Afterword--The practical significance of Wang Jiangyang's painting art
Dadi
Since a hundred years ago when western painting art was introduced to China, Chinese painters have practiced all the forms of western painting art in a quick speed. However, to what degree is this practice in form significant? And to what extent have our national life and thoughts been expressed? I don't think we have much confidence in this. But luckily, when we saw Wang Jiangyang's oil paintings, our national confidence was strengthened.
When we comment on an artist's value, we must find persuading theoretical and factual basis to prove it. No matter how innovative or strange the painting styles and genres are, the human nature of paintings, the intuitional aesthetic feelings, and the core values they reflect are guards of all painting value, which cannot be ignored or blasphemed. This can be proved in history.
I. would like to discuss the features and significance of Wang Jiangyang's paintings from the following aspects. I also borrowed the viewpoints of other aesthetics critics to establish the value and position of Wang Jiangyang's painting art.
1. Wang Jiangyang is an oil painter who has strong Chinese national spirit, high ideological level, sincere feelings, and rich ways of artistic presentation. This is rarely seen in painters. His paintings are close to national epics and surpassed those in common sense. He depicted national spirit and history with monument-like pictures, and formed the modernity of great social significance.
2. Wang Jiangyang created the works with western painting materials but Chinese thinking model. He expresses his unique art personality and creative art features on his paintings in an explicit way. He values most the artistic ideas; skills are just his subconscious choice. He is independent from all the preaching styles and painting genres. With thoughts in mind, he expresses his feelings and emotion in natural art forms, and depicts the pictures with plain strokes. This feature, which is distinct and unable to be copied or repeated, is unique to him. He thus creates a peculiar aesthetic quality for Chinese and even world painting sphere.
3. If one has only one hobby or skill in his/her lifetime, it's hard to call his character and life a perfect one. Rich feelings and wide knowledge are symbols of a perfect life, which Wang Jiangyang possesses. He acquires adequate knowledge from his life experience full of difficulties and rich emotions. His thoughts are keen and deep; many of his unique but correct viewpoints are quite convincing. The expressive force of his works transcended the artists in common sense.
4. Wang Jiangyang's paintings reveal his personal charm. If we believe in fatalism, we can be sure that Wang Jiangyang is a born artist. No one can teach him. All his achievements rely on his personal perception and maturity.
He submitted application for his first oil painting exhibition to National Art Museum of China in Beijing in 1988 when he knew nothing about China's "painting circle". The application was approved, which made him the first domestic artist that organized personal oil painting exhibition in National Art Museum of China (because we cannot find proof that someone else had organized such exhibitions before him). This fact alone shows his peculiar personality and spirit. When asked why he was so confident, he answered "there is true feelings in my paintings".
In 1994, he built the first domestic private oil painting academy that integrates teaching and exhibition—"Shudao Oil Painting Academy". (China Art Weekly used to report this, but the academy was closed in 1997 because of complicated reasons.) Wang Jiangyang phenomenon should be recorded and highlighted in Chinese painting art history.
5. Wang Jiangyang's oil paintings have been recognized by critics and the audience, because of his sincere representation of our national spirit and people's life. His conscience hidden in the works touched many audiences. His works have been regarded as "truth out of misery and soundless thunder" since thirty years ago. There are discussions over "Wang Jiangyang phenomenon", and someone call him "Miller in modern China". It's predictable that his oil paintings will be further improved and developed in terms of presentation, and we have no reason not to accept him with pleasant surprise.
I hope that the audience can have a deeper understanding of Wang Jiangyang's oil paintings after reading the comments. I also look forward to seeing more better works of him, which I believe will create bigger cultural significance and social value. Let's wait and see.
Dadi
Critic of aesthetics
January 30, 2016
