Chinese paintings need to establish their own evaluation criteria

China Oil Painting Society hosted "20th century Chinese Oil Painting Exhibition" and held "National Conference of China Oil Painting Society" in the threshold of a new century. In April this year, it also launched "Chinese Painting and New Century Symposium" together with Oil Painting Art Committee of the Chinese Artists Association, Art Section of Culture Department, China Academy of Art and other institutions. At the beginning of this century, these academic activities aimed to push Chinese oil painting to a new height based on the macro study of the success or failure of Chinese paintings in the last century and under the banner of "ethnic, age, personality, creation"

In these symposiums, the conference organizers, theorists, artists and media workers recognized that the further development of oil painting as a foreign art not only involved the problems in the Chinese paintings, but also related to the positioning and criteria of Chinese culture to seek diversified development pattern of the national culture in the context of today's world economic integration and globalization of information.

After the reform and opening up of China, western philosophy of life and artistic movements gradually flowed to China, and many painters went out and returned. With the enhanced cultural exchanges between the east and the west, Chinese painting greatly broadened the artistic view, updated the art concepts and enriched the expressive painting art. In the 1980s, painting world proposed the development direction "to create Chinese painting with Chinese characteristics, the spirit of the age, and personal traits"; in the 1990s, it also the guidance of "sincere attitude, attention to reality, national spirit and diverse exploration" at current stage according to the contemporary development condition. In the past 20 years, through the macro advocate and large numbers of exhibitions & academics, Chinese paintings consistently assimilated the fine cultural traditions and made remarkable creative development. Through constant explorations, Chinese painting had been freed from the closed space and pioneered a free vast world.

However, with the impact of western art frequent update and strong advocate values and cultural concepts of western world, some Chinese painters were very confused and puzzled about the art practice in the fierce collision of old and new values, new and old ways of thinking and cultural values.

Indeed, contemporary western art seemed colorful without replacement of forms and concepts and expansion of artistic boundaries. Conceptual art included performance art, installation art, earth art, media arts, etc. Easel painting prevailing for hundreds of years was positioned at the edge; even oil painting had become synonymous with backwardness. The pursuit of innovation and change became the new fashion. Combined with the effects of a variety of international exhibitions and media wars, some painters may follow the western art to become successful in the world. In fact, although a few Chinese painters followed the western art to go to the western world and achieved the desired effects, it was still worth considering whether such phenomenon really reflected the progress of the art.

With the understanding of western culture and the arts, we are increasingly aware of the situation of contemporary western art. Behind the "prosperity" spurred by economic profits of the media and art institutions, it also included the theoretical support of western philosophy. Along with the various elements of the art of painting and the new concept of the evolution of western philosophy, the art seems to be closer and closer to the life of ordinary people or farther and farther, even more and more puzzling. Under the noisy appearance, the internal evaluation criteria are needed. Therefore, to get the approval of western art world, Chinese artists must slavishly follow their way of thinking and evaluation criteria to think and create; otherwise it is difficult to be recognized. Admittedly, as an individual artist, what kind of value orientation is understandable. But as a national culture as whole, this may not be a correct road of art. Because of different historical backgrounds and geographical humanities, it is quite difficult to make resonate. Even so, it can only be another copy of western art.

In today's China, especially after entering WTO, all trades and professions are studying how to connect the whole world. In my view, the art and culture are quite different from science, technology, industry and commerce. Culture is a national symbol of the spirit and intergenerational transmission blood including national history, national psychology, aesthetic taste and national geographical features. Culture is the symbol of national existence and prosperity.

As far as I am concerned, the enter of Chinese painting to the world should not mean more painters′ recognition from western world, but also mean Chinese painting forms a strong atmosphere and irreplaceable unique style. When Chinese art value system is recognized by the world, it can be said that Chinese painting is really known by the world.