ChinaDaily[970807-8]

[Chinese News]

China Daily

97 / 08 / 07 /

***************************************************************************
1. Versatile painter seeks a 'lifestyle' art career
2. Cream of cultures vital in nurturing citizenry
3. Festival celebrates fishermen
4. What's on (Page 10, Date: 08/07/97)
***************************************************************************

Versatile painter seeks a 'lifestyle' art career

IT is hard to define the styles, spirits and tones of painter Yang
Gang's art, which is expressed by various art forms, covers a wide
range of subjects, and whether realist or abstract is always
expressive. And yet, whether he works in ink and wash, oil or mixed
media, it is easy to define him as an artist: He paints whatever his
moods tell him to.

"Mine is a long and winding road," says Yang, looking at his artistic
career spanning more than three decades. "My application material for
the Preparatory School of the Central Academy of Fine Arts was a bag
stuffed with my sketches that were persuasive enough to send me
through the enrolment procedures and land me in that school as a
qualified student."

The Soviet-fashion strict training in that school helped lay a solid
foundation for his ability to create realist images.

"As a result of my devotion to sketching and drawing from memory, I
have been able to rid myself of some art students' plight that they
simply could not paint without models," he says.

After getting started, Yang underwent a number of artistic phases,
each a milestone on his road.

First came the "realist period in the 1970s." During that time, Yang
did oils, Chinese painting, prints, picture storybooks and
illustrations. A combination of realism and romanticism, which meant
largely polished and stylized realism, constituted the cornerstone for
his artistic creation. His art, like that of others, was geared to
reflecting working people's lives and the heroic images of workers,
farmers and soldiers.

The representative works include the oil "Soldiers Back From Shooting
Practice," the Chinese painting "Going to the Political Night School,"
and the print "Sunny and Shiny."

Then came the period of gongbi zhongcai, which literally means
minutely executed realist works with heavy or bright colours. This
period lasted roughly from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s.

Yang tried to blaze trails, absorbing elements from Japanese painting
and impressionist painting. Metamorphosis in shapes and images
appeared in his work late in this period. The subjects covered mainly
historical stories and legends, but he also began depicting lives of
ordinary folk in urban areas. In this phase, Yang emphasized mirroring
the feelings and moods of the mortal clay, and the works often had
matter-of-fact tones instead of being heroic or romantic.

Representative works included "Wedding Procession," "Road" and
"Overpass."

Then Yang began to shift to ink and wash painting.

Between 1982 and 1992, he first experimented with "controlled
free-hand," then real free-hand painting, which, free of any outside
control, just lets loose the painter's pent-up energy and passion. He
also experimented with bringing out the effects of black-and-white
photographs with his ink brush, and he developed a seemingly awkward
style remindful of unsteady stroking by a child.

The pictures done in this period covered a wide range of subjects, and
his artistic conceptions continued a kind of upgrading and renewal.

The representative works during this time included "the Setting Sun
Over the Horizon of the Prairie," "Winter in Grassland," and "Old
Chaps."

Between 1993 and 1995 was Yang's period of "expressionist ink-and-wash
painting." Traditional media and materials such as ink brush and rice
paper were used to create non-traditional pictures. This meant the
combination of modernist ideas, expressionist language and traditional
ink-stroking skills.

The sphere of subjects was further widened, and realist and abstract
elements were alternately applied or just co-mingled. With reason as a
controlling factor in the painter's mind, Yang just responded to
irrational impulses in executing specific paintings and details to dig
up something that lay in the depth of his inner world. In addition, he
began to show his concern over the spirit of humanity and the general
environment for the survival of the human race.

The representative works during this period were "Series of Woman
Images," "Series of Human Heads," "Series of Faces," "Series of
Horses," "Series of Minds" and "Black and White Production."

From late 1995, Yang embarked on a unique artistic road based on his
own principle of "overall flowering," namely, going all out with
whatever means needed to express whatever strikes him as worth
expressing. It boils down to "painting what I like and painting in any
way I randomly choose."

As a result, entirely different art languages, ideas and media are
applied to create entirely different works in a given time, say, a
week. Oils, mosaics of fragments of photographs, acrylic paintings and
works of mixed media have kept pouring out of Yang's studio ever
since.

"This is what I believe to be the freest expression of one's artistic
aspirations," he says.

Asked what art means, Yang says that art is a lifestyle, a kind of
communication between human beings and where the artist's spirit and
aspirations reside.

Talking about the general trend of contemporary Chinese art as a
whole, he says: "There is no unified mode of 'Chinese-ness' and
'modernity.' We grew up in this land as Chinese, and we are naturally
members of the modern society. If we paint what we yearn to and utter
what we want to, the sum of our paintings automatically represents
so-called Chinese-ness and modernity."

Yang was born in 1946 in Henan Province. He entered the Preparatory
School of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1963. He went to work as
an artist in the Cultural Centre of Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region in 1973. He entered the graduate class of the
Chinese Painting Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in
1978. Yang is now a professional painter at the Beijing Painting
Institute.

He has staged a series of successful individual and group shows in
China and abroad. In 1994, he toured the United States, giving
lectures on contemporary Chinese painting at UCLA, the University of
California at Berkeley and Harvard University.
_________________________________________________________________

_Date: 08/07/97_
_Author: Hua Jia_

***************************************************************************

Cream of cultures vital in nurturing citizenry

CULTURAL development is indispensable to the development of the
citizenry, a group of famous scholars argued recently.

"Culture is all about the true, the good and the beautiful," said He
Zuoxiu, a famed physicist and member of the Chinese Academy of
Sciences. "In my opinion, science, in a broad sense, addresses the
question of truth and falls under the category of culture."

Modernization is in essence a matter of scientific progress. However,
some people think of science and culture as opposites. For example,
they panic when the issue of cloning crops up. In his view, if culture
is supposed to serve the majority of the people, it should be based on
enlightening ideas and concepts.

Ren Jiyu, a renowned researcher into religion and also curator of the
Beijing Library, discussed exchanges between Chinese and foreign
cultures. "There have been successes and failures in absorbing foreign
cultures. We should sum up our experiences in this regard and learn
their lessons in order to promote modern-day Chinese culture."

In Chinese history, there have been two periods of extensive cultural
exchange with the outside world. The first was in the Han Dynasty (206
BC-AD 220) and the second was during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).
Both were conducted mainly via the Silk Road, although in the Tang
Dynasty exchanges were expanded by opening sea routes.

It was during these cultural exchanges that Buddhism entered China and
spread widely in the country. "But the Chinese at that time did not
treat Buddha as a foreigner. Instead, they regarded Buddha as a sage
in the same line as Confucius and Lao Tze. The fact that Buddha
acquired 'permanent residence' in China shows that elements from
different cultures become one when cultural exchanges proceed to a
certain extent," he said.

To begin with, Buddhist monks did not marry or have children. They
steered clear of politics. This was in opposition to established
Chinese ideas and the teachings of Chinese sages. For example,
generations of Chinese were taught that there were three forms of
unfilial conduct, of which the worst was to have no descendants. Also,
Chinese scholars were taught to be loyal to their emperors and serve
them whole-heartedly.

But Buddhist doctrines were eventually reconciled to established
Chinese ideas. Advocates of Buddhism argued that it emphasized loyalty
and filial piety to a higher degree than that traditional among the
common people, according to Ren.

In the early 20th century, various schools of thought entered China,
including the Marxism that was to become the mainstream ideology of
the country. In introducing elements of foreign cultures into the
country, mechanical copying should be avoided. "We have some lessons
to learn in this regard. In the 1950s, for example, Soviet models were
unconditionally accepted. The departments of liberal arts, humanity
and sciences in the Qinghua University were all axed. Only departments
of engineering were left. Now it is difficult to restore all those
departments," he said.

From a historical point of view, it is always the 'high' culture that
gets the better of the 'low' culture. "Feudal and backward cultural
elements are no match for Western cultures. Only advanced things," he
said. "So I don't agree with the contention that Confucius is enough
for China. We can't afford to be forever nostalgic about our past."

It is, of course, important to emphasize Chinese cultural traditions
because the culture of a nation is the expression of its character,
features and spirit, according to Ren.

Wang Shuren, a research fellow from the Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences, said: "Culture is rich in content. In my opinion, it is a
reflection of human nature and the creativity of the human race.

"We are now faced with a worldwide 'cultural crisis,' which has left
humankind on the verge of losing 'control over technology,'" he said.
"Cloning has caused serious concerns among people of conscience across
the globe because it raises the possibility that the achievements of
humanity over the last millennia could be ruined in a moment. If the
same kind of human can be reproduced in large numbers, the value of
humanity and life is depreciated. So cloning is not so much an issue
of reproducing Adolf Hitlers as an issue of humanity's
self-destruction."

The crisis of Chinese culture is a multi-faceted phenomenon, in his
view. To begin with, there was an abrupt break in Chinese culture due
to the simplistic negation of the Chinese cultural tradition during
the May Fourth period in 1919, which marked the coming of modern
Chinese society and culture, according to Wang.

"This trend continued later on," he said. "Sometimes the cream of
Chinese culture was discarded together with its dregs. As a result,
many people are only superficially educated in the cultural tradition,
which is bound to tell on their thinking, their way of doing things
and so on."

Contemporary Chinese scholars in the humanities and natural sciences
have been able to make creative contributions to the nation because
they are deeply rooted in traditional culture, according to Wang.

Traditional Chinese culture lacks a rational tradition of scientific
thinking. "We should make up for this," he said. But while this
missing link is yet to be supplied, Western post-modernist thought,
which is strongly anti-rational, is entering the country. "This kind
of thought originated in the West as a reaction to the omnipotence of
science and rationalism. But China is yet to be modernized, and these
ideas, once integrated with negative elements in traditional Chinese
culture, only cause confusion in the minds of the Chinese people," he
said. "So in my opinion, the cultural crisis the Chinese are now
facing is more complicated than that of the West. We must look at the
matter squarely when we consider reconstructing our culture."

Zhou Guitian, a professor from the Beijing Normal University, said
that when science becomes fashionable pseudo-science naturally appears
in the guise of science. For example, some people are now using the
"Classic of Change" as an instrument to tell fortunes and passing this
off as the science of "prognostics." "This is sheer charlatanism, but
it enjoys wide acceptance since there are still many illiterates and
the cultural level of the citizenry as a whole is still low," Zhou
said.

It is therefore important to spread scientific knowledge and advocate
a spirit of enlightenment among the masses in order to counter
pseudo-science and ignorance, in Zhou's view. "What is most important
is to enhance the educational and cultural level of the citizenry as a
whole," he said.

On the other hand, science is not omnipotent. It deals mainly with the
matter of truth. When it comes to the beautiful and the good, science
can do little, according to him. For example, in a typical Chinese
painting "One Hundred Flowers Blossom," "It is scientifically
impossible that all these flowers blossom in the same season. But the
painting is beautiful and people like it," he said.

Science has its place, but life should not be exclusively confined to
science, he concluded.
_________________________________________________________________

_Date: 08/07/97_
_Author: Wen Hua_

***************************************************************************

Festival celebrates fishermen

RONGCHENG is located in the eastern part of Jiaodong Peninsula of
Shandong Province, and most of the local people have lived off fishing
and the salt industry for generations.

From ancient times when the fishing season arrived around Grain Rain
-- the sixth of 24 lunar terms, which falls on or about April 20 --
local fishermen have made a sacrifice to their sea goddess, Ma Zu,
praying for another year of safety on the sea. Gradually, the Grain
Rain became a fixed festival for the local people.

According to the legend, Ma Zu was brought up on the seaside and had
the ability to predict sea accidents. She was deeply loved by the
local people and became the goddess of the sea after she died.
Whenever the sea was fogged over, she would hold a red lantern to
guide the ships to safety.

Now with the improvement of living conditions and fishing facilities,
the meaning of the festival has changed much. No longer a time to
worship the sea goddess, it has become a festival during which people
gather and hold a variety of celebrations.

From 1991, the annual festival was officially arranged by the local
government during the traditional Grain Rain as the Rongcheng
International Fishermen's Day. In 1995, the dates of the festival were
altered to the end of July.

This year's festival, on July 25-27, drew more than 10,000 people from
home and abroad. Thousands of fishermen joined the celebration, which
featured a display of folk customs and culture.

Photos by Wang Wenlan/China Daily
_________________________________________________________________

_Date: 08/07/97_
_Author: Hua Kan_

***************************************************************************

What's on (Page 10, Date: 08/07/97)

EXHIBITIONS

Chinese diplomats' photo show -- A special photo show called "The
World in the Eyes of Chinese Diplomats" is being held through Sunday
at the China National Art Museum.

Sponsored by the trade union and the photography society of the
Foreign Ministry, the exhibition will display 400 photos selected from
2,600 contributions covering 140 countries and regions. The photos
reflect China's foreign activities, images of international figures,
landscape and local customs of various countries, and the happiness of
Chinese diplomats at the return of Hong Kong to the motherland.

Qian Qichen, vice-premier and foreign minister, wrote the title of the
exhibition.

Time: 9 am-4 pm, through Sunday. Location: China National Art Museum,
1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng District. Tel: 6401-2252.

Contemporary Works -- "Through the Gate," a diverse exhibition of
contemporary Chinese art, is at the Red Gate Gallery until today.
Three artists participating in the exhibition are Zheng Xuewu, Guan
Wei and Wang Luyan.

Zheng Xuewu, a graduate of the Central Academy of Art and Design, uses
various symbols of both Chinese and Western origin. His works on paper
emphasize colour and pattern through strong design.

Beijing-born Guan Wei has become one of Australia's leading
contemporary artists. His works are known for their ironic commentary
on contemporary life. "Through the Gate" showcases his lithographs and
mixed media works.

Time: 11am-6pm, ends today. Location: Red Gate Gallery, Level 3, China
World Hotel, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie. Tel: 6505-2266 ext 6821 or 5729.
_________________________________________________________________

_Date: 08/07/97_
_Author: _

***************************************************************************