The development of oil painting in China has multiple “meanings”. As an art form from the West, the emergence, dissemination and popularization of oil painting in China have crossed the boundary of culture and become a cultural existence, acquiring social significance in a broad sense. For hundreds of years, generations of Chinese artists have attached lofty cultural ideals to oil paintings, whereby they recorded the vicissitudes of Chinese society and reflected rich social life, and demonstrated the Chinese spirit in the themes and connotations of oil paintings, forging its cultural significance. In terms of exploration of oil painting language, Chinese artists take a research attitude and turn from absorbing foreign experience to local transformation in a constantly broad vision. They explore and innovate in the process of inheritance with various forms and styles, reflecting distinct academic significance. It can be said that today’s Chinese oil paintings have presented distinctive national characteristics and spread out the brilliance of Chinese culture on the international art stage.
CAFA’s teaching, creation and research of oil painting is an essential epitome of the development of Chinese oil painting, and has produced many famous masters and outstanding works, which made prominent contributions to the accumulation of Chinese oil painting in both aspects of art tradition and academic experience, representing the continuous improvement of Chinese oil painting. During the centennial anniversary of the CAFA, exhibitions that consisted of works by the faculty of the Department of Oil Painting, showcase the progressive gesture of Chinese oil painting ceaselessly forging ahead from tradition to contemporary and also present the creative vitality of oil painting from historical to contemporary significance. There is no doubt that artists have their own academic research topic and forms their unique artistic view and personality in practice. The five studios set up for teaching oil painting enable people to see the rich dimensions of the teachers in the study of oil painting and the diversity of expression language. As a whole, the exhibition shows more this art group’s profound experience of oil painting and the cultural discourse of using oil painting language in the cultural context of a new era.
Paying close attention to social issues is a premise for the oil painting to have a soul. The transformative development of Chinese society provides abundant resources with vitality for the description and expression of oil painting, which needs the artist to step on the living scenes to reveal the essence of nature and society, human and material existence, and reflect the spiritual value of art. Painting, including oil painting, is facing the challenge of the digital image today, which has become a worldwide situation, requiring the artist to stick to pure beginner’s mind, and pursue the quality and style of oil painting – from the heart to hand – to enhance the artistic appeal of oil painting. For a group with clear academic context and academic tradition, the Department of Oil Painting of CAFA has to establish the elevation of this age for “CAFA style”oil painting, making Chinese oil painting have a significance of the times. I know my colleagues in the Department of Oil Painting are working on it.
Fan Di’an
Director of CAFA
October 2018
The exhibition scene of “The Return of Significance”
Part of the works of participating artists of the exhibition “The Return of Significance”
Cai Haokun, “Past Events”, 30 x 40cm, Oil on canvas, 2016
Cao Yi, “The Black Forest No.3”, 149 x 198cm,Acrylic on paper,2018
Hu Jiancheng, “Magnifying the Reality”, 200 x 85cm, 2015-2017
Jia Difei, “Blue Can”, Oil on board and cloth, 2015
Kang Lei, “The Garden of Forking Paths”, 200×700cm, Mixed media, 2017
Lin Xiaochu, “Floating Imagination”, Oil on canvas, 180cm x 86cm, 2013
Liu Gang, Untitled, 200 x 110cm x 2, Mixed media, 2017
Liu Shangying, “Populous and Sand No.109”, Oil on canvas, 240 x 480cm, 2017
Liu Xiaodong, “Let’s go, Gert”, 300 x 400cm, Oil on canvas, 2018
Lu Liang, “Memory Site – Blank Youth”, 286 x 602cm, Oil on canvas, 2016-2017
Ma Jiawei, “Evening Talk: Waiting”, 200 x 200cm, Oil on canvas, 2018
Ma Lu, “Ice Wae”, 180cm × 210cm, Integrated techniques, 2015
Ma Xiaoteng, “Public Bathroom”, 205 x 632cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2015-2018(collage of two works, 205 x 318cm)
Meng Luding, “Red Wall”, 115 x 85cm, Oil on canvas, 1986
Pei Yongmei, “Dural Time Series I”, 250 x 440cm, 2015年
Shen Ling, “Autumn Wind, Autumn Rain, What a Weather”, 200 x 200cm x 3, Oil on canvas, 2016
Shi Yu, “Flowing Ancient Rhyme”, 180 x 450cm, Oil on canvas, 2018
Sun Xu, “Go Travelling”, Acrylic on canvas, 220 x 180cm, 2018
Wang Shaolun, “Way Out”, 200 x 300cm, Oil on canvas, 2011
Wang Yuping, “Hunting Scene (part)”, Watercolor on paper, 31 x 41cm, 2015
Xia Libi, “Angel · Mission”, Mixed Media, 160 x 200cm, 2008
Yu Hong, “Weight”, 250 x 300cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2018