In May 2007, as Du Yongqiao lay gravely ill, a retrospective exhibition on his oil and watercolor paintings, organized by a dozen friends and family members, opened at the Sichuan Art Museum on the 21st, after the art museum quickly made room in its exhibition schedule. The exhibition was jointly organized by the Sichuan Fine Artists Association and the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, and presented over seventy oil paintings and watercolors dating back to the 1950s. Du Yongqiao personally attended the exhibition opening.

    On the day of the opening, journalists carried out a series of interviews with some of Du`s students and various famous artists in attendance. That afternoon, a symposium on the art of Du Yongqiao was held in the museum conference room. Below are edited transcripts of those interviews and symposium proceedings.

He Duoling (oil painter)
1. At the institute, we had heard many legends about Mr. Du, but I had never seen him or his works. I was shocked, because everything I had ever imagined about oil painting, I saw it in his works. It really was like that. His art has always been very mature, all the way back to the 1950s. If we look at his works from the 1950s in today`s context, they are still great. No one can touch them. He is an important figure in the history of Chinese oil painting. His works from that time were already classics of oil painting. His art is absolutely top notch. People have asked me before, and I have told them, that we have only learned just an inkling of what Mr. Du knows. I am not just being polite here. This is really how it is. Mr. Du`s artistic foundation is incredibly deep. When I see his current works, I see his skill has only grown. 

2. Mr. Du`s paintings seem to have no connection to his lot in life. His paintings are very serene and detached. There is a pure beauty within. He has completely transcended the times, transcended all individual circumstances and experiences. This is truly quite rare. You could say that society has been very unfair to him, but art has saved him. I trust that Mr. Du sees himself as very fortunate.

3. In those days, Mr. Du did not receive the attention he deserved. Even today, we are seeing a lot of these works for the first time, and perhaps part of that is because he is such a soft-spoken person. He has been living a very reclusive life, even back when I was a student. I understand that there are many people seeking out his works, but he isn`t always willing to provide them. He has no interest in business, and knows nothing about it, so you rarely see his works on the market. I can understand the imbalance between his works and their price, but the market will quickly come to value his works. It is only a matter of time.

4. I`m both sad and happy to see this exhibition. The exhibition is a great success, but I feel he should have held a large exhibition like this a long time ago. To hold it only now, at the end of his life, it seems too late for him.

Zhang Xiaogang (oil painter)
1. I haven`t interacted with Mr. Du very much in private. I haven`t even seen him for about ten years. But I have great respect for him. He has always preserved the essence of the artist. I am really moved by this exhibition today. Seeing so many people come out for the opening, it is clear that deep down, everyone sees him as a true artist.

2. We were quite lucky to have him as a teacher. He showed me the allure of gray. We had all heard that Mr. Du was great with colors, but we rarely saw his works. Now, after all these years, it is quite moving to finally be able to see his works going all the way back to his youth. I think that today, looking at his work with the eyes and mind of an artist, I still have great respect for him. I think that, to see his late shift in individual style, where he has painted many outstanding works and also highly individualized works, he has truly been very successful on the artistic path, and I am very proud to be his student.

3. I had the pleasure of traveling to Moscow this March, and I took a very close look at a lot of paintings there, including the paintings of the Itinerants. Looking back at Mr. Du`s paintings now, I can see that he researched and grasped the system of Russian painting on a very profound and thorough level, and took things even further than they did in their own time.

4. Mr. Du`s generation of artists experienced too much hardship. I think fate was quite unfair to them. But one thing I really respect in Mr. Du is that he was able to transcend this poor lot in life through piety and perseverance in art, and was able to express his understanding of art and his passion for life. This is something quite remarkable.

5. I think that art is never abstract. Art is always a concentrated projection of the times within people`s hearts. The key is whether or not the artist is providing a true reflection of his understanding and perception of art, as well as whether he is transcending the era while also being a part of it. I think Mr. Du has achieved this.

6. Mr. Du and I may have taken different artistic paths, but I think there is one thing we have in common, which is that art must be at one with the most basic elements of human nature for it to have the power to move people. This is why his art moves us. His art reflects the most precious aspects of human nature.

7. The times have perhaps buried him or overlooked him temporarily, but this exhibition shows once again that the true artist and true works of art cannot be buried forever.

Zhou Chunya (oil painter)
1. I`m not actually a part of Mr. Du`s “inner circle.” His real “inner circle” consisted of Luo Zhongli, Zhang Xiaogang, and He Duoling. We only had him for a one month class on colors, but that one month had a profound, unforgettable effect on me.

2. Mr. Du piously gave his whole life to art. Not only did he doggedly pursue art for himself, he spread this character trait to his students. One of the main reasons we are here to show support for this exhibition is out of respect for Mr. Du`s artistic achievements and his attitudes as an intellectual and as an individual. Also, he had a very calm demeanor with young artists. He was really able to connect with them.

3. His later works took on an older, more mature feel. The works he painted in old age are very powerful, and they still radiate with a youthful spirit. This is quite precious. There certainly are contemporary and modern elements in his paintings, but he never followed the trends. He always held fast to his own artistic style. I think this is something that Mr. Du handled very well.

4. I agree with what some of my fellow artists have been saying, which is that Mr. Du`s reputation has never matched his achievements. If China had respected artists and intellectuals several decades ago, then Mr. Du would certainly have achieved much, much more. He was a teacher, and as I remember, a highly respected academic authority. But I feel that we haven`t adequately researched his colors and his art. This is something we must research further. The influence of an artist is not about when he is in this world. Many artists in history were only rediscovered and affirmed after their deaths.

Gao Xiaohua (oil painter, Honorary President of Southwestern Nationalities University Art Department)
1. There really is a sea of people here at the exhibition. I`ve been to countless exhibitions in China and abroad, but I`ve never seen anything like this! This shows us two sides of Mr. Du`s influence, as an artist and as a person. Since my student days, I`ve traveled the world and interacted with many artists and important figures, but to this day, I feel that Mr. Du is the most worthy of my respect.

2. Our class from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute (SFAI) was quite strong. Some of my classmates were featured in the National Fine Arts Exhibition before even being admitted to the school, so when we first started classes, some of the teachers were tough with us in order to deflate our arrogance. Mr. Du was never like that, though. He had true skill, and everyone hung onto his every word and deed. Mr. Du had a strong academic reputation, but he never let it get to his head. He was very kind, and he was innocent in a way other artists rarely were. There was nothing false about him. He was very charismatic. For there to be someone so innocent in a modern society in which relationships can be so complex was a miracle. No one ever said anything negative about him in the art scene.

3. I had heard of Mr. Du before I came to SFAI. They called him the “Surikov of Chongqing.” From the moment we set foot in the school, we hoped he would teach our class, and when we saw his name on our schedule, we were really excited. I remember we even went to the office and asked them to schedule more classes with him. We all learned a lot from him. I think we all see him as our mentor.

4. In those days, the whole country was studying Soviet style art, but successes in that model, such as Mr. Du`s, were extremely rare. His grays are so enchanting, and he is rightly praised for them. Today, seeing his late works, his style has become free. It is a natural release and flow. The art of his lifetime is truly a miracle in art.

5. Mr. Du is gravely ill today, and I was saddened to see him in this condition, but I was also quite astounded by his vitality. His health was always poor. I would frequently receive word of him being admitted to hospitals, and the rumors would grow increasingly sensationalized. We felt that perhaps he had more important things to deal with than art. None of us imagined he would hold on as long as he has. But seeing him today, and seeing his very different late style works in today`s exhibition, I am astonished, and deeply moved, by the strength and tension I see here. I think that not only is Mr. Du`s art a miracle, his life is a miracle as well.

Qin Ming (oil painter)
1. I`ve been abroad for well over a decade, and I have visited many museums and galleries, and the exhibitions of many of the great masters from the former Soviet Union, America and Europe, but I still think that Mr. Du is a unique master. His works have a very strong individual style, and are very well crafted. His use of color is quite unique, and his painterly spirit is very rare.

2. His skills as an oil painter far surpass those of many a Russian painter. He truly is an outstanding painter. I particularly remember his oil paintings from during the Cultural Revolution. They were painted very thick, and had an Expressionist feel. They were wonderful.

3. Mr. Du`s paintings from the past two years are completely unbounded. He has reached a level of spiritual perfection. I think this is connected to his artistic training, his overall level of cultivation, and his current religious faith. His paintings embody a feel of transcendence over the mortal world, a sense of mystery as well as a sense of religiosity. They are very moving.

4. Our lives were changed by his patient teaching. Everything he taught our generation, from artistic techniques to his views on art, continues to help us today. Thinking back now, I am truly grateful. 

Luo Zhongli (oil painter, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute President)
1. Mr. Du was always the most popular teacher. His teachings drew great credence from his artistic achievements.

2. Mr. Du was trained in the Soviet style, but he infused it with his own personal style, particularly his grasp of colors, that subtle and refined individual experience and grasp of colors. It is quite rare. When standing in front of his paintings, the colors move you like poetry. Whether or not you understand painting, they will definitely move you.

3. Mr. Du was not the kind of teacher to hold his seniority over you. He could engage the students on equal footing. In this equal relationship between teacher and student, you were able to learn a lot from him.

4. Seeing his late period works today has left me quite emotional. I can feel that great confidence he has as he drives the painting. His tireless artistic pursuits have led him to great artistic heights. I think that this exhibition is uniquely important, both for Mr. Du, and for our field.

Wang Yishi (France-based painter and scholar)
1. Du Yongqiao`s accomplishments in colors have been widely affirmed. In his time, among what some refer to as the second generation of Chinese oil painters, he is certainly one of the most outstanding. His paintings are on a very high level in this country. In terms of colors and oil painting techniques, it would be difficult for anyone to surpass him, for anyone in China to surpass his skills. But, to this day, many people feel that he has not been truly recognized in the Chinese painting scene.

2. In the mid-1990s, he began creating oil paintings with Chinese traits, oil paintings imbued with the Chinese cultural spirit, and flavors of Chinese art. He has always been striving for this, and in his works from the late 1990s, and particularly from after 2001, we can see that these efforts reached a high point. His works, especially those from 2003 to 2005, are very exciting: that expressiveness, that imagery, that freedom, that directness, that sincerity... He reached a high point that was in no way less meaningful than his past achievements as a second generation oil painter. Compared to many oil painters of his generation in Beijing, he is a rare specimen. He has now gone much further than them. This is where the other second generation oil painters have fallen behind him.

3. His works after 2001 have strong tones of Chinese freehand painting, something that is virtually non-existent in the West. This is a path that is completely different from that of the Expressionist painters of the West. The expressiveness and conceptual imagery are no less rich than Expressionist art. I have been traveling between France, other parts of Europe, and China for many years, and I have discovered that in terms of artistic experience, and level of skill, Mr. Du is truly a rare specimen. I believe that if his works were brought to Europe, they would be recognized and respected. Europeans can find European culture and resonance within his work, but they can also find things that are not present in European culture, things that belong to our Chinese culture, and can perhaps better stimulate their aesthetic senses.

4. His earlier painting was very mature within that system. Now his painting has taken a stylistic turn, breaking through and moving beyond his past art, and reaching its own level of maturity. This shows that his foundation is very strong, and his skills very broad. He is steeped in both oil painting traditions and Chinese painting. Placed among China`s contemporary oil paintings of today, I feel that these already stand as classics. It is very rare for someone to reach such heights. But there is not enough recognition of him in the Chinese art scene, or that recognition is not clear enough.

5. I do not have a deep understanding of the domestic art market, but I do feel that it is not very mature, because when it is reflecting the price of an artist`s works, it often places emphasis on things outside of the painting, such as the artist`s position, political office or social status. When it comes to a pure artist such as Mr. Du, with no titles to his name, the market will quite possibly underestimate his value. I think this is a tragedy. I feel that if the market does not reflect the value of such a unique artist as Du Yongqiao, then at the very least, it demonstrates that the Chinese art market is still not quite mature, and may even be quite far from maturity. A few days ago, I told him that even if history is unfair, even if society does not appraise you the way it should, your sincerity is truly admirable, even great.

Xu Zhong`ou (print artist, Head of Design Department, Central Academy of Fine Arts)
1. I think that Mr. Du was born to paint. He is a genius on a level rarely seen in China. He emerged from his hometown in Yuechi County on foot, walking several days and nights to reach Chengdu. Before applying to the art institute, he didn`t even know what a fine arts major was all about, or what drawing was. But as soon as he touched it, he could do it. It was astounding. From his youth to his old age, his art has always maintained such a high level. He was always far out in front of everyone else. Everyone agrees about this.

He is a painter with a pure soul. There was never anything else in his mind. This has always been his greatest trait - purity: purity of emotions, purity of colors, purity of expression. No matter how social norms changed, or artistic tides shifted, he remained pure and steadfast.

3. This exhibition was able to come together over such a short period of time mainly due to the support from multiple fronts. The Sichuan Fine Artists Association was able to make room for the event out of their busy schedule after much difficulty. I also hear that the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute made an exception to their usual convention, and decided to join with the Fine Artists Association to produce this exhibition without first commissioning research from its academic council. This is a demonstration of Mr. Du`s scholarly standing and widespread respect for his art and his character. Secondly, his students are all quite famous now, and all have very tight schedules as contemporary artists, making it very difficult for them to all come together for such an event, but despite everything, they were able to come together. There were no corners cut here. In every aspect, we see profound feelings and respect for Mr. Du. And Mr. Du certainly is an amazing person. He has been very influential for his students, or, you could say he has become a role model for us all, showing us how to be a real artist.

4. Look at any of his paintings. From the tone and atmosphere, you can immediately see that this is not a simple life study. He is conveying his awe at life. For the artist, awe is life. Even when he paints brilliant sunlight, we still sense a great weight. His colors are just so bright and yet so heavy. If someone were to research his system of colors, I don`t think even three books would be enough. This system is no less rich than those of the Western masters.

5. I have been to many countries and seen the original works of many world class masters. Now, looking back at Mr. Du`s artworks, I can objectively say that Mr. Du can be called a master. One day in the future, history will affirm his place as a master of Chinese oil painting. It is hard for our nation to produce such a master. He truly is one of those artists who leads the way. From tone to color and expression, he is wholly unique, and will be difficult to surpass. I dare say that the great masters of his generation will all revere his work, and in twenty to thirty years, you could show his paintings anywhere in the world, and the artists of the future will revere his work as well. His art no longer belongs to him alone. It is the heritage of our people, the wealth of our nation. Though history is often tragic, the tragedy of history has produced a great man in Du Yongqiao.

Tang Yunming (Chinese painter, Sichuan University Art Academy Professor, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute Deputy Director)
1. Mr. Du is bold and unrestrained with his brush. There is a magnanimous air, with rich, refined and subtle colors. Looking at his figure studies, he has captured feminine beauty with great vividness. He has amazing powers of perception. From his youth to today, he has always maintained great artistic sensitivity and the ability to grasp beauty. This is something that few can achieve.

2. What Mr. Du`s works pursue is not concepts, but the language of painting itself. He doesn`t have so many concepts, precepts or philosophies, but he does have the pure heart of the artist, a soulfulness, and a keen pair of artist`s eyes. We visited Mr. Du at his sickbed, and as soon as he spoke of art, his eyes welled up. I think his art and his life are truly intertwined. If I were to use one phrase to sum up Mr. Du, it would be that he is a highly accomplished artist in both skill and emotion, and I have great respect and appreciation for his talent and his art.

3. In his later years, particularly in the last few years, his painting took on many traits of freehand Chinese painting. This is the result of his long research and deep cultivation in Chinese painting. He rarely shows his flower and bird paintings to others. I have seen one of his lotus paintings, and it is wonderful. It is bold and powerful, with sharp brushstrokes. His expressiveness in oil has certainly benefited from his cultivation in flower and bird painting. Look at the great freehand style of his late period oil paintings, the vividness, the sense of harmony, the sense of rapidity, his powerful, precise control. On the question of how to apply the traditions of Chinese painting to Western painting and achieve an integration of the two, Mr. Du is already quite successful. He is certainly the most outstanding artist within that system. This is why we call him an artistic genius. Many scholars feel that his art has yet to be properly researched, and this is regretful.

4. Though his students all pursued their own paths, diverging from each other, and from Mr. Du himself, they all elevate what they learned at his side. This goes without saying. From this, we can see the deep teacher-student relationships at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, how deeply grateful they all are for Mr. Du, and how much reverence they have for his art and his character.

Lin Mu (art historian, Sichuan University Art Academy Professor)
1. Mr. Du held a solo exhibition at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and the Sichuan Art Museum ten years ago as well, and that exhibition was also highly influential. After that exhibition, I said that this was no ordinary artist. This is a rare breed, someone with genius rarely seen in the Chinese oil painting scene, even today. His genius is embodied in his extreme sensitivity to color, and his natural sense for shapes. In his modeling, he seeks a point between semblance and non-semblance, between being and non-being. This is a great challenge for most people. It is difficult to teach, and difficult, perhaps impossible, to learn. This is why I call him a genius. Look at the colors on those paintings, so rich, so refined, and so gentle. This would be very difficult for any ordinary artist. After that exhibition, I wrote an essay introducing his oil paintings, and the response I got from Beijing was: “Thank you for introducing such a great painter. We had no idea there was a painter of this caliber in China. We certainly cannot find one in Beijing.” Artistic geniuses are not easy to come by. You may encounter one in a century. From an art history perspective, he is certainly a very worthwhile topic for research.

2. Mr. Du studied Russian painting in the past. When he returned from a trip to Russia, he was not at all dispirited. He said, “I paint better than the majority of those famous painters.” To think that an artist could say that after visiting a country so respected for its art.

3. Mr. Du is a great painter, one of the most important contemporary oil painters in China. He has made an important contribution by bringing Western oil painting together with Chinese art, and thus formulating the traits of Chinese painting in oil, through which he has created a style that you would not find in the West, a Chinese oil painting style. This is of course an outstanding contribution to the history of Chinese contemporary oil painting. He has certainly earned his place in the annals of Chinese art history, among Chinese contemporary oil painters. Mr. Du has privately said that he believes his works will forever be remembered. As a scholar of art history, I can say in all responsibility that his place in the history of Chinese oil painting is assured.

4. I carefully read Mr. Du`s personal statement today. He spoke about preparing to leave this world, and looking back on his life. Every sentence was so sincere and moving. He says he understands nothing outside of art, but in art, he has found happiness. For him, art is not a means to an end; art is life itself. Du Yongqiao really is like this. He really doesn`t understand a lot of things. He doesn`t understand social relationships. He had the worst housing in the art institute, and earned tenure later than everyone else, but he was happier than everyone, because he spent his days living in an artistic environment. When I went to visit him, he was already terminally ill, but all he could talk about was art. As we left, Tang Yunming said to me, “He`s at this point in his life, and he won`t talk about anything but art!” Mr. Du knows he is at the end of his life. He could only speak with great effort, and his voice was very weak as he told me, “I have three things to tell you. First, my life is at its end. Second, my art is at its end. Third, for all my life, I painted for my own perceptions. I never chased any styles or trends.” I was so touched.

5. It really is something to see the emergence of such a genius here in Sichuan, here in China. If our government and our fine artists associations are able to do anything for such talented artists, that would be a great thing for our nation and for our art history research.

Qian Laizhong (Chinese painter, Sichuan Fine Artists Association Chairman, China Fine Artists Association Advisor)
1. Mr. Du and I traveled to Russia together in 2002. On the road, he told me that Russian art was not as good as he had imagined. He felt that there were certain ways in which he had already surpassed them. He also spoke to me about an issue. He said he really wanted to integrate elements of Chinese painting and oil painting. When he was thinking about this in 2002, I think this was another elevation of his life and art.

2. Though we already came to deeply admire his art in a particular historical period, I feel that even now, we do not know enough about him. In the future, history will affirm his place at the summit of that historical period. Now, in his late works, he has ascended yet another level. He appears more determined, more obsessed, more like a great artist who has transcended himself. He should not shy away at all from calling himself one of the great masters of Chinese art.

3. Perhaps the limitations of the times or other reasons have denied Mr. Du the kind of promotion he should have received in each historical period, but I believe that Mr. Du`s art is of inestimable value as an inspiration for purification and elevation of our nation`s art.

4. There is still a need for a more complete case study of him from multiple perspectives and across multiple periods of time, a complete account and promotion of him. My suggestion is not to hurry in selling his paintings. We must create the conditions for preserving much about Mr. Du. The art market may be quite good right now, but we can be certain that his position in the market will be entirely different in the future. Mr. Du is like a giant tree that has been growing for many years. If his works were lost, it would be a source of great regret across the art world, leaving us at a great loss.

Above remarks compiled from audio recordings.