It will undoubtedly annoy readers to list the price changes or auction success rate of Wu Guanzhong's paintings. In a word, he is the most expensive living painter in China. Needless to say, most people are interested in his paintings because of the amazing price.
Ironically, the change of painting price that the public cares about is exactly what he doesn't care about the most. The price of the painting is priceless, but he lives a simple life and is not vain.
In Mr. Wu Guanzhong's eyes, the art market is influenced by unavoidable factors between people, such as interpersonal relationship, interest packaging, economic ups and downs, etc. High market price is not necessarily a good thing. Similarly, there is no need to suppress when the price is low. Whether a work of art can stand the test of history is often more clear and accurate for future generations.
Zhuangzi once said, "I am a fool outside.". Wu Guanzhong said: art is naturally formed, and the times will have sincere retention and ruthless elimination. Art market is a mirror. But god only cares for painters who are bent on creating, not those who look in the mirror. Wise men think alike.
Always serious
I have long heard that Mr. Wu Guanzhong is a real person: 199 1 In September, Wu Guanzhong destroyed hundreds of paintings he was dissatisfied with when sorting out paintings at home. This time, he was called "burning a mansion" by overseas people with only one purpose: to leave the paintings that tomorrow's experts can't find out!
Soon, the author personally experienced Wu Guanzhong's seriousness. 1At the beginning of 993, People's Daily Overseas Edition, People's Liberation Army Daily and Hong Kong Oriental Art Center jointly held the "Oriental Cup" International Ink Painting Competition, and invited Wu Guanzhong, Zhang Ding, Liu Xun, Liu Boshu, Zhu Naizheng, Deng Lin, Yuan Yunfu, Wang Mingming and Song Li as judges. On the morning of the award presentation, Mr. Wu, who was in his seventies, arrived at People's Daily on time, wearing a leisure suit and sports shoes.
In the first round, poor works were eliminated. The walls of the auditorium are covered with paintings, some of which can only be placed on the ground. Rough works are naturally eliminated, but those with good forms will have the same fate. Every time I see a work that imitates the style of the judges, the judges will laugh: win! All the imitations were rejected. Imitation hinders the artist's true feelings. As the director of the jury, Wu Guanzhong wrote an inscription for the contest: "Be true to your feelings and don't be invalid."
In the second round, the first, second and third prizes and the excellent prize were awarded. Teacher Wu carefully examines every piece of work, from a distance to a close view, and sometimes he kneels down to inspect the work, and from time to time he carefully records it in a small notebook, busy all day.
Later, we enjoyed the seriousness of the artist and the public. Litigation is probably Wu Guanzhong's most intense way of fighting. 1993165438+10. In October, 74-year-old Wu Guanzhong sued two auction companies for infringement on the grounds of auctioning off the counterfeit Mao Zedong Artillery Command, demanding that the other party stop the infringement, eliminate the influence, publicly apologize and compensate for economic losses. Finally, Wu Guanzhong won the case.
Why can't you get sand in your eyes? Artists should be responsible for history and the future. "You can fool people today, but you can't fool people tomorrow," Wu Guanzhong warned people.
Channels and slippers
China's way of painting and calligraphy is unfathomable. Masters of all ages have paid great attention to dealing with the relationship between entry and exit. Only by entering can we appreciate the beauty of our predecessors' intentions; When you come out, you can use it thoroughly.
Mr. Wu has vividly summed up the knack of dealing with differences. He once pointed out the maze for young painters like this: "You must walk in the slippers of the master, and then throw them away. You will find yourself in the process of putting them on and taking them off." That's how I came. "Prince Nezha's analysis of bones and meat can only lead to confidence!
Drink tea and wine
Mr. Wu Guanzhong once said in a speech that if Xu Gu, a painter of the Qing Dynasty, lived to this day, he would like to invite him to tea. But if you often ask Ren Bonian for a drink, he won't go because he has nothing to say with them. According to the author's shallow understanding, the soul of virtual valley appears in a slightly clumsy painting; Zhang Daqian and Ren Bonian lost too much of themselves because of their excellent skills.
The change is reasonable, but the general law is long-lasting.
It is undoubtedly futile to interpret Wu Guanzhong. A painter is like an urchin who likes to play hide and seek. When all the art critics tried to tie him up with ropes, they found it hard to be caught off guard: he was always changing and moving! Because the conclusion often comes from the end, but Wu Guanzhong's artistic pursuit has no end. All the labels are not applicable. If you can barely draw a conclusion, you can only say that changing and constantly looking for the best means to express your inner feelings is his main line.
Wu Guanzhong challenged the thinking mode of either/or. When his artistic view was taken out of context as "pen and ink equals zero", it was expected that Wu Guanzhong would provoke a total westernization. Unexpectedly, Wu Guanzhong emphasized the inevitable connection between contemporary ink painting and traditional culture, and even had doubts about western oil painting. He said that his love and worship of modern western art was completely shaken today. ...
This change is sincere, not speculative, but a long process of Zheng Banqiao's so-called spiritual exploration. Finally, he came to the conclusion that the study of art is not in Europe, Paris or the studios of masters. In the motherland, in my hometown, at home, in my heart. ...
Mr. Wu once bluntly said that everything he did was to try his best to create works and express his feelings. It doesn't matter whether the criteria for China people's creation are not to follow foreigners, to be nationalized and to establish China's own characteristics. Too many choices will bring too much burden, and being at a loss is the most painful. No matter what tools he uses, he will not intentionally combine Chinese and western. Art has no scruples, everything is forgiven, and everything has its own evaluation by future generations. It can be said that elephants are invisible and have no boundaries!
Last year, Wu Guanzhong wrote in an article: "Being an artist, such as a hunter, chasing tigers and leopards in the mountains and shooting eagles with a bow. If you can't get the prey, you will be like a lost dog, losing your mind and soul. In hunting, that is, in creation, life is exhausted, but flower of life is brilliant every year. Although people are thin, their hearts are fertile. " The new self-evaluation work says: "Ruminating grass, vicissitudes of life, is closer to the true taste of life. Thinking about the past is often more general, highlighting an eyebrow eye somewhere, the picture is simple, emphasizing pain and helplessness-the song of life is not pleasant to the ear, but also an old confidant, old or old. " Mr. Wu once said that "all arts, not only music, but also poetry, are more meaningful". Looking at his recent works, people can't help but think of Badashan people in his later years. It can be said that several generations are United as one and heart to heart!
other
Wu Guanzhong is a master of Chinese and Western arts. For decades, he has been exploring the combination of Chinese and Western painting art, and is recognized by the international art world as a representative painter of modern painting in China in the 20th century. He put forward the creative principle of "the kite never stops flying", insisted on the sensory abstraction based on nature and the rotation of ink and wash, and tried to organically combine the western formal structure with China's artistic conception and charm, forming a unique new system of "nature-form and rhyme".
The old man told the truth in the "big mouth incident"
Wu Guanzhong, an 89-year-old painter, recently began to speak. He said: most artists in the art world have not received a good education, and their works have no emotion and spirit; The American Association and the Academy of Painting are yamen, which have raised many bureaucrats ... from the central government to the local government, they have raised a large group of chickens that don't lay eggs; As a result of the dispute between personnel factions, China's fine arts have virtually no development and creative ideas for decades. Art has become a political tool, and artistic activities are like brothels. In such a muddy and dustbin-like environment, there are a lot of artists, short artists and rogue artists, but good art can't come out; The problem now is not only art education, but also art venues, competition awards and markets. There are problems in all directions, and behind the problems are actually institutional problems; The level of contemporary art in China lags behind that in Africa ... (Southern Weekend 65438+ 10/0)
These prickly words echoed loudly in the eardrum. The old gentleman really dares to speak. He dares to say what people may have in their hearts, but he may not be able to say it. The artist's feelings, the necessity of the existence of art groups, the value of art, innovation, and the fate of artists-the problem consciousness really emerged when the artist was old, and it was expressed in such strong terms, which made people admire and sigh.
Regardless of the specific works or whether he knows China culture, I believe these problems are really the shackles that plague and will continue to hinder the development of China's fine arts. It is also possible that some of the old gentleman's views are biased, such as comparing all artists' associations in the painting academy to brothels, which is a bit pleasant to hear and a bit excessive. However, the fierceness of some viewpoints can't hide the light of thoughts, or simply put, many words are emphasized to the extreme just to attract attention with such "over-expression". Since when have our ears become delicate and we can no longer listen to "inconsistent" opinions? Isn't the art cloud born and matured in constant persistence and struggle? If you don't even have the courage to allow questioning, you can only be an authoritarian "artist" at most.
After reading Wu Guanzhong's "Big Mouth Incident", I was particularly interested in why it should become a common sense truth and need an 89-year-old man to express it fiercely. Moreover, when the old people express themselves, they unconsciously show strong and intense feelings. Where are those young talents? Where are those middle-aged elites? Since we have devoted ourselves to art, why can't we devote ourselves to a passion and a responsibility at the same time? Reminiscent of Mr. Chen Danqing's fierce criticism of art education in 2006 and 2007, we ordinary people are excited, but we often see the emptiness and paleness in this field.
In fact, the above question is just a comforting story. Everyone is in the game of interests, and the only people who are really willing to break the balance can be those who have no scruples and those who no longer intend to get along here. Chen Danqing, who was originally a returnee, is at arm's length from the domestic art circle; And Wu Guanzhong, one is "my age!" Second, the family itself is a French academician, transnational.
It is almost conceivable that Wu Guanzhong's remarks will arouse his fierce counterattack-such a situation has actually been rehearsed once when he attacked the Art Institute of the American Association. Although the leaders of the American Association reacted badly that time, they even thought about how to organize the big plan arranged by the government if the American Association was cancelled, but after all, they showed their attitude. This time, it may be because the words hit hard, so the response may be bigger and more intense. Well, it's time to break this harmonious atmosphere. Wu Guanzhong said well that innovation cannot be harmonious. Otherwise, how to develop?