Q: Mr. Shao, why did you choose the topic ‘The Central Academy of Fine Arts and the Teaching of Chinese Painting’ for this discussion?
Shao Dazhen: I choose this topic for the following reasons: Firstly, and most importantly, I often think about the current situation of Chinese painting — considering the history of it. What are the characteristics, gains and losses of Chinese painting education in the 20th century, especially considering the path it took after 1949? What kind of evaluation should we make of it today?
The Central Academy of Fine Arts was at the center of the interweaving of various artistic trends in a special historical period. It would be significant and helpful for us to look back on this history and learn from it. Secondly, I recently participated in an academic activity ‘Introducing Chinese Painting to Universities - Chinese Painting Exhibition of university teachers’, it also gave me some thoughts about Chinese painting education. So I would like to take this opportunity to share some of my view.
Q: When people talk about the educational system in the Central Academy of Fine Arts — including oil painting, Chinese painting, printmaking and sculpture — they often call it ‘Xu Beihong's fine arts education system’. What do you think about it?
Shao: Xu’s eminent status as a devotee of realism is undeniable. As for whether there is Xu Beihong's education system or not is still under discussion. However, we should know that in the 3rd year of the establishment of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Xu Beihong has passed away. In Mr. Xu as dean of the years, the art school teaching is not yet on track, while teaching and creation closely influenced by the political movement. Later on, the Painting Department was established (the Department of Chinese Painting, Oil Painting, and Printmaking were merged together), and in 1954, the Department of Colored Ink Painting was established, when the normal teaching of Chinese painting began.
In 1958, according to the decision of the Ministry of Culture, following the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts, the Department of Color Ink Painting of the Central Academy of Fine Arts was changed to the 'Department of Chinese Painting’. Therefore, of course Xu's academic views on the Central Academy of Fine Arts have always had an influence, but the Central Academy of Fine Arts teaching methods continues to change, so there is by no means to said that we still adhere to Xu's ‘system'. Ye Qianyu, the head of the department of Chinese painting, was employed by Xu, but his thoughts are different from Xu’s. Ye’s career began as a cartoonist and he also specializes in sketching. He is the main figure in this history of Chinese painting teaching at the Central Academy of Fine Arts as he has been presiding over the teaching of Chinese painting since the establishment of the Department. He was an artist with a broad vision and far-sightedness. His knowledge did not come from traditional literati painting, but was influenced by the May Fourth Movement and held the progressive idea of using art to reflect life and reality. His understanding of the value of traditional Chinese painting, especially literati painting, gradually deepened, especially after he became the gatekeeper of the Chinese painting department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, where he wavered between the 'conservative' and 'innovative' ideas of teaching. After many years of exploring and thinking, he finally found the direction that he identified, with a more clear art advocacy, that is based on tradition, emphasis on sketching, and strengthen the cultivation of students' creative ability.
Q: Then, what are the similarities and differences between Ye Qianyu's teaching ideas and Xu Beihong's?
Shao: Chinese painting should be based on a comprehensive Chinese cultural and artistic tradition, to inherit and carry forward the spirit of it; Chinese painting should reflect the real-life, the painter should be good at sketching, meanwhile master solid modeling ability and learn to ‘present spirit through form’ (yi xing xie shen 以形写神); the painter should be innovative, rather than just following the routine of their predecessors; the art works should be easy to be accepted and appreciated by the public... Regarding these basic views of Chinese painting, Ye Qianyu and Xu Beihong share the same opinion.
However, Ye on Xu’s view - “drawing is the basis of modeling” - has reservations. He realized in practice, drawing is the basis of Western painting to present an object. However, for Chinese painting, the line is the most important thing. Although Chinese painting can learn some of the methods of drawing, it does not have to shape the object volume by planes and light. Using line is the main mean for traditional Chinese painting to shape an object.
As for sketching and mimeographing, both Ye and Xu attached great importance to them. Also, both of them emphasize the importance of figure painting. Xu is not ignorant of brush and ink, his calligraphy is unique, and he has all-round cultivation of Chinese studies, which is much better than ordinary painters. He has great respect for the tradition of Chinese painting, but he is too harsh on late literati painting from the point of view of reflecting real life, which makes his evaluation too one-sided. Mr. Xu saw too much of the weakness of Chinese literati painting and its lack of ability to portray realistic figures, but he did not have a high opinion of its achievements in the refinement of the realistic nature by its brush and ink language. In other words, he was more concerned with the social function of Chinese painting, while neglecting the artistic value of its language, especially the language of brush and ink. This is both the limitations of the times, and the limitations of Xu's personal understanding.
Some people say Xu Beihong does not accept literati painting, that is blind criticism. Xu respected Qi Baishi, he also absorbed some painters who value Chinese brush and ink techniques to taught at the National Art School in Beiping. So, actually, his artistic view is not narrow.
Meanwhile, Ye Qianyu's knowledge of ink and brush techniques gradually deepened, and in the early 1960s he invited Pan Tianshou to give lectures at the Academy. At that time, the syllabus of the Chinese painting department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts clearly pointed out: ‘Basically, figure painting, landscape painting and bird-and-flower painting are taught with the teaching method of the combination of ‘imitating, sketching, creating’. The difficulty Ye encountered when he switched from cartoons and sketches to colored-ink figures was in the free use of brush and ink, therefore he felt the importance of mastering these traditional technique.
Ye Qingyu was teaching Chinese painting in the 1980s
Q: Some people say that the teaching of Chinese painting should mainly be imitating, do you agree with it?
Shao: Traditionally, the study of Chinese painting starts by copying classical works of the ancients and appreciating the spirit of traditional art. The spirit of ‘learn from ancients’ (Shiguren 师古人) should be carried through the whole teaching process of several years. There is no doubt about it. However, we cannot say that it is the main teaching method for the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Neither the Central Academy of Fine Arts nor the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts has ever advocated this. It is equally important to guide students to ‘learn from nature’ (Shizaohua 师造化), to pay attention to real life.
The Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts under the leadership of Pan Tianshou attaches more importance to ‘imitation’ than the Central Academy of Fine Arts. They are more conscious on the issue of inheriting the tradition, and have taken corresponding measures earlier than other schools including the Central Academy of Fine Arts. This has played an important role in promoting the teaching of Chinese painting in China to pay attention to tradition.
The Central Academy of Fine Arts has placed more emphasis on the issue of sketching. No matter the training towards the figure, landscape or bird-and-flower painting, every year there is a certain amount of time for students and teachers to travel around and paint from nature. In the mid-50s, Li Keran, Zhang Ding, Luo Ming’s outcome exhibition after their travel to the south of China has a great influence on the school and society. Many teachers, including Li Keran, usually take students out of sketching. These measures grain obvious achievement in teaching and were reflected in the students' works.
Q: Did Ye Qianyu implement the policy of "all-inclusive" in hiring teacher and conducting teaching?
Shao: At least we can say he consciously or unconsciously implemented this policy. let’s look at the teaching team under his leadership: Jiang Zhaohe, Li Keran, Li Kuchan, Liu Lingcang, Guo Weiqu, Tian Shiguang, Wang Qingfang, Huang Jun, Lu Hongnian, Tao Yiqing, Zong Qixiang, Xiao Shufang, Li Hu, Li Qi, Wang Dingli, etc., as well as Liu Boshu, Yao Youduo, Huang Runhua, etc., who graduated from The Central Academy of Fine Arts. They had different academic experiences and cultural backgrounds, some came from the “Jingpai”(京派） tradition, some from the “Haipai”(海派) tradition, and some had undergone revolutionary training and "revolutionary art" in Yan’an, meanwhile some of others switch from Western painting to Chinese painting, etc. They have different views on the relationship between copying, sketching and creation, and between the understanding of drawing and painting. Meanwhile, they work in a same teaching collective. That is what we called "inclusion". It should also be noted that the Chinese Painting Department under the leadership of Ye Qianyu attaches great importance to the tradition of Chinese painting before literati painting, and organizes teachers and students to copy the mural paintings of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, which is helpful for students to know and understand the concepts and techniques of the national painting heritage in a comprehensive way.
Q: So, what is the outcome of the teaching in the Chinese painting department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts?
Shao: The main criterion to measure the success or failure of a school or a teaching method is the students' performance in art practice and their achievements in creativity. In my opinion, from the mid-1950s to 1963 (from 1963, when all the teachers and students of the Central Academy of Fine Arts went to the countryside to participate in the Four Cleanups Movement until the last years of Cultural Revolution, the teaching was suspended for more than 10 years), the school had trained dozens of talents who achieved outstanding achievements in art. They include Fan Zeng, Lu Chen, Zhou Sicong, Zhang Ping, Li Xingjian, Li Baolin, Yao Youduo, Wang Jinyuan, Qiu Jimu, Jiang Caiping, Ma Zhensheng, Zhu Licun, Chen Xing, Wang Wenfang, Zhang Renzhi, Zhuang Shouhong, Wang Tongren, Qiu Zhaoming, and so on. They had different styles, and their achievements were not above the same level, but they made remarkable achievements in inheriting tradition and making innovation. Their achievements are related to their talent and efforts, but the influence of the teaching of the Central Academy of Fine Arts on them should be fully recognized.
Q: Is it still meaningful for us to look back and study this teaching history of Chinese painting at the Central Academy of Fine Arts?
Shao: Of course. First, this is a history of experience and lessons, worthy of faithful recollection, record and study; second, related to the first point, we will today stand at a new height to look at the previous dispute between East and West, drawing and brushwork ...Chinese painting should have a relatively ‘pure’ tradition, but at the same time it should be allowed to be mixed with other qualities. In a word, the future of Chinese painting is wide open. This is too big a question, so let's stop here.
Originally published in Art Salon, Issue 2, 2009
