A painting and its painter’s ability to make a lasting impression primarily relies on the creativity of the work and the unique artistic style of the painter.
Through the ages, there have been thousands of painters, but only a few have made a lasting mark in history. This is because those with distinct personalities thrive, while those without are obscured by the dust of history and lost among the multitude in the vast mist.
Nowadays, ninety percent of universities offer fine arts majors, specifically in painting, with over a million students enrolled and two to three hundred thousand graduating each year. There are tens of millions of people engaged in painting in society. Among such a large scale of painters, those who truly make a mark are inevitably those with a unique style and profound artistic vision.
If it’s realism you’re after, a smartphone or camera is sufficient. The skill of even a genius painter can never surpass the realism captured by a camera.
Even for professional photographers, the pursuit is not merely realism, but rather, through techniques such as lighting, shadows, angles, and exposure, to elevate photographs beyond sheer realism to more profoundly express artistic conception and emotions.
Where does creativity come from?
Painters are producers of spiritual products, whose ultimate goal is to affect people through their artwork, creating resonance with the viewers. This requires painters to be well-educated, with a solid cultural foundation and upright values. Through certain technical processes, the spiritual essence of the individual is transformed into material form in the artwork, which then converts back into a spiritual experience for the viewers through their appreciation.
There’s a saying in philosophy: The first person to describe a girl as a flower was a genius, the second to do so was a fool.
Learning through copying is important. When copying, one should lose oneself in the process, not mixing in any personal elements. Copying lays the foundation; once the foundation is solid, one can begin to create. In creation, one should forget all else, expressing and completing one’s emotional output entirely as one desires. Whatever method best suits the expression of one’s emotions should be the method used to complete the work.
We need to learn from the ancients, we need to carry on their legacy. However, the best way to learn is to grasp their thoughts and create works that astonish the heavens and shake the spirits, even if in a style different from the ancients. Should the spirits of the ancients be aware, they would be comforted and smile in the netherworld. Conversely, mere imitation, devoid of novelty and achievement, would cause the ancients shame, making them cover their faces and sigh deeply if they knew.
