Q: Airplanes appear in many of your works. What are the symbols of airplanes in your works? What impressed you most about airplanes and airports?
A: I have a habit since I was a sophomore. I always like to listen to music and ride a bicycle from the Academy of Fine Arts to the Capital Airport alone. I ride a bike very fast. With the rhythm of music and the trees I brushed, it only takes 58 minutes to ride a bike from the Academy of Fine Arts to the airport. The airport is my favorite place to go. It is special to see planes passing by the space bridge and cars running under it. Sometimes I can stand there and watch the plane take off and land all day, until I get back to school by car and feel exhausted. After I got to graduate school, this habit continued, except that I used an ipod with a camera. I took thousands of photos of the airport. I accidentally created "international channel 1". I saw a FedEx plane passing by the bridge. Under the bridge is a migrant worker who lives near the airport, riding a bicycle. This person should pass by here every day. The take-off and landing of the plane has no interest in his eyes. He is more familiar with this matter than I am. FedEx planes also pass the bridge at a fixed time every day, which impressively says-the world is on time. Airport is one of the symbols of modern economic globalization, which is shared by the whole world. Planes from all countries can take off and land there, and there is no national border. In sharp contrast, ordinary people living around the airport, the plane is both near and far from them, which is very interesting. Another point is my special feelings for airplanes. I remember flying several times in other places. At that time, Beijing was sweltering for several days, and I hadn't seen the sun for a long time, so I was upset. However, after boarding the plane, it was still blue sky and dazzling sunshine. This makes me feel very moved, and makes me feel that some inner haze is always temporary, and the sun is not far away.
Q: Would you please tell us about the creative idea and process of the work "Artist Employment" selected for "China Oil Painting and Contemporary Society-China Oil Painting Exhibition" on 20 10?
A: I have been thinking about creating this work for several months. The reason for my creation is based on my view of the current art market. In recent years, I have been confined to school painting and rarely deal with the art market. I found that some painters are very formal, lacking in connotation and cultivation, and lacking in modeling ability. After a long time, artists' artistic talents will be erased by the market. Interestingly, masters in history also made a living by art patrons, such as Rembrandt. Rembrandt lived a poor life without patrons in order to make a breakthrough in his creation in his later years, but Rembrandt's oil paintings in his later years were really wonderful, and his portraits made him feel that he could communicate with him. Now these art patrons have become art patrons, and some collectors themselves lack the ability to appreciate art at will. Simply to make one's works appreciate, this will affect the artist's own creative style, form a vicious circle, and will eventually be abandoned by the market. Nowadays, some painters just paint things that have nothing to do with modeling and look very contemporary. Once I asked them about their creative ideas, but he couldn't make it clear, which was ridiculous. I still value the ability of sketching. When you paint for a model, it is not simply plagiarism, because sometimes creative thinking will dry up, but the charm of sketch is endless, and so is creation. You should have your own creative language, but you can't blindly pursue a sense of form in order to make your language different. Such a work will look pale and powerless. I think you should stick to your own creative path, don't follow the trend and passively cater to the market.
A Portrait of Modern People's Belief Crisis —— Dreamless Age
Q: What is the idea conveyed by the work Dreamless Age? Does it have anything to do with the creative thinking in the dream center?
A: The main purpose of the work Dreamless Age is to express the state that modern people lack spiritual unity and belief and live in a daze. This state is very common at present. We live in such an era with no sense of stability. People live in a daze, and no one can predict the future, even tomorrow, so we are waiting, perhaps without dreams. China's economy has developed rapidly in recent years, but there are also many hidden worries behind the high growth. Attract investment, develop manufacturing and real estate, and promote GDP. In recent years, almost all local governments regard land sales as a major item of local income. Many artists in Beijing have suffered this kind of disaster. The job of many artists is demolition. Some friends have invested hundreds of thousands of studios and demolished them in a blink of an eye. Many ruins were painted in dreamless times, which revealed this problem. However, in sharp contrast to the high growth of economic aggregate, people's spiritual food has declined, which is terrible. It is sad that a nation has no faith. In the past, our ancestors believed in Confucius and Mencius, but in the current market economy period, this traditional belief of the Chinese nation has gradually faded, and people have fallen into a crisis of faith. In the dreamless era, the visual "carnival" of a pot of porridge in ancient and modern times can hardly hide the broken mood of modern people. Pale eyes, what are we waiting for? Wait for who? Or wait without dreams, perhaps the result of waiting is waiting itself.
Q: Most of your works are set at dusk. What are the symbolic meanings of dusk?
A: Dusk symbolizes the coming of night, and the crisis lurking in the night often makes people feel at a loss. It also symbolizes that an era is about to end. In my works, Dusk symbolizes the decline of academic spirit and the hesitation of an era in artistic pursuit. This topic may be heavy. I use dusk to imply the confusion and anxiety of contemporary artists and art historians in their artistic pursuit.
Q: What other hobbies do you have besides painting?
A: Besides painting, I prefer traveling. Generally, after a work is finished, I will give myself a vacation to travel.
Q: What did you gain from your trip to Tibet? What's the next plan?
A: The most important thing of my trip to Tibet is to realize my long-cherished dream. There is a good saying: being with simple people can purify the soul. All Tibetans in Tibet believe in Tibetan Buddhism, and I respect those who have faith. Therefore, the beautiful and sacred scenery of this trip is certainly a kind of harvest, but the greater harvest is that the simple and clear hearts of Tibetans have deeply infected me.
Next, I will try to create more paintings. When my basic skills reach a certain level, it is actually an IQ. Basic skills are endless classes, and realistic oil painting is the painting language I have always adhered to.
Summary:
From graduation to now, I dare not relax at all, for fear of disappointing teachers' expectations. Now I am also a teacher. My teacher set an excellent example for me. In terms of the weight of artists and teachers, I choose the first, which may be influenced by teacher Cao's words and deeds. Efforts to become an excellent artist are undoubtedly aimed at being a good example for students, doing my best and not asking for regrets. During my eight years in the Academy of Fine Arts, there are many people to thank, both teachers and classmates, who gave me great encouragement when I doubted myself and gave me advice when I made a choice lightly. Eight years of study and life is a process of constant self-confidence and doubt. If my work can bring a little comfort to teachers and friends, that is my greatest success.