I have long wanted to write something about Han’s oil paintings for our congenialty, not only because we are peers and alumni but, more importantly, our nearly two decades of friendship convinces me deeply of the geniality and honesty of his art. Perhaps it is the influence of his ancestors, his dream and longings in childhood, and his persistence in the mechanical beauty that has attracted his continuous attention to steam trains, deepening and expanding his artistic ideals and expression forms. Han is like a man in his paintings that is almost obsessed with what he sees. And I admire such an artistic and career attitude: not seduced by the hustle and bustle or any temptations, despite any confusion or oversights, he walks his own way, determined to explore the road ahead, self-sufficient and relaxing in the world of self, which is filled with a condense humanity atmosphere and an elegant esthetic style expressed in his works, and narrating the past, present and future of his art to his many friends. –I am deeply touched by his art work style.

Since the 1980s, Han Juliang, as a painter deeply influenced by the institution school, has gradually cultivated a shrewd exploration potential in the field of oil paintings, with the new latent transition and pursuit of the realistic painting language. That is, in terms of the perception and expression of formal beauty, Han explores new artistic breakthroughs from the exquisite structure of the train series. Behind his paintings of driving force machinery lies especially the vivid and exquisite artistic emotions of the painter, which in turn determines his artistic objects. The image of the trains, seemingly both distant and near, realistic and fictional, constitutes the image of his heart and enriching the esthetics of his works. The elegant and refined combination of image and color is the reincarnation of his talent, experiences, and ideals. Using trains as his lasting artistic theme, Han has transcended the specific-image narrative structure and the abstract symbol identifier, establishing the unique expression form of realistic oil paintings in terms of image and color construction and endowing an empirical flavor to realistic paintings, which sets himself apart for his constant exploration of a unique style.

Our vision is now by and by departing from the mechanical wisdom of the industrial revolution and penetrating into the super-realistic formal language, wherein the humanity contents withdraw little by little the audiences from the painter’s representation that resembles mechanical drawings and enable them to appreciate the wisdom and ecstasy endowed by the painter to his paintings. With the precious realistic structuring and abstract life forms, many of Han’s train oil paintings may arouse our esthetic emotions about the mechanical structure. In recent years, Han is further approaching the abstract image layout in his artistic exploration, which brings more directly to the audiences an inspiration of the color image, structure, brush and texture. This is precisely the result of constant improvement and refinement of the artful language charm by the painter, presenting in front of us the richness of oil painting language in his realistic modeling. The structure handling in the image is seemingly flexible and random, while the whole is in fact a painstaking arrangement by the painter, as the evidence of the remarkable attainments of the painter in both artistic conception and expressive force.

Recent oil paintings by Han present to us another world that he has discovered from his unique artistic perspective, a humanity landscape in on-shelf art—the mechanical portfolio as the essence of civilization and rigid and fine image structure. Although the automotive symbol and code has kind of bop denotation; yet underneath it is the spiritual symbol, the perception of the artist about this civilization landscape. In other words, the painter intends to endow on-shelf art with the spiritual structure of the realistic language—and this is where the value of the painter’s artistic exploration lies.

The author sets his eyes on a certain visible and invisible mechanical object and, as a result, the images under his brush become distant and profound. So quiet and tranquil are they that they seem to keep only an empty body, arousing a civilized feeling of the audiences and the longing for a rational wisdom. Such a rigorously structured space attracts the painter with the possibility of variations of the daily views as a common art subject. The painter artist injects into it his free creations of formal language, transforming the traditional realistic subject into a new creation subject with image and color combined to realize the new structure of the art language. Between the automotives and steam, metal and frame is the subtle color variation and vivid brush; and the contrast between arcs, beeline and oblique lines form a rich and dynamic rhythm variation; the shade changes of the automotive portfolio in the sunshine and in the dark accomplish the contrast between warm and cold color and between purity and illumination—Immersed in this subtle transition between specific-image and non-specific-image language, Han needs to rely on his own experiences and judgment to unfetter from the traditional mechanical structure and seek new painting language for the new spiritual structure of the realistic language.

His paintings, neither contracted scenery nor magnified object, are but an image type that defies the conventional categorization. The automotive image created by the painter is different from the visual esthetics with transient changes of light and color at Leon Railway Station as expressed by the contemporary French painter Monet nor the mundane scenery illustrated by the contemporary Chinese master Wu Youru of Wusong Railway Station. Here in Han’s paintings, the pure visual esthetics is already sublimed: the painter has transformed the train into a series of paintings, in which he finishes the visual experiments that he asks for.

Therefore, the trains in Han’s paintings, whether plane drawing treatment or deep train head feature effect, have gradually realized the integration between the realistic language and the abstract concepts. It seems that the painter is depicting his dream within a realistic shell and his paintings are a spiritual compensation by the painter for this real world. However, I believe a deeper and underlying truth is that the painter prepares to provide the reason and the possibility of free creation for this new space structure, which results in the capriccioso transition of patterns and colors in the images created by the painter: the subtle variations of the given tone and the random effect brings him the joy of creation, a joy that requires the images to be reasonably relaxed and intense. And the semi-abstract language variation brings the disclosure of a varying degree of ration and improvisation. This suggests that between specific-image realism and abstract structure, oil painting languages still have quite a lot of similarities, which is in itself an interesting subject for artistic creation.

As a matter of fact, it is precisely the theme of these formal languages that has prompted Han to select this life-style civilization sight. In other words, through the image medium of the trains, the painter gives a proper psychological projection of the humanity environment. His wishes and his ideals re-vivify the mechanical train, turning it into a visual symbol in his works, which is just exactly the “painting-like” structure is being painted.

Patterns in the oil painting are originally the reflection of the artistic style wherein the mature visual psychology of the painter is projected on his long-observed object and is then externalized using a unique artistic language to form a special visual symbol: Many of Han’s painting objects reflect the combination of specific image and artistic feelings, image and form, imagination and variations, bringing the painter from the painting language itself to the cultivation of the humanity spirit, convincing us once again of the power and experience of the institution school.

The current development of on-shelf oil paintings in China is now faced with the transition of the cultural context, the operation of the art market, impact from avant-garde arts, and the scientific and technological advances of multimedia, which together provide multiple references for the practice and exploration of deepening the visual language of on-shelf paintings. In this aspect, the painters of the institution school in China, with their prominent advantages, have gradually formed a quality strength, showing the new trends of oil painting arts in China. Han’s recent oil paintings present to us this quality arts, an important value of which is the Chinese patterns of the institution school. Like many other accomplished artists, Han has already demonstrated in multiple aspects the new exploration and development trends of the institution school, of which his works are a vivid epitome.

Worth mentioning, the development of oil paintings in China has already evolved from pure self-disciplined exploration of the on-shelf language to a deeper and broader contemplation on humanity spirit. In this aspect, the artistic explorations by painters of institution school, like Han Juliang, provides important experience for us. In addition, the new concepts of realistic language, structure of humanity landscape and promotion of the abstract realm provide a series of valuable references for his artistic creation of the Chinese patterns of institution school. It is on this basis, I believe, that Han’s on-shelf art exploration as expressed by his oil paintings is rich with a profound meaning of pattern creation.

Now, we turn our eyes back to the train series of oil paintings by Han Juliang. These trains do not repeat the original, natural and innocent interest by the painter of these mechanical objects. During the gradual upgrading of his interest in this machinery, the train series has become the carrier of his art sublimation, stressing the innate feelings in the humanity environment. During the creation of the formal language, the painter attempts to replace the classical contents with the realistic traditional pattern elements, further evolving his new construction and expression of the formal language of oil paintings. Such a free emotional world is in effect the humanity structuring of the oil paintings. Breaking through the ordinary formal skills, under Han’s brushes, the specific image elements are decomposed, becoming the abstract language elements, enabling his audiences to understand and share his rich, inner emotions. Therefore, Han’s works offer a novel thinking mode for us to re-interpret the originally specific, distinguishable realistic paintings.

Once again, I am deeply touched by his persistence and perseverance, a way and spirit of work that I have long admired. As his peer and friend, I have thought a lot about his artistic exploration and his endless variation of the train series. What’s more important, now that the founder of these “trains” is entering his 40s, the train series under his brush is still full of life. For years and months, these artistic images have witnessed the devotion and passion of the artist and reflected in the plain objects is the painter’s increasingly mature mentality, capable of seeking the fun of art in such mechanical objects. This precisely suggests the purity and optimism of Juliang: even though life is filled with noisy colors and various temptations, one needs to choose a simple life because in art there is always a piece of clean land and an area of home; the trains in those paintings have long left behind the hustle and bustle of the mundane world. A small aspect of life, it verifies the ideals and talents of the painter, serving as a bridge of truthful psychological communication between you and the painter.