Wu Guanzhong
Wu Guanzhong, a modern Chinese painter with international influence. He died in 2010 at the age of 91. Mr. Wu Guanzhong has a persistent pursuit of art throughout his life. He unremittingly explores the different aesthetic concepts of the two artistic languages of Eastern and Western painting, and tenaciously practices the creative concepts of "nationalization of oil painting" and "modernization of Chinese painting", forming distinct artistic characteristics.
The price of his paintings was staggering, which aroused the interest of countless people in his paintings. Ironically, the change in the price of the painting that the public cares about is precisely what Wu Guanzhong himself does not care about. People familiar with Wu Guanzhong know that his life is simple and not vain.
In Mr. Wu Guanzhong's eyes, the art market is affected by factors that people cannot avoid, such as interpersonal relations, interest packaging, and economic ups and downs. High market prices are not necessarily a good thing. Similarly, the price is low, and there is no need to be depressed. Whether the merits and demerits of works of art can withstand the test of history are often clearer and more accurate for future generations.
Wu Guanzhong said: "Art is naturally formed, and the times will certainly have sincere retention and ruthless elimination." The art market is a mirror. But God will only care for the painter who is bent on creating, not the person who shines in the mirror. ”
Author: Wu Guanzhong
Name: Spring color full of garden
Collection of Qingweilou Fine Arts Museum
Destroy the painting
In his art chronology, he recorded two painting burning experiences, one in 1966, at the beginning of the "Cultural Revolution", when he destroyed and burned hundreds of works he had painted after returning to China and foreign albums and books brought back from France; the other was in 1991, when his paintings were already sold at a very high price in the market, and he collected his works that he had not satisfied with for more than twenty years and burned more than two hundred works at a time. This painting destruction, which overseas people call "burning luxury houses", has only one purpose: to preserve the paintings that tomorrow's connoisseurs cannot fault!
In daily life, Wu Guanzhong's habit of not being satisfied with his own works is burned. "If the expression of the work is not good, it must be destroyed, and there is an ancient saying that 'three thousand paintings are destroyed', and I think that is still less." Wu Guanzhong said.
traitor
As a teacher, Wu Guanzhong hopes that his students will have independent ideological and artistic pursuits. He said, "I feel ashamed that an artist has a teacher, and if I teach students whose works like mine, it is a failure of my teaching." ”
In 1992, Wu Guanzhong and his students held a painting exhibition, hoping to use his popularity to bring some students who painted well. Wu Guanzhong named this exhibition "Traitor Painting Exhibition", which means that the artistic styles of students and teachers are completely different, and as a result, the art museum resolutely disagreed and had to change it to a teacher-student painting exhibition.
Judges
At the beginning of 1993, the Overseas Edition of People's Daily, the People's Liberation Army Daily and the Hong Kong Oriental Art Center jointly held the "Oriental Cup" International Ink Painting Competition, inviting Wu Guanzhong, Zhang Tong, Liu Xun, Liu Boshu, Zhu Naizheng, Deng Lin, Yuan Yunfu, Wang Mingming and Li Song as judges. On the morning of the award, Mr. Wu, who is in his seventies, came to the People's Daily on time, wearing a casual suit and sneakers.
In the first round, weed out poor works. The four walls of the auditorium are covered with paintings, some of which can only be placed on the ground. Shoddy works are naturally eliminated, but those in good form will have the same fate. Whenever they see a work that imitates the style of the judges, the judges will smile: take it! All imitations were rejected. Imitation hinders the artist's true feelings. Wu Guanzhong, who is the director of the jury, gave the inscription to the competition: "True feelings in your own family, don't follow the example of Dong Shi." ”
In the second round, the first, second and third prizes and excellence awards will be awarded. Mr. Wu carefully examined each work, looking at it from a distance and up close, sometimes crouching down on his knees to examine the work, and from time to time carefully recording it in a small book, and was busy all day.
Author: Wu Guanzhong
Name: Dark incense floating
Collection of Qingweilou Fine Arts Museum
In and out with slippers
The way of Chinese painting and calligraphy is unfathomable. Generations of famous artists have paid great attention to handling the relationship between entry and exit. Only by entering can we appreciate the magic of the intentions of our predecessors; when we go out, we can use it thoroughly.
Mr. Wu once vividly summarized the know-how of dealing with dissociation. He once pointed out to the young painter this way: "You must wear the master's slippers for a walk, and then throw the slippers away, in the process of putting on and taking off, you will find yourself." That's how I got here. "Nezha Prince analyzes the bones to return to the father, analyzes the flesh and returns the mother, fang has a self, believe it!"
Wu Guanzhong once said in a speech that if the Qing Dynasty painter Xugu had lived to the present, he would have liked to invite him to tea. However, if Zhang Daqian and Ren Bonian invited him to drink, he did not want to go, because he had nothing to say to them.
Change is general for a long time
Interpreting Wu Guanzhong is undoubtedly a futile effort. The painter is like a naughty boy who likes to play hide-and-seek, and when all the art critics try to tie him up with a rope, they find it difficult to catch him by surprise: he is constantly changing and moving! Because the conclusion often comes from the end, but Wu Guanzhong's artistic pursuit has no end. All labels are not applicable. If you are reluctant to draw a conclusion, you can only say that change, constantly looking for the best means to express your inner feelings, is his main line.
Wu Guanzhong challenged the either-or way of thinking, when his artistic views were taken out of context as "pen and ink equals zero", some people expected Wu Guanzhong to provoke a complete Westernization of the big rope, unexpectedly, Wu Guanzhong emphasized the necessary connection between contemporary ink painting and traditional culture, and even doubted Western oil painting, he said, today his love and worship of Western modern art is completely shaken...
This change is sincere, not speculative, and is a long process of Zheng Banqiao's so-called spiritual seedling self-exploration. In the end he came to the conclusion that the study of art was not in Europe, not in Paris, not in the studios of the masters; in the motherland, in the homeland, in the homeland, in the bottom of his heart...
Mr. Wu once said bluntly that what he did was to do his best to create the work and express his feelings.
Editor: Wen Shuijing
Review: Yang Xiangxiong
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