Only Arts Created on Tradition is Contemporary Art (2009)

Perhaps it is more difficult to capture the instant charm of an object that you understand more. Yuan Jinhua is a more familiar painter I know, such as the wordless Yuan when you first met him, the rustic conversation and encouragement when you become friends, the “dispirited” element in his temperament and the pragmatic and hard-seeking attitude in art creation. However, these are nothing important. If you think you really know him in this way, it is so superficial.

 

I got to know his mentality after several in-depth talks with him. He develops relatively independent thinking on contemporary Chinese brush painting from tradition. Why his thinking is “relatively independent”, because on one hand he has been exposed to traditional information every day since he lives in Zhejiang where is embraced with stronger traditional atmosphere, and on the other hand, he thinks hard about the confusion and direction for current Chinese brush painting with the impact of international contemporary art, reckoning how to transform this into his painting.

 

At first, I laughed him for “standing on contemporary art apparently but actually on traditional Chinese brush painting”. He is eager to develop a wider space for contemporary Chinese brush painting. In the latest interview, he proposed a point of view that “contemporary art could not go further without the nourishment of tradition”, which suddenly made people understand his true thinking. He paints the current social conditions directly in the form of Chinese brush painting, which is a novel flower blooming with the soil of tradition. The rich nutrients in the soil will make flowers more fragrant in coming days.

 

 

 

Time: May 6, 2009

Location: Wangsongling Studio

Respondent: Yuan Jinhua

Interviewer Bao Hongquan

 

Bao: 10 years ago your “Jumping” series had created huge influence. How did you generate the ideas for the series?

Yuan: I was a part-time teacher in Zhejiang Silk Institute in 1999 where I met numerous energetic and sunny young students. Every day I asked one student to be my model for sketch. At the very beginning I chose traditional brush painting, which was not satisfactory for me at all. It could not sketch the temperament of students. Therefore, I started to think of how to present the figure. My students always wore clothes with different fabrics to present their unique personality, such as denim, silk, and leather in different matches and styles. It was very funny. They were sunny and colourful every day. Only colours can express the beauty of youth and characteristics of wonderful moods. Therefore, I created a large number of coloured ink sketches at that time and mastered a way gradually, which laid down thorough preparation for my large-scale creation in the future.

In 2000 when I created “Jumping State” in the team, I employed all these thoughts and painting techniques, attempting to capture, paint, and depict the high comment to simple, pure, full and progressive living attitude through the young and dynamic figures. “Jumping State” indeed generated some influence to the society and won several national awards.

 

Bao: I have watched your “Romance in West Lake” series in 2004. I have two feelings, firstly, you present West Lake in a way different from other painters; secondly, the “frankness” seemed to be connected with “salacity”. How do you think of this?

Yuan: I employed “bipolar separation” approach to present West Lake and people in West Lake and Yuan: Traditional brush painting to embody contemporary themes, which is aesthetic yet traditional. The starting point is different from others too. I don’t mean my painting is better, but at least my Chinese figure painting is different from others, which is my strength.

 

I grew up at West Lake where charming nature and ancient love stories have been passed down for many generations. I have deep affection to West Lake. Although others could also paint similar theme, they may not have profound experience and understanding as I do. “Romance in West Lake” is closely related to my experience and understanding. In my opinion, we may ignore the thinking of painters if we refer to line sketch, brush painting when we mentioned China, or if we compare painters with their hard skills. First of all, a painter shall have social responsibility which refers to the attitude of a painter to the society, for instance, criticize, concern, indifference, or view from side-line? Chinese painting also reflects the attitude of painter, which is the individual charm. A painting, no matter how wonderful it is in terms of composition, is meaningless if there is no thought included. However, “Romance in West Lake” exactly reflects the common emotion of current society, as well as love affairs of men and women. More importantly, it contains my thoughts and understandings. Every reader has his or her own association after watching the painting. This is enough for me.

 

Bao: Congratulations to getting doctoral degree recently. What are you thinking for your graduation creation?

Yuan: Well, I indeed have a feeling speaking of graduation. I have admitted by China Academy of Fine Arts for three times, namely, the first admission in 1984 and graduated in 1988. Back at that time, I worshiped arts greatly. I absorbed everything as a sponge, forgetting all about eating and sleeping. Thinking back, it is an important experience for me.

 

In 1998 I studied in China Academy of Fine Arts for the second time for master degree. Mr. Wu Shanming was my supervisor who taught us seriously. Actually I had been working for 10 years at that time, but I needed to recapture with some courses I failed in school time. I felt good at that time, because I only learned what teacher showed as a pupil. In the second study, I was already 33 and barely knew what I really needed. I stayed in the school every day to practice sketching in two years, which were a fulfilling period of time for me. I created “Jumping” series when I graduated by the end of 1999. I had colourful mind, colourful objects and colourful style. This series happens to be a summary of my two-year study.

 

I studied for doctor degree in China Academy of Fine Arts again in 2005 when I have had a brand-new thinking on Chinese painting and when I knew what I wanted clearly. I knew what kind of status I should follow for study and creation in coming years. Mr. Liu Guohui was my supervisor. It is lucky that we are the last batch of doctor students of Mr. Liu before his retirement. He has devoted extra sustenance to us emotionally.

 

Why did I study for doctor degree? Many people believed that I wanted to work in Academy of Fine Arts, so I studied for doctor degree. This is what others thought, not me. I have to learn more and make my painting skills perfect because it develops when time goes by and when I grow more mature. I need more profound accumulation and study for doctor degree, which is one of my important accumulations.

 

You could also see the result of my four-year study in the doctoral graduation exhibition two days ago. It is the combination of individual effort plus talent and other comprehensive reasons for one good or poor painting. I have a higher recognition on Chinese painting arts, which is the most important feeling of mine. It opens my horizon and develops my vision. It makes me understand that what kind of things I will do or would do in the future at current position.

 

Bao: I saw two figure portraits in the exhibition. One with critical realistic painting and the other with fantastic colour. Are there any special meanings?

Yuan: Many elements presented by artists have already been budded in their early personal development, such as the appearance and style. Some looks created in school time may be a bud at that time or a new element, which perhaps influences you a whole life. Style and appearance will not emerge in a sudden.

 

I have been thinking about elements and styles in four-year doctoral study. Of course, the most important thinking lies in what I should present and what I should concern. It is a more painful process than how to present it. I’ve been thinking for the works in graduation exhibition that what an artist should create and what kind of responsibility shall an artist take up. Later, these became clearer in my mind with a blurred contour. That is, I wish to create some works directly related to the society with realistic theme that points out current living state of people.

 

The series of critical realistic painting was created with such thinking. “I love Drinking Milk”, “Childish can be Profound”, “Dare to Exchange Cell Phone with Me” and other paintings are actually describing the current living state of us. I have spent half a year to finish these works, especially the first one taking a longer period of time. I have been thinking how to present current themes with painting language of Chinese painting, etc. Now, there is a kind of passion presented on the painting. There is a power and conflict in the painting, which is so substantial and distinct.

 

Well, what kind of texts are employed to describe these scenes at the very beginning? This is the key for my consideration too. I absorbed the element of Chinese literati painting inscriptions directly and presented it with current structure and approach, so it turned out to be media language that we could see everywhere. Why have I combined these languages? It is the relationship with current society. We have to see, hear and be instilled everyday, though you don’t want to hear or see this ad. It is intolerable.

 

 “I Love Drinking Milk” contains a kind of love and hatred in it. For instance, you’ve been drinking milk for tens of years, but now you can’t drink milk. What should you do since you have to take in calcium? You can’t ignore it and you feel contradictory. Another example - “Dare to Exchange Cell Phone with Me”, do you? Whether our emotional life and feelings disappear gradually in rapid development today when privacy becomes more and more important? These are the realities. I always stress that artists shall have their own position and view no matter it is right or wrong. You have to have your own attitude. Concern to the life and living status of contemporary people is called contemporary art.

 

Bao: The fantastic series shall not refer to “current”, right?

Yuan: I have a title for this fantastic series - “The Landscape”. If the realistic series concerns about current “secular world”, the fantastic series is about “relief”. In fact, I love creating something to reflect the soul since my graduation, which shows the track of spiritual pursuit of artists. I loved the soul reflection things since 1993. This series of works also reflected my thinking at that time. Good things are not developed in a sudden surprisingly. There must be a process and an origin to make it worthwhile and substantial.

 

What kind of concept I want to express in them? In “Embrace” series, a group of people hug together to indicate the warmth, trust, intimacy and reliance, giving people a positive, progressive and harmonious sense. I hope people could abandon their desire on money, material and power through these scenes, so as to let them return to natural state as animals playing in and enjoying the nature. It is not a realistic hug, but a kind of thing in my soul as Utopian where everything can be hugged. However, you can’t do this in real world. I have special intention for background mountains and trees processing. At first I called it “Culture and Landscape”, but later I changed it to “The Landscape”. Why? Actually it is not the noun “landscape”, but a verb, which I mean to go sightseeing. Why shall we go sightseeing? It is because I hope you can enjoy the landscape with a decent mood and good attitude.

 

Bao: Is there any connection for “secular word” and “relief”?

 

Yuan: Although they don’t have any direct connection, they are closely related to my personal creation experience, because it represents an attitude towards the society, and how you connect and combine painting art and soul. This is from the perspective of ideology, but it is the same from the perspective of painting techniques. I have always stressed serving your thoughts with materials, methods and techniques, which is the creative attitude I uphold and the creative experience I have. No matter what kind of theme it is, technique and form is no longer a problem as long as you master the theme well. The key of painting is to improve personal cultivation and penetrate into soul of mankind.

 

Bao: You’ve talked about “current” all the time. In nearly 20 years you’ve gone through three stages. What are you thinking about the current art?

 

Yuan: Let me show you an example. For instance, I drew “Romance in West Lake”, which actually is a result of an accident. Up till now, most Chinese brush paintings are about beauties and bananas. How to present modern people and society? Do we need to dream of the picturesque Tang Dynasty? Apparently the answer is no! I just want to paint something different, so I drew a group of men, women, women and women, men and men in West Lake, and the like. In addition to presenting these themes, I also present interpersonal relationship of modern society and social state of modern young people.

 

Later the works were published and everybody believed that Yuan Jinhua painted “Romance in West Lake”. Actually it is not my major works, or it is just part of my art creations, a very small part. However, even it is a very small part, nobody has touched this theme for so many years. It is a regret for the lack of expressing this theme with traditional and classical brush techniques. What I concern about and what I think about? This is what I think about, i.e., how to reflect current life with traditional and modern brush techniques. Our art always highlights accurate employment of painting techniques and superb charm of the painting, but the lack of thoughts has already become a fatal bottleneck. Are you sure our next generations can tell the essential difference between theirs and ours 100 years later? It is a dangerous act if we don’t make adjustment in contents and thoughts.

Bao: Zhejiang is a traditional place for painting art. What do you think about it since you’ve been exposed to this traditional atmosphere for a long time?

 

Yuan: Tradition is a treasure, but we cannot stick to the tradition. We shall maintain outstanding tradition of Zhejiang. Outstanding artists and painters who are really working on contemporary art have developed profound connection with tradition. They cannot separate from tradition. And, I also stress cultural origin for Chinese painting, which enables us to go further. Otherwise, we may have to stop somewhere not far away. Your brush techniques are “grass roots”, your technology is “grass root” and your style is “grass root” if you cannot absorb the gorgeous elements of tradition. Do not always focus on the lower level of tradition, otherwise, you can’t walk far away and create works with higher spiritual elements.

 

Regarding current, it tells you what it thinks, wants or does in a straightforward way. So, many things become natural. In other words, it is a natural attitude. It is the same as we make friends - the longer we know each other, the profound friendship we have, because we know each other better in long-term communication. You can’t be impatient to art. You have to wait for 20 years or even 30 years if needed, because if you finish things in a hurry, you will screw up the whole plan. I will not think about whether I can create good artistic works or not at my current age, but I know I have to do it.