On Revolution of Contemporary Painting (extract)
On Revolution of Contemporary Painting (extract)
Long Xuming
From a modern perspective, the single word that could represent the rule of art is change. Change is absolute while stagnation is relative. Contemporary painting is even more so.
Master Wu Guanzhong won a great success in using intense colors which were often used in Western painting at that time. This revolution of traditional Chinese painting proved vividly that in stead of the choice of colors, the key change in the coloring of Chinese painting is how to use this technique to accomplish the creation of spirits, how to use the colors to observe and describe the real world, and how to use the power of Chinese ink to make individual spirits eternal.
If we could start the revolution from the light and color to explore them deeply in the aspect of aesthetics which especially means the form of light and color makes human psychological effect change, the paintings will be more distinct, livelier and more real. Meanwhile, the viewers would have an immersed sense and be resonate with the painters.
History is the relative side of reality. Reality is the tie of history and future. The great art which could touch viewers’ souls would be the one that is coming from the history, growing in the reality and belonging to the future.
Make friends with loneliness and don’t be eager for quick success and instant benefit. When your personality combines with your art, you will achieve the perfection of the rare voice of big sound.
Both Chinese painting and Western painting are regional cultures. When the age of information came like lightning in the 21century, the transition of art, the transfer of cultural connotation, the combination of regional and global cultures, and the communication between eastern and western cultures, all of which cannot be avoided.
I think the thought of revolution owned by those masters such as Lin Fengmian, Li Keran, Wu Guanzhong, Huang Yongyu etc, is really helpful to the development of Chinese painting. So I kept following the way of each work with its own style for several decades and always tried to make something creative.
The success in career first comes with the success of artist’s personality. The genius seeks after hurdles, while hurdles create a genius. The one who goes beyond where he is standing now is always trapped in adversity relatively. Few could judge a genius from his growing process. Only time will show the value of what he is pursuing diligently.
Chinese traditional painting was impacted fiercely by Western painting which was also impacted fiercely by photography, while the third did no impact on the first. This interesting phenomenon comes into a historical proposition that gives an inceptive chance to the development of contemporary painting in the global village.
Chinese traditional painting was based on viewing the world through a scatter angle at the very start, which is different from how a camera works. For example, landscape painting focuses on the appeal and verve without paying much attention to the original shape. So Chinese traditional painting owns its unique charm that’s incredibly wonderful and absolutely magic that photography can’t attain to.
