Excavating the tradition of murals to stimulate innovation

　　On December 14, 2021, I had the honor to listen to General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the opening ceremony of the 11th National Congress of the Chinese Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 10th National Congress of the Chinese Writers Association. I was very excited.

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Being self-sufficient, Chen and Chen Xiang can't talk about inheritance, cutting blood and making out of thin air cannot be regarded as innovation. We must grasp the relationship between inheritance and innovation, learn from the ancients without ignoring the ancients, break the law without contradicting the law, and let the excellent Chinese traditions Culture has become an important source of innovation in literature and art." I have a deep understanding of this in the organization of Chinese painting creation and thematic art creation.

　　Inheritance and innovation are topics that have been repeatedly discussed in the art world.

In fact, inheritance and innovation are inseparable "two sides of one body", and innovation is often the discovery, excavation and comprehension of artistic traditions.

"Fortune from foreign teachers, the source of the heart", the traditional tradition of Chinese painting is actually a creative tradition.

　　The understanding of traditional Chinese painting cannot be limited to the system of literati painting.

Like Chinese figure painting, there is a tradition of fine brushwork since the Han and Tang dynasties.

In particular, the rich remains of murals represent the achievements of civilization created by the Chinese nation in its exchanges with the world, reflecting the vigorous and progressive spirit of the times.

When the tradition of Chinese painting is traced back to the ancient murals, a more open, majestic, trans-regional and diversified art world will suddenly be opened.

If it is said that learning the tradition of meticulous painting on paper and silk is the only way to create meticulous painting, then studying the tradition of early murals can give us more freedom and inspiration for artistic creation, and a deeper understanding of the aesthetic realm of Chinese aesthetics .

　　Thanks to my in-depth research on the tradition of Chinese painting, I have continued to make new breakthroughs on the basis of inheriting the tradition.

As early as when I was in college, I began to pay attention to ancient murals and copied them. Their distinctive coloring, modeling, artistic style and spiritual bearing have inspired my understanding of Chinese painting.

The intention is not deep, the pen is vulgar.

In order to create a new artistic realm in meticulous figure painting, it needs to be supported by the artist's talent, style and mind, and the language of painting should not be regarded as a purely technical issue.

In my sketching for real life, I drew on the artistic effect of ancient murals, combined the traditional techniques of Chinese meticulous painting, the rigorous and solid shapes in Western painting, and the aesthetic concepts of contemporary people, and created the works "Mountain" and "Autumn". "Ming" as a representative of a group of art works with realistic themes that are full of the flavor of the times and express people's lives.

Since then, whether it is a simple meticulous painting creation, or "the right, the work, the writing and the harmony", I have always strived to make the works show the effect of richness, strength, and power, and create a painting that is full of Chinese spirit, national characteristics, and the flavor of the times. the road.

　　After I was transferred to work at the China Academy of Art, the academy established the Fine Art Institute, and I served as the dean.

The Academy of Painting pays attention to the study of meticulous painting that combines theory and practice.

I will never forget the influence of ancient frescoes on my creations.

To this day, when I look at Dunhuang frescoes, I always get unexpected inspiration.

Therefore, I have always advocated the introduction of the mural tradition into teaching.

In 2018, around the major theme of "One Belt, One Road", the Academy of Fine Art started the "Copying and Promotion Project of Murals along the Ancient Silk Road", focusing on the copying and research of ancient Silk Road murals, and digging deeply into the aesthetic factors in the early murals. At present, the artistic innovation of fine brushwork has opened up a broad avenue, which has benefited students a lot.

　　Today, the team has completed the copying of murals in Qiuci, Turpan, Xinjiang, Dunhuang, Zhangye and other areas in Gansu, and has collected more than 100 copies of ancient Silk Road murals.

For the reproduction and reproduction of ancient murals, on the one hand, it is committed to in-depth research on the modeling methods, painting concepts and spiritual atmosphere of traditional murals; Judgment.

During this process, the team gained new inspirations, developed new materials and techniques, and improved the aesthetic cognition of Chinese painting traditions. The relevant research results have inspired the current innovation of meticulous brushwork.

　　This inspiration is now affecting the creative practice of the Fine Art Institute, especially in the thematic art creations in recent years.

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, I led the team to create "Double Happiness at the Door" reflecting the great unity of the nation and showing Chinese at home and abroad spending the Spring Festival with friends from all over the world. The "Happy Chinese New Year" grand-scale production.

The shape, composition, color, and the spirit of Shen Xiong in the picture are all influenced by the murals.

The creators of the team also integrated their own feelings about the copying of murals in recent years, including the use of creative materials and the understanding of artistic expression techniques, into the new works, resulting in a richer language of fine brushwork.

Through the series of creations, the team has deepened their understanding of the research and creation of paper and silk meticulous painting that integrates the experience of mural creation, opening up a broader creative space.

　　Excavating and inheriting the broad and profound Chinese excellent traditional culture is the cornerstone of Chinese art innovation.

In the in-depth study of the excellent traditional Chinese culture, creators can gain new harvests and inspirations from many angles, truly learn from the ancients without ignoring the ancients, break the law without contradicting the law, and constantly break through themselves to make the creations more colorful.

It is believed that on the basis of in-depth exploration of ancient traditions, art workers will use a richer artistic language to create more fine arts that are worthy of the times, the people, and the nation.

　　(The author is the vice-chairman of the China Artists Association)

　　He Jiaying