An excellent work of art can be appreciated not only because of the exquisite painting technique, but also because the theme of the painting reflects the spirit of the times. In the Yangtze River Delta G60 Science and Technology Innovation Corridor Planning Exhibition Hall, the oil painting "Splendid Stars - Songjiang G60 Science and Technology Innovation Cloud Gallery" created by calligraphy and painting artists Zhao Baokang and Li Hui with the theme of the landmark buildings of the Yangtze River Delta G60 Science and Technology Innovation Corridor attracted everyone's attention. The reporter recently conducted an exclusive interview with the painter to tell the story behind the creation.
At night, the glittering G60 Science and Technology Innovation Cloud Gallery is like a giant ship, constantly pushing forward in the huge horizontal visual lifting like a staircase, the building's distinctive cloud roof and the building curtain wall form a straight echo, supplemented by bright lights, showing a visual perception like an impressionist Monet painting, and the background is the bustling night scene of the Yangtze River Delta under the starry sky, and the starry golden starry sky is like a brilliant cloud...... On April 18, the reporter saw this huge oil painting with a height of 2 meters and a width of 4 meters at the entrance of the lobby of Building 8 of the G60 Science and Technology Innovation Corridor Planning Exhibition Hall in the Yangtze River Delta.
Born in Shanghai in 1953, Zhao Baokang graduated from the Stage Design Department of Shanghai Theater Academy, and has taught at the Academy of Fine Arts of Shanghai University and the School of Fine Arts of Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, and is a member of the Chinese Artists Association. Last year, Zhao Baokang, who is committed to creating artworks that are in line with the trend of the times, created oil paintings with the theme of the G60 Science and Technology Innovation Cloud Gallery: "The G60 Science and Technology Innovation Cloud Gallery is magnificent and impresses me deeply. The profound changes that have taken place in the G60 Science and Technology Innovation Corridor in the Yangtze River Delta are the story of industrial transformation and upgrading, the story of the agglomeration of scientific and technological innovation elements, and the story of the integration of the Yangtze River Delta. ”
When conceiving the background of the work, Zhao Baokang thought that when looking at the earth through the photos sent back by satellite, the brightest place on the earth at night is still the brightly lit southeast coastal area of China, so the use of dense lights as the background of the work is also just like the night sky and stars, showing the economic development of the Yangtze River Delta region, and using dark gold to form a different visual effect from the traditional dark blue night sky.
With a mature idea, Zhao Baokang worked hard and devoted himself to it. "In terms of technique, we can't just depict the lights and lights of reality in great detail. A lot of effort was put into depicting the interaction between the light and the environment of the cloud gallery, the brightness of the light, and the relationship between the night sky, so as not to let it fall into the quagmire of a photograph. "In the face of the dense curves, the painter is also quite troublesome in the process of painting, not only to keep the perspective away, but also to have the expressiveness of oil painting, the difficulty can be imagined. "In order to depict the design idea of 'clouds, light, and color,' not only oil painting and acrylic paint were used, but also bright oil pastels and pastels. In order to achieve the expressiveness of the painting, it is sometimes applied directly to the canvas with a hand dipped in oil paint. Zhao Baokang said. It is worth mentioning that the painter innovatively uses the cut-and-paste technique to depict the light bands that arrange the color changes, and the wandering and flickering vertical images correspond to the horizontal office building lights, forming a solidified sense of dynamism and order.
Artistic expression not only has a pleasing visual aesthetic enjoyment, but also an all-encompassing spirit of the times. In "Splendid Xinghan - Songjiang G60 Science and Technology Innovation Cloud Corridor", the G60 Science and Technology Innovation Cloud Corridor is like a high-speed locomotive, starting from the Yangtze River Delta, leading the high-tech trend towards the dream. The drawing of the G60 Science and Technology Innovation Cloud Gallery is not only an aesthetic record of the excellent architectural works themselves, but also a record of the construction history in the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. "We strive to embody the 'rejuvenation of China through science and technology', and strive to create contemporary works that are in line with the trend of the times and keep pace with the times. Zhao Baokang said.
Text: Yang Shuhan
Photo: Courtesy of the interviewee
Editor: Han Jiayi