‍"See Sichuan Oil Painting" —— An excerpt from "See Sichuan Oil Painting" by Wang Chaowen

Life experience not only proposes what to paint for painters, but also suggests how to draw. Creative ideas that lack life experience would inevitably form creations without the author’s own emotions. Artistic criticism that lack life experience would be difficult to escape from the shackles of subjectivism. At the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts’ oil painting exhibition, works such as Zhu Yiyong's “Village Inn” elaborated on the result of artistic reaction to life - Is it easier to understand than life itself? It depends on the artist's own understanding of life, whether it is in-depth or with unique insights.

“Village Inn” made me think that the painter's sensitivity to the special point of life is also based on his deeper understanding of life. Feeling is a process of cognition, and the depth and keen sense of understanding often interact. I think the obvious advantage of this work is that its reflection on life is vastly different from the common record or graphic style. Its vivid image presents the contradiction that old things are being transformed into new things. The vividness of the image is mainly reflected in the reflection of the new and old opposition and its development trend. Before last year, I passed through the mountains of Sichuan, and I feel that this painting reflects the truth of life. The mountains are still relatively poor. This painting truly reflects the shabby conditions of mountain life. However, the four girls facing away from the audience not only fill the painting with an atmosphere of joy, but also herald the glorious future of the people’s material and spiritual life. The young painter did not overlook such worthy prospects. Painters are trying hard to free themselves from the influence of mediocre styles or the lack of emotional imagery. At the same time, they have reached the artistic height of “Infinite possibilities live on a blank canvas.” This is a very pleasing new achievement.

Wang Chaowen  

Feb , 1982  

“看 四 川 油 画”——节选自王朝文的评论‍ ‍‍ ‍

生活经验不只向画家提出画什么，也向画家提出了应该怎样画。缺乏生活经验的创作构思，难免产生连作者自己也不激动的向壁虚造。缺乏生活经验的艺术批评，很难从主观主义的束缚中解脱出来。但四川美院油画展，例如朱毅勇的《山村小店》对此却作了应有的补充；艺术反应生活的结果，是不是比生活自身更便于认识，这却要看画家自己对生活的认识是否深入，是否拥有独到的见解。

《山村小店》使我觉得，画家对生活的特殊点的敏感，也基于他对生活拥有比较深入的认识；感觉也是一种认识过程，认识的深度和敏锐的感觉往往是相互作用着的，我觉得这一作品的显著特点，在于它对生活的反映和常见的那种记录式或图解式的作风大不相同它那生动的形象表现了旧事物正在转化为新事物的矛盾，形象的生动性主要表现在反映了新与旧的对立及其发展趋向。前年我经过四川山区，所以觉得这副画反映了生活的真实。山区如今还比较贫困，这幅画真实的反映了山区生活的简陋状况。然而包括四个背向观众的女孩子，不只使画面充满了喜悦的气氛，而且预示着人民的物质生活以致精神生活的光辉的未来。青年画家没有忽视这样值得重视的未来，造型艺术才能在瞬间的生活现象的描绘中，相应的反映事物的发展过程。画家们正在努力从平庸的报导式或缺乏感情的图解式说明式的作风的影响中解脱出来，而且达到了“无画处皆成妙境”的艺术高度，这新收获是令人高兴的。

王朝闻

1982年2月