"Brave and Progressive - Yu Yunjie's Literature Exhibition" Appears at Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute
On the morning of September 22nd, the "Brave and Progressive - Yu Yunjie Literature Exhibition" opened at the Art Museum of Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Academy. "Since 1982, Yu Yunjie's art exhibitions have been held non-stop, and this is the seventh and most profound one." Yu Yunjie's second son, Yu Li, said that in his usual art exhibitions, works are the main focus. This exhibition showcases works and literature, "which shows how the author reflects life in an era."
Showroom corner
Yu Yunjie was born in Changzhou, Jiangsu in 1918. From 1935 to 1941, he studied at Suzhou Fine Arts College and the Department of Art at former Central University, where he received education from Yan Wenliang and Xu Beihong. In the 1950s, he was selected by Soviet expert Maximov and became the only member in Shanghai to be selected for the "Horse Training Class". Yu Yunjie's oil painting practice was influenced by both the French and Soviet schools, and he was one of the most representative oil painters in the 20th century Chinese realistic oil painting creation.
Revitalizing Youth, 1978
Yu Yunjie's life was full of ups and downs, but he always adhered to the motto of "courage and progress" and created a large number of works that reflect the themes of real life and the times. He drove the creation of realistic oil paintings in China to its peak in the 1970s through his creative approach, and was a deeply influential art educator in 20th century China.
Autumn in Beijing, 1956
This exhibition comprehensively and systematically sorts out, studies, and presents Yu Yunjie's artistic life and academic context through four chapters: the origins and emerging figures of his apprenticeship, the image of the times and the narrative of the country, the cultivation of elites through "wearing a hat to cover his face", and the rejuvenation of youth through being both a teacher and a friend. A total of 102 exquisite original works from various periods by Yu Yunjie were exhibited, including 1 traditional Chinese painting by Xu Beihong, 1 large-scale oil painting by Chen Yifei, a student of Yu Yunjie, and 1 sculpture by Zhao Zhirong. In addition, it also contains a large amount of literature materials, striving to stand from the perspective of art history, sorting out and presenting Yu Yunjie's artistic history for over half a century. Among them, the oil painting "Singing and Advancing - Overall Lifting of 9424 Blast Furnace" is currently the only surviving large-scale thematic painting by Yu Yunjie. Due to historical reasons, after its completion, it was not selected or participated in any exhibition. This exhibition is the first public appearance.
"Singing and Advancing - Overall Lifting of 9424 Blast Furnace", 1972
Facing the oil paintings in the exhibition hall, Qiu Ruimin, consultant of the Shanghai Artists Association and former director of the Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute, felt extremely friendly. "It reminded me of the process of studying hard and putting in great energy to create, which left a deep impression on us in this era.". Yu Yunjie was his teacher when he was admitted to the Shanghai Vocational School of Fine Arts at the age of 15; When he later advanced to the undergraduate oil painting department, Yu Yunjie was still his teacher. After the closure of the Shanghai Art School and the establishment of the Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Creation Studio, they became colleagues from teachers and spent a total of 33 years together. "I feel very familiar with some of the works because during our class, he demonstrated for us and we asked about the entire painting process," Qiu Ruimin said.
Yu Yunjie's creations mostly focus on portrait portraits, including literary figures such as Ba Jin and Zhang Ruifang, as well as historical figures such as Wang Zhaojun. Most of them are ordinary characters, such as nurses, farmers, steelmakers, and young men playing the flute.
Day and Night - Female Nurses, 1981
"Brave and Advancing - Yu Yunjie Literature Exhibition" is the sixth large-scale literature exhibition of Shanghai Oil Sculpture Institute based on artist case academic research. Previously, it hosted "Chen Yifei Literature Exhibition", "Zhang Chongren Literature Exhibition", "Here Sunshine - Harding Literature Exhibition", "Spiritual Fusion - Zhou Bichu Literature Exhibition", and "Solitary Sail on the Sun - Wu Hufan Literature Exhibition".
This exhibition is jointly organized by Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute, China Art Palace, and Shanghai Artists Association, and co organized by Shanghai Art Research Center and Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts. It will continue until October 22nd. In conjunction with the exhibition, the Shanghai Oil Sculpture Academy Art Museum will hold five public education series activities, including special lectures, art education classrooms, art symposiums, academic seminars, etc.
