About painting, always evoke memories of my childhood, a lifetime in the past, a lot of experience, but also changed a lot, but the inside of the painting preference and vision but has not changed, it can be said that for decades, in my mind almost every day around drawing, so every year, so every month, so every day.
Initial enlightenment
Remember the first love painting at the age of seven or eight, my family in northeast rural, in my childhood when I was seeing poultry and livestock, flower bird fish and insert will be randomly drawn on paper, painted on the wall, sometimes painted in a glass window (northeast winter, the glass of the window will frost, I painted on the frost window glass), people look at the pictures I painted good, will praise me, interest is the best teacher, praise is the best incentive, praised by the adults, painting is more exciting, drawing almost became conscious lessons every day，on my drawing book I painted full of pictures that I can see and imagine, one drawing book is full, then painted another one, daytime painting, night painting, even dream of painting. Still remember the most satisfying and memorable works created in eleven or twelve, is painting Longevity Crane, bright red crown on crane head, flying posture, and the pine bark like fish scale, tingling of the pine needles, paintings are very fine, family members and other people watched all praised the painting is very good, but the picture is gone, but I became a better memory, now think about it, when the painting must be very childish, but it was so let me joy and a sense of accomplishment, really think my painting is good, so the dream of the painter began to slowly grow, in my mind soaring, like lingering shadow, always linger until now.
Zhao Fayao | The cloth bag monk | 69 x 76cm
Comic open feelings
Really let me have to draw persistent feelings, or from 1974 at the age of 12, I began to draw comics, it was a political movement, remember the school hallway hung with many political cartoons, which deeply attracted me, in art class, art teacher took one of the cartoons to the classroom for students to copy, the teacher looked at my copying work is more like than the copies of other students, very happy, let me go to the hallway just copy which one I want to do, then the school also specially held a exhibition for my copying works, and awarded prizes, remember is a big stack of white paper, several watercolor pigments, pens and erasers etc., then the village people know the school out of a "little painter", some of the production team let me paint cartoons for them, and so went to the production team to hold the exhibition .
Adore the painter who paints wardrobe
Then rural youth married is to do the wardrobe, so there is the painter of special paint on the wardrobe, each time I heard whom had married, painting artist to the wardrobe was coming, I ran to see, once remember a painter whose the family name is Geng to Dongning town to draw a wardrobe, I went to see and it is my first time to see people painting, painting the four seasons picture in the wardrobe, especially he painted a big carp deeply attracted me, I copied it when I backed home, when the village who married, as long as there is a wardrobe painting artist to go, I am sure I will go, basically do not missed, in order to see the process of artists painting, at that time is really full of adoration for the wardrobe painting painters.
The Book of opening my artistic vision
Remember is the twelve years old, from a wardrobe painting painter in village borrowed a book about the history of the Chinese painting (specific title forgotten), illustrated in the book, for the first time to understand the ancient Chinese painting development and the anecdotes of ancient famous calligraphers and painters, the first time saw the Five Dynasties period of Dong Yuan’s "Xiaoxiang Picture", the Northern Song Dynasty Guo Xi's "Early Spring", the Northern Song Dynasty Fan Kuan's "Mountain Travel Picture", Song Huizong's "Lotus Gold Pheasant Picture", the Southern Song Ma Yuan’s "Dancing and Accompanied by Singing" and water series, saw the Xia Gui’s "Endless Mountain Picture", also had the privilege to see the Northern Song Dynasty Zhang Zeduan the famous "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" and the Yuan Dynasty painter Huang Gongwang's painting of Lanting "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains", Chu Da of the Ming and Qing Dynasties the peacock figure full of spice, Shi Tao’s the vast “Huaiyang Clean Autumn Picture", still fresh in my mind, also made a copy for several of these works, let me on the work of a certain sentiment, since I still appreciate the book, although is printed, but it opened my artistic horizons, I appreciate the profound China painting and enrich my knowledge of Chinese painting, this book led me step by step into the China painting hall.
Zhao Fayao | Teacher Confucius | 69 x 138cm
Unforgettable New Years pictures edification
The influence of childhood art is always unforgettable, and will affect the future of the pursuit of art, then the works of New Year paintings full of high spirited breath, my art influence is very deep, remember there is a New Year paintings "On the Way to School", the painting is a rural girl see a corn fell on the ground on the way to school, she took it up, and untie the red string of the braids then tied it, pure themes and exquisite picture let me unforgettable.
When it comes to my New Year paintings influence, can not fail to mention once a year to buy New Year paintings, remember every year, on the eve of the Spring Festival, supply and marketing cooperative in the village (the village store) exceptionally lively, people buy special purchases for the Spring Festival, which was packed with the most lively streams of people busily coming and going, is selling New Year paintings counter, the counter hung various topics New Year paintings about social custom, and beautiful mountains and rivers, portrays the hero, is really a superb collection of beautiful things, dizzying, every home to buy a few pieces of New Year paintings on the wall, I think my art of love and preference, and the purchase of New Year paintings and appreciation about once a year. Now can not find the scene and feeling of the childhood to go to the store to buy New Year paintings at the end of year, in the progress of era, but I still miss the time of art presented the vigorous atmosphere.
The wasted ten years
My childhood and youth is not in the wake of painters dream, accidentally in the so-called "small painter" praise sound in the past, to the middle school, learning pressure becomes larger, although occasionally paintings, although teachers and students also know I can draw a few strokes, but due to the time and effort to draw far less than the childhood, to meet the high school entrance examination is not dart to paint, preoccupied with the university entrance exam, but didn't want to test the Academy of fine arts, feeling that it is a distant thing, my home is in Heilongjiang province border southeast end of the Sino Russian border in Dongning County, test academy the information is almost equal to zero, also no people lead me to have a test academy, also no practiced academy of fine arts exam sketch color basics, so after working many people ask me such love painting, why didn't I test Academy? my heart is clear, originally did not want to take an examination of the Academy of fine arts, even if it is impossible to pass the exam, then just want to no matter what the university, as long as you can go to college on the line. On the University, and later participated in the work, basically didn't draw, although occasionally attend the exhibition of a university or work unit, but because of learning, work and life pressure, drawing time much less, but the drawing complex is still.
Zhao Fayao | A excellent person under the pine
Enlightenment of famous teachers
It was in 1987 in Harbin, just work soon, understanding the domestic famous painter Jia Pingxi, learned from him nearly half of year, he is a very personality of the great painter, his painting is very personality, he often said: prefer to do own millet congee, do not eat the rest of the others steamed bread, he also speaks, the creation of Chinese painting, the idea is all over, is the first one, each one of his works has very clever, unexpected, his painting techniques are different from others, the good performance of the objects with a straight line, he is full of personality, descriptive personality, personality works, he also full of personality, look at his paintings, from conception to brush and ink, which is different from the ancients, but also different from others at the same time, each one full of fun and philosophy. And his personal independence of conduct calligraphy style, even his aesthetic thought is different from others, have left a deep impression on me, let me understand a truth, as a painter, personality is the soul, is the life, no personality works can not touched people.
In 1991, after being introduced to know Harbin painter Wang Xuezhong, studied with him for nearly a year of small freehand bird and flower, Wang's painting looks very beautiful, very lively, full of breath of life, especially in his paintings of birds, vivid and spiritual, is a unique talent, he is especially emphasized of the sketching, often go out alone sketching, repeatedly took me and the other students to his hometown of Bayan county and the Harbin suburbs to sketch, his sketch painting are very beautiful, he always gives us that art originates from life, drawing should be pay attention to beauty, to let people see your picture, will feel very comfortable, experts see painting see nod, clapping, suit both refine and popular tastes, that's a good painting, he encouraged us to be diligent apprenticeship, he often said, three thousand painting in the life, after the death of a gray, he painted diligence, the pursuit and understanding of the beauty of art effected me deeply, so far I have to show the beauty, refining the beauty as the highest principle of my painting.
Some of my artistic thinking
See a lot of artists talk about the experience of learning art and aesthetic ideology, understand that they are because of love and pleasure to draw, they and I feel the same, yes, painting will make people happy and have a sense of beauty, my first painting is feeling very happy, expression of beauty, pleasure is my discovery painting of the beginning of the heart, I always think that art is the art of beauty, no matter what kind of painting, is Chinese painting, or western painting, no matter what style, is realistic or freehand, is concrete or abstract, no matter what the subject matter, should show the beauty, refined beauty, praise beauty, from content to form, should be beautiful, the picture should give people a sense of beauty, let a person look comfortable, let a person by reading your painting, full of love for life and nature, full of longing for a better life, the pursuit of personality and style in the premise of beauty, simply put, a good painting, it should be a sense of beauty and tastes good.
Zhao Fayao | Fish interest | 73 x 82cm
Often heard people say not like abstract, because cannot understand, and the intention of some abstract art is often people do not understand, but beauty should not exclude the abstraction and intention, calligraphy is the typical abstract art, but see Wang Xizhi's "Lanting Preface", Huai Su’s "Autobiography", Yan Zhenqing’s "Qin Li Monument", feel beautiful, abstract art works can also be very beautiful, look at Zhao Wuji, Zhu Dequn's abstract paintings, that changed color, yes or no modeling, the ups and downs of the rhythm, come out of thin air conception, really very beautiful, although I do not understand, but it is very easy to be attracted, even resonate, abstract art of the beauty should be like a lark, although did not understand but nice.
To say that the taste of painting, a Chinese painting work, only in place can taste, not only in brush and ink work in place, the ideological connotation is in place, the conception is in place, the mood is in place, read Chinese painting, can taste sweet or bitter of a painting, sweet is good-looking, bitter withstands scrutiny, painting should be good looking, but also to withstand scrutiny, to do beautiful is not too difficult, it is not easy to withstand scrutiny, handsome painting at first glance may not feel beautiful, even a little ugly, but more and more flavor, see the beauty of the ugly, humble see artful, like coffee, first time to taste a little bitter, but more and more fine, like Chen Hongshou in Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty Badashanren paintings, not feel how beautiful at the first time to see, but more and more taste, so-called bitter beauty, than sweet beauty seems to be more resistant to taste, look at the paintings of Huang Binhong, is the case.
Painting to do beautiful, work is out of painting, have a profound cultural knowledge and skill of calligraphy do support, Chen Zizhuang said: good Chinese painting is written, not drawn, a good painting seems to have written to the taste, the whole is painting, local everywhere like calligraphy, and can be see the calligraphy of these abilities out of painting, it is very important to enhance the taste of Chinese painting.
The original painting is because of love, now keep painting still because of love, keep the beginning of the heart, like a lifetime all because of love to draw and learn from the ancients, with a pure mind, pure painting, do clean people.
Zhao Fayao | Romance snow
Haven’t studied in fine arts academy, but have studied the sketch for a short period of time when I came to Xiamen, followed by art class, the time do not add up to two years for a few decades, most of the time are amateur self-study, so feel a poor foundation, only the unremitting efforts, in a limited life, do not waste time, as far as possible many paintings, good to enjoy painting and painting process, light the rest of the time with a brush.
Practice the beginning of the heart, into the most beautiful, I always encourage myself.
March 11st, 2017 in Qingxinzhai