Foreword
The year 2019 is the 100th anniversary of Mr. Gu Yuan’s birthday. Looking back at Mr. Gu’s artist life and creative process, the contribution he has made to modern Chinese printmaking and new China’s art cause are deeply engraved in the Chinese art history. The massive number of works he created is the best demonstration of his art spirit, shining with the true, good and beautiful glory like pieces of epics that record our time, or movements that sing the praises of working people.
Mr. Gu Yuan was the Director of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and Deputy President of the China Artists Association. We hold 100th birthday celebration series events both at the academy and Mr. Gu’s hometown, to pay tribute to him and his art spirit, and manifest his outstanding contribution to Chinese art and art education.
Mr. Gu Yuan devoted himself to the revolutionary cause in his early life, rushed to Yan’an amid the flames of War of Resistance Against Japanese Invasion, depicted the heroic stories of Chinese soldiers and people and the new life at the war of resistance and democracy base with painting brush and burin, created a great number of popular wood-engraving works, and wrote a new chapter in the book of modern Chinese printmaking. He paid attention to life, loved the people, learnt from the people in his art creation and served the people with his talent. Having carried on such cultural spirit and artistic ideal for a life, Mr. Gu is a persistent and enthusiastic artist of the people.
After new China was founded, he sang an ode to the new era with vast vision and lyric style, depicted magnificent natural landscape and beautiful homeland of China, and illustrated the new spirit of the people. His printmaking, watercolor and sketch works passed on new aesthetic meaning with fresh and bright language, and became an important symbol of new China’s artistic and visual style. The combination of reality, nationality and lyricism characteristic of his work has great influence on future generations. With his positive spirit and praise of beautiful things, he is no doubt an outstanding realistic art master of the 20th century.
Mr. Gu Yuan devoted himself in art education, became a model for students with his noble character, and has cultivated a great number of printmaking talents. He modestly influenced youths with his humble soul and easy-going disposition. For a long time, he cared about and supported the development of Chinese art, stuck to the right direction of the development of Chinese art, and has won respect from artists across China.
Under great support of Mr. Gu Yuan’s relatives, staff of the academy’s Party committee, the Department of Printmaking and the CAFA Art Museum carefully planned the exhibition and arranged academic activities, with their respect for Mr. Gu Yuan in mind. On the Save the Date and poster is the title written by Mr. Gu Yuan himself for his debut exhibition at the time, while the traditional billboard-style display of works recreates Mr. Gu’s simple life and brings people to the time he lived and created. It is of important real-life significance that we think of how to combine our art creation with the demand of our time and the emotions of the people and create profound, exquisite and high-quality works in the new era in front of the air of such a master.
Fan Di’an
Director of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and President of the China Artists Association
October 2019
Foreword
The year 2019 is the 100th anniversary of Mr. Gu Yuan’s birthday. Looking back at Mr. Gu’s artist life and creative process, the contribution he has made to modern Chinese printmaking and new China’s art cause are deeply engraved in the Chinese art history. The massive number of works he created is the best demonstration of his art spirit, shining with the true, good and beautiful glory like pieces of epics that record our time, or movements that sing the praises of working people.
Mr. Gu Yuan was the Director of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and Deputy President of the China Artists Association. We hold 100th birthday celebration series events both at the academy and Mr. Gu’s hometown, to pay tribute to him and his art spirit, and manifest his outstanding contribution to Chinese art and art education.
Mr. Gu Yuan devoted himself to the revolutionary cause in his early life, rushed to Yan’an amid the flames of War of Resistance Against Japanese Invasion, depicted the heroic stories of Chinese soldiers and people and the new life at the war of resistance and democracy base with painting brush and burin, created a great number of popular wood-engraving works, and wrote a new chapter in the book of modern Chinese printmaking. He paid attention to life, loved the people, learnt from the people in his art creation and served the people with his talent. Having carried on such cultural spirit and artistic ideal for a life, Mr. Gu is a persistent and enthusiastic artist of the people.
After new China was founded, he sang an ode to the new era with vast vision and lyric style, depicted magnificent natural landscape and beautiful homeland of China, and illustrated the new spirit of the people. His printmaking, watercolor and sketch works passed on new aesthetic meaning with fresh and bright language, and became an important symbol of new China’s artistic and visual style. The combination of reality, nationality and lyricism characteristic of his work has great influence on future generations. With his positive spirit and praise of beautiful things, he is no doubt an outstanding realistic art master of the 20th century.
Mr. Gu Yuan devoted himself in art education, became a model for students with his noble character, and has cultivated a great number of printmaking talents. He modestly influenced youths with his humble soul and easy-going disposition. For a long time, he cared about and supported the development of Chinese art, stuck to the right direction of the development of Chinese art, and has won respect from artists across China.
Under great support of Mr. Gu Yuan’s relatives, staff of the academy’s Party committee, the Department of Printmaking and the CAFA Art Museum carefully planned the exhibition and arranged academic activities, with their respect for Mr. Gu Yuan in mind. On the Save the Date and poster is the title written by Mr. Gu Yuan himself for his debut exhibition at the time, while the traditional billboard-style display of works recreates Mr. Gu’s simple life and brings people to the time he lived and created. It is of important real-life significance that we think of how to combine our art creation with the demand of our time and the emotions of the people and create profound, exquisite and high-quality works in the new era in front of the air of such a master.
Fan Di’an
Director of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and President of the China Artists Association
October 2019
2019-10-15