Mei Mosheng to Gui Yong's Codex.
Mei Mosheng and "The Freedom of the Spirit".
Gui Yong. Mei Mosheng and I first met at the Fourth National Symposium on Calligraphy held in Chongqing in 1993, because we were both young people at that time, and we had little impression of each other. I really got acquainted with Mei Mosheng and started to associate with him in 1994 at the Yaji event held by Yousheng Books in Gongyi Folk Culture Village, Henan. Although he was born in the early 60s of the 20th century, he looks a bit "young and old", and his speech speed is relatively slow, and it is difficult to tell his actual age from his face.
In my impression, Mei Mosheng belongs to a typical early "Beijing drifter" family, and soon after graduating from Hebei Light Industry School with a major in fine arts, he went to Beijing to seek a job. During his part-time work as an editor of the magazine "Chinese Calligraphy", he took advantage of that unique platform to start his career as a "critic", and at the same time had the opportunity to participate in exhibitions and academic seminars held by the domestic calligraphy community. He also participated in the compilation of the Complete Works of Chinese Calligraphy: He Shaoji Volume edited by Mr. Liu Zhengcheng. Later, he left "Chinese Calligraphy" to teach at the ** Academy of Fine Arts. I didn't stay long in the **Academy of Fine Arts, and it seems that I went to Rong Bao Zhai and some other units. It feels like he always changes positions in three days. Despite this, his research and creation did not stop for a moment, and the results became more and more fruitful.
Around the mid-90s of the 20th century, I was on a business trip to Beijing and met Mei Mosheng at an event. He was very polite when he saw me, and said that he would find an opportunity to invite me to a light meal and have something to meet with me. At noon the next day, he arranged for a small restaurant along Beiheyan Street, ordered a few dishes and two bottles of beer, and we chatted while eating. He said that in recent years, he has written dozens of art reviews, most of which have been published in relevant newspapers and periodicals, and he plans to collect and sort out those articles and publish a collection of essays to see if our publishing house can help publish them. I was a little hesitant about what he brought up. First of all, I felt that most of his articles had been published, and then the collection and publication would affect the distribution of the bookSecondly, publishing ** anthologies is a matter of losing money for publishers and editors. When he saw that I had not answered, he said very eagerly that this book was extremely important to him, and that it was about his future and destiny. I heard that his attitude was so sincere, it was not easy to refuse, let him prepare first, and when I returned, I would first report the topic to the leader, and then report to the leader of the society and explain the situation. At this time, he raised the wine glass in his hand and touched it with me, and drank it all. Fortunately, Zhu Xiukun, the president of our publishing house, had heard of Mei Mosheng for a long time, and had read Mei Mosheng's articles in relevant art journals, thinking that he was a very talented and thoughtful person. With the full support of President Zhu, Mei Mosheng's topic was finally approved. The title of that collection of reviews is "The Freedom of the Spirit: A Collection of Mei Mosheng's Art Essays". This book contains more than 60 chapters of Mei Mosheng's art criticism, the preface is written by the art critic Mr. Deng Fuxing, and the title of the book is inscribed by the esthetician and literary critic Mr. Wang Chaowen. This is evident from the high level of its specifications.
Soon after the publication of that book, I learned that he had officially joined the Theory Department of the China National Academy of Painting. After that, he took the opportunity of a business trip to the south, and even went to Hefei to invite me and Zhu Xiukun to dinner to show his gratitude. During the banquet, Mei Mosheng's spirit and state were very different from before, not only pushing the cup and changing the lamp, but also the language was very humorous. When he was in high spirits, he gave us a look at the people at the table. When I showed it to the girls, most of them were full of praise. When it was my turn, he said that Gui Yong had a bold personality and integrity, but his talent was medium, and his career could not be too big. We agreed. Then he said that judging from Gui Yong's face, although there will be a little twists and turns in his life, it will still be smooth overall. I think his assessment of me is basically pertinent. He also advised me that it would be best to have a beard on my chin in my old age, so that I might live longer. I still remember his words vividly.
Since Mei Mosheng joined the China National Academy of Painting, it can be said that he has ushered in a more brilliant artistic life. Since then, his best work has gradually decreased, while his creations and exhibitions have increased. As far as I know, since 1997, when he held a solo exhibition of calligraphy and painting at the National Art Museum of China, he has held exhibitions in Beijing, Harbin, Hangzhou and other places. After entering the new millennium, he promoted his exhibitions overseas, and successively held personal exhibitions of calligraphy and painting works in South Korea, Germany, the United States, Italy and other places.
In 2016, co-sponsored by the Propaganda Department of the Hefei Municipal Party Committee and the Hefei Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the "Great Lake Covenant" Art Masters Lecture Hall was opened at the Hefei Grand Theater, and Mei Mosheng was invited to give lectures in Hefei. The title of his lecture was "The Technique and Aesthetics of Chinese Painting". During this period, the city arranged Mr. Chen Zhi, then vice chairman and secretary general of the Hefei Calligraphy Association, to be responsible for receiving and accompanying him. In the evening after the lecture, the organizers arranged a small reception. Chen Zhi asked Mei Mosheng for his opinion and asked him which friends he wanted to see in the evening. Mei Mosheng said that the others should not shout, if Gui Yong is here, just invite him to come and see him. Chen Zhi called me ** and told me that Mei Mosheng had arrived in Hefei, and you would like to come over for a small gathering in the evening. I hadn't seen him for years, so I came. After seeing Mei Mosheng, I felt that although he had more gray hair, his whole expression and state were not much different from when they met in Henan in 1994. There weren't many people that night, and Mei Mosheng was also very happy, and after drinking about five or six glasses of wine, he felt in good condition and was in good spirits.
Less than 3 years after that meeting, in April 2019, I suddenly heard the sad news that Mei Mosheng had died of illness in Beijing. A Yan Zhao genius who has always adhered to health preservation and is familiar with Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism did not live to be 60 years old, which is really sighing.