This year is the 90 birthday of Mr. Wu is also the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of the PRC and the 90 anniversary of the May 4 Movement. These commemorative days coincidence, give us a review and thinking the development process of China's modern art opportunities. I can think of is the art of Wu Guanzhong and "54" since the development of modern Chinese art history.

Over the past century, or in the past nine decades, Chinese intellectuals are thinking and the pursuit of modern times. Senior intellectuals is an "ancient law", "subject" and "herd" the shadow of the universal psychological, start to explore how to make our society, our cultural renaissance of the road to self-improvement, which enable them to face the complexity of thinking Ethics and psychological barriers. In this background, different kinds of people that feel that they have at that time, there are many differences, in fact they are the starting point is the same, and that is the Chinese people and Chinese culture, a sense of reality of the situation critical. It is in this sense the shadow of critical condition, "Salvation and Enlightenment" has become the theme of cultural development.

Wu Guanzhong growth in the process, the ups and downs of Chinese art is in the "salvation" and "enlightenment" kink appearing staggered. Wu Guanzhong art thinking of this generation become the background of many of his ideas (such as the famous "flying constantly Line") is clearly relevant. But for painting, in a "rescue", "enlightenment" and "service" ... ... in addition to the issue of its body. Ontology does not solve the problem, there is no guarantee that the arts themselves, let alone a "rescue", "enlightenment"? Let alone "service" in it are? In recent years, Li preach his "body with the West," said he believed that "the key is to create the form," he believes that we need from China's own history and reality, to create some new form. Of course, what he calls "form" is the thinking of the broader philosophical "forms." In his observation of this line of thought, inspired by the history of modern Chinese art, I think exploring the art of Wu Guanzhong, Wu Guanzhong of China's contribution to modern art, was his discovery of the 20th century in the form of Chinese painting to create the vacancies. His art is art in the painting to create new forms of tests, his impact on modern art is calling for artists concerned about the ontology of painting. This is in fact instigated art from the "service" the framework of attempts to break out of this the beginning of his criticism.

Art historians have seen, modern artists are in fact in the pursuit of "a new kind of abstract structure, a new form of pure means, however, a new vision arises from the physical structure itself, the real model, a new body color organizations "(Harold Osborne). Wu Guanzhong's creation we can clearly feel the pursuit of this, but this is only the middle part of the pursuit of Wu Guanzhong, who is seeking the adoption of the form of mood: "I love painting in the mood, but it is a combination of mood in the formal beauty, and First of all, can the spirit through form. by painting the image of the eye to tap the mood, which is the core of my artistic career ... .... "

Wu Guanzhong's work to attract the audience, is not he on the screen reproduce the natural shape of the objective, but the audience felt the traces of vitality. He repeatedly stressed that he is from the view of the form of the structure, choice of landscape architecture and flowers. However, if he chose from the whole, in the form, he was also concerned about the things that he did not depart from the traditional Chinese view of nature and culture, that is ethical and Bixing attitude to the mentality of this culture to watch and deal with natural images . Mountains, rivers, song, Holland, as well as the hometown of Market in ... ... even in his time getting closer and closer to the abstract, this state of mind from the Chinese culture is still the basis of his artistic activities. Characteristics of the genre beyond the charm of China, is a painter working in oil painting at the same time, the two sides of ink based on the gardens of China's contribution to modern art.

Wu Guanzhong oil paintings have been adhering to and continuing to test water-and-ink art of the people involved. But he and those from the oil painting "a return to the" ink-old artist, he is not indifferent to the agitation after the attribution. But a new agitation - he is far away from the traditional pen and ink, the traditional schema of the premise that the pursuit of the spirit of Chinese culture.

He and those differences between the old painter is that he should cross the traditional pen and ink, traditional schema to pursue the spirit of Chinese culture from the natural feelings of germinal realm. He did not think the experience of leaving the previous techniques to prejudice the continuation of traditional Chinese art, and that this will make the traditional more acceptable to people. Ink his work confirmed that although the skills, the art form away from the traditional painting, but the spirit in the arts and history are linked to the same master ink. And his admiration of the "54" is similar to predecessors, his choice is to use the "Modern Chinese and foreign language" to make "the Chinese nation was the world's understanding of the unique temperament." If we do not only the great ink painting as a skill, a skill, and as a spirit of creative activities, should not think that Wu Guanzhong abandoned the spirit of traditional Chinese art.

Wu Guanzhong, said the Art School of the article is not quote the classics of the "paper", but for the reality of contemporary Chinese art to the peer situation of the "advice." His raison d'être of modern painting, the art of tradition and innovation, the form of the painting on the areas of significance, there is a common starting point, that is, to master the world in the arts based on the spring tide, based on modern China, a clear assessment of contemporary Chinese art the successes and failures of the Chinese Art of Health to seek new face. Proceeding from this, he is "opening up of China's modern art and into the" call.

In relation to the reality of the arts issue, quality is always made by Wu Guanzhong, resulting in some resentment. If the exclusion of emotional factors, to his remarks on the historical development of modern Chinese painting in the larger environment to examine, you will see Wu Guanzhong in China since the 1980s, the autonomy of the arts community to seek an important position in the process. He was forced to admit the idea is "to adapt to the requirements of the times and save the disadvantages") of the broadsheets and, of course, can not but admit that he speak out against ultra-leftist dogma of the "ice-breaking move."

The past decade, a different mentality of Chinese artists, from different perspectives concern the fate of traditional culture. If art history from the perspective of observation, you will see in the traditional synthesis, development and maintain the vitality of variation. Those of traditional change, add some actions to maintain the artistic vitality of the traditional. Li whether the "conversion of creation" or Lin Yusheng of "creative transformation", are inseparable from the "create." Philosopher of our time, artists have long realized the same thing has not - to leave the creation of not only the loss of the future, and the loss of tradition.

The history of modern painting in China, is the meaning of Wu Guanzhong opened up a cross-traditional programs, the path of integrated Chinese and Western art. He is not the successor of the literati painting itself, but the concept of in-depth arts and has created paintings of the literati tradition of communication between both places the same; he did not worship program of traditional pen and ink, but he is the most contemporary ink painter ink language can play a variety of performance one of the painter, in the cynical, no-bound mentality draw with the spirit of Chinese art, rather than traditional forms of work. Although there are many Chinese painting circle of his experimental feel suspicious of innovation, but it appears in the outsider, he is highly Fengshen taste of Chinese culture, modern Chinese artists. He said that the evolving only can we retain the traditional, will be equivalent to the traditional pen and ink, is "cultural reservations" instead of the traditional reservations. "We are in the traditional benefit is inspired; we stumble in the tradition is to imitate," but he did not abandon the traditional spirit of ink. He forms, such as in the traditional pen and ink outside the lines and points on the performance of power to do a new development, he created a new rhythm of the ink, thereby expanding the audience for modern aesthetic. The new rhythm of life is the core of the movement performance. He diversified his practice to later show the possibility of a new - not deliberately not deliberately follow the history of the Masters, it may have to create a full flavor of Chinese painting. And we never think that a tree left of the ancient master of the norms and programs, we will lose the spirit of the traditional arts, painting the loss of national identity.

Wu Guanzhong is a renewal of the times in an attempt to retain their innocence of the Chinese literati personality, his paintings and his concept of art is the art of his ideals and the late 20th century, Chinese culture and pro-environment and conflict is the product of a painter to personalized by means of an 20th century Chinese painting, both positive and negative response to the challenges. In the "54" campaign has nine decades of the past today, people of "54" the views of more comprehensive and calm, the "54" more objective assessment. When we look back at "54" New Culture Movement of the cultural position of the kind of publicity and develop the spirit of Chinese art to reflect on the past nine decades of experience in the difficult road, the deeply felt talk about art, "54" is not a traditional speech and less , but following the "54" is a rare spirit. And Wu Guanzhong is rare in modern Chinese art consciously subscribe to the "54" ideal, regardless of the consequences and take over "54" the mission of the artists. He faced ruin, the reputation associated with this.

2009-5-11