YuanXikunwithhissculpture,DengXiaoping,ChiefArchitectofChina’sReformandOpeningUp.Atage74,YuanXikunhasbeenhailedasan“artwizard”aftercreatingmasterpiecesinoilpainting,inkpaintingandsculpture.Hehasalsobeendubbedan“artisticdiplomat”andactivelyparticipatedininternationalculturalandartisticexchangewithfruitfulresults.
Yuanisaworld-renownedpainterandsculptor,aswellasamemberoftheStandingCommitteeofthe12thNationalCommitteeoftheChinesePeople’sPoliticalConsultativeConference,andcuratorofBeijingJintaiArtMuseum.
WelcometotheJungle
YuanXikunwasborninAugust1944inKunming,YunnanProvince.Hisfather,YuanXiaocen,wasafamousmasterofChinesepainting,andhismotherwasabiologyteacher.Growingupinsuchafamily,Yuanwasdeeplyinfluencedbyfamilytraditionandbecameobsessedwithnatureandanimals.
In1962,18-year-oldYuanXikunenrolledinthehighschoolattachedtotheKunmingInstituteofArts.Arareopportunityattheschoolenabledhimtoaccompanyagroupofliteraryandartworkersonatriptoethnicminoritysettlementsdeepinthemountains,whichbroadenedhisvision.Hebecameevenmorefascinatedwithnatureandanimalsandcontinueddownthepathtowardshisartcareer.
Asayoungpainterinthe1970s,YuanfollowedaninspectionteamorganizedbytheInstituteofZoologyundertheChineseAcademyofSciencestoXishuangbannainYunnanProvincetodrawanimalspecimens.Hethenspentfiveyearslivinginthejungle—adenseforestalongthesouthwesternborderofChina.Hebecamecompletelyimmersedinthecreationofanimalpaintings.
IfthewordsanddeedsofhisfatherandmentorJiangZhaohelaidasolidfoundationforhistraditionalChinesepaintingcreation,thelongfiveyearsofdedicatedpracticeinXishuangbannaprovidedanopportunityforhimtobuildauniquestyle.
Thesketchesfromthisperiodfueledtherestofhisartisticcareer.Foranartist,inspiration—theemotionsandimpulsesofartisticcreation—strikeslikelightning.InYuan’sartistheadvocacyof“momentfeelings,”whichembedvividnessineachofhisworks,somthingthatishardlyfoundintraditionalpaintings.October16,1992:YuanXikunpaintsaportraitofNelsonMandela,thenpresidentofSouthAfrica’sAfricanNationalCongress.
MountainGentlemanbyYuanXikun,oiloncanvas,1955,housedatBeijingJintaiArtMuseum.PortraitDiplomacy
Inthe1980s,China’sreformandopeningupprovidedartistswithrarehistoricalopportunities.
YuanXikunclimbedtothepeakofhiscareerinlockstepwithChina’sriseaftertheintroductionofthereformandopeningup:Hefrequentlytraveledabroadandcaughtglobalattentionwithhisuniqueartistictechniquesandexpressiveness.
InJanuary1999,YuanbecamethefirstAsianoilpaintertoholdapersonalexhibitionattheUnitedNationsheadquarters.Manyofhisoilpaintingshavebeenacquiredbyworld-famousmuseums.
“Mr.Yuan’sgreatnessliesinthecombinationofancientandmodernart,”opinedthecuratorofBerlinMuseum.“Thethemesandtechniquesofhispaintingsarerootedinthepast,buthisthinkingfacesthefuture.HeskillfullycombinesthespiritofChinesepaintingsandthematerialofWesternoilpaintingswithhissuperbtechniques,thusestablishingastylecompletelyfreefromthelimitationsoftimeandspace.”
Inthe1990s,YuanXikunbeganworkingonink-and-washportraits.Hehasbeenblessedwithopportunitiestopaintmorethan100presidentsanddignitariesfromaroundtheworldincludingformerUNSecretaries-GeneralBoutrosBoutros-GhaliandKofiAnnanandformerInternationalOlympicCommitteepresidentJuanAntonioSamaranch.
ForeignmediaoutletshavenotedthatYuanXikun’sexposuretokeyglobalpoliticalfiguresraiseshisinfluencefarbeyondpainting.Hehasbeennicknamedan“artisticdiplomat.”
“Ihavenoproblemwithartistswhohideinivorytowers,expressthemselvesinalimitedformatandproducemeagerwork,”Yuandeclares.“Butmyownphilosophyisthatanartistshouldusetalenttorepaysocietyandaddressconcernsclosesttothepeople,whichinturnfostersbroadervisionwithintheartisticrealm.”WishingYouEverySuccessbyYuanXikun,inkandwash.
Anexpertindepictinganimals,YuanXikunbringsthemtolifewithhisexquisiteskills.
BillyGrahambyYuanXikun.SculptureNeedNotBeTranslated
SomeChinesepeopleassertthatonecannotbeknownforexperience,accomplishmentandfameuntilreachinghisorherfifties.
SculpturerepresentsaculminationofYuanXikun’sartexploration.“Usingmytalent,limitedandunlimited,IbuiltamonumentthatIadmire,”Yuanexplainedwhenaskedaboutthereasonwhyhedelvedintosculpture.
Theyear2009markedthe60thanniversaryoftheestablishmentofdiplomaticrelationsbetweenChinaandBulgaria.“Duringthatyear,Bulgaria’seconomywasundergoingaroughtime,”illustratedYuan.“IwantedtousethespiritofBulgarianrevolutionaryHristoBotevtoinspiretheBulgarianpeopletopersevere,soIdecidedtosendabronzestatuetohishometown.Sculptureneednotbetranslated.”
OnFebruary21,2018,famousAmericanChristianevangelistBillyGrahampassedaway.OnFebruary24,Yuan’sReverendBillyGrahamandSowerGrahamdebuted.
“Iwasluckytomeethim10yearsagowhenBillyGrahamofferedaidafterthecatastrophicWenchuanearthquakeinSichuan,”recalledYuan.“Wedidthesamethingindifferentways.”
“Overthelastfewyears,Ihavesculptedmanycelebritieswhohavedrivenhumanprogresstopreservetheir‘spiritualweight’andcommemoratetheirworks.”
OneofthetwoGrahamstatueswillbeplacedinChinaandtheotherintheUnitedStatestobuildaculturalbridgeoffriendshipbetweenthetwocountries.
YuanXikunhasreceivedasmanyinternationalmedalsasanyoneforhissculptures.Todate,hehascompletedmorethan50statuesforglobaltitans.
HiscelebritysculptureshavebeenacquiredbythegovernmentsofJapan,Greece,RussiaandtheUnitedStatesaswellasmuseumsandinternationalorganizations.Elevenofhiscelebritysculpturesandthreeanimalsculptureswereselectedasnationalgiftsforvariousheadsofstate.
In2016,theInternationalAstronomicalUnion(IAU)MinorPlanetCenternamedAsteroid214883afterYuanXikun.
Asforhisreputationinglobalartcirclesandplansforthefuture,YuanXikunremainshumble:“JackKerouacsaid,‘foreveryoung,alwaysintears.’Iwillneverbeamaster;Iwillneverforgetmycountry.”