Tribute to the Godfather

By Zhu Linyong (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-10-28 09:17

Wu Zuoren was one of the leading artists and art educators in China. File Photo.

Aided by wheelchairs and walking sticks, hundreds of artists in their 50s, 60s, and even 70s have gathered in Beijing over the past week for the centennial exhibition of their former teacher, colleague and good friend Wu Zuoren (1908-97).

"Wu is one of the best artists and teachers I have ever known," said Jin Shangyi, 73, a former student and colleague of Wu and chairman of the Chinese Artists Association.

"Fully trained at art academies in the West and winning top awards upon graduation, Wu instead devoted his talent and energy to art education in China. His influence can be felt even today at the Central Academy of Fine Arts."

The exhibition, The Academy and the Art, coincides with the 90th anniversary celebrations of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and a seminar on Wu's teaching and achievements during the 1950s and 1980s was held there last Thursday.

The exhibition today leaves the National Art Museum of China and will soon move to Jiangsu and Anhui, Wu's birthplace and home provinces, and finally to Brussels next month as part of the Year of China in Europe cultural exchange program.

Apart from over 200 of Wu's signature works of oil, ink, watercolors and calligraphy, the exhibition also focuses on his education in France and Belgium, his early sketches, manuscripts, letters and old photos to reveal his thoughts on professional art education.

Born at Suzhou in Jiangsu, Wu Zuoren was trained in the basics of Chinese art from an early age and began an art degree at Shanghai University's Department of Fine Arts in 1927.

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