Yang Yang, a painter who keeps the faith
- By Wu Jin
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E-mail China.org.cn, May 17, 2014
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| A painting of Yang Yang. [China.org.cn] |
Yet the academic defeat was soon overshadowed by an opportunity in 2006, when Hu Wei, professor of Comprehensive Material Painting at CAFA and deputy curator of the National Art Museum of China, opened an extra-curricular class on comprehensive material painting. Yet out of the 20 applicants, he only admitted four to the class.
Yang excelled among the candidates and secured a spot in the class. It was there where her mind and wit became unbridled and where she understood painting to in fact be a world that can be outlined and colored using numerous exotic materials. Her creativity sparked and her enthusiasm deepened.
"I still remember how professor Hu told us that a piece of comprehensive material painting is not simply a piece of paper filled with multiple materials. Actually, people take the materials as their clue, which leads them to ponder, observe and explore what can be demonstrated by these little colored chemicals," Yang recalled.
After a two-year study, Yang once again attempted to become a postgraduate at CAFA, as she was deeply attracted by the artistic atmosphere and creative minds gathered there.
After yet another failure, she finally did enter the postgraduate program in 2008 and continued her professional studies with Hu. She was one of the most diligent, if not overly so, students who went to the studio everyday carrying her works. "At that time, I went to school during the daytime and would cook and take care of my child at night," Yang said. But that was the life she really wanted.
Her efforts paid off. During her campus days, she got access to China Artists Association (CAA) after winning several top-level awards such as the National Young Artists Award which only selects the 12 most outstanding young artists nationwide.
Her childhood dream eventually came true as she became a professional painter upon her graduation, but it came at the price of quitting her job and leaving behind the mundane yet stable life that came with it. Now, she leads life holding exhibitions and selling paintings, though her current post as academic secretary of the Synthesis Material Painting and Art Works Preservation and Restoration Art Committee of CAA ensures at least one share of her income. Nevertheless, Yang does not show a single trace of the regrets that many other artists might harbor due to the art market's brutality.
"Ancient sages told us just to take things as they come. As long as we strive for what we want, the result doesn't matter at all," Yang said.
Modest and quiet, the artist appears very easygoing. Yet she has never been one to easily adapt to any form of change."I know the market pressure is huge, I thought of changing my style to to cater to the majority, but I just cannot do it. I only paint my thoughts, my concepts and my outlooks. Painting is to release my true feelings, which are impossible to make up."
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