Art study "art" starts from the beginning

Summer vacation is coming as scheduled, and in this long holiday embraced by the sun, a feast about "art" is kicking off, bringing an unusual touch of coolness and enlightenment to the hot summer. From China's top art academies to distinctive art institutions to art museums full of artistic atmosphere, a series of well-planned summer study courses have sprung up, building a bridge to the palace of art for students and art lovers in Guangzhou.

Focus on content design,

Ensure the quality and effectiveness of research trips

In 2024, the Ministry of Education issued the "Notice on the Comprehensive Implementation of the School Aesthetic Education Infiltration Action", and then, a reform aimed at fully integrating aesthetic education into all aspects of education and teaching quietly emerged across the country. Research travel, an innovative education model that integrates aesthetic growth, research-based learning and travel experience, is becoming an important way to cultivate students' aesthetic core literacy with its unique charm.

During the summer vacation, major museums and art galleries ushered in a boom in research trips. In the exhibition halls of art museums such as the National Art Museum of China and the China National Arts and Crafts Museum (China Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum), vivid research scenes leap into view: children are immersed in the colorful sea of art, they either gaze at the paintings silently, feel the rhythm of colors and lines, or listen to professional explanations, solve the mystery of art, or actively participate in interactive experiences, touching the pulse of art.

In line with this craze for research, major art museums have carefully planned a series of colorful research activities, from warm parent-child workshops to enlightening artist talks, from traditional painting copying to creative painting competitions...... Each session aims to create an entertaining and educational environment for art learning, guiding children to get close to artworks through laughter and exploration, comprehend the true meaning of art, and ultimately inspire their infinite yearning and love for beauty.

However, under this research boom, many problems in content design and teacher quality have also been exposed, which has aroused widespread attention and deep thinking in the industry. According to Li Yan, director and associate researcher of the Social Service Department of the China Arts and Crafts Museum (China Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum), the content design of the research trip is the core link to ensure its quality and effect, which requires the close cooperation and joint completion of the school, travel agency and the research place. However, in practice, travel agencies have more power in the design of course content, and the research process focuses more on the perceptual experience brought to the audience between "guide" and "tour", and the level of research teachers is uneven, resulting in the lack of systematization of research content and the difficulty of forming an effective connection with on-campus learning.

"The successful development of study tours requires scientific curriculum design, qualified professional teaching, goal-oriented process management, and an effective research travel supervision and evaluation system, so as to continuously form a virtuous circle of study travel." Li Yan said.

On July 20th, at the Liszt Center in Beijing - Hungary Cultural Center, the "Sino-Hungarian Cultural Envoy Art Exchange Activity" was held, which was jointly planned by the Children's Art Education and Research Center of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, the Liszt Center and the Silver Emperor Art Museum, aiming to build a bridge to promote cultural understanding and artistic resonance between Chinese and Hungarian youth. Through vivid cultural introductions and well-designed art study courses, the activities allow children to appreciate the charm of Hungary art and inspire their creations. It is worth mentioning that Professor Zheng Qinyan, director of the Children's Art Education Research Center and doctoral supervisor of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, brought professional and meticulous guidance to the children.

Zheng Qinyan has a profound theoretical foundation and practical experience in promoting children's art exchanges between China and foreign countries, and she has successfully planned and implemented many international children's painting competitions, organized art research activities abroad, and actively participated in the museum's public education projects. When talking about research trips, she emphasized that the most important thing is to implement research trips as aesthetic education courses and realize the systematization of research travel aesthetic education courses. Therefore, the design of research tour products needs to take into account the educational content, educational location, educational objectives and achievement evaluation. Designers should have a clear understanding of what the goal of the research is, how to choose the core knowledge points, and how to present them, and only by clarifying these can students benefit from it. "At the same time, parents and students should enhance their understanding and judgment of the research travel market, clarify their own research purposes, and choose appropriate projects, so as to force research institutions to design courses that meet the laws of students' aesthetic cognition, so that research travel can return to the essence of education, so that every trip is full of beautiful feelings, and children can get a truly meaningful aesthetic research experience." Zheng Qinyan said.

Deeply cultivate the essence of "research",

Make sure you get what you learn

At a time when aesthetic education is attracting more and more attention from all walks of life, the "Chinese Aesthetic Education Tour" social aesthetic education action plan launched by the School of Continuing Education of the Central Academy of Fine Arts is like a bridge, which skillfully connects the profound academic heritage of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and the desire of the general public for beauty, aiming to rely on the professional teaching team and high-quality curriculum system of the Central Academy of Fine Arts to improve the public's aesthetic ability and aesthetic education literacy, and fully reflect the leading role of art academies.

With the advent of summer, the School of Continuing Education of the Central Academy of Fine Arts has opened a wonderful artistic journey for students of different ages and backgrounds with its rich and colorful curriculum system. From elegant classrooms to improve the artistic literacy of adults and children, to the basic practice of youth modeling in shaping and painting, the research courses cover multiple majors and directions such as Chinese painting, oil painting, calligraphy, water-based materials, design, jewelry, photography, architecture, etc., and each course is carefully designed to improve participants' aesthetic perception and creative ability in multiple dimensions.

Among them, the Xinjiang Sketching Project of the Advanced Seminar on Water-based Material Painting has become a representative teaching brand. Under the guidance of experts and scholars, the students went deep into the hinterland of Xinjiang to experience the unique customs and improve their painting skills through immersive learning. As student Zeng Fanqi said, "For me, the experience of CAFA's 'Water High Class' is a process where I can use the whole time to focus on learning and improving. The understanding of watercolor art form, from concrete to abstract, from micro to macro, from technique training to personality expression, to form a more comprehensive understanding, especially Xinjiang sketching, teachers will protect students' personal characteristics, help students develop their own understanding of modeling and self-learning ability according to their own characteristics, which has an obvious impact on improving the quality of works, and the training of observation methods and thinking is long-term and continuous. These advantages are often difficult to cover in many watercolor training courses in society. His work "Boy in the Sun" was selected for the 14th National Art Exhibition.

"Our research activities are led by well-known experts, professors and scholars of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and the students range from university teachers to business executives, from artists to elites in various industries, and even young students. Yuan Mingxin, director of the admissions office, associate researcher and master's tutor of the School of Continuing Education of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, said that the research course integrates investigation and learning, and the course leader will customize the content according to the location, pay attention to the experience and feedback of students, and adjust the teaching in a timely manner. During the study period, lectures and seminars will be organized to encourage interdisciplinary preview and promote knowledge integration. After the study, the learning results will be deepened through expert guidance and peer discussions. The course continues to be optimized, the feedback from the students is positive, the social evaluation is high, and the results are more significant.

university cooperation,

Promote research and innovation practice

In Taoping Qiang Village, Li County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, a group of teachers and students shuttled through. They set up easels, or painted the vicissitudes of the ancient watchtowers under the walled gate, or captured the traces of time on the faces of the old people of the Qiang nationality in the alleys, showing the depth and vividness of the Qiang culture under the brush. Turning to the vast world of the Red Plains Riganqiao Prairie, teachers and students are scattered everywhere, some of them bow their heads and focus, revealing a delicate and nuanced capture of nature between their brushstrokes; Some look up into the distance, trying to perfectly integrate the endless greenery in front of them with the vastness of the distant sky on the canvas; Teachers shuttle from time to time, sometimes stopping to give guidance, sometimes demonstrating their skills themselves.

This is the scene of the "Beijing Normal University Group (2nd) Art Sketching Activity of the Ministry of Education's Teacher Education Collaborative Quality Improvement Program", which gathered 43 teachers and students from 9 colleges and universities, including Beijing Normal University, Sichuan Normal University, and Aba Normal University, to participate in this summer practice activity. According to Li Jiaduo, director of the Children's Art Education Research Center of Beijing Normal University, the event lasted for 5 days, spanning Lixian, Hongyuan, Malkang and other places, teachers and students not only created 144 works including oil painting, Chinese painting, watercolor, sketching, etc., which improved the aesthetic ability of sketching, but also deeply experienced the long history and culture and unique customs of the Tibetan and Qiang people, and promoted the exchange and cooperation between various colleges and universities. After the event, teachers and students held an exhibition at the School of Fine Arts of Aba Normal University, exhibiting more than 40 works of art created in the event, which showed the natural beauty, characteristic architecture and cultural customs of Aba from various perspectives and styles.

"In the process of studying, I deeply felt the deep love of teachers and students from different colleges and universities for the art of painting. In the face of those touches the heart, even if the surrounding environment is noisy, they can quickly immerse themselves in the creation, showing extraordinary concentration and dedication. I was particularly impressed by the diversity of each participant's unique perspective and expression, which greatly broadened my horizons and stimulated me to think about self-breakthrough. Painting is not only the reproduction of scenes, but also the expression of emotions and the display of personal style. Therefore, I am determined to be more courageous in my future creations, to integrate my personal feelings, to explore diverse ways of expression, and to leave a unique and profound imprint on my works. Sun Qianhui, a 2023 master's student majoring in fine arts at Beijing Normal University, said.

"I was deeply moved by the vast grasslands and the contact with the pristine Tibetan people. This study trip not only allowed me to appreciate the magnificence of natural scenery, but also mastered a variety of art expression techniques under the guidance of the teacher, and my aesthetic ability and professional knowledge have been significantly improved. More importantly, I have strengthened my determination to devote myself to the cause of aesthetic education, and plan to integrate the professional skills and artistic ideas I have learned into my teaching, so as to lead students to broaden their horizons and inspire in-depth thinking. Shi Yanran, a 2022 master's student majoring in fine arts at Beijing Normal University, expressed her feelings.

Zhen Wei, deputy dean of the School of Art and Media at Beijing Normal University, pointed out that art sketching is one of the compulsory courses for art teachers and students, and through sketching, they can cultivate and improve their observation, creativity and expressiveness, broaden their horizons and gradually form their personal artistic style, laying a solid foundation for subsequent professional development. "The successful holding of this art sketching activity not only builds a platform for communication and exchange between teachers and students of normal colleges, but also highlights the leading role of normal colleges in the field of art education, effectively promotes the in-depth implementation of the collaborative quality improvement plan of teacher education, and contributes to the high-quality development of art education in the country." Zhen Wei said.