INTRODUCTION
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Song Yulin's Road to Success Xiao Ping
It was year ago that Song Yulin
asked me to write a preface for his album of paintings
when I was just writing a foreword for a publication
of the recent paintings of this father, Mr. Song Wenzhi.
In the nineteen sixties Mr. Song was my teacher in the
art academy. Yulin at that time was a middle school
student who at once became my friend and, to be sure,
my playmate. I have known the Song's for thirty years.
Memories of the past throny my mind that I surely don't
know how to begin in giving an account of them.
As far as I know, the "real-self", or the
personality of Yulin is not "free and rough",
and so he ran into a chaotic state of thought. Mr Lu
Yanshao, having seen his album of paintings, wrote a
letter to him from the West Lake. The letter solved
his problems, removed his agonies, brightened his future
and opened for him a new phase. Mr. Lu Yanshao said,
"I see from your paintings that you are seeking
something new for a change of style, and this is a good
intention. But to ascend to a new phase you must first
of all study thoroughly the tradition of Chinese art,
by reading the classics, practising calligraphy, mastering
the brush-strokes, and then success is at hand. Transition
to higher art must be based on a firm foundation. You
are in agonies, and that is normal. Be there no agonies,
there will be no progress." Again he said, "The
first thing you have to do now is to study diligently
the traditional art. Most important is to learn well
the manipulation of the brush-stroke. If the brushstroke
is well done, you may conquer every field of Chinese
painting. Nowadays young artists are looking for short
cuts. They refuse to study hard, and dream for success
and become famous overnight. Therefore, the school of
avant-garde prevail over the art world." The love
for the young is very sincere and the advice is all
truth. This happened in the winter of 1987, when the
art of "avant-grade" was at the height of
its day in China. Yulin showed me the content of the
letter, and he believed deeply in Mr. Lu's advice. His
belief in Mr. Lu Yanshao was not without reason. Now
he analyzed things and thought over and over again,
and finally gave up the superficial decor of art in
which he once tried a hand. He went back to the serious
study of Chinese heritage. This process plainly tells
us that Song Yulin, as an artist, is always honest and
sincere in seeking after higher art.
Yulin has gone through all these studies and researches,
which lay the foundation of high art. The accumulation
of learning is the foundation upon which a transition
to a new style of art is based and there arises another
great epoch of Chinese painting. As a rule, Chinese
art develops through the studies of Chinese heritage.
Yulin understands the theory of Chinese art, which has
stood the test of time and proves to be always true.
The mastery of Chinese painting theory conquers every
field of painting, so says Mr. Lu Yanshao. Yulin doesn't
limit himself to the study of one school, but adopts
the best of all schools. Among the contemporary painters,
he learns from Zhu Qizhan, Ya Ying, besides his father
Song Wenzhi. Mr. Lu Yanshao is well-learned in the studies
of ancient painters, and his paintings contain the essence
of ancient Chinese art. It is evident that Yulin learns
much from Mr.Lu.
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