The contemporary art criticism collection "Art First Glance", published by Shanghai Dictionary Publishing House, was first released on March 12 at the Dahu Art Space on Maoming South Road in Shanghai. The author of the book is a Shanghai literary and art critic who has worked for a long time in the Oriental Morning Post Art Review and The Paper. The book is about 280,000 words, and most of the articles included in the book are published in the Oriental Morning Post Art Review, presenting the author's thoughts on the style of contemporary art, the development of art, and the picture of the integration and development of art and Shanghai. The Paper's special issue publishes the author's epilogue to this book.
Well-known newspapers and cultural scholars solemnly commented on his articles: "In plain language, we try to avoid the self-intoxicating dream language, and try to avoid adding several halos to contemporary art with concepts that were regarded as golden rules centuries ago." Gu Cunyan, editor-in-chief of The Paper's Art (formerly editor-in-chief of the Oriental Morning Post Art Review), mentioned, "Reading this book, the past events of those who traveled with the Oriental Morning Post Art Review came and went, and these words witnessed the awakening, transformation and growth of Jiahe. ”
This is my first book, but it seems to have come a long, long way, to the fact that several of the interviewees involved in the book, such as Nobuo Sekine and Okui, have passed away; to the suspension of the Oriental Morning Post where I first worked, and nirvana was reborn as a surging news; to the time when I worked with the names of those students in the culture department of the Xinmin Evening News for nearly 4 years. Thanks to Zhu Zhiling, director of the Cultural Reading Editorial Office of Shanghai Dictionary Publishing House, if it were not for his "wind and frost and sword strict compulsion" in the past two years, I might still be confused and feel at ease as a "giant of words, a dwarf of action".
If I had to look closely, the reason for such a delay would probably be on my own, I was afraid of touching, afraid of looking back. It is not because "the past is difficult to look back", but the words and clear views of the past that jump out of the way are now turned into soft fingers.
"Art at First Glance"
Most of these articles included in the book were published in the Oriental Morning Post Art Review. From 2011 to 2016, a short period of 5 years, it was an era of crazy accumulation and growth of my art knowledge and life experience. Reviews, interviews, surveys... The articles in my writing are not with a "fearless" attitude of carrying a gun and a stick, with the cold light and sharpness of the blade, obstinately hoping to insert and dissect the Chinese contemporary art world that is booming and growing barbarically; and trying to solve the problems that are mixed with ideals, history, techniques, concepts, capital, hype, brokers... The "problem" of not being able to tell between right and wrong.
On March 12, 2022, "Art First Glance" was first released at Shanghai Dahu Art Space
When the memory was awakened by the text, I returned to the scene of the interview. I was fortunate to contact Mr. Qian Peichen, who was rumored to be a "master of fake paintings" in the United States and "more like Pollock than Pollock" through my old friends, and with his artistic knowledge and sincere attitude, and perhaps a little naïve sense of justice, I won the trust of him who was temporarily sheltering in Shanghai. At that time, he was already white-haired and opened his heart to me, telling me about his life in a special era, the bumpy past of breaking into the United States alone, and the real life of Shanghai painters in the United States... Mr. Lao took me to his painting studio on the outskirts of Shanghai and showed me his newly created works, hoping to get recognition from the professional media.
In December 2013, the cover of the 102nd issue of the Oriental Morning Post Art Review, "From the American Dream" to the "Fake Painting Case""
Cover article of the 102nd issue of the Oriental Morning Post Art Review
Because the "one-eyed fake" Xu Beihong's "Jiufanggao" auctioned a news investigation of 9.6 million yuan, I simply thought that my secret visit for many days was a "heroic feat", and almost debunked a scam constructed by fake paintings and fake publications. I didn't expect to be threatened by buyers and sellers...
Cover of the 36th issue of the Oriental Morning Post Art Review
The cover article of the 36th issue of the Oriental Morning Post art review "Behind the Nine FangGao:True Fake Xu Beihong, True and False Publications"
I can't learn to work for rice sorghum, and I am obsessed with helping the world in the world of culture and art.
Xu Jiahe with the field artist Mark Neville
In order to have an equal dialogue with the artists interviewed on an equal footing, always doing my homework before meeting them every time, I am not an art major, all my knowledge comes from the mountains of books at home, every moment of facing the real thing in the museum and art gallery, the insights of talking with every artist... It was they who enriched me, and I also went deeper into art by understanding them.
I went all the way, thinking that I would be able to maintain such a high level of progress after that. However, there is always a moment in life to stop - whether forced or active, learn to look back, learn to summarize, in order to better start.
Thank you to Mr. Zheng Zheng for writing the preface for me in the hospital room. Every New Year's Festival, Shi Jianbang's grandfather was pulled across the city to visit Elder Zheng, a cup of tea to talk about the world, and talk about the allusions and interesting things between Elder Zheng and the old gentlemen in the art world. Whenever Elder Zheng mentions That Liu Danzhai is frustrated because of Xu Jiahe's article, I feel and grateful for my desire to see Xu Jiahe... That moment was like fireworks rising in the festive sky, entering my eyes and entering my heart. I would like to always take Elder Zheng as a confidant and an example, not to be intimidated by any interest group, not to be shaken by the surrounding trends.
Cover of The Oriental Morning Post Art Review, December 2016
In 2016, the back cover of the last issue of the Oriental Morning Post Art Review
Thanks to Gu Cunyan, the editor-in-chief of our Oriental Morning Post Art Review, who has been with my newspaper colleagues for more than 10 years, he has witnessed my transformation. His important points and vigorous protection are indispensable factors in the final writing and reporting of my writings. He always said:
"Xu Jiahe, you care about what you write, I'll deal with something."
Thank you to Mr. Sun Jian for coming forward when I was personally threatened by "going out and being hit by a car" and "thrown into the meat grinder and hanging", and said: "You told them that your article was a job act!" You give the other person my phone number and let them come to me directly for something! After that, for several consecutive days, Teacher Sun Jian often greeted me with text messages: "Are you okay?" Still alive, right? ”
Thank you Mr. Xie Zhenlin for giving the seal, bit by bit, remembered in your heart.
Thanks to the division commanders who have given me all kinds of encouragement and the small friends who have accompanied me for a long night, it is not easy to be like-minded, even if there are thousands of rivers and mountains, there is only one journey.
I would also like to dedicate this book to my mother, and when I wrote most of the articles in the book, I was able to be undistracted, because she used the energy she had accumulated throughout her life to resist the turbidity of the world for me. It's been more than three years since she died, and I've been dragging my feet to get it all done.
Further reading: About "Art at First Glance"
Zheng Zheng (well-known newspaper, scholar of literature and science)
In the history of Shanghai and even Chinese journalism, there is a "Oriental Morning Post", which is considered to be the "little lotus talent showing sharp corners" in the news industry, because of the participation of a group of young talents like Xu Jiahe, it is popular and fresh, and the Oriental Morning Post later transformed, transformed, and reborn, but still "left the dry lotus to listen to the sound of the rain", leaving people with many memories. Xu Jiahe's articles published in the Oriental Morning Post art review are now collected and published, and there is no sense of old age when reading the past.
"Jianghu" is a painting that Xu Jiahe has seen, touched, and appeared in her review articles, which seems to be somewhat in love. In the past, people often used language such as "the ocean of art" to describe painting. The ocean is vast, deep and endless, but the growth and growth of art is like rivers, lakes and seas, flowing and converging in calm or agitation. The ancient and modern, The East and the West in her paintings all appear in Xu Jiahe's pen, but she rarely uses the words "inheritance" or "borrowing" to express the relationship between them, whether it is a trickling river, a microwave rippled lake, or a big river with terrifying waves, her writing is like a light wind, blowing a pool of spring water, bringing new life to the flowing and changing painting art, and expressing it so delicately. ...... She has the art of reading and the confusion of an article that she can't understand. She argues that the text should be a bridge between the viewer and the artist, not that it is a bridge, not a deliberate obstacle to interpretation, nor should it be a theory and methodology domination by curators and critics. Viewing paintings is like reading poetry, each with what you get. Just as mud is water, only the tongue can distinguish its taste, art appreciation, because of the knowledge of taste first, from intuition to pondering, this is the art appreciation of the tempering process. The artist's intentions are not necessarily the same as those of the viewer and the critic. This requires critics to understand what the meaning of the work of art is, what is the value of the work of art, and what is the artist's initial state of mind. Regarding these, she strives to express deeper philosophical connotations in plain language in her articles, to avoid the self-intoxicating dream language, and to avoid adding several halos to contemporary art with concepts that were regarded as golden rules centuries ago. She has her own opinions, but she does not say them to death, thus leaving people with a broader space for thinking.
Gu Zheng (Photography Critic)
Too many art scenes can not be visited in person, our art at first glance by Xu Jiahe, how fortunate!
Gu Cunyan (Editor-in-Chief of The Paper)
Reading "Art at First Glance", those who walk with the "Oriental Morning Post Art Review", the surging past of art comes and goes, which makes people feel nostalgic. These words truly bear witness to The Awakening, Transformation and Growth of Jiahe, as well as the unexpected willfulness, sharpness and splendor.
He Jianming (Vice Chairman of China Writers Association)
The spillover of talent is sensitive, the internal strength of art is delicate, and Xu Jiahe belongs to such a person. "Art First Glance" condenses the unique characteristics of the author.
Shi Jianbang (Art Critic)
In Xu Jiahe's swaying and colorful texts, the ten thousand styles of the maritime art circle can be seen at a glance.
There are ghosts (media people)
In Xu Jiahe's "First Glance of Art", there is truth, innocence, rivers and lakes, fireworks, and more "art insights".
Colin (Boxing Coach)
The pink fist in the boxing ring gradually became an iron fist, but the text was "sword and light sword shadow" from beginning to end.