by painting comfort? Asking yourself should be your own sincere heart for art. During those days, he slowly moved to the studio many times, squeezed the paint on the drawing board, and felt exhausted. And the bouquet of purple "Don't Forget Me" in "Don't Forget Me Flower and Fruit Diagram" was bought by the student, perhaps the name of the flower coincided with Chen Junde's intentions, so he endured the pain of illness and tried his best to make a splash. At that time, the fire of his life was about to wither, but the picture was still vigorous and brilliant, that is life singing! After Chen Junde's death, several unfinished works moved us, and the pictures were full of the "joy" of life.

　　Jing'an Temple once asked Chen Junde to paint and paid him. Chen Junde gave all the paintings he painted to Jing'an Temple and returned the reward. When the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan struck, he watched TV and cried, "I want to donate money!" I want to donate to Wenchuan! Madame went to the bank at once to withdraw the money. The next day, Chen Junde rushed to the stage art department of the Shanghai Theater Academy and handed over a thick pile of cash to the organization... He, virtue and art. (Ding Xilin)