"These paintings of mine are something none of my peers have ever seen; I have approached this task very seriously."
One year ago, Huang Yongyu gracefully completed his 99-year journey of life. A year later, he has finally unveiled his last gift to the world. On June 25th, "So Long, So Rich: Huang Yongyu's New Works Exhibition" opened at the National Art Museum of China. The exhibition did not have an official opening ceremony, but visitors from all directions flooded the exhibition hall. Before his passing, Huang Yongyu had been planning his centennial art exhibition, aiming to present a different facet of his artistry to the audience. He meticulously created a series of new works for this purpose. The exhibition features nearly 160 new pieces, all publicly displayed for the first time, comprehensively showcasing the creative state and artistic pursuits of this playful artist after the age of 90.
He continued to paint until the very end of his life
This exhibition primarily showcases Huang Yongyu's Chinese ink paintings. The collection spans from as early as 2015 to shortly before his passing in 2023. Despite the relatively short span of years, the exhibition features a large number of works that are diverse in style and cover a wide range of subjects. Themes include historical figures in traditional attire, modern urban scenes, flowers, animals, zodiac symbols, wrestling, and more.
The paintings are filled with quotes that reflect Huang's sense of humor
Visitors of all ages and backgrounds can find paintings in the exhibition that captivate them. Each artwork often includes meticulously crafted inscriptions in neat and precise calligraphy, showing no signs of aging. Unlike traditional poetic expressions, the content of these inscriptions differs, revealing Huang Yongyu's unique sense of humor throughout.
Huang Yongyu once said, "Literature ranks first in my life, sculpture second, woodcuts third, and painting fourth." He integrated his writings into his paintings, intertwining them with the visual content. In the exhibited works, some pieces feature inscriptions that are concise, containing only a few dozen characters, while others extend to over a thousand characters.
He, dedicated to art, seems to have never truly departed
Inside the exhibition hall, there is a long table featuring a sculpture by sculptor Xu Hongfei depicting Huang Yongyu holding a smoking pipe, sitting at the table with a content expression. Occasionally, visitors sit beside the sculpture as if they could engage in casual conversation with him at any moment.
Walking through the exhibition hall, scenes from Huang Yongyu's preparations for the exhibition come to the forefront of his son Huang Heiman's mind. "He devoted himself fully to every artwork he created. Often, even after finishing a piece, he wasn't entirely satisfied and aimed to do even better next time. He had high standards for himself. He was always in a constant state of creation, bringing new ideas from his mind to the canvas. With this new exhibition of his works, he hoped to offer the audience a fresh experience."
As the co-organizer of this exhibition and Director of the Beijing Fine Art Academy, Wu Hongliang reflected on the challenges of finding a suitable title for the event. He mentioned that he spent considerable time reading through the books of the late Huang Yongyu to find inspiration for the exhibition's title.
The exhibition will continue until July 11th.
Translator: BAI Jing
Reviewer: LI An
