Interview time: June 4, 2015

Interview venue: Office of Oil Painting Department

Interviewee: Ma Lu (Ma)

Interviewer: Zhang Yanzi (Zhang)

Editor: Zhang Wenzhi, translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO

Ma: At the beginning, we wanted to make a longer and more concentrated exhibition than the previous ones. In the past, each student spent a lot of time and efforts in painting and arranging the exhibition, but it was on show for just 3 days, so the students were actually dissatisfied with it in their heart. Now it is a show for a month, becoming a festival. If all the vacant spaces were used, the effect would be better. In addition to exhibitions, the Graduation Season includes the show at the opening ceremony as well as many other events, which I didn't expect. I believe that it is good for the academy, students and society. But there are two faces to this event. On the one hand, there is the publicity effect, which allows society to pay attention to us, our students, and many students are proud of being academy students. On the other hand, if it finally becomes a competition between academies, it will be bad and even turn to something luxurious. Because the size of the event is big enough, we should not improve the size in the future, but increasingly improve the level of the graduates based on the previous excellent foundation. We should have a new breakthrough of the usual work in teaching.

All the graduates have a good skill in painting, with an open thought and various trends, and all whole-heartedly are involved in the graduation creation. When Su Xinping and I went to review the works for the show, we found there were too many works, and some students had even presented more than 20 works, so we had to select 6 from each one or even less, as a result the walls are still fully covered and we can imagine the huge workload of the students. In fact, I never spent too much time on the coaching of the graduation work, but gave them some suggestions when they faced technological problems or design during the key moments. As the room at the school is too small, they rented houses for creation themselves. I think the students made lots of creativities, so the best way of teaching is when teachers mobilize them to develop by themselves. If a student is taught step by step, he will learn what the teacher teaches and copy it. So a teacher should allow a student to develop by himself, making his own creation. From this perspective, I think the real efficient teaching method is to develop their own initiative, so they consciously act. Painting is actually not difficult, nothing more than pigments, canvas, or the use of some other materials, there is not any high-tech means, or a trick. Directly facing with the painting, we can know how the artist has drawn it. The creativity depends on the artist himself, how to develop is the real job for the school. In the teaching, we should both develop the initiative of the students and teachers, to become a great art school.

Ma: I don’t think so, because all the students apply for their major according to their overall performance in the Department of Fundamental Education for Plastic Arts, it is certain that the Oil Painting Department is the first choice for students. So all the students in the Oil Painting Department has a good comprehensive performance, but it does not mean they are all suitable for the Oil Painting Department. As we know, many masters had never studied in the academy, but they also made great achievements. Of course it has its advantage that it fosters the comprehensive ability of a person.

Ma: It is different. The graduates of the year are particularly active, and you can see a variety of styles from their works. We can see that they focus in various directions and have different experiences in society and life behind the multiple styles. I believe that if it is seen from a distance, whatever kind of style it is, they are not opposed to each other instead appreciating of each other.

Ma: Many students said they actually drew their own stories from the things surrounding them. For example, Guo Yaguan, a graduate who is more than 20 years old, painted 4 huge portraits of dead men, each one 3 meters high, which is very realistic, large and creates an oppressive feeling which is clearly conveyed. He said the figures were the dead men around him, including his relatives, people of the village, a classmate’s parents, etc. Prior to each death is a life, if we retrospect it, then it is an infinite thing. So the thematic paintings are a huge work and of epic significance. This had never been seen in the past.

Ma: It is a truth that if you learn oil painting you can do nothing but insist on painting. In terms of teaching, it is narrow and a specialty for students, the technology of oil painting is seemingly complex, but in fact it is simpler, because it is purely handmade. Compared with oil painting, there are many technologies in mural painting, there are a variety of printmaking types, which are related to book illustration and graphic design. The shortcoming of oil painting is that it is too intuitive, while the advantage is the strong intuitive sensibility. We all sketch according to what we see, failing to be trained in another way of thinking, so such a situation is formed. Moreover, oil painting also does well in the market.

Ma: Yes, so I don’t think there’s a genius, I always say that the real genius is love, if you enthusiastically love to do a thing from the heart, you are a genius. Don’t lose the love, and your innate talent, love is a kind of ability. With this love, you will be able to know what you should do and not do, to make a choice in the changeable social trends. In this way you can find the best answer when you are facing with life.