Exhibition View of “Great Art Needs No Talk: The Centennial Retrospective of Lin Gang”

“Great Art Needs No Talk: The Centennial Retrospective of Lin Gang” recently unveiled at CAFA Art Museum belongs to the series of exhibitions themed on “Hundred Years of Glory: CAFA Masters”, and it is also an important activity for CAFA to carry forward the moral cultivation while inheriting the glorious traditions of these predecessors.

This exhibition is in celebration of Prof. Lin Gang’s 100th birthday and it comprehensively sorts out his outstanding achievements in the field of art creation, academic research and education over the past seventy years. The key tuning points and innovative explorations of Lin’s oeuvre are outlined by diversified display of his important creative achievements and relevant historical documents. Both the artistic world and spiritual world of Prof. Lin Gang are presented through these exhibits.

Exhibition View of “Great Art Needs No Talk: The Centennial Retrospective of Lin Gang”

“Unlike Prof. Zhou Lingzhao and Prof. Dai Ze who were featured by previous exhibitions of ‘Hundred Years of Glory: CAFA Masters’ series, Prof. Lin Gang received art education mainly after 1949, so that his art creations were more closely connected with the development of People’s Republic of China,” said Li Yaochen, Curator of this exhibition,“Being an artist cultivated by the People’s Republic of China, Prof. Lin Gang has remained at the forefront of epochal changes, holding fast to cultural ideals and his distinctive artistic style. What’s the most valuable is that he always pursues the most sincere and touching expression in his artistic creation without sticking to his previous achievements, but opening up his new milestones of art creation one after another.”

Prof. Lin Gang and His Work

Lin Gang and Pang Tao stood in front of the poster of their Sixty-Year Retrospective at the National Art Museum of China in 2010.

Poster of Lin Gang: Painting/ Living at CAFA Art Museum

Based on the review of Prof. Lin Gang’s artistic career, the exhibition is divided into “Passion and Feeling”, “Mission and Dedication”, “Unity of Emotion and Form”, “Charm of Color and Shape”, “The Sower” and “What’s More Direct”. The six sections outline his artistic creation, and they focus on displaying the inner unity among different periods and various painting styles, capturing the pulse of Prof. Lin Gang’s artistic life while feeling the sincerity and purity of a centenary artist’s mind.

On the other hand, reviewing the artistic life of a century-old artist does not mean adhering to traditions and conventions. Just as the curator Li Yaochen said when talking about the inspiration of “Great Art Needs No Talk”, this exhibition aims to present Prof. Lin’s centennial artistic life composed of firm artistic ideals in a turbulent environment. His personality and art cannot be separated—“he has a broad mind, and he is so kind to others, he cares about his motherland and the world in his mind. He is a great artist with a righteous attitude. Although he does not speak much, his actions sound louder than his words. He always teaches and helps students practice their art ideals.”

The Opening Ceremony of “Great Art Needs No Talk: The Centennial Retrospective of Lin Gang”

Exhibits of “Great Art Needs No Talk: The Centennial Retrospective of Lin Gang”

Lin Gang sketched from life in the Soviet Union in the 1950s.

The exhibition systematically collects and organizes the notes by Prof. Lin Gang including work shots of his early creations, class notes and exercises, creative manuscripts, and so on. These materials do not only possess certain research value in modern art history, as Prof. Lin wrote in his notes, “The pain and joy in my creative process is also a kind of spiritual enjoyment; I like the feeling and do whatever I want!” This encourages visitors to get close to the artist and they can truly feel the pain and joy that he experienced. His hard working demeanor in his youthful years, is just like the temperament that he displays—so free and easy.

About the Artist

Lin Gang was born in Ningjin, Shandong Province in 1924. He is a contemporary Chinese oil painter and a famous professor in the Department of Oil Painting at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. In 1999, he was awarded the Pushkin Medal by the Russian Ministry of Culture and was appointed as the Emeritus Professor of the Repin Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia. In 2018, he was awarded the title of “Outstanding Professor of the Central Academy of Fine Arts”. Mr. Fan Di’an, Chairman of the China Artists Association and President of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, commented that “thanks to a group of senior artists who have excellent ideas, characters, styles and language like Lin Gang, the Central Academy of Fine Arts has formulated an outstanding academic tradition in the education and teaching of oil paintings. Today we can understand and study the exploring process of our predecessors. We will learn and carry forward the artistic spirit constantly explored by the artists of our predecessors to promote our education in this new epoch.”

Lin Gang, Zhao Guilan at the Conference of Outstanding Workers (original enlargement by the artist), Lin Gang, ink and color on silk, 138 x 176cm, 1951, Collection of CAFA Art Museum.

Exhibition View of “Great Art Needs No Talk: The Centennial Retrospective of Lin Gang”

Lin Gang, Russian Old Man No.1, 38X29cm, charcoal on paper, 1958, the artist's possession

Lin Gang, Russian Old Man No.2, 38X29cm, charcoal on paper, 1958, the artist's possession

Lin Gang, Quiet Countryside, 27x22cm, oil on paper, 1956, the artist's possession

Lin Gang, Rolling Field, 18x23.5cm, Oil on cardboard, 1959, the artist's possession

He has created more than ten giant historical paintings, such as: “Prison” (1961), “Reunion at Jinggangshan” (1975), “The Hearts of the People” (1976), “Crossing towards the East” (1976-1977), “Endless Poetry in the Journey of Ten Thousand Miles”(1977), “Female Soldier” (1986), etc., most of which were collected by the National Museum. His work “Zhao Guilan at the Conference of Outstanding Workers” won the first prize of the National New Year Picture in 1951. “Extraordinary Years” (also known as “The Long March”, in cooperation with Pang Tao) won the second prize at the National and Beijing Excellent Works in 1979 and it was showcased in the exhibition of 5000 Years of China presented by the Guggenheim Museum in the United States and Spain. His works have participated in large-scale exhibitions at home and abroad. Many works have been collected by important museums and galleries.

In 1959, Lin Gang married Pang Tao less than half a year ago.

In 1964-65, Lin Gang was at the painting site of Chairman Mao's Investigation of the Peasant Movement.

Lin Gang, Prison, Oil on canvas, 160x282cm, 1961, Collection of the National Museum of China

Lin Gang and Pang Tao, Endless Poetry in the Journey of Ten Thousand Miles, Oil on canvas, 180x298cm, 1977, Collection of the National Museum of China

Lin Gang and Pang Tao, Long March, Oil on canvas, 165x300cm, 1979, Collection of National Museum of China

After the reform and opening up in the 1980s, Lin Gang and his wife Pang Tao’s artistic pursuits changed. From the realistic presentation to imagery and abstraction, the “Sand Wind” series has initiated a new art process. His abandonment of “thematic” creation and figurative language does not mean giving up on the humanistic spirit of art. Instead, he uses a pure drawing language, that is, a combination of points, lines, planes and colors to express the pursuit of beauty and goodness and make strength and beauty become embodied in the character and taste of paintings. Lin Gang combines the lines of strength with color blocks, with the potential and charm of artistic language, conveying his understanding and cognition of history and reality as well as his longing for the future...endowing people with a rich imagination and edification.

Lin Gang, Female Soldier (Road), Oil on canvas, 140x130cm, 1986, Collection of Beijing Artists Association

Lin Gang, Sand Wind, 154x115cm, Oil on sand and canvas, 1987, the artist's possession

Lin Gang, The Day of Losing Dignity, 150x124cm, Acrylic on canvas, 2010, the artist's possession

For more than 30 years, Lin Gang and Pang Tao ignored some misunderstandings and gossip, they encouraged and discussed issues with each other while emerging themselves in the exploration of abstract art. They constantly seek inspiration from their own life experiences and artistic practices, both from traditional national art and from the experience of foreign art creation, especially the achievements of modernist art, they draw on nutrition, enrich their painting language, artistic techniques. Thus their presentations are constantly changing, their modern feelings and individual styles become more and more vivid, and their poetic imagery gets more and more profound. They have also dedicated their exploration and research to the education at CAFA, and contributed a lot to the establishment and development of the Fourth Studio of the Oil Painting Department.

Excerpts from Shao Dazhen: A Diligent and Intelligent Explorer of Art—Lin Gang edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO

Exhibition View of “Great Art Needs No Talk: The Centennial Retrospective of Lin Gang”Image Courtesy of CAFA Art Museum, edited by CAFA ART INFO. 

Article Source：https://www.cafa.com.cn/en/news/details/8332590