Promotional Video for the "Art in Kung Fu" exhibition
Preface of the "Art in Kung Fu" exhibition
Fan Di'an
Director of CAFA
President of China Artists Association
Attaching importance to foundational teaching is one of the most established tradition of CAFA. It is partly owing to foundational teaching that CAFA has been standing on the frontline of the national art education since the founding of New China. Generations of artists and art educationists devoted greatly to foundational teaching at CAFA, and have laid the foundation for the cultivation of talents.
CAFA established the Foundational Program at the School of Fine Art amid its educational development after the Reform and Opening-up. It is aimed at inheriting the academic traditions of the School of Fine Art, and laying a solid foundation for the all-round development of the students. Two decades since the program was established, generations of teachers have accumulated valuable experience through their teaching practice and academic research. And this experience can be seen from the students' work year after year.
Lu Zhengyuan, Plaster Figure of David, 110x70cm, pencil on paper, 2001. Tutor: Yuan Yuan
Zhang Wenfeng, A Seated Man, 107x77cm, pencil on paper, 2002. Tutor: Yang Cheng
Zheng Jiang, Combination of Still Life, 80x120cm, charcoal and pastel on paper, 2004. Tutor: Ye Nan
The Foundation Program of the new era forges ahead with innovative spirit, and actively experiements on teaching practice with new educational, cultural and academic ideas. There are three notable developments: First is sticking to the fundamental mission of fostering virtue through education, and implementing what Chinese president Xi Jinping has said that education needs to help young students to "fasten their first button": cultivating students' patriotic spirit and care for the people, and helping them foster ideals to use art to reflect the time, the life, and their own talents. We are glad to see students bring their youthful spirit into full play in the program. Second is improving teaching methods: The program connects the "small class" on campus with the "big class" in society, guiding the students to learn about the rapid change of the society, enhancing their critical thinking skills while honing their artistic skills, and helping them set their artist goals through social practices. Third is expanding the meaning of "foundation": The program configure rich teaching resource, and improves the students' self knowledge and hands-on knowledge through expansive foundational programs, to help them better connect to their future study in their chosen majors at the School of Fine Art. The exhibition showcases the teaching patterns and achievements of the Foundation Program from six perspectives: De (德, virtue), Su (素, sketching), Cai (彩, color), Xing (行, fieldwork), Yan (延, continuity), Pu (谱, writing history), and displays the program's academic spectrum through works of its teachers. Through the exhibition we hope to think about and discuss further new possibilities of foundational teaching.
Guo Shuling, Full-length Portrait of Young Woman, 150x130cm, oil on canvas, 2007. Tutor: Kang Lei
Huang Zhen, Full-length Portrait of Young Woman, 120x100cm, oil on canvas, 2005. Tutor: Kang Lei
Wei Qi, Full-length Portrait of Young Woman, 120x120cm, oil on canvas, 2007. Tutor: Li Ronglin
Zhao Peiran, Still Life, 100x100cm, oil on canvas, 2007. Tutor: Li Ronglin
In fact, foundational teaching at all departments of CAFA is going through reformational explorations with focus on inheritance and innovation, and goal of forming talent cultivation patterns of the new era. The foundational teaching of the new era attaches importance to the students' ideological and humanistic qualities, their cultural confidence and prospective vision, as well as their responsibility for the country and the people. The shared goal of foundational teaching programs at CAFA has resulted in many fresh achievements. We hope to promote exchange of ideas on foundational teaching between different departments through the exhibition, to further construct the top-level foundational teaching at CAFA, and to communicate with fellow art educationists around the globe.
Huang Lan, Landscape Sketching, 30x40cm, oil on canvas, 2010. Tutor: Yu Chen, Kang Lei
Liang Zongyao, Landscape, 30x41cm, oil on canvas, 2016. Tutor: Zhang Lujiang
Qiao Huiying, Landscape, 30x20cm, oil on canvas, 2018. Tutor: Li Ronglin, Ye Nan
Ma Jingyang, Sketching in Spring, 25x20cm, oil on canvas, 2017. Tutor: Yuan Yuan
"Kung Fu" in the title of the exhibition means the "Kung Fu" (effort) we must devote to imparting knowledge and educating people. As President Xi Jinping has said, we need to put effort in strengthening our conviction, in holding the patriotic spirit, in building a virtuous character, in growing knowledge, in carrying forward the hard-working spirit, and in enhancing our overall quality, so that we could lift the foundational teaching at CAFA to a new height of our time.
Art in Kung Fu:
Honoring the 20th Anniversary of the Foundation Program at the School of Fine Art
Time: 2021/03/20 - 2021/04
Location: Gallery 2B, 3A, 3B, CAFA Art Museum