The valuable and beneficial exploration

——Reading of Dong Baichuan’s oil paintings

　　There are only more than 100 years for the oil paintings being introduced into China from the west, at present it has become an artistic form shoulder to shoulder with the traditional Chinese paintings. The European classical oil paints introduced into China at earlier stage, have exhibited the modeling function of meticulous and vivid images and gorgeous color effects, making the scholars accustomed to the traditional Chinese painting forms feel fresh and surprised when facing the new arts of widely different features, but since there are great differences between the western classical oil paintings and traditional Chinese paintings in terms of spiritual essence, thus, the conclusions for oil paintings at that time were “though a kind of work, having less artisan quality”. With the gradual vanishing of the kind of cultural self-confidence and superiority complex, after the oil paintings have gone through the hard trudge, they have been gradually playing an important role in the art history of the new China. Within a certain period of time, the realistic paintings have more exerted their social functions as the popularization means, such as the recording of major historical events and social events etc.. During the period, though there are many restrictions in concept, Chinese oil painters have been studying intensively with great concentration, the painting techniques have been elaborated increasingly, with the emergence of a large number of excellent painters and excellent works.

　　Over the past two and three decades, China’s economy has been further developed, more oil painters have the chance to go abroad, observing in Europe, learning from the original works of the masters. At the same time, the contemporary artistic trends have poured successively, the diversified consciousness enjoy popular support, the artistic concept and practice have started being integrated with the world, attempting to have synchronous development with the world’s trend. For the artistic type of oil painting lasting for nearly a thousand years in the west, within nearly 100 years in China, they have all been dabbled in basically from the forms：classicism, romanticism, realism, symbolism and different kinds of modern forms, such as the expressionism, abstractionism , pop art, post-modernism etc., they all have their own transplanting forms and representative works in China’s cultural soil.

　　In modern artistic climate, the realistic painting once fell into a low ebb ，the view of “easel painting perishing” had made people feel confused and lost. But , the realistic painting has great vitality in China, it has won the extensive audiences with its own artistic mission and artistic charm, up to this day, the realism is still the main stream of Chinese oil painting art.

　　Certainly, the realistic painting is not changeless in terms of the technical language and theme style. A large number of excellent artists are making efforts to explore the creative orientation, some painters are dedicated to classical oil painting techniques, trying to express the style and features of contemporary Chinese characters in combination with their own characteristics;some are focusing on the drawing of nutrition and the enriching of personal creation from the folk art and local customs; some are devoting themselves to the attempting of modern modeling techniques, reflecting the contemporary China’s social phenomenon with the exertion of western creative techniques of modernism，seeking the reflection of certain kind of modern philosophy in the works etc.. The experiences concerning the success and failure, gain and loss on the exploring way of different artistic expressions, styles and languages, shall have a positive significance for the development of oil painting art.

　　Dong Baichuan has been studying abroad for many years, with the chance to directly face the authentic work of European artistic masters, feeling the artistic power of western classic oil painting techniques, making his creative concept and technical means improved. And the understanding of western culture has urged him to re-understand the traditional Chinese culture. Dong Baichuan has been deeply affected by the Confucianism of traditional Chinese culture, the pursuit of artistic conception of the painting and emphasis on the inherent beauty are better than the description of things themselves. He pays attention to the oil painting language of thing-in-itself，treating the oil painting with the attitudes of science and the rational thinking, attempting the modern conversion of native language, making his works highlight the unique oriental wisdom and pattern of manifestation, thus establishing his own increasingly mature painting style.

　　Dong Baichuan has introduced the handwriting with the most representative significance of traditional Chinese culture into the picture. , ，these representative works of Chinese calligraphies have become the background of his series of works, the background has the manifestation tendency of traditional Chinese paintings tending to be static. Calligraphy has carried the purpose of expressing one’s emotion and conveying one’s ideas as a kind of sign, it has passed on a far-reaching lingering charm to the picture. It seems to be concrete, plane, real and accessible, but in fact it has cleverly blurred the background, leaving the audiences with infinite , illusory imaginary space. In the meanwhile, Dong Baichuan has exerted all kinds of dynamic brush strokes to represent the depicted object, starting with details, with overall care, by means of the color relationship and modeling arrangement , passing on the emotion of oneself. The static and dynamic combination has produced a kind of dislocation between the form and connotation, however bringing about the fresh experience and sense of beauty pleasant to eyes.

　　Dong Baichuan’s exploration in the painting form is valuable and beneficial. He has taken the Chinese learning as the fundamental structure, and western learning for practical use，Qi baishi once said “so like a kitsch, not a fraud, wonderful between the like and unlike”，this is the artistic view of Chinese tradition, and the artistic state pursued by artists, hopefully he shall reach a higher realm in his artistic road.