Pan Gongkai（President of Central Academy of Fine Arts）
I still have in mind that in 2006, Wang Huangsheng held his Universe•Leisureliness: Ink Brush Painting by Wang Huangshengexhibition in National Art Museum of China and on the seminar of this exhibition, I gave a speech of my interpretation of Wang's artworks, here I extract the following from that speech:
" I'm well acquainted with Huangsheng, yet when I saw his exhibition today, I'm still surprised. Because I have no opportunity to make an overall appreciation of his works normally. Today I viewed them and feel quite moved. Peoples like us are busy all day with work affairs and we could well imagine how busy Huangsheng is. He could make so many high qualified artworks when he is busy, which is quite admirable. There are two features of his painting: one is fairly elegant, or in another word graceful, another is leisure and free. Elegance is originally one of the attributes belongs to painter, yet now painters are going further and further away from tradition and are gradually losing the style and habits of traditional literati; it is no longer that easy to be graceful now and various cultivations are needed. Yet Huangsheng is very outstanding in this aspect. He is not only an outstanding administrator and not only a painter; he is widely cultivated not only in painting but also in poem and articles. Such kind of omnifaceted cultivation can rarely be seen in today's middle-aged and young generations' artists. Another aspect is the free and leisure feature of his works. He does not limit himself to the specific rules of traditional brush and ink, yet he focuses on the overall effect of the picture and control brush and ink in an integral way. In my mind, he firstly focuses on the overall picture and decides how to use ink and brush from a unified way and choose his way of expression. His paintings, including those old houses in landscape and color ink flowers, on closer view, details of the brush and ink seem to be a chaotic mass, yet step back and see again, you will find that the overall effect is quite proper and precise; ink and color, ink and ink, brushstrokes and brushstrokes, details and details, relationships between these are all in a well control of the whole picture. His brushwork is quite free and smart, in which there is a kind of unique understanding of him upon ink and brush.
His black white ink and wash with airy pavilions and pagodas are fairly uniquely graceful. The upper part of the pavilion is surrounded by some clouds which are dim and light; this is on one side a kind of personalized expression of himself and on another side the landscape of southern China. Clouds in southern China are sometimes very low, a piece of cloud will even float before your eyes. The painting in the median place of the round pavilion is bright in foreground and very dark in the background, showed the so called sunrise in the east and rain in the west, is a very special sense. He could extend the sense into a series which is fantastic and from which we could sense his elegance. His culture cultivation is not only a kind of knowledge, but also a kind of feeling permeating in his blood; he has shown the gloomy and melancholic sense through painting. All in all, Huangsheng's exhibition inspired me a lot. I didn't expect that Huangsheng could give us such a good exhibition which could dazzle the eyes of the art traditional Chinese painting and fine arts circles when he is so busy; I congratulate him wholeheartedly. "
When he was the director of Guangdong Museum of Art, he worked conscientiously with great passion and effort and established Guangdong Museum of Art to be a first level art museum with his open vision and modern idea; which is quite noticeable. Yet it is unexpected that he also kept painting all along. Born into a well known family of calligraphy and painting in east Guangdong, he learned painting from his childhood and has acquired a profound skill in brush and ink. He studied in Nanjing when he grew up and was tainted with another kind of cultural atmosphere; art grew up in the collision of different essences and different places, which made him outstanding. After graduation, he returned to Guangdong and worked successively in various fields like publishing house, painting institute and art museum. The experience determined his vision. His paintings are unbridled, forceful, bold and unrestrained, full of vitality and creation as well as impulsiveness of innovation. He has his unique style beyond traditional rules.
In 2009, I transferred Wang Huangsheng as a talented person from Guangdong Museum of Art into CAFA to preside over the work in the Art Museum of CAFA. Just as expected, he came up to all expectations after he came to CAFA. With his open international vision, his academic insight as a scholar of art history, as well as his capability and force as an administrator of art museum, he made one after another high qualified exhibitions and made wide influence in art circles both in and abroad China. While organizing good exhibitions, he also embarked on classification, exploration and research works of the collection of CAFA Art Museum, as well as the public education work of art museum. He launched "University & Art Museum" magazine, edited year book of art museum and promoted "digital art museum", which is applied to the transmitting of outstanding exhibitions across space and time as well as the reservation of documents. From the perspective of standardization, academicalization as well as a historical angle, he pushed the academic museum of art a big step forward, his achievements are favorably reviewed by the art circles.
In spare time after work, he still draws paintings. Living and working in Beijing, the wide social contact, reading and communication led to essential changes to his art. From his earlier "Heaven and Earth" and "Carefree" series, he created a series of new artworks titled "Moving Visions". With all kinds of lines extending freely and leisurely, traces and ink, water, rich levels combined naturally, these paintings are tending to be abstract and are full of sense of form. He call them "Moving" and "Visions" because they are another kind of extension of his "Heaven and Earth•Carefree" subject, which is still exploring the relationship between universe and human, the free status of people in their own space, the confused and chaotic mindset inside life and others. There are still brushstrokes, lines, ink and color in the pictures; maybe we could say that the taste of ink and wash are still the same yet a spirit of modern people appears vividly.
Wang Huangsheng is always creative and passionate with unusual daring to try in his work and painting is precisely where he shows the creativity of life. We believe that under the inspiring of creativity, his creation will advance continuously and show new look. I wish the exhibition a great success!