Strokes of genius

Feng Yuan is a man who has demonstrated excellence in both art and public service.

Born in Shanghai in 1952, Feng showed his talent for fine arts early in middle school and honed his skills on his own for eight years. In 1977, he worked in an art studio in Liaoning province. A year later, he joined the post-graduate class of the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts, and studied Chinese painting from master Fang Zengxian.

From 1987 to 1999, Feng worked at the Chinese Academy of Fine Arts as an art teacher and later became vice president of the school. In 1999, he was appointed as the Director of the Department of Education, Science and Technology of the Ministry of Culture; in 2000, the Director of the Department of Arts of the ministry; and in 2003, curator of the National Art Museum of China. Since 2005, he has been serving as the vice-chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

His solid training and rich experience in different art styles over many years has contributed to Feng's success as a Chinese painting master of a unique style. He is well-respected for being distinctively Chinese despite his use of Western visual language. His innovative research into, and practice of, Chinese figure drawing have elicited much praise.

Feng has also been instrumental in making Chinese art a bridge for the world to China during his years as a public servant.

For instance, as curator of the National Art Museum of China, he mapped out many projects to "help the museum evolve into a world art centre." During his tenure, the museum hosted a number of high-profile international shows, which brought much exposure to contemporary Chinese art.

Feng's research papers and reviews on Chinese painting techniques are well-known in Chinese art circles.

A typical traditional Chinese painting includes not only painted images but also poems, quotes, signatures, the time of completion of the work and seals.

Feng is a perfectionist who spends many days, even months, to perfect a certain technique. He constantly strives to improve not just his techniques but also his understanding of history, literature, Chinese calligraphy and seal-cutting skills.

Feng places emphasis on the importance of a painter's subject and style for the success of a painting, as are shown in those on this page. "A successful artist is good at choosing a suitable subject and then using his own art language to elaborate it," he says.

His artworks have bagged several awards, both at home and abroad, and occupy pride of place in many world-renowned museums. His achievements in figure painting and research into traditional Chinese culture have won him much critical acclaim.

(China Daily 03/06/2008 page18)