On May 21st, 2007, the Retrospective Exhibition of Du Yongqiao’s Watercolors and Oil Paintings was held in Sichuan Art Museum. The exhibition, co-held by Sichuan Artists Association and Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, was the result of the efforts by his family and friends, and displayed more than 70 paintings since the 1950. Mr. Du was also present.

　　After the opening ceremony, some of his students and renowned artists were interviewed, and a symposium for Mr. Du’s art was held in the conference room. A summary of the interview as well as the symposium is as follows.

　　He Duoling, oil painter

　　1. Tales about professor Du were ubiquitous when I was in college, and I was astonished when I first saw his works because they embodied all I had in my mind on oil paintings. He has been deemed the “cream of the crop” of his time, and his works unparalleled since 1950s. As I have said, what we have learnt from Professor Du is just the tip of the iceberg. This is not flattery, but a matter of fact. His paintings of the recent period reinforce the fact that he is indeed in the pink of perfection.

　　2. His paintings, from which one can sense much serenity and purity, indicate, however, little of his hardships and misfortunes. He was beyond his era, which is commendable, for I believe he was rescued, by art, from all the unfairness and miseries, and that life must have been blissful for him.

　　3. Professor Du was not in the spotlight which he was due, and many of his works have not been unveiled until today, in the exhibition. I suppose that’s because he has lived in seclusion since I was a student, and he had little interest in (nor any knowledge of) business—he might have just shielded his paintings from the market. The price of his works may be comparatively low for the moment, but I believe it’s only a matter of time before the paintings are reevaluated.

　　4. I’m filled with both delight and sorrow—I’m happy that the exhibition has been such a success, but I feel that the exhibition of this scale should be held earlier. It seems too late for him, in the last moment of hiss life.

　　Zhang Xiaogang, oil painter

　　1. I’m not a close friend to professor Du and haven’t met him for 10 years or so; however, I have always respected him for his perseverance in art. I saw so many people present in the opening ceremony, which demonstrates how much they admire him as an artist.

　　2. I thought it a great chance to have had professor Du to teach us, to show us the enchanting hues of grey. Much as I have been told how great his watercolor paintings are, this is the first time I see all his works. From an objective perspective as an artist instead of his former student, I think all his oeuvres from youth to recent years are fantastic, especially those from his later period when he shifted his style, with a strong sense of individuality and interesting color expression. As an artist, I admire him. As one of his students, I feel proud of his achievement.

　　3. I paid a visit to Moscow this March, where I observed many paintings, including those by The Itinerants; while I see today works by professor Du, I can tell how deeply he has gone to understand the Russian paintings and how far his contemporaries are left behind.

　　4. His generation have encountered and suffered so much that I suppose life has never been fair to them, to this, however, Mr. Du has responded with his piety and dedication to art. He has chosen to confront fate with his insight into art and love for life, which I could not appreciate any more.

　　5. It is my belief that art is never abstract; on the contrary, it is always a projection that the times shed on our minds. The key factors to evaluate an artist are whether he/she faithfully reflects his/her artistic aspiration, and whether he/she goes ahead of the time. I believe professor Du is well-qualified.

　　6. Different as professor Du and I might be on our artistic schools, I suppose we share one thing in common—only by combining one’s art with the essence of humanity can he touch the people. And that is why we are so dazzled by his paintings.

　　7. He could have been ignored once for some historical reasons, but we can see in today’s exhibition that genuine artist and their works shall never be forgotten.

　　Zhou Chunya, oil painter

　　1. Unlike Luo Zhongli, Zhang Xiaogang and He Duoling, I was taught by professor Du for only one month on watercolors, this, however, has benefited me much for the rest of my life.

　　2. Professor Du has been a very diligent artist through his life, and he has also permeated his dedication to the students. One of the main reasons we are here in the exhibition is to show our respect for him and for his artistic achievements; also worth mentioning is that despite all his achievements in art, he keeps modest and enjoys communicating with the young painters.

　　3. He has done even better and more powerful in his later period, which shows his sustained power into old age. This is rare and commendable.

　　4. His paintings also show something of the modern and contemporary painting style, but he didn’t follow trends, instead, he has adhered to his own style. This is marvelous.

　　5. I agree with some fellow colleagues that professor Du deserves more recognition than he has today; he would have been a greater success if the country had esteemed its artists and intellectuals decades ago. Even so, he is still a master, an academic authority, and what we have learnt from him is far from being enough. It is my belief that the value of an artist is often rediscovered and recognized after he/she passes away—as has been proven many times in history.

　　Qin Ming, oil painter

　　1. I’ve been abroad for more than 10 years, during which I have observed works by masters of former Soviet Union, the United States and Europe in their exhibitions and galleries. Compared with them, Mr. Du still stands out with his own style and mentality. That has been quite a feat.

　　2. He actually outstrips many Russian oil painters, and I can still remember an array of his paintings during Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), which were profound and showed some expressionist characteristics.

　　3. His latest works are of more liberal style and in my view, they have reached the acme of perfection, which I would attribute to his artistic attainment and his religious belief. I can sense something above the secular world, something mysterious, religious yet touching.

　　4. We have benefited so much from his instructions on both painting skills and artistic perspectives that I couldn’t appreciate it more.

　　Gao Xiaohua, oil painter, honorary president of the Art School of Southwest University for Nationalities

　　1. We have a sea of people here! People here outnumber those in any exhibition I have attended, so you can tell how prestigious his artistic attainment and personality are. He is THE most respected person to me, in comparison with other artists and “big potatoes” I’ve met home and abroad.

　　2. My classmates in Sichuan Fine Arts Institute stood out and some even participated in National Fine Arts Exhibition before the enrollment, and some teachers tried to bowl us over immediately, except professor Du, to whom we were never defiant because of his artistic attainment and his benevolence. Besides, he is a faithful artist with such simplicity and naivety that I can hardly find any trace of in others, and little criticism has been heard about him. What a miracle of a personality, in a world so sophisticated like this!

　　3. Mr. Du had been renowned as Surikov of Chongqing before I was enrolled, and we were so elated to see his name on the schedule. We even went to the Dean’s Office to ask for more classes from professor Du because we’d learnt so much from that great and beloved teacher.

　　4. Painters at that time all followed the Russian School, yet few of them got on as professor Du, whose hue of grey is enchanting and renowned. I see his works in the late period, so expressive and so overwhelming—a burst of life. His achievements are a miracle of art.

　　5. I am so sorry to see him in such a critical condition, yet despite this, I’m surprised at his liveliness. He has seldom been in good condition, and worrying words of his hospitalization have been well known. We thought that at that time, for him, art was subordinated to life, but in his mind, art is always above life. We are also surprised at his enormous vitality. His paintings in recent years are full of strength and vigor. I am thrilled and dazzled! Mr. Du is a miracle of personality, art and life.

　　Luo Zhongli, oil painter, president of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute

　　1. Professor Du was the most popular teacher in school, because his achievements in art were so outstanding.

　　2. He based his own style on Russian School, which embodies his subtle and exquisite mastery of color. You will be touched by his works—which are almost like poetry—in spite of your knowledge of painting.

　　3. Mr. Du never converses with us students condescendingly. This equal and pleasant relationship created environment conducive to learning and thus we learned much from him.

　　4. I’m overwhelmed by the confidence in his works in the late period. Through all these years of perseverance in art, he has reached perfection. And I believe the exhibition is particularly important to professor Du himself and the whole art course.

　　Wang Yishi, painter sojourning in France, scholar

　　1. Mr. Du’s achievements in color are generally acknowledged as great, and he, as one of the few luminaries in the era of the second generation of oil painters, is unrivaled—or will remain so-- on the mastery of color and oil painting competence. Unfortunately, he has not been well-recognized by oil painting circle or art circle in China.

　　2. He has been producing oil paintings with Chinese cultural and artistic characteristics since the middle of the 1990s, and we can see from his works in the middle and the late 90s—especially those after 2001—that he has reached a peak. And his paintings from 2003-2005 are fairly exhilarating as they are more expressive, more sincere and more unstrained than before. Compared with contemporary oil masters in Beijing, he is way beyond them and unequalled.

　　3. His works after 2001 are more liberal. Though they are entirely different from orthodox Western expressionism, their expressiveness is no less than the works of Western expressionism. I often travel between Europe and China, and I can hardly find another painter with similar artistic experience and competence. If his works are displayed in Europe, I believe, they’ll absolutely draw recognition and respect, because Europeans can find not only their cultural gene but something that belongs only to Chinese culture, making his works more appealing.

　　4. His works in the early stage were superb, and now he is still mellow with his new out-of-box style, one can tell how profound his grasp of both oil painting and traditional Chinese painting is. His paintings, if seen with a view of Chinese contemporary oil painting, are terrific and peerless. However, he has not yet been well-understood by Chinese painters. Or, put it in another way, the whole fines arts field in China has a poor understanding of him.

　　5. Little as I know about the art market in China, I don’t approve of it, for when a price is measure of a piece of work, the author’s position, title and social status are always taken into consideration; but artists as simple and pure as Mr. Du are underestimated. That’s tragic, and an art market like that is far from being mature. I told professor Du the other day that his sincerity could triumph over the unfairness of history and society.

　　Xu Zhong’ou, engraving painter, president of City Design School of China Central Academy of Fine Arts

　　1. I believe Mr. Du is a genius of painting, one rarely found in China. Before he attended the entrance exam of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, he walked from Yuechi, his hometown, to Chengdu for several days, without any knowledge of the fine arts discipline or even sketching. But he was such a quick learner that once he got to know it, he mastered it. It is well known that he has been in a leading position from his youth to his riper years.

　　2. Professor Du is a simple-minded artist, who is pure in emotion, in his color and in the expression of his works. His purity has never changed no matter how society or the art trends might have changed.

　　3. The reason this exhibition has come into being in such a short time is the support gained from all aspects in society. In the first place, Sichuan Artists Association provided the display hall under extremely difficult circumstances. In the meantime, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute also made an exception: the decision to co-hold this exhibition with Sichuan Artists Association was made within a very short notice and without the discussion of the academic committee. All these suggest that his scholar attainment and personality are widely valued. Besides, his students, most of whom are well-renowned contemporary artists, have squeezed out their time to be present, all out of respect and affection for Mr. Du. He is something! He is very influential among his students, who often regard him as a role model and learn from him how to be a real artist.

　　4. We can sense his feeling of sadness for life from any of his works, and this is exactly what makes an artist great. The sunshine in his painting is rich and massive in its implication—the color is bright while solid. Mr. Du’s methodology of color, no less remarkable than the western masters, is so profound that one can hardly understand within one book or two. History is always tragic, yet heroes like Mr. Du come out of that tragedy.

　　5. I have seen a number of works from world-class masters, and Mr. Du, objectively speaking, does belong to that group and this will be proved over time. A master like him is rarely seen in China today. He is a pioneer in the field, unique in his use of color and in his tones and skills. His works, I dare say, not only stun his contemporaries, but will stun future artists when displayed 20 or 30 years later. His art is a legacy of our nation.

　　Tang Yunming, traditional Chinese painter, professor and former vice-president of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute

　　1. Mr. Du’s oil paintings are expressive and bold, with rich and subtle colors. For instance, his nude paintings show vividly the beauty of women. He has kept his sensitivity to art since youth, which is beyond reach.

　　2. He peruses only the language in oil painting, rather than any concept, any doctrine or theory--all he’s got is his sincere heart and sensitivity. When we went to see him in the hospital, he wept whenever he was speaking of art—art and life are interwoven in him! I’d say, if I am asked to describe him in one sentence, I would say that he is an extraordinary artist both in painting competence and expression of emotions. I do appreciate him for that.

　　3. His oil works in recent years are more liberal. He has a comprehensive grasp of traditional Chinese paintings, and I once saw one of his flower-bird works (very rare, of course), The Lotus, forceful and perfect use of the brush tip. So when we observe his recent oil works, analyzing the excellent grasp of rhyme, we should be aware that Mr. Du has combined oil painting with traditional Chinese paintings perfectly. He, a genius artist, is the one in that field, yet he has not been studied enough. What a pity!

　　4. His students may have different artistic pursuits, but it goes without saying that they all started from Mr. Du. And we can see a deep learning tradition, with which the students are truly thankful to professor Du, because they respect him not only for his art, but for his personality.

　　Lin Mu, historian of fine arts, professor of the Fine Arts College of Sichuan Normal University

　　1. Mr. Du held an individual exhibition at the same place 10 years ago, which was of huge social ramification. I said after the exhibition that he is an exceptional and matchless oil painter, whose sensitivity to colors and shaping is considered superb—his shaping is so elusive and unpredictable that it is nearly impossible to acquire, and his colors are rich and subtle, also beyond comparison. I wrote an essay to disseminate his oil paintings and got a reply from Beijing saying “Thank you for introducing us such a great artist, of whom we haven’t even heard before. It is impossible to find anyone alike in Beijing, or in the whole country.’’ Genius artists like Mr. Du, truth to be told, are hard to come by even in 100 years. And if we study him in a view of art history, it would be a very big project.

　　2. After he came back from Russia, he was unexpectedly confident, asserting “I must be a better oil painter than them.” it’s amazing for an artist to say such things after he’s been to his artistic Jerusalem!

　　3. Professor Du is a marvelous painter, one of the most important figures in the domain of contemporary oil painting. He’s combined oil painting with traditional Chinese painting, thus producing a unique style, which is considered a paramount contribution to China’s contemporary oil painting history. He once said in private that he knew his works would prevail in the future, which, I’d say with responsibility and certainty as a historian of fine arts that he is irreplaceable.

　　4. I read Mr. Du’s narration in earnest today and I can feel that every single word is sincere and touching. For instance, he says, “I know nothing in this world other than art, but she is the source of my happiness. She is not any used by me as a ladder to fulfill any other aim, but is my whole life.” That’s him, seldom well-connected, who was offered the worst house, and whose titles were delayed; nevertheless, he’s the happiest in the faculty due to his immersion in art. I went to see him the other day, and he spoke of nothing but art though in a critical condition. Tang Yunming said to me when we left the hospital, “oh my God, what an artist! He speaks of nothing but art.” Knowing death was inevitable, he spoke in such fatigue and weakness, “I have a few words to say: one, my life has come to an end; two, my art also comes to an end; three, in painting, I follow only my intuition, rather than any trend.” I was so overwhelmed.

　　5. It’s a rare thing to have Mr. Du in Sichuan and in China, and if the authority had done something to help him, the whole nation, especially the historians of fine arts would have benefited greatly.

　　Qian Laizhong, traditional Chinese painter, chairman of Sichuan Artists Association, director of China Artists Association

　　1. On the tour to Russia in 2002, he told me that he had expected more of Russian art and that he was even better. He also noted the concept to combine oil painting and traditional Chinese elements, which, I believe, is a leap for him.

　　2. Respected as he was in a certain period of time, he has not been well-understood and time will tell that he is a great master. What’s more commendable is that his works in the recent time are more emotional and attached, which shows that he has entered nirvana. He is undoubtedly a master.

　　3. He might have not been paid enough attention in his times, but he, I believe, is most significant for the whole circle of fine arts, and for the purity of China’s art course.

　　4. We need to conduct a comprehensive study on Du Yongqiao from different perspectives and focus on different periods. I suggest that we should preserve his paintings at present, against the hot market—they will be much hotter in the future, that’s for sure. If we allow his works to sell easily now, it’ll be a huge pity for the whole circle of fine arts.

Based on the sound recording