Wu Weishan: Sculptor, Director of the National Art Museum of China, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Artists Association. Born in 1962, he is a member of the 13th CPPCC National Committee. In 2012, he won the gold medal at the Louvre International Art Exhibition. The bronze statue of Marx he created was presented by China to Marx’s hometown of Trier, Germany, in 2018 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Marx’s birth.

Laozi, Confucius, Ji Xianlin, Fei Xiaotong, Marx... He has sculpted more than 500 portraits of celebrities. What is his secret?

“I want to use the clay in my hands to shape them with sculpture techniques to retain the thinking of philosophers, scientists, and educators to express my appreciation for the five thousand years of civilization of the motherland. "Respect"

Question: You came from the mountains and rivers of the south of the Yangtze River, and with a plastic knife, you endowed the soil with human spirit. Looking back on your study, work, and life experiences, what do you think are the key nodes that have impacted your life?

? Answer: I was born in a scholarly family in Jiangsu in 1962. In my childhood memories, what impressed me most was the collection of books at home. My father is a middle school teacher and has a strong foundation in Chinese studies. He has taught me ancient poetry since I was a child. I must memorize a poem every morning before going to school. He also taught me painting and calligraphy. Since then, I have had a keen interest in traditional Chinese culture.

I took the college entrance examination four times, and failed twice by one point in 1978 and 1979. The third time I was admitted to Wuxi Arts and Crafts School to study sculpture. After graduation, I felt unwilling to give up, so I continued to take the college entrance examination, went to university for further studies, and stayed in school to work after completing my studies.

Later, I had the opportunity to be a visiting scholar in Europe and the United States. I saw many classic works of art, and also had the opportunity to meet and communicate with contemporary art masters, which deeply touched me. During the study visit, I looked back at Chinese culture and felt that our culture is irreplaceable and will bring more thinking and value to the world. I constantly compare and think about Chinese and Western cultures, and put forward the idea of ??freehand sculpture. The so-called "freehand" is to integrate our absorption of world culture today into Chinese history, philosophy, and art to create sculptures with contemporary significance. Freehand sculpture is the artistic pursuit of carrying forward the Chinese freehand spirit and promoting the Chinese aesthetic tradition.

Question: Since the early 1990s, you have created many outstanding Chinese figures, "creating images for the times" and "creating images for culture". What gains and insights did you gain during the creative process?

Answer: In 1991, the famous calligrapher and painter Lin Changwu invited me to create a bust for his father, Mr. Lin Sanzhi, the "contemporary grass sage". After receiving the invitation, I carefully studied Mr. Lin Sanzhi's poetry and works, tasted his calligraphy and painting works, felt his cultural temperament, and created this work. After the sculpture was completed, Lin Changwu affirmed it and said, "My father is alive." This can be said to be the starting point of my path to becoming a Chinese cultural celebrity.

Wu Weishan created the statue of Ji Xianlin

In 1995, I was invited by the Ji Xianlin Archives to create a statue of Ji Xianlin, and made a special trip to visit the old man for this purpose. The moment I saw Ji Xianlin, I was stunned: Isn't this a typical statue of the wise old man from the East? Since then, I have made portraits of Wu Zuoren, Fei Xiaotong, Gu Yuxiu, Yang Zhenning, etc. Gradually, the scope of my creations expanded from modern cultural celebrities to historical cultural celebrities, such as Laozi, Confucius, etc. These people are the backbone of our nation and iconic symbols in the process of historical development. I want to use the clay in my hands and sculptural techniques to shape them to retain the thinking of philosophers, scientists, and educators, so as to express my respect for the five thousand years of civilization of the motherland.

I believe that using sculpture techniques to shape them can not only show the style of an era, but also show the endless culture of the Chinese nation. Of course, if you want to create a celebrity sculpture well, you will not be able to do it without a lot of hard work. You must study the objects in depth, taste their life experiences, study their works, and ponder their living habits. Only when you understand the objects yourself can you Create a lifelike statue.

Over the past decades, my original intention of loving Chinese culture has remained unchanged. I insist on using Chinese cultural celebrities and outstanding figures in Chinese history as materials for creation. So far, I have created more than 500 sculptures. Exhibited in China and around the world. These sculptural figures are full of the spirit of Chinese culture. Their faces are engraved with the vicissitudes of the history of the Chinese nation, showing the fine qualities of the Chinese nation in the process of human development. They also present the spiritual outlook of the Chinese people since the reform and opening up.

“Every time I interact with the masters and create their statues, it is a practice and understanding, a pursuit of art, and a question.”