The "Seventh National Youth Art Exhibition", co-sponsored by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the All-China Youth Federation and the China Artists Association, was recently held at the Zhejiang Exhibition Center. The National Youth Art Exhibition is a national comprehensive exhibition. Since the establishment of the first National Youth Art Exhibition in 1957, it has been successfully held for six sessions. style. A total of 397 selected works were exhibited in this exhibition, including Chinese paintings, oil paintings, prints, sculptures, watercolors, pastels, lacquer paintings, illustrations, comic strips, mixed-material paintings and other art forms, showing the cultural atmosphere of the new era. Full of youthful vigor, we can feel the hope and future of Chinese art from the rich, diverse and active creative thinking and enterprising spirit of young artists.
Depicting the spirit of the times to capture the breath of life
Shen Xiaoming's Chinese painting "Scorching Sun in July" depicts the scene of the builders sitting around eating watermelons and taking a break between their hard work.
In the picture, more than a dozen workers are sitting on the ground, or half squatting or standing. Some people open their clothes because of the heat, some people have a cut in their clothes, and their hair under their helmets is wet with sweat... The artist used simple and natural brush and ink to depict the picture. The simple and hard-working face of the working people.
The author said: "I was moved by the picture at that moment, and then I went there 15 times with watermelon, communicated with them, drew sketches, and created this work."
Qiu Minjun's painting "The Party Flag Raising the Epidemic Line" depicts the busy work of several medical staff on the "Party Member Pioneer Post", with the bright party emblem shining on their chests.
Shen Zhicong's sculpture "Heroes Stand in Karakoram" shows the heroic spirit of defending the country and defending the frontiers of heroes and soldiers who are not afraid of strong enemies and defend the territorial sovereignty of the motherland.
Among the many outstanding works in this exhibition, we can see the artist's creative orientation of comprehending the national spirit and capturing the style of the times, which reflects the "big historical view" and "big time view" of contemporary young artists.
These works show the fresh and fresh breath of life, depict people's dream of pursuing a well-off life together, and shape the image of heroic models who strive and dedicate themselves to the people. Celebrate the distinctive features of the people with love.
Hu Guodong's oil painting "Yangguan Ancient Road", Li Luo's oil painting "Silk Road Series: Fragrant Life", Li Gang's watercolor and pastel painting "Nostalgia", Shen Chang's Chinese painting "Drinking Morning Tea", Tan Zhiruo's Chinese painting "Daily Meal Fragrance" ”... The works all reveal a strong atmosphere of life, showing the realist spirit of modern young people walking out of the study studio and combining creation with fiery life.
Xu Jiang, vice chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, said that every youth art exhibition has emerged a group of talents and produced some excellent authors. The works of this exhibition are more oriented to our current era and the profound earth, and the works have a kind of direction in the narrative. An ethical turn for the good, for the good, a narrative ethics turn that is not only a critical attitude and approach to knowledge systems, but a reconstruction of our value systems.
"These works continue to return to the classics and the scene, to inquire about the great civilization we once had. The continuous reconstruction and revitalization also reflect the young generation's understanding of today's life and hope for life."
Full of youthful vitality, innovative artistic language
Wu Dayong, a painter who has created major historical paintings such as "Awakening - 1919 Youth China", the selected oil painting "Iconography - My University" is against the theme of grand narrative, depicting "personal narrative. A summary".
He reviewed the literary and artistic works and figures that had a profound impact on him during his youth, broke through the limitations of conventional thinking patterns in the creation of historical paintings, and made Lao She, Fu Lei, Romain Rolland, Manet, Sartre, Lu Xun, Dostoevsky, Cézanne and other characters from different eras and countries have traveled through time and space to converge on his youth totem, which is refreshing.
The comprehensive material painting, which is characterized by novel expressive techniques, has also become the highlight of the exhibition.
Xu Haijun's "Yan-Blue NO.4" uses natural minerals, plants and soil pigments combined with paper, and the paper processed by different techniques forms different visual impressions during the burning process, thus reflecting the author's "relationship between time relics and reality". Cultural thinking.
Chen Xiangyu's "Never Extinguished" uses marine floating objects, seabed sediments and scrap metals, and adopts various creative techniques such as cutting, corrosion and burial to express the light of the spirit of human beings caring for each other and fighting together against the global background of the raging epidemic. .
"As the forerunner of the change in the era of easel art, the mixed-material paintings in this exhibition have broken the long-standing creative inertia and inherent pattern. The artistic expressions of many works are more vivid and vivid, and there are also some themes and expressions that have not been covered before. The presentation of form." Hu Wei, director of the China Artists Association and director of the China Artists Association's Comprehensive Materials Painting and Art Works Preservation and Restoration Art Committee, commented.
The National Youth Art Exhibition has always been an important platform for exploring the power of young art and cultivating art creative talents.
Every youth art exhibition calls on young artists to keep pace with the times, grasp the pulse of the times, listen to the voices of the times, and reflect the changes of the times.
Luo Zhongli's oil painting "Father" stood out at the 2nd National Youth Art Exhibition held in 1980.
Professor Yuan Wu, deputy director of the Chinese Painting Art Committee of the China Artists Association, said: "Youth art exhibitions should have active concepts, changeable thinking, rich horizons, and diverse creative methods. It is our desire to accommodate more free imagination and challenges of today's young people. Characteristics of a new generation of artists."
"The vast majority of young artists should base themselves on the historical coordinates of the new era, closely combine their personal artistic pursuits with the destiny of the country and the well-being of the people, follow the laws of art, and carry forward the fine tradition of Chinese literature and art in pursuit of upward and kindness. Warm works praise the party, the people, and the heroes, nourish the people's aesthetics and values with profound, fresh, simple, robust and powerful works, enrich the people's spiritual and cultural life, and welcome the party's second year with excellent results. The ten major victories were held." said Ma Fenghui, Secretary of the Party Group, Vice-President and Secretary-General of the China Artists Association.
(Author: Yu Yuanyuan)