On August 3, 2024, the opening ceremony of "Yize Nostalgia - Yang Xianrang's Art Retrospective Exhibition" was held at Yantai Art Museum. The exhibition is organized by the Central Academy of Fine Arts and organized by the Yantai Art Museum and the Yantai Artists Association, and will be held from July 31 to August 20, 2024. The exhibition displays nearly 200 paintings created by Mr. Yang Xianrang in the past 70 years from 1955 to the present, and the exhibition is divided into several sections: color painting, Chinese painting, sketching, printmaking, and oil painting, which jointly show the "nostalgia" and Mr. Yang Xianrang's feelings for his family and country. This article is Pan Lusheng's speech at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.
—Editor's note
Today, the long-planned "Art Nostalgia - Yang Xianrang Art Retrospective Exhibition" opened in Yantai, and Mr. Yang Xianrang returned to his hometown in nineties to hold an exhibition, which has special significance for the old gentleman himself and his hometown.
Mr. Yang Xianrang is not only a creative artist, but also a creative artist who works in the fields of printmaking, ink painting, and oil painting. He is a pioneer in the study of contemporary folk art in mainland China, founded the Department of Folk Art, and traveled to the Yellow River Basin to rescue and record folk art; He is also an artist full of a strong sense of social responsibility, deep cultural enthusiasm, and simple local feelings. In his artistic career for more than half a century, he has taken root in the depths of life, observed the voice of the times, understood the emotions of the people, and cherished his love for the local folk, and has made remarkable achievements in the fields of art creation, academic research and art education, and has had a far-reaching impact.
In January 2024, Mr. Yang Xianrang was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award (Folklore) of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles
"Painting a portrait of the times, establishing a biography for the times, and being virtuous for the times" is General Secretary Xi Jinping's expectations and requirements for the majority of literary and artistic workers. "Discover the theme of creation and capture the inspiration of innovation from the great creations of contemporary China, profoundly reflect the great historical changes of our time, and depict the spiritual map of our times", Mr. Yang Xianrang replied with his decades of pursuit and exploration. In the creation of prints and color ink, he condenses and depicts the epitome of the times, profoundly captures the pulse of society, sincerely expresses the emotions of the people, and is full of a strong spirit of realism, forming a very profound appeal. If you want to ask: what is the most touching thing about art? What is the most unique charm of art? It is by no means just the language and form of art, nor is it a certain symbol or motif, nor is it a personal passion and inspiration, but a kind of spiritual condensation and reverberation, expression and expression, cohesion and resonance from the nation, from history, and contained in the people and social era. Mr. Yang Xianrang's creative practice and works have brought us vivid inspiration.
In October 2008, he participated in the 90th anniversary of the Central Academy of Fine Arts with Mr. Yang Xianrang and Ms. Yang Yang
Art cannot be a duckweed without roots, but must come from life and from the people. Mr. Yang Xianrang once pointed out that "folk art is our nourishment, our root, and our source", and "folk art is not only art, but also folk philosophy". It can be said that "Fourteen Walks of the Yellow River" is not only about the investigation and pursuit of the genealogy of folk art, but also the rediscovery and dissemination of the beauty of folk art, and also the interpretation and construction of the connection between art and folk. Mr. Yang Xianrang not only took folk art as his own teacher, but also as the founder of the Folk Art Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, invited folk artists into the classrooms of the Academy of Fine Arts, continued to carry out fieldwork for the needs of the establishment of the Folk Art Department and teaching, recorded and studied folk culture in depth, continuously interpreted and disseminated folk art, and promoted artistic creation and educational inheritance, thus forming a three-dimensional exploration and demonstration of the inheritance and development of Chinese art. At any time, understanding the art of our own nation, understanding the life of the past and present, and understanding the ideals and spirit in the beauty of art will be the starting point for us to continue to create and innovate.
More than 200 works on display in this exhibition, including oil paintings, prints, paintings, Chinese paintings and other art forms, the earliest created in 1955, the latest created in 2024, is a classic presentation of Mr. Yang Xianrang's artistic creation and artistic thoughts, is a retrospective of the century life, but also an artistic gift to the hometown fathers.
The nostalgia of the ninety-year-old artist is touching! We are honored to have the opportunity to study his works in such a comprehensive and systematic way, and we look forward to the profound and lasting revelation of the creative energy, ideas and spirit displayed in the works.
(Text/Pan Lusheng, Vice Chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Chairman of the China Folk Literature and Art Association, Former Chairman of the Shandong Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Honorary President of Shandong Institute of Arts and Crafts)
Fourteen Walks of the Yellow River - An Investigation of the Folk Art of the Yellow River, 2018, Guangxi Normal University Press
In 1986, Mr. Yang Xianrang interviewed Ku Shulan
Some of the works on display
Out of the Circle, 22.5x34.5 cm, woodcut, color print, 1955, Collection of the National Art Museum of China
Penglai Fairy Pavilion, 47x49cm, color ink on paper, 1961
Fishing Village, 34x45cm, woodcut color print, 1962, Collection of National Art Museum of China
Pear Wood 45×45cm Wood Engraving Oil Seal Print, 1980
No. 13 of Nostalgia, 69x95cm, color and ink on paper, 1998
Oncho Xu Xiao 30×24cm Woodblock Print, 1999
(Source: Pan Lusheng Folk Art Museum)