Guangming Daily reporter Tian Na
An exhibition of Huang Yongyu's new works is currently on display at the National Art Museum of China. The theme of the exhibition is "So Long, So Rich", and it is based on Huang Yongyu's essay "Landscape under the Sun: Shen Congwen and Me" written in December 1979. In the text, after these eight words, there are six more words written "so colorful". This sentence seems to be talking about Huang Yongyu himself, spanning a century of life, rich and colorful.
It is said to be a "new work", because Huang Yongyu was planning to organize his own 100-year-old painting exhibition before his death, and in order to present the audience with a different painting appearance from the past, he specially created a batch of works carefully. "These paintings of mine are something that none of my peers have ever seen, and I'm serious about it." These nearly 160 new works painted by Huang Yongyu in his later years are on display for the first time, presenting his creative thinking and artistic pursuit after the age of 90.
Where is the clock in the deep mountains (Chinese painting) Huang Yongyu profile picture
Huang Yongyu has been involved in a wide range of art disciplines throughout his life, leaving wonderful works in the fields of Chinese painting, printmaking, oil painting, sculpture, ceramics, graphic design, industrial design, and architectural design. The earliest of these Chinese paintings on display was created in 2015 and the latest in 2023, shortly before his death. Although the creation time span of these works is not large, they are numerous and rich in genres, covering various themes such as costume figures, modern cities, flowers, and zodiac animals.
"When you sing softly in my arms after dusk, do you know how much I have to say to you?" As soon as you enter the hall, you can see the work "Serenade", which depicts a pair of young men and women leaning against each other holding vines and spreading out the score. Huang Yongyu's daughter Huang Heini introduced that this was created by her father in the last month of her life. "He was still drawing the day before he went to the hospital, and because he was not satisfied, he drew three times repeatedly." Huang Heini said that this old song was sung by his father when he met his mother, and he still remembers that the lyrics were poems by the French writer Hugo. "My father would play this song when he was sick, and he would draw it while listening to it, and he could draw all the feelings he felt when he sang with his mother."
After the age of 90, Huang Yongyu still maintains curiosity and freshness about everything around him. He is careful to observe and capture new things in life, whether it is the newly planted flower Baolian lantern in the apartment, the hosta flowers in the courtyard of the community, or the geese flying from afar by the lake, or the lobster sent by friends, all of which have become the protagonists of his paintings.
In the exhibition hall, a number of works on the theme of "wrestling", although the pen is simple, but the grasp of the wrestler's moves and movements is particularly accurate. Pulling, draping, piercing legs, lying on the knife, falling on the neck, holding one arm and falling...... With the change in the thickness of the lines and the smudging, the dynamics of the wrestling are vividly displayed. Huang Yongyu thinks: "Wrestler friends pay attention to personality rules, and there is no possibility of tricks in exercising all the time, when bones and muscles collide, so they naturally form their own rules, and they have a hearty personality and style in broad daylight." ”
Huang Yongyu is a master of using thread. His 1961 print "Spring Tide" is a classic. In the painting, behind the harpoon thrown at the shark, dense and swift thin lines are surging, and the lines are continuous, showing a strong artistic tension. This line was carved out by Huang Yongyu with a woodcarving knife on the wooden board, and his steady and solid skills can be seen. Huang Yongyu likes to paint in the way of white drawing, and his "Mr. Li Shizhen's Caprice" created at the age of 97 not only carefully depicts the imaginary image of Li Shizhen, but also uses ink lines to outline dozens of plants, insects and medicinal herbs around the main figure.
"Half of my life is a knife and a knife, a stroke of painting, and later, word by word." To appreciate Huang Yongyu's works, we should not only look at the all-encompassing content and unbridled brushwork, but also carefully read the inscriptions in the paintings. He often writes in small letters, and the font is neat and rigorous, and there is no sign of aging. This age, with the pen so smart, steady, is impressive.
"I have okay tea here, but the teacup broke a few years ago. You drink with your mouth skewed" "I'm ninety-eight, I deserve to invite you to Wanhetang for a drink"...... There are more than ten words, more than hundreds of words, and more works such as "What Song Yuanjun wants to paint", with thousands of words in the inscription, like a wonderful short essay. These words reveal Huang Yongyu's unique humor everywhere. He once said: "Literature is the first in my life, the second is sculpture, the third is woodcut, and the fourth is painting." He left his thoughts and thoughts in the picture, corresponding to the content of the picture. Wu Hongliang, president of the Beijing Fine Art Academy, commented: "There are still visual stunnings and brain teasers everywhere. The full of golden sentences shows Huang's humor, with a local flavor, stirring the tyranny and spirituality of Hunan people. "Looking at these works, we can not only understand the stories behind them, but also see a centenarian's memories of youth, his love for life and his perception of life. This calmness, wisdom, humor, and humor converge into such a rich and colorful Huang Yongyu.
"Beauty is fleeting, and the mission of art is to preserve." Therefore, Huang Yongyu uses such a rich theme, such a steady brush, and such an interesting inscription to leave us with the beauty of life, and also presents the beauty and wisdom that belongs to him.
Hand and Foot Apostrophe (Chinese painting) Huang Yongyu profile picture
Hosta flower (Chinese painting) Huang Yongyu profile picture
Mr. Li Shizhen's Caprice (Chinese Painting) Huang Yongyu profile picture
Guangming Daily (2024-07-07 09 edition)
Source: Guangming Net-Guangming Daily