Yuan Feng's Artistic Evaluation

People in Wulin must have a skill if they want to get ahead. Painting is naturally no better than Wulin. But since ancient times, generations of famous artists have their own works, such as Zhang Daqian, Fu Baoshi, Xu Beihong, Li Keran, Wu Changshuo, Qi Baishi, Huang, Lin Fengmian and Pan Tianshou. Xu Beihong's horse, Qi Baishi's shrimp, Huangzhou's donkey, Li Keran's cattle, Wu Zuoren's fish and Chen Dayu's chicken are all more skilled than people. Apart from personal preference, I can't think of anything more strategic than "having special skills". A wise man first sees his limitations and is beyond his power, and then develops strengths and avoids weaknesses.

Yuan Feng drew a tiger. Tigers are almost the totem of China people. Since ancient times, there should be many painters who have painted tigers. Contemporary famous painters are Zhang, Zhang and so on. Later, Feng Dazhong and others appeared. Feng Dazhong once recalled the selection of the 7th National Fine Painting Exhibition, saying that there were 5,000 works and thousands of tiger paintings. It can be seen that tigers can no longer be used as unique stunts, and it seems extremely difficult to fight our way out. Yuan Feng's tiger paintings are precise and delicate. Chinese painting has always pursued the spirit likeness, which is essentially different from western oil painting. Even meticulous painting is far from western oil painting techniques in the pursuit of form, and it seems that it is still the pursuit of "meaning" after form. Similarity in spirit and similarity in form should be said to be an important watershed in eastern and western aesthetics, each with its own emphasis and splendor.

Yuan Feng, born in 1950, is sincere in nature and has profound painting skills. I like painting since I was a child, and I insist on self-study completely by tenacious perseverance. Because it's self-study, you can't be lazy when stealing, and it's hard to see kung fu when you draw a stroke. Then, starting from drawing cartoons, I gradually entered the painting world. He has been the editor-in-chief of Nantong Daily and the chairman of Nantong Artists Association, and now he is the director of the office of Jinling Art Exhibition of Jiangsu Federation of Literary and Art Circles. On the occasion of the New Year, Geng Yin held a spring tiger painting exhibition in the newly-built Nanjing Library, and exhibited dozens of his exquisite tiger paintings. His paintings have a distinct personal style, and many elements of freehand brushwork are integrated into the traditional meticulous techniques of Chinese painting. Yuan Feng's tigers have a variety of shapes, either static or lying down, or overlooking, or roaring. Exquisite, unique, with a very strong texture. He shows the texture and bones of the tiger through the fine hair layer, which is very vivid. As the saying goes, "it is difficult to draw a dragon and a tiger", and the inner texture should be said to be a great test for painters. The tiger in Yuan Feng's painting can fully show the internal skeleton of the tiger. On the background picture of the tiger, he still uses meticulous painting to achieve overall harmony and coordination. The beautiful scenery of nature has become a very important part of the work. In the clean summer, the serenity of the tiger is in harmony with the vigorous vitality of the surrounding lush trees. From every grass to every leaf, the tendons are clearly discernible. The shadow cast by leaves and grass on the tiger is so realistic that it is a photographic work based on reality. This fineness is really amazing. In another painting, Broken Rock, a mighty tiger is trudging on a fast-flowing river with steep cliffs and fast-flowing streams on both sides. Yuan Feng showed amazing perseverance and bold artistic expression in dealing with water and waves. The splashing waves are full of movement, and the static canyon forms a strong contrast with the rushing rivers and tigers, forming a strong visual impact. This is extremely rare in Chinese painting.

The wind of painting tigers is getting worse, so be extra careful. Because once a thing becomes popular, it is very easy to be vulgar. In fact, many tiger paintings are already showing a lot of vulgarity. What is commendable is that Yuan Feng's paintings are very fresh. Different from most meticulous paintings, Yuan Feng's paintings rarely leave blank, or occasionally leave blank, but they are not "full" and "true", plain and poor. On the contrary, what is revealed is the fullness and high realism of the content, vivid and romantic. His tiger occupies a dominant position in his works, but he does not ignore the unity with nature. Whether the tiger is still or lying down, it must be set off by the natural environment. He never painted tigers in isolation, or only symbolically painted some rocks and vegetation. He pursues accuracy and exquisiteness, and pays attention to the high integration with nature. Tigers that ignore the natural background can only be tigers on paper, tigers on walls, or tigers in zoos, lacking vitality. His paintings are not the work of craftsmen, they are carefully managed and meticulous. Although subtle, the overall effect is magnificent. I think this is the charm of his works.

Wang Dajin Zheng Banqiao, a famous writer of Jiangsu Writers Association, wrote a painting cloud: "Shi Tao is good at painting, covering ten thousand kinds, and the rest of Zhu Lan is also;" Banqiao has painted Zhu Lan for more than 50 years. If he doesn't draw anything else, he will be very knowledgeable and I will be very professional. It is best to be knowledgeable! " After all, it is rare for a master like Shi Tao to become a master, but he may not be as good as Zheng Banqiao's Painting Zhu Lan and the rest. Help me think, a person's life energy is limited, and only by specializing in a certain subject on the basis of versatility can he surpass his predecessors and contemporaries. In the history of painting in China, there are not a few people who are famous for painting a certain subject. As far as the 20th century is concerned, Qi Baishi's Shrimp, Xu Beihong's Horse, Chen Dayu's Rooster and Huangzhou's Donkey represent the highest achievements of this kind of theme in this century, which have a great influence on later generations, and are called "stunts" or "one move is fresh".

On the basis of versatility, I appreciate Mr. Yuan Feng's brilliant career very much. His ladies, landscapes, flowers and birds all have solid basic skills, but his tiger painting art represents his highest artistic achievement. Since the 20th century, there have been several successful tiger painters, including Zhang, Zhu,,,. Most of them are freehand brushwork or part-time writing. And those who are mainly meticulous, there is one in the north and one in the south, which can be described as "Nanfeng Beiyuan". They draw Siberian tigers together, but each has its own portal. Yuan's "Tiger" comes from life and depicts the truth of the mountain king with superb realism, which is powerful, majestic, masculine and quite human. The combination of meaning and environment, the combination of form and spirit, and the taste of both refined and popular tastes are deeply loved by the audience.

Zhou, Professor of Nanjing Art Institute, April 8, 2007. Yuan Feng is a tiger and loves to draw tigers, especially tigers who are good at meticulous painting.

Tiger painting has two characteristics:

First, the combination of tiger's wildness and "flexibility" does not emphasize the domineering of "taking the mountain as the king", but highlights the friendly and gentle "literary spirit", which reminds people of those lovely lives in the zoo. They are friends of human beings and live in harmony with human beings. This is the natural expression of the painter's ecological environment consciousness.

Secondly, Yuan Feng used realistic techniques, carefully carved, and portrayed the spirit in form, making the tiger's appearance lifelike. In the processing of background environment, it absorbs some modern elements and strengthens the sense of reality. Color and ink blend, reaching the realm of elegant valley appreciation, which is deeply loved by the public.

A few years ago, I said that "the tiger is a human being", which means that the tiger in the painting must be permeated with the painter's feelings, personality and mentality. To some extent, "Hugh" embodies "personality". Appreciating Yuan Feng's tiger paintings, why do you feel a kind of modesty and tenderness?

I have known Yuan Feng for almost 30 years. He used to be the chairman of Nantong Artists Association, and now he works for Jiangsu Federation of Literary and Art Circles, doing his best to promote Jiangsu's artistic creation. When you look at his paintings and connect him with others, you will know more about the origin of his paintings and predict that his painting prospects will be stronger and stride forward.

Ma Hongzeng, deputy director and researcher of the Theoretical Art Committee of China Artists Association, whose painting name of Yuan Feng on March 25th, 2007 has long been a household name. His figure paintings are fluent, accurate and vivid, and he is a famous painter in Nantong Painting Forest. From Nantong to the Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles, we have more opportunities to meet. His works are often seen in exhibitions, especially the vivid pictures of tigers, which make people stop to enjoy.

The tiger is called the king of beasts. Because its round head and forehead have markings similar to the word "Wang", it is strong and powerful, and it does have a kind of bravery that is a great mountain forest. "Roar, the earth is cracked, and all the animals are hidden in the mountains." People praised the tiger for its bravery and power. In the past dynasties, brave ministers were called "tiger ministers" and "tiger generals", and brave armed soldiers were called "tiger company" ... The tiger was mighty and magnificent, with brown skin covered with black stripes and beautiful colors, which inspired many painters to express it. There are many famous tiger painters in ancient and modern times. Since the Republic of China, Zhang,,, and Yuan Feng have entered this ranks. Yuan Feng's "tiger painting" has the following characteristics:

(1) It is neither an abstract expression nor a naturalistic copy of the image to describe the gods in form and the tigers in a realistic way. He strives for "vividness" and "beauty" and "likeness", and "Xiao" belongs to "art" and requires "likeness". To describe the gods physically, we need "simplicity" first. The author captured their vivid moments by observing the tigers in the zoo and checking their dynamic and static postures. He also studied and became familiar with the tiger's skeletal anatomy, muscle structure and movement rules, and drew a lot of sketches based on them, which were expressed in the language of Chinese painting. Yuan Feng has made great efforts in this respect. He vividly described the heroic style of the tiger by working and reading, and achieved superb aesthetic effect. Looking closely at the nuances, the fluffy and colorful beautiful fur seems wonderful with the help of God, achieving the appreciation effect of both form and spirit, such as the wind of kings and autumn rhyme.

(2) Yuan Feng's depiction of the tiger is not to show the tiger image with natural attributes, as Hegel said: "The artist must be the creator. In his imagination, he must combine his meaning, appropriate knowledge, his deep feelings and basic feelings to shape the image he wants to create from here. (Aesthetics, Volume 222) In order to express his feelings, Yuan Feng personifies tigers, such as five lively and lovely tigers in the painting Heroes Since Ancient Times, playing, being intimate and watching ... "Flying on thousands of feet depicts a tiger flying over a stream, and the author eulogizes a spirit of courage and courage.

(3) At present, there are many people who are keen on painting tigers, and their attention and pen and ink are focused on tigers, but the scenery and tigers are often out of harmony. The tiger and scenery written by Yuan Feng are just right. For example, the withered trees in A Picture of Lin Yin in Autumn fully reflect the bleak and desolate atmosphere of Shan Ye in late autumn, and a male tiger sings in Shan Ye, bringing vitality to the lonely autumn field. "Mountain Spring" depicts a tiger crouching hungrily by the spring, sipping the clear stream. The static tiger and flowing water complement each other, and a fresh breath of Shan Ye suddenly emerges in front of the viewer. Setting off the tiger with scenery to make it more imposing and attractive is a highlight of Yuan's paintings with aesthetic charm.

Huang Hongyi, a national first-class artist in Jiangsu Academy of Traditional Chinese Painting, has a special liking for tigers in Chinese painting themes. Not only because of the tiger's majestic and omnipotent spirit and momentum, but also because of a traditional culture derived from it, such as heroic spirit, heroic spirit, heroic spirit, heroic spirit, heroic spirit and heroic spirit. In the folk, children's clothing such as tiger-headed shoes and tiger-headed hats strongly express people's expectations for children's temperament and bright future!

Mr. Yuan Feng's tiger painting art is undoubtedly rooted in the soil of national tiger culture and stands out in the current independent Chinese painting creation. As far as the form of his works is concerned, the roaring tiger, chanting tiger, standing tiger and crouching tiger seen and written by the author in his works are not only the image deduction of "the wind of kings", but also the visual portrayal of amiable and lovely, warm as spring. Questioning the root cause is probably the result of the painter's mood, ideal and expression object. As we all know, the voice of "environmental protection" is endless, and it has become a consensus to seek harmony between man and nature. As a painter with a sense of social responsibility, how to repay this era with his works is a very harmonious discussion topic in itself. Yuan Feng dare not neglect his artistic creation. He contributed the tiger's art to people, and created all kinds of interesting and meaningful tiger shapes, which had a positive impact not only in the art field, but also in a wider social scope.

As far as artistic observation is concerned, the tigers with distinctive personality, high spirits, different modes and breathing under Yuan Feng's pen are produced in the artistic practice of the painter's emotional agitation, grasping the main points, meticulously depicting and coordinating the overall situation. Look at his picture, it should be simple and clear. While focusing on the tiger, the background is just right, which makes the work have artistic charm and visual impact. The gloomy, open and thought-provoking artistic conception of "autumn scenery in the Clouds", the lofty and free emotional appeal of "Walking in the Four Sides" and the condescending and fearless expression of "Wind of the Kings" are all representative works, which are quite famous in the art museum.

"Professor of Nanjing Art Institute" Ding Tao's Chinese painting has been divided into painting subjects according to themes since the Tang Dynasty. Painters are often famous for painting a certain theme, such as Han Gan's horse painting and Han Kui's cow painting. Among animals, the tiger has always been a favorite theme of painters, because it is the respectful name of all animals, has the demeanor of a king, and is an idol admired and worshipped by the world. Therefore, there have been tiger painters throughout the ages, and Yuan is the master of tiger painting in today's painting world.

Because each painter has different feelings about natural images, social life, thoughts, feelings and ideals, the tiger image in each painter's works and its ideological significance are also different. The tiger in Yuan's works contains his unique sentiment and ideal. The appearance and temperament of the tiger are multifaceted, with both the domineering of the king and the kindness of the benevolent and wise. There are many similarities between animality and human nature. Painters always choose the similarities and differences between animal nature and human nature to convey their thoughts, feelings and ideals. Most of the tiger images created by Yuan are benevolent, wise and elderly, and their manners and emotions are solemn, calm, thoughtful, alert, gentle and calm, implying a somewhat cold-eyed view of the world. Even when he painted Lu Gen, he didn't have that kind of fierce and arrogant momentum, nor did he have that kind of tyrant who was frightened from far and near, but he was an elegant and kind king image.

A painter is the impression that a painter gives. From tiger to man, we can see Yuan's character and personality, and we can imagine his inner spirit, emotion, ideal and aesthetic taste-the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. Truth, goodness and beauty are not only reflected in the spirit of the tiger in his works, but also in his tiger image, the layout of the picture, the configuration and relationship of the scenery. He strives for both form and spirit in shaping the tiger image. The real quality of fur is real touch and softness, but it is very general, not naturalistic, just looking for shape. He looks like a ghost. This is the highest realm of realism.

The highest realm of Chinese painting is the artistic conception of poetry. Most people always think that poetry is only in landscape painting. I wonder if all Van Gogh's paintings are poetic? Traditional painting creation-to "take poetry as the method" and "take books as the bone", painting as poetry and writing as painting. Poet: Emotion, rhythm and rhythm are all manifested in spirit and form. Yuan's tiger paintings are well prepared: the tiger shape, tiger posture and tiger nature in the works are all affectionate and intentional, which are caused by the painter's emotions; The composition of the picture, the arrangement of the scenery, the configuration of various objects and images, and the artistic language of the picture-point, line and ink-are carefully designed and created according to the law of beauty, with a visual sense of rhythm. The whole artistic image gives people a quiet, elegant and harmonious aesthetic feeling, and has the harmonious spirit of the times that modern people yearn for.

Professor Zuo, School of Fine Arts, Nanjing Normal University