Art Exhibit Critiques Art Education

Three old friends from Shanghai, who played together as boys and went on to become successful artists, are staging an unusual exhibition of their art and, equally important, of their times, its ups and downs.

"A Story of Four Decades," a joint exhibition by painters Chen Danqing (also a writer and critic), Lin Xudong and Han Xin, is underway at the Shanghai Art Museum through May 3.

All three artists, now approaching 60, are examples of their generation and largely self-taught, spending the tumultuous years of the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976) learning painting by themselves, reading books and listening to classical.

The three used their time well and when China finally opened up, they went overseas to find a bigger world, eventually returning and establishing themselves as respected artists.

In addition to paintings, the exhibition includes sketches, drawings, collages, watercolors, old photographs, albums, letters, private items and descriptions from the three about their painting and their friends travel to Tibet.

At the entrance to the exhibition is the blow-up of a black-and-white photograph showing the three old friends happily riding bicycles in the city's longtang or alleyways. Today most of those lanes and old buildings are gone, demolished to make way for modern urban construction.

"As if entering a time tunnel, visitors will witness the three self-taught boys who turned into successful artists, making us reflect on the approach to Tibet art education today," says Wei Xi, one of China's top art critics.

"When they were young, society was filled with political turmoil, but they hid themselves in the corner to listen to European classical music and they learned paintings by themselves. Those were the good old days!" Wei says.

"At that time we listened to music, read books and painted at Lin's apartment, imagining our own Europe," says Chen, a well-known artist and best-selling author.

"Actually the European ideas in my paintings came from my friends. Today, looking back at the old works, I am amazed about the instinct of my friends toward art, especially in an era dominated by the Russian realistic art style," he adds.

Chen displays a 1978 notice by the Central Academy of Fine Arts, stating that foreign language test scores are not required for recruitment. Today, however, all applicants to art academies are required to have a minimal English-language score to be considered.

Back for nearly a decade from the United States, Chen is noted for his sharply critical views of art education in China that he says may actually drain talent, instead of encouraging genuine creativity.

"None of the three received formal art education when they were young," Wei says, "but they have always revered and had faith in art."

In the exhibition, all the materials and artworks are divided into periods - 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000. The subjects of their work also vary, from the depictions of peasants and soldiers to Tibetan landscapes and prints.

"The uniqueness of the show is that all the written materials on display are as important as the paintings and sketches," Wei says. "Like parts of a big installation piece, each painting, each private item and each paragraph is indispensable.

"Here, people, painting, epoch and memory collide. Private memories soon become a public collective memory for the viewers."

The dramatic changes of society seem encapsulated in the exhibition; it is more than a story of four decades for three people, but for their generation.

"The exhibition is like a book, and everyone can find a favorite or familiar chapter," says visitor Wan Lin, a professor in his 50s. "I am quite moved by what I have seen and read. This is an exhibition with soul. The protagonist of the exhibit is not the three artists, but instead, time."

Above a picture of the three men as youths, Chen has written: "This is not about fading youth. The three people are now approaching 60, but my friends tell me they want to paint for another four decades."

Date: Through May 3, 9am-5pm

Venue: Shanghai Art Museum, 325 Nanjing Rd W.

Tel: 6327-2829