REMNANTS OF FRAGRANCE
HUANG MING
2019.3.8-3.24
Opening Ceremony：2019.03.16 3:00PM
Location：Hall 4,Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts
Advisor:Jin Shangyi
Academic Host:Liu Weidong
Curator:Zheng Wen
Organizer:Nanjing University of the Arts
Co-Organizers:AMNUA, School of Fine Arts at Nanjing University of the Arts
Exhibition Coordinators:Qu Jun,Wang Yamin
Graphic Designers:Zhang Xin,Huang Chufan
Preface
President of Nanjing University of the Arts
Liu Weidong
My acquaintance with Huang Mingbegan as an accident and has since developed into quite a necessity. BeforeHuang Ming came to work at the Nanjing University of the Arts he was alreadyrecognized as a successful painter who had a certain influence in the area ofChinese oil painting, although I had known nothing about his outstandingachievements prior to this. One could have been seen as being ignorant for notknowing of his success and influence in the art community, but in reality, itis possible to be unaware of such an influence for the reason that Huang Mingprefers to keep a low profile as he exists in a world full of so many otherelites, and celebrities who also lend their voices in the painting world. HuangMing thinks rationally, and draws quietly for he is the real gold in therolling sediment; thus, it is difficult to notice him without specialexcavation.
Two years ago, Professor Xinquansolemnly recommended Huang Ming to me, saying that he was willing to work atNanjing University of the Arts. After I finished seeing the photos of his workin his portfolio I was deeply impressed. Huang Ming is a typical artist,focusing on still life creation. His piece-‘Fragrance left by time’ won the silver prize titled, ‘China ArtsAward for Creation,’ in the 12th Annual National Fine Arts Exhibition. Ofcourse, I was not touched by his award, but by his works as I believed that noreal artist would create solely for the award or recognition. I do realize thatto teach oil painting and to create oil painting at the NanjingUniversity of the Arts, one must rationalize the solidstrokes needed to make some fulcrum in the Jiangnan image of “Routineand Scribbling.” Itis my belief that Huang Ming is the painter and in turn, the teacher who canconstruct such fulcra that are needed and that he can bring strength to theteaching team of oil painting at Nanjing University of the Arts. Among the newgeneration of teachers, the portrait of Mao Yan, the scenery Xin Quan, and thestill life of Huang Ming are enough to represent the highest level of oilpainting in our universities and form great power.
From the perspective of HuangMing's oil painting creations, his themes have hardly ever deviated from the style of still life. The still life isoften at the edge of oil painting creations and so often referred to as theso-called "neglected things." Here in lies the problem, as fordecades Huang Ming shaped these "neglected things” with a refined andcreative attitude in such a marginal area – my proposed question is why? Whatwere his motivations and overall purpose to do so? This question is sometimesdifficult for the artist to answer as creation doesn’t always have a motivationor purpose beforehand. Of course, modern critics and art historians may have adifferent interpretation than that of the artist. Critics and historiansbelieve that these "neglected things" tend to demonstrate greatideas, and even think that the still lives of Caravaggio and Cezanne canrewrite the history of painting. In fact, there is nothing wrong with thesecultural, historical, or religious interpretations as many still life paintingsin history do carry many stories, and historical information behind them; atleast this is the case before the 19th century. Although, my opinion differswhen it comes to contemporary pieces as with the development of society, thesestories and their information are gradually dissolving and still life paintingsbecome less burdensome, for they are now purer and more for aesthetic. Morandiis a sound example of this. Of course, I do not want to split the connectionbetween the object and its significance. Bell's “meaningfulforms” is ubiquitous in loads of paintings, but many of them represent aperson's epic, the spirit of personal history, I hold a vigilant attitude thatthe excessive interpretation of the paintings in the cultural sense. For modernartists, sometimes visual impression or aesthetic taste is often becoming thefirst motive force of their choice, and its entry is not through culture orconcept, but via language and method. It is not difficult to see such a changefrom the picture of Huang Ming. The processing of space drifted from therelative overlooking perspective to be more of an absolute flat view, and theperspective space also becomes rather flat and even abstract, which is similarto Morandi. In contrast, Morandi describes his still life so generalized andsimple, not only in the shape but also in the color which returns to innocence,even from which we can interpret infinite Zen. It is acceptable to appreciateMorandi and his works, but you will only end up with a dead end if you were torepeat him. This is what many great artists did, they created a style and stuckwith that until they ended up at a dead end. As did Morandi, as did Picasso. Therefore,Huang Ming's strategy came out. You imagine it; he will compose it intoreality. You simplify it, he will complicate it. In this way, although there isa difference in language and method, the spirit is on the same scale. Just aspost-impressionism's criticism and correction of impressionism started fromwithin the technology, Cezanne criticized impressionism for its lack ofstructure and order. Not always is the art’s history difficult, sometimes theart's history is this simple. In my opinion, Huang Ming's oil painting creationis like deducting in a mathematical problem. He tries to use the greatestcomplicated calculation to acquire the simplest score, just like the finalscore of 1+1 in Goldbach's conjecture. Huang Ming tried to make the picturemore concise by subtraction in the form and space, which was in line with hisaesthetic value and overall pursuit. With language, he does add, for he managesto strengthen the language thickness, the strength, and the permanenceunceasingly. This also can demonstrate his ability and the confidence. He alsoused this method to trace the time scale of his works from the present time tothe past. If his "Chess Saint" can still make us feel the realtemperature of sunshine, then his "Fragrance left by time" has already entered the depth of history.
Straw Mat is an important motifin Huang Ming's paintings. It has become not only a "prescribedimage" but also a symbol of his works. The meaning and information thatthis symbol carries have been deeply interpreted by critics. One could say thatit is humble, vulgar, or rebellious; or that it is the condensation ofexperience and memory. I do not object to the cultural interpretation ofimages, but I consider the Straw Mat is more of a technical consideration forHuang Ming. There is always language, technology, and form that is followed byexperience, information, and meaning. Huang Ming's straw matting, thoseseemingly monotonous, unified, and repetitive tracing is a combination of HuangMing's heart, strength, and endurance which is his unparalleled advantage.Therefore, Huang's ultra-realistic approach may be seen by others as a"stupid struggle", but it is a wise choice for him. In this sense, heopened a door for himself and closed the door forever.
Biography
Huang Ming was born in Huangshi,Hubei, China in 1963. He went to Huangshi Art and Design School prior to college,and graduated from China Academy of Art in 1989, with a bachelor’s degree inOil Painting. He was a visiting scholar at Central Academy of Fine Arts in2007-2008, advised by Prof. Jin Shangyin. Huang Ming is currently a professorand graduate advisor of Nanjing University of the Arts, teaching at the Schoolof Fine
Arts. Huang Ming has been a memberof China Artists Association, and Executive Member of the Council at ZhejiangAssociation of Oil Painting.
Exhibitionsand Awards
1990 The 1st National Oil Painting Contest, BrownPrize (Hangzhou, Zhejiang)
1994 Participated in the 2nd National Exhibitionof Oil Painting (Beijing)
1994 Honorable Mention in the 8th National FineArt Exhibition (Beijing)
1996 Participated in the 1st Art Exhibition ofChina Oil Painting Society (Beijing)
1997 Participatedin National Exhibition of Contemporary Art of Oil Painting (Shanghai)
1997 Participated in To the New Century—ChinaYouth Oil Painting Exhibition (Beijing)
1999 HonorableMention in the 9th National Fine Art Exhibition (Beijing)
2003 Honorable Mention in the 3rd NationalExhibition of Oil Painting (Beijing)
2004 Honorable Mention in the 10th National FineArt Exhibition (Beijing)
2005 Participated in Human and Nature—the2nd Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese Landscape Painting & Oil Painting(Beijing)
2005 Participated in Yellow River—China OilPainting Retrospective Exhibition of the New Era (Beijing)
2006 Participated in Spirit andCharacter—Contemporary Realist Oil Painting Research Exhibition (Beijing)
2007 Participated in Integration andCreation—Contemporary Oil Painting Academic Invitational Exhibition (Beijing)
2008 Participated in Expansion andIntegration—Contemporary Oil Painting Research Exhibition (Beijing)
2009 Participated in the 11th National Exhibitionof Oil Painting (Beijing)
2010 Participated in Research and Beyond—ChinaSmall Scale Oil Painting Exhibition (Beijing)
2010 Participated in Art of Oil Painting andContemporary Society—National Exhibition of Oil Painting (Beijing)
2011 Participated in Retrospection andProspect—Exhibition of Oil Painting (Wuhan, Hubei)
2011 HonorableMention in China in the Views of Artists—National Exhibition of Oil Painting(Shenzhen, Guangdong)
2011 Participated in Humanity ofJiangnan—Oil Painting Invitational Exhibition of My Country My People—OilPainting Serial Exhibition (Hangzhou, Zhejiang)
2012 Participated in Visible Poem—the 2nd OilPainting Sketch Exhibition (Beijing)
2012 Participated in Art Exhibition of China OilPainting (London, UK)
2013 Participated in Character ofPainting—Contemporary Oil Painting Exhibition (Beijing)
2013-2014Participated in Essence of China—Tour Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese OilPainting & Retrospective Exhibition of Chinese Oil Painting in the Past 100Years (Beijing)
2014 The 12th National Fine Art Exhibition,China Arts Award for Creation & Silver Prize in Oil Painting (Beijing)
2015 Participated in Picturesque Jiangnan—NationalExhibition of Oil Painting (Suzhou, Jiangsu)
2015 Participated in the 6th BeijingInternational Art Exhibition (Beijing)
2016 Participated in Essence ofChina—International Tour Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese Oil Painting & RetrospectiveExhibition of Chinese Oil Painting in the Past 100 Years, held by ChinaNational Academy of Painting (Paris, France)
2016 Participated in Spirit of China—the 4thNational Oil Painting Exhibition Phase 2 Picturesque
2017 Jiangnan—National Exhibition of OilPainting, Yan Wenliang Art Award (Suzhou, Jiangsu)
2018 Participated in Essence of China(Résonance Chinoise)—International Tour Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese OilPainting, National Tour (multiple cities in China)
2018 Participated in Essence of China(Résonance Chinoise)—International Tour Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese OilPainting (Milan, Italy)
2018 Participated in Spirit of China—the 4thNational Oil Painting Exhibition (Beijing)
Publication
1. Twenty Oil Painters in China—Huang Ming, Beijing Fine Art andPhotography Press, April 2005.
2. China Academy of Art Textbook—Still Life Oil Painting, ChinaAcademy of Art Press, November 2001.
3. Understanding Representation, Shanghai Paintings and CalligraphyPublishing House, July 2007.
4. Huang Ming, China Academy of Art Press, September 2018.
Collection
Huang Ming’s work have beencollected by National Art Museum of China, China Central Television, ChinaNational Academy of Painting, Zhejiang Art Museum, Suzhou Art Gallery, ZhejiangSaili Art Gallery, Dadu Museum of Art, Taiwan Mountain Art Foundation andprivate individuals.
