■ Wang Xiaoshu (Chairman of Guangzhou Artists Association)

I try to paint in many different forms. Oil painting, watercolor painting, Chinese painting, concrete or abstract, narrative or lyric, symbol or metaphor. These kinds of paintings and forms of expression prove an artist’s ability to master artistic means for painters. The more means you master, the stronger its expressiveness, and the fuller and more powerful the intention to reflect the painter’s inner world.

In fact, any kind of painting, means and form are only a method. How to express is the problem that painting should pay attention to. From another point of view, any art form and presentation means have defects and limitations. Even the oil painting with the most powerful expressiveness in painting is not as good as Chinese painting, printmaking and watercolor painting. Even some paintings are richer and unique than oil painting in a certain state. Theoretically speaking, an artist in a real sense should be a person who can or hopes to master all painting skills, methods and means. The more he master, the more he can fully express what he tries to express. This is self-evident. As Michelangelo said, “the so-called painter who can only express in one way is not a real artist.” He seems to be aiming at Leonardo da Vinci, but no matter what the point is, we should admit that his view is impeccable. Therefore, he used his own creative practice to prove the correctness and feasibility of his view. Michelangelo is not only a great sculptor, but also a great painter, sketch master, copper plate painter and a great architect. No one can deny that he is an art master.

In China, such masters are also numerous. Mr. Xu Beihong’s sketch, oil painting, traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy can be called first-class in China. We can see the application of line drawing in Chinese painting from Mr. Xu Beihong’s western style human body sketch, the light and shadow changes of Western watercolor painting and oil painting from Xu Beihong’s galloping horse, and the oil painting scene expression from his Chinese painting Yu Gong Yi Shan. All the painting styles and languages are so skillfully used in Xu Beihong’s pen and complement each other. There are also a large number of painters, such as Wu Zuoren, Wu Guanzhong and Zhu naizheng, who have cultivated among various kinds of paintings and various forms of painting expression. If a painter can only draw one kind of painting, or even only one subject matter and one type of work, it can at least be said to be a defect as a painter. From the perspective of the noumenon of art, only pursuing the perfection of a certain kind of painting is just contrary to the true meaning of painting. This may be the difference between a painter and a painter.