Unforgettable visual power

In 2004, the oil painting Breakfast won the gold medal of the 10th National Art Exhibition. As a result, painter Xin Dongwang, with his realistic painting full of realism and humanistic concern, has become an outstanding representative of Chinese realistic oil painting.

Several characters in Breakfast gather around a shabby table eating tofu pudding, the most traditional and common snack of the Chinese people. These characters described by painters are neither upper-class nor rich. They are the most common, essential and lowest working class in China. From the facial expressions of each character, we can see the eating habits and living conditions of the Chinese people.

Describing Breakfast, Xin Dongwang wrote: the reason for painting this painting is that every day I pass by the dilapidated red brick wall in the hutong with two scarlet letters written on the three-story board & lsquo; Breakfast & rsquo;. I often see people carrying steaming tofu pudding, Youtiao and other porcelain bowls of aluminum plastic bags, out of the gap in the dilapidated brick wall hanging signs, sitting on the roadside table, I really envy. The work truly grasps the characteristics of all kinds of people on the breakfast stand. I admire the breakfast that people never neglect, and I hate people who spit while eating. But I am always inexplicably moved, moved by this kind of local conditions and indomitable atmosphere of life, moved by people that kind of satisfied and down-to-earth look. In any case, the food here is calm and safe, and the next step is the beginning of a new day, where everyone will face the sun and confusion, all of which are mingled in the meal before people put down their bowls and chopsticks.

Many of Xin Dongwang's works do not condescend as a painter, but face up to their existence as one of them. When some prestigious painters are making statues of those high-level citizens who are pale and have no personality, what Xin Dongwang shows us is a large vulnerable group neglected by the urbanized society (including those laid-off workers who are difficult to make ends meet). Xin Dongwang always has a deep worry, and he expresses his heartfelt respect for these low-status and destitute small potatoes.

It has been a long time since the oil painting Breakfast won the gold medal of the 10th National Art Exhibition, but the evaluation of this work is still under discussion. In addition to the positive consensus that: the characterization of vivid manner, obvious personality, reflects the life and living state of ordinary people, close to life, close to reality, is undoubtedly a rare good work. However, as the audience of the National Gold Award works naturally have different measurement standards and aesthetic requirements, they think that there are many problems in the works, such as incorrect proportion of characters, incorrect perspective of tables, messy environment and so on. Some netizens even suspect that there is water in the award and so on. Some netizens believe that it is the exaggeration and deformation on the basis of realism that make the painter's works have unique personality and artistic charm. In the face of these disputes, I think there should be a rational, comprehensive and profound analysis and understanding.

The reason why Xin Dongwang's art has an unforgettable visual power is that most of his works are done in the direct face of the object. The emotional impulse caused by his direct communication with his object is the main reason why he can enter the best realm of creation. He makes portraits and biographies of these vulnerable groups in these societies in the way of portraits, thus revealing the life value and human dignity of this marginalized ethnic group. The humanistic feelings and human power shown in these works are enough to make the viewer reflect on the city's indifference and indifference to the vulnerable groups, and to reflect on the position of this society and ourselves.

In Xin Dongwang's works, there is no tall heroic image, and his shrinking and dwarfing treatment of the characters strengthens the marginal, weak and even humble side of the characters, and there is no abstract representative and typical person. and only a specific, named person or that person. He built an image corridor for his fellow villagers in remote rural areas, for migrant workers in wandering cities, and for laid-off workers who were helpless. The images left here will not only be masterpieces in the history of Chinese oil painting, but will also become the epitome of this era.

In the art market, people are impetuous, and it is not uncommon for many artists to copy photos skillfully. Xin Dongwang's art is not accomplished by referring to a few photos. Since 1996, most of his works have been done directly in the face of the object and in the intuitive feeling of the object. This direct experience of facing the object not only makes his art have a real realistic character, but also enables him to accurately grasp the inner spirit of contemporary people.

In thinking about the realistic ways and modeling methods of oil painting, he is determined to establish an independent value different from western oil painting in the ontological sense of oil painting, consciously integrate the blood of Chinese culture into his works, and absorb the essence of traditional art. From the modeling of ancient temple statues, he realized the image modeling technique of establishing images to reach meaning, and transformed it into the unique language of realistic oil painting, creating a Chinese style with local characteristics. so that the oil painting imported from the West has a kind of cultural character and local spirit. Although the works left by Xin Dongwang in this direction have not reached the final perfection, they are already very precious. These techniques of giving up too much decent relationship with line modeling and replacing brush strokes with pen meaning undoubtedly set a precedent for post-painting scholars.

As a representative painter of neo-realism, the greatest feature of Xin Dongwang's art is the aggressive visual power of his images. Every face he has painted is like waves of rust in his mind. No place is completely symmetrical or static, and everywhere is full of ups and downs and movements. Some are burning like trembling thoughts, some are running like souls chasing the wind, and some are on their way with the lights of their hometown. The lucky, the trendy, the depressed, the activist, the helpless, the watcher, the believer, the brave, the unifying, the pessimist, the cunning, and the seeker are mixed, all of which are rubbed by Xin Dongwang in delicate rhythms and stripped cracks. It is the rhythm that has no end, leads the rhythm of walking, blooms the rhythm of heaven, and indulges in it.

His sharp eyes close to the soul enabled him to grasp the inner spiritual characteristics of the object in an instant, from every detail of the character's trance eyes, slightly open lips, lifted nose wings, or a hesitant gesture, or even a shoe supported by the foot to find a channel to convey the soul. His excellent skills make the characters he creates have an exciting penetrating power and an unforgettable power. Looking at his paintings, there is no language barrier, the first thing we see is not brush strokes and colors, but the flesh and blood presented directly in front of us: cracked lips and loose teeth, blood flowing under rough skin, premature faces, embarrassed and helpless expressions.

Xin Dongwang poured his keen sense of life into his works, showing a real state of life in the general public, and gained the dignity of traditional Chinese Buddhist statues with his still expression and posture. in these ordinary small potatoes on the edge of the city glowed with divine light, the most difficult to touch, he captured. Therefore, when you look at each painting, it is as if you look at the monuments to ordinary Chinese small potatoes, and you can see the inner spirit of this nation in them. I think all people will be deeply infected and shocked by Xin Dongwang's paintings.

As far as the way of expression is concerned, Xin Dongwang, regardless of meticulous realism, strives for concise generalization, and pursues the strength of subjective shaping and subjective expression. Xin Dongwang's "Chengcheng" and "tomorrow, cloudy to sunny" have a very unique sense of adobe of the old wall, which is obviously related to the square structure in the circle, the simple brown-gray tone, the square brush strokes formed by the big scraper, and the rough texture of the picture. These two pictures are not drawn, but built, piled and erased. This sense of adobe coincided with what he expressed, which made Xin Dongwang famous.

Chen Danqing's intriguing words revealed the true meaning of Xin Dongwang's works. He said: many Chinese painters have left realism in the transformation, but you have returned the transformation to realism. One word is right to the point, and it also summarizes the artistic features of Xin Dongwang's works. Xin Dongwang, who has been wandering inside and outside the college, has studied twice in the Central Academy of Fine Arts, which makes him absorb the essence of college education on the one hand and feel the limitations of college education on the other. Therefore, the imagery exaggeration of the characters he depicts is not only not to subvert the existing college realistic system, but also to inject the gene of Chinese image spirit into the westernized modeling training, which not only makes his art have a real realistic character, but also enables him to accurately grasp the inner spirit of contemporary people and has the original spirit of Chinese realistic art.

A homeless youth grew into a famous painter; a migrant worker from a mountain village became a professor at Tsinghua University 20 years later. Xin Dongwang's life was bumpy and wonderful. As one of the representative figures of Chinese neo-realistic painting school, Xin Dongwang shows his constant exploration and insatiable pursuit of his own art, and his artistic achievements have reached a very high level among painters of the same age. His oil paintings Breakfast, Chengcheng and distant relatives have won gold, silver and bronze awards in many national art exhibitions. Among them, "Breakfast" and "Chengcheng" also sold for 2.25 million and 1.3 million at Guardian 2005 auction in China.

From Xin Dongwang's oil paintings, we seem to hear cries from the bottom of society, but it is a pity that this realistic painter died on January 11, 2014. His artistic life is fixed at 51. Xin Dongwang was born in Xin Jiafang Village, Kangbao County, Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province in 1963. He graduated from the Art Department of Shanxi Jinzhong Teachers College in 1988, graduated from the Seventh Assistant Teaching Class of the Oil painting Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1994, and graduated from the first Advanced Research Class of the Oil painting Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2003. He has taught in the Fine Arts Department of Shanxi normal University, the Oil painting Department of Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, and Associate Professor of the Academy of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University. Member of China artists Association, director of China Oil painting Society. His main works include "Chengcheng", "tomorrow cloudy to clear", "moderate excitement", "distant relatives", "Armed", "Defense", "Edge", "breakfast" and so on. He won the Silver Award in the third Annual Chinese Oil painting Exhibition, the first China Oil painting Society Exhibition, the Chinese Youth Oil painting Exhibition in the New Century, the Bronze Award in the Ninth National Art Exhibition, the excellent work Award in the National Art Exhibition on the 80th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China, the third Oil painting Exhibition, the first Beijing International Biennale, and the 10th National Art Exhibition. From December 2005 to January 2006, individual art exhibitions were held in gallery of China and gallery in Shanghai respectively. In January 2006, "Oil painting Exhibition of villagers' biographies of Xin Dongwang" was held in gallery, Shanghai.

An artist who is full of ambition, is in his prime, and his life comes to an abrupt end, which makes people sigh that life not only has a beautiful side, but also has a cruel side. The sad ending is the most shocking and infectious means of expression of art. The man has gone, but the ideas and paintings he left in the world will become the common wealth of mankind in the history of art.

Shanghai, January 3, 2020