After China entered reform and opening-up era, Chinese fine arts have experienced historic changes with two drastic characteristics: One is the formation of self consciousness of the artists into their ideas. The artists' opinion and observation perspective on history and their feeling towards reality can both be traced down from their works. Secondly, the artistic styles of the artists experienced changes between tradition and existing style, which in turn became the new style with current composition. To certain extend, the changes of styles are essential. They are also the most concrete topic that every artist has to face. In oil painting, this topic is more serious. After opening doors to the West, Chinese artists got better knowledge on the traditional, modern and current styles of oil painting. While learning from the western styles, Chinese artists are thinking clearly about how to explore their own ways of creation. In this sense, after the cultural selection and years of screening, a Chinese style can be called upon. With such group idea in mind, generations of Chinese oil painting artists, by different means and from different perspectives, are making their own endeavor. Chen Shudong is one of the most persistent practitioners. He has been trying his best to explore and establish the unique Chinese style in oil painting.

　　As an artist from the army, sometimes it is necessary for him to create a painting as a task. In my opinion, Chen is able to combine professional responsibility, academic arm and artistic ideal into one. For many years, he has been devoted to combine massive oil painting with his own concentrated artistic expressionism. In 2007, to participate the art creation of national major historical events, he created oil painting “Mighty Army Crossing the Great River.” With the same theme, Dong Xiwen had created his oil painting, Yan Han once created his engraving painting and Li Keran had his traditional Chinese painting before Chen. How to find the exact cutting point for his own theme became one of the challenges he has to face. Chen used large scale canvas to express the excited scenery with thousands of ships. At the same time, he used thick colors, especially the color of black and red, black and white to create the conflicting visual effects. The stylistic tension gives new expression for his painting.

　　Actually, from 1980s, Chen has been emerged in exploring the current expressionism of oil painting. He likes the classical style that runs through the classic and modern oil painting in the West. He has been attracted by the expressionistic styles. However, the inner power that supports his exploration is his experience of life strength and his noble aesthetic pursuit.

　　Among all the army artists, even including all the oil painting artists, he is one of the best who devoted to large scale creation. I still remember his first work “the first blast – for the constructors of Shenzhen in its early years”. The painting is about the first explosion in Shenzhen to start the city construction. The up-raising smoke and dusts take most part of the painting. The thick color of red and black is both realistic and symbolic. The artistic language and the content of the theme are in perfect cohesion and thus reflect the social characteristics of arts and the value of artistic language. In his paintings, like “Marching into the City”, “Cloudless Sky”, “Capture of a City”, “Sunset after Rain”, “Scenery of Town Towers”，on the one hand, he catches the historic moment in the war and victory by using unique perspectives of painting, he uses the temple and rhythm of oil painting language to combine scenery, view, people and atmosphere into one. To certain extend, it is better to say that he showed historic feeling rather than historic reality. It is the latter who needs more language to express its content and meaning.

　　Another of his famous works, titled “One Day in Lu Xun Academy of Arts” also touches me. Many artists have been to Yan'an to commemorate the Lu Xun Academy of Arts and the group of youth who spent their years in pursuit of revolution. At the same time, quite a few paintings are about the same theme. But under Chen's brush, except the “youth and revolution” theme, he put more stress on the connection between the academy and the land in northern Shaanxi Province and the group style of artists from Lu Xun Academy of Arts. In the painting that composed of many detailed depiction, the dancing troops showed its appearance in the historic scenery and then faded into the screen of time. He used heavy and thick language to express the spiritual value of the theme. For many years, Chen kept marching into the saint place in the revolutionary history. Before the historic scene, his feelings dignified from the reality to the historic meaning. In this sense, the spiritual image of the scenery was created. The meeting venue, former residence for the great ones are painted by using black color. Together with the powerful strokes and harsh texture of the colors, the sky, land and constructions work together to reflect the colors of time.

　　Among all the current oil painting artists, Chen's style is unique. He is good at using powerful and simple artistic language to create grand space as well as the most detailed expression. From this sense, it means that he has already developed his own aesthetic style of creation, which is the fruit of his long-lasting artistic pursuit. If we put his artistic works into the whole picture of Chinese current oil painting, we can find that he has devoted a lot to the current styles of oil painting in China.

　　The author is the curator of National Art Museum of China, and a vice president of Chinese Artists Association.

作者：Fan,Di'an