At 3:00 pm on October 21, 2015, “Life after Stepping out of Xiaowei–An Art Exhibition for the Students Admitted by the Department of Mural Painting, CAFA over the First Three Years” was unveiled at CAFA Art Museum. The leaders of CAFA were present at the opening ceremony, including Fan Di’an, Gao Hong, Wang Shaojun, Dong Changxia, Wang Xiaolin, Sun Hongpei, Qin Jianping, Cao Li, Chen Wenji, Yu Ding, Song Xiaoxia, etc., in addition, the participating artists including Wang Yihua, Li Chen, Gu Yunrui, Ning Fangqian, Li Tianyuan, Wang Peng, Feng Jie, Song Changqing, Cai Dong, Ma Tao, Zheng Yuke, Xiao Yu, Shang Tun also attended the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony was presided over by Tang Hui, Director of the Department of Mural Painting, CAFA, Fan Di’an, President of CAFA, Li Huaji, the first Director of the Department of Mural Painting, CAFA, Sun Jingbo, the former Director of the Department of Mural Painting, CAFA, Prof. Cao Li from the Department of Mural Painting, CAFA, representative of the artists Li Tianyuan and the partner of the exhibition successively addressed the opening ceremony.

CAFA was the first to establish the department of mural painting from the contemporary universities and colleges of art in the tide of reform and opening up. The research studio of Mural Painting at CAFA officially recruited undergraduates in 1983, and the Department of Mural Painting was formally established in 1985. Over the thirty years, the teachers and students of the Department of Mural Painting played an important role in the process of the development of Chinese contemporary art. In the 1980s, CAFA was one of the bases with the most open and active thoughts. It was where updated information on world art was recorded. The Department of Mural Painting is a pioneering professional department, gathering the teachers from different professional fields, including oil painting, traditional Chinese painting, sculpture, design and it has a strong commitment to academic thought, and has done a lot of research and exploration in reference to and fusion of the Chinese classical art and Western contemporary art.

The exhibition features the representative works of the artists, covering sketching, oil painting, traditional Chinese painting and the creation of mixed materials, at the same time it also presents valuable old photos from 1983 to 1985. The students admitted by the Department of Mural Painting, CAFA over the first three years (Wang Yihua, Zhu Yan, Li Chen, Gu Yunrui, Ning Fangqian, Li Tianyuan, Wang Peng, Feng Jie, Song Changqing, Cai Dong, Ma Tao, Zheng Yuke, Xiao Yu, Shang Tun), including the gifted students admitted to the High School affiliated to CAFA after the college entrance examination was restored, in the first three years, they formed a solid basic skill in painting, active artistic thought, had accepted the systematic Eastern and Western cultural and historic education, as gathered by the Department of Mural Painting, with the simple idea of drawing large-scale paintings following their inclination, they believed that it was not restricted by the barriers of departments and disciplines. It also included excellent art students who were selected from all over the country. They had expressed the pioneering and developing artistic pursuit during their learning in their study period. After more than 30 years, their works presented the thinking of contemporary society and people, the inheritance of Chinese classical culture and reflection on the concept of art. It presents all kinds of spirit of modern people in many aspects including people, society, nature, macro and micro. Under the same theme of the “Life after Stepping out of Xiaowei”, each artist shows the unique artistic feature. It practices the academic spirit of CAFA “Seeking to Carry it out in Its Breadth and Greatness, so as to Omit None of the More Exquisite and Minute Paints which It Embraces.”

With the coming of the 100th anniversary of CAFA, the exhibition kicked off a series of art exhibitions to celebrate the centenary of CAFA. The exhibition will continue to November 25.

Text by Ye Yuanfeng, Photo by Yang Yanyuan/CAFA ART INFO

Translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO