Wu Guanzhong 吳冠中(1919-2010）Contemporary Chinese painter Chinese

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Wu Guanzhong
吳冠中
(1919-2010）
Contemporary Chinese painter
Chinese
吳冠中（1919年8月29日－2010年6月25日），出生於中國江蘇省宜興市，現代中國畫家。
吳冠中是20世紀現代中國繪畫的代表性畫家，也是中國現代美術教育家，終生致力於油畫民族化及中國畫現代化之探索，堅韌不拔地實踐着「油畫民族化」、「中國畫現代化」的創作理念，形成了鮮明的藝術特色；他執着地守望着「在祖國、在故鄉、在家園、在自己心底」的真切情感，表達了民族和大眾的審美需求，他的作品具有很高的文化品格；國內外已出版畫集約40餘種，文集10餘種。
1942年畢業於國立藝術專科學校，1943年重慶大學建築系任助教。
1946年27歲考取教育部公費留學，同年與朱碧琴在南京結婚。
1947年到巴黎國立高級美術學校，同年秋長子可雨在宜興出生。
1949年中華人民共和國成立，去留問題經過多次反覆研討，吳冠中1950年秋返國，到中央美院任講師。
1953年任清華大學建築系任副教授、1956年北京藝術學院成立任油畫教研室主任，副教授，1964年調至中央工藝美術學院任教。
1978年59歲中央工藝美術學院主辦「吳冠中作品展」，這是他回國後首次個人作品展。
1979年被選為中國美術家協會常務理事，1985年當選全國政協委員，1994年當選為全國政協常務委員。
1995年中國油畫學會在北京成立，被推選為學會名譽主席。
2002年獲選為法蘭西學士院藝術院（Académie des Beaux-Arts de l'Institut de Fance）通訊院士（Correspondant）。
香港中文大學在2006年12月7日舉行的第63屆學位頒授典禮上，向吳冠中頒授榮譽文學博士學位。
2010年6月25日23點52分肺癌轉移在北京醫院逝世，享年91歲。
Wu Guanzhong (simplified Chinese: 吳冠中; traditional Chinese: 吳冠中; August 29, 1919 - June 25, 2010)[1] was a contemporary Chinese painter widely recognized as a founder of modern Chinese painting.[2] He is considered to be one of the greatest contemporary Chinese painters. Wu's artworks had both Western and Eastern influences, such as the Western style of Fauvism and the Eastern style of Chinese calligraphy. Wu had painted various aspects of China, including much of its architecture, plants, animals, people, as well as many of its landscapes and waterscapes in a style reminiscent of the impressionist painters of the early 1900s. He was also a writer on contemporary Chinese art.[
Wu was born in a village in Yixing, Jiangsu province, in 1919. His family wanted him to become a teacher just like his father had been. In 1935, Wu passed the entrance exam and studied electrical engineering at Zhejiang Industrial School (浙江公立工业专门学校, a technical school of Zhejiang University) in Hangzhou. While in engineering school, Wu met an art student named Zhu Dequn who was studying at the National Hangzhou Academy of Art. During a trip to Zhu’s school, Wu got his first look at art and fell "madly in love" with it.[4] Against his father’s wishes, in 1936 he transferred to the art academy, studying both Chinese and Western painting under Pan Tianshou (1897-1971) and Lin Fengmian (1900-1991). Wu went through many trials and challenges during his years in college before he could master his craft. In 1937 the Sino-Japanese War began and the campus had to pick up and relocate in order to get out of the way of the invading Japanese army. During the constant movement during the war, Wu was able to see many different locations. He considered the adventures as a necessary journey to becoming a man and building his character. Wu benefitted greatly from the many teachers who taught him to paint and the rough journey to becoming a man. In 1942 he graduated from Hangzhou National Academy of Art and tried to find a job. During the war jobs were hard to find and Wu took a part-time job as a substitute teacher. He later found a job as a water color and drawing teacher in the Architecture Department of Chongqing University. After Wu graduated he continued to hone his craft and studied with some of his old colleagues from school like Zhu Dequn, Li Lincan and Zheng Wei. Each of these friends continued their art careers and left their mark on the art scene. [4] In 1946 Wu applied for one of the two art study abroad spots and was the best applicant who applied, this was in part to his French language studies. 1947 traveled to Paris to study at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts on the government scholarship. Even though France was still recovering from World War II, Wu was completely enthralled with the art. He visited all of the major museums within the first few days of his arrival. Wu was always a tremendous fan of French and European art. While in Europe, Wu realized the many cultural and religious differences between Europe and China. This was a difficult barrier for him to overcome to understand and appreciate some of the art. Wu found a great interest in the modern art of France despite his studying in European artistic traditions. He took a great liking to the Post-Impressionists like van Gogh, Gauguin and Cézanne. Wu loved van Gogh the most because of van Gogh’s passion for art and the internal torment he endured. Wu also felt the hardships that Gauguin felt when he left Paris for a South Pacific island in order to find his own personal ideal. Gauguin eventually died on the island. This trip helped Wu grasp the idea of form and the basic meaning of art. The study abroad trip also led to formalism becoming the basic underlying element of his art and studying in France helped him better understand formalism.