Yuan Yunfu Art Review

Born in Nantong, Jiang Su Province in 1933, Yuan Yunfu, as a famous decorative artist, public artist, arts and crafts educationist, is the chief founder and pioneer of China's modern public art. Besides he is director of Chinese Artists Association, Assistant Director of the Fresco Art Committee of Chinese Artists Association, member of the Ninth CPPCC National Committee, arts and crafts counselor of Beijing Municipal Government, PhD supervisor of fine arts in Academy of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University and director of the Decorative Art Institute. Over his half-century's artistic career, he has obtained great accomplishment in such areas as gouache painting, ink and color painting, research and creation of decorative art, public art, and art educational philosophy. The concept of "Macro-arts", which stresses on artists of different divisions drawing on each others' merits and comprehensive use, is his representative idea. His well-known works include gouache paintings Water Township and Tattle in Summer, ink and color painting Lotus Pond hanging in Great Hall of People, large-scale fresco Scenery of Si Chuan decorating the Beijing Capital International Airport, Ode to the Chinese Millennium and The Sun and the Moon in China Century Monument, history fresco Wisdom Torch—Collection of Arts in Past Centuries in Yanjing Hotel, large-scale fresco Wan-li Yangtze Rive in Jianguo Hotel, and History of Chinese Astronomy in Beijing subway stops.His main publications include Yuan Yunfu's Album of Paintings, Yuan Yunfu Album of frescos and Chinese brush drawings, On Opaque Water Color Painting, Yuan Yunfu Ink and Color Paintings, Yuan Yunfu's Album of Line Drawings, English version Wisdom Torch—Art of Yuan Yunfu, Yuan Yunfu's Artistic Tapestry and so forth. His collections of writings are On Decorative Paintings and Record of Yuan Yunfu's Art Learning.At present, the development of Chinese art has placed Mr. Yuan at an important position. His romantic temperament and infinite sense of calling toward China's art education have shaped his view that art is our national business. His passion for art never wavers in difficulty or in puzzlement so that his students are always inspired by his enthusiasm, dedication and advanced art thinking.In the year 1949, the sixteen-year-old Yuan Yunfu was admitted to Hangzhou Art College, under the instruction of Lin Fengmin, Pan Tianshou, Wu Dayu, Pang Xunqin,Ni Yide and other masters. Three years later, he furthered his study in China Central Academy of Fine Arts. After graduation in 1954, he taught in Tsinghua University. His education in Hangzhou Art College, China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Central Academy of Art and Design, and the present Academy of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University has facilitated his establishment in different art areas.At the beginning of his artistic creation, his works were mainly opaque water color paintings of sceneries in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Sichuan and Shandong Provinces, which were clear and elegant. Though the subjects were limited due to political situation of that time, he still carried on his quest for innovation and variation.Between the late 1950s and early 1960s, Mr. Yuan actively participated in the research and exploration of the modernization of Chinese paintings. He used a mass of Korean paper to show his Opaque Water Color Paintings, the skill of which was not confined to any specific type and achieved mastery through a comprehensive study of East and West.During the Cultural Revolution, he, together with Wu Guanzhong and other aritists, was transferred to rural area of Hebei Province, where lots of opaque water color paintings reflecting rural life and modern industry were created in his spare time, and they were bantered as"paintings in manure baskets."In the late 1970s, he was devoted to creation and research of frescos. Since his Scenery of Si Chuan in Beijing Capital International Airport, he has accomplished thousands of square meters'frescos.Since the late 1980s, Mr. Yuan shifted his attention to public art and created a number of representative works of Chinese public art. At this period he further perfected his theory of "Macro-arts" and decorative art educational system.His pursuit and achievement of art are always pushing the accumulation, evolution and maturity of the nation's modern art. Though he experienced the ups and downs of specific times, as an explorer, he never changed his aspiration. And his exploration of art reflects the development of Chinese modern art.The author is to sort through and analysis his artistic ideology, as well as his research on the process of art education and public art in aspects of his artistic life, various works, artistic theory and educational ideology.