When it comes to the painter Wang Shiming, familiar people often blurt out: Oh, it's the person who painted "Shancheng Bangbang". Indeed, for a long time, this professor Kawamei, who is good at ink figures, has been "with Bangbang" no matter whether she sketches or creates. Most of his "bangbangs" are strong, resolute, and slightly detached. Not only that, but he also depicted the second brother on the back of the Three Gorges, migrant workers in the city, pig dealers, herdsmen in the west, and ordinary people. He occasionally paints celebrities and masters, but he always looks at each other from the perspective of a commoner, so that he is in a cold room and a cornfield, as intimate as an old man. In the vast studio of Huxi Commune, the grand narrative and the tiny individual, the low-level characters and the famous and high-ranking disciples, are in the same area, crowded and crowded, and it is difficult to say whether they are superior or inferior to each other. Raise your eyes and look at it, so many people. 
As early as 1978, when Wang Shiming was admitted to the Chinese painting major of the Sichuan Painting Department, he already had a considerable art foundation and modeling ability. Born in a family of teachers, he likes to write and draw since he was a child, and he paints villain books, until he goes to middle school, and reading sculptures and illustrations in newspapers is still a big hobby for him. 
White Sun: Painter Shi Lu, ink on paper, 50x35cm, 2023At the Jiangbei County Cultural Center at that time, he painted propaganda posters and illustrations for a while, and even engaged in wood carving earlier, and participated in the art exhibition in a daze. As soon as the college entrance examination resumed, he was eager to try. In 1977, he failed in the first attempt, and he was unwilling. In the following year, he fought again, the first choice of oil painting, the second choice of printmaking, the third choice of Chinese painting, and finally he was admitted to the major of Chinese painting. "At level 77 and level 78, there are only more than 100 people in the entire Sichuan Painting Department. Wang Shiming is fortunate to be this 1%, and naturally cherishes it. Following Li Wenxin, Huang Yuan, Du Xianqing, Bai Cheng, Bai Desong and other famous teachers, he studied the art of Chinese painting that has been inherited for thousands of years. Training and reading day after day allowed him to gradually find self-confidence while opening his horizons and improving his skills. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in four years, he was able to stay on as a teacher in the normal department because of his outstanding grades and in-depth modeling performance. In 1985, he was sent by Sichuan Mei to the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now the China Academy of Art) for further study in Chinese painting, where he studied under famous teachers such as Li Zhenjian, Liu Guohui, Wu Shanming, and Zhang Pincao, and systematically studied the expression techniques of Zhejiang ink figure painting. When he first entered Zhejiang and the United States, the assignments he brought with him caused the teachers to sigh: Chuanmei's modeling ability is very strong! 
Mirage, ink on paper, 200x200cm, 2019Wang Shiming, a young teacher, knows the truth of turning to many teachers. He understands that the figure painting of the Zhejiang School has successfully integrated Western figure modeling with traditional Chinese brush and ink, and established a new paradigm of modern ink figure painting. To put it simply, it attaches great importance to the study of brush and ink, and successfully integrates the art of flowers, birds, and calligraphy into figure painting, achieving a major breakthrough in ink figure painting. He conscientiously absorbed the techniques of the Zhejiang School of figure painting, which laid a solid foundation for his later specialization in ink figures and integration with the Sichuan and American ink figure painting traditions. In fact, he was not so sure about the direction of art from the beginning. After graduating, he painted people and landscapes. It's just that these landscape paintings, like the privacy of the star's early years, are obscured intentionally or unintentionally. The first appearance can be traced back to 1987. In that year, he exhibited more than 20 ink figure sketches in the exhibition hall of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute; The work "Spring Cold" also participated in the "Chongqing Chinese Painting Academy's Second Beijing Works Exhibition". The seemingly dull years, there are two bright colors that make him unforgettable. 
Pastoral Night Banquet, ink on paper, 145x220cm, 2014In 1994, he built a studio on the hillside behind the No. 2 Printing Factory in Eling, where the army artillery company belongs, and devoted himself to studying Chinese painting. In the ridge of the green mountain city, he lived in a 30-square-meter studio all day long, living like a hermit, reading ancient paintings, meeting famous people, and painting some character sketches in the style of Ren Bonian. In 1996, he was invited to participate in the Three Gorges sketching activity of the Chongqing Academy of Chinese Painting, and went to the Three Gorges with Ma Zhensheng, Zhou Shunkai, Chen Hang, Yang Fulin, Xie Jian and other painters to experience life and collect creative materials. This half-month sketch has become an important memory of the Chongqing painting world because of the gathering of famous artists, and has been repeatedly mentioned. It was this sketching that opened a new path for Wang Shiming's artistic path. 
In 1997, it was directly under the central government of Chongqing. Many painters have thus had the most important creative themes and tasks in their lives. Knowing that there was an exhibition, Wang Shiming, who has always preferred realistic themes, felt a surge in his heart. Lying in bed at night, my mind is full of the sounds and shadows of mountains and valleys and immigrants, and the sound of the tide of the Three Gorges seems to echo in my chest. Soon, he had a preliminary idea: dozens of Three Gorges immigrants, in the bluestone beach by the rapids, facing the unknown world, ready to go, full of longing, and confused. He pushed away all social affairs, except for classes, which was to create. In the exhibition hall of the Chongqing Academy of Chinese Painting, he bowed down to paint for more than half a year before he was able to complete it. When the picture of 30 men, women and children migrating in a crowd was about to emerge, he learned that the exhibition would be held at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing, and the title of the exhibition was finally finalized as "Celebrating Chongqing Directly under the Central Government - The Great Three Gorges - Chongqing Chinese Painting Exhibition". Inadvertently, the material from recent sketches has become an important resource for Wang Shiming to participate in the creation of grand narratives and themes. This exhibition was attended by many famous artists in the Beijing art circle, and academic discussions were carried out, and the magazine "Fine Arts" also made a special report. Wang Shiming's 5-meter-long, 2-meter-wide masterpiece "The Narrative of the Three Gorges: The Great Migration" (formerly known as "Bluepebble Beach") was awarded the first prize of the exhibition for its unique perspective, exquisite conception, vivid group portraits, and rich brushwork. 
"Bluepebble BeachThe Great Migration of the Three Gorges, ink on paper, 200x500cm, 1997More than 20 years later, this work that won fame for Wang Shiming and Chongqing is still valued by the art world. This is the beginning of his grand narrative, but it is aimed at the great migration of the fate of the people at the bottom. They carry them on their shoulders or sit and gaze, and in the face of temporary turmoil and eternal daily life, they rely on each other. Even if you are born like ants, you must live in groups and feel the joys and sorrows of the floating world together. Every individual under the torrent of the times is insignificant, but the group portraits of the characters who care for each other and spend the difficulties together are radiant and shake people's hearts. This work was a great success, giving Wang Shiming enough inspiration and strength. Starting from "Bluepebble Beach", he walked faster, more steadily, and more firmly on the road of realism. What made him stand on a high level again was "Three Friends of the Cold", which showed "cultural celebrities in Chongqing" during the Anti-Japanese War. The work depicts Guo Moruo, Tian Han, and Xu Beihong in detail in the same room, sitting around the fireplace, cold-eyed and enthusiastic, and concerned about the scene of state affairs. This work is as precious as gold, and less is more. As representatives of the literary world, the first world, and the art world, they feel the severity of the national fortune and imagine the good news from afar under the warmth of a pot of charcoal fire. The clarity outside the window, the blooming of plums, and the cat's eyes are all metaphors for the hope of the country and the inevitability of spring. And the three celebrities, just like pine, bamboo and plum, are the backbone of the country, standing proudly. 
Three Friends of the Cold, ink on paper, 240x170cm, 1999In 1999, this far-reaching and dignified work was successfully selected for the 9th National Art Exhibition, which moved the audience. After two years, this work was selected for the first National Academy of Painting Biennale and became a classic. Perhaps because of his ambition, he chose to retract his gaze and pay attention to the reality around him, including the survival and life of ethnic minorities. In successive years, he has become famous all over the country for his ethnic minority themes, "Red Plains Flying Snow" was first selected as the "Western Hot Land Chinese Painting Exhibition" and "The 80th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China", "Mu Gui" was selected for the "Love for the West: Chinese Painting Invitational Exhibition", "Concentric Picture" was selected for the "National Minority Painting Exhibition" and won the gold medal, and "Liangshan Langyue" was selected for the second National Chinese Painting Exhibition and won the Excellence Award. 
Pediatric Massage 2, ink on paper, 98x60cm, 2022During this period, he also worked with painters from all over the country to go to the southeast of Chongqing to collect wind and create "Golden Fields" and "Spring Mountains Return to Mu"; With the National Artists Association, he went to Xishuangbanna to collect style, and his work "Spring of Banna" was selected for the "Second National Figure Painting Exhibition". In 2003, his "Three Gorges Back Second Brother", which focused on the livelihood of the people at the bottom, was selected for the "Second National Painting Academy Biennale", which was impressive. In 2004, his "City Notes", which depicts a building cleaner, was selected for the 10th National Art Exhibition, and its unique perspective and pen and ink language are refreshing. In Wang Shimin's eyes, these low-level characters have common characteristics, being strong, hard-working, and indisputable. Fate kisses and hurts, and they repay it with a song. 
"The Chant of Life."Painter Sigmund Freud, ink on paper, 63x50cm, 2023 "It is almost inevitable to shift from a grand narrative to an individual narrative. Both parents taught in the village, and I was familiar with farmers since I was a child. Even if you come to the cultural center to paint, you have to walk for more than two hours from the fungus to the two roads. Along the way, I met all kinds of low-level people, who rushed to the field, transported pigs, carried wood, and carried stones, and their work was the scenery in my eyes every day. Looking back on the creation of this period, Wang Shiming said that he preferred reality and paid attention to the bottom, which was actually fate. 
It was also at this juncture that Wang Shiming focused his attention on the "mountain city bangbang". As a native of Chongqing, he was accustomed to seeing the sturdy men in the village and township since he was a child, and he threw his hoe and broke into the city like a desperate rush. When he was admitted to Chuanmei from the county cultural center, he would meet those "bangbangs" in Huangjueping, Lianglukou, or any ** mixed place. He felt in a trance that those men who dropped out of school early or failed the college entrance examination were just fellow travelers who were separated from him halfway, and the biggest difference in life was that he picked up a paintbrush, and they picked up a stick. He and they both had anxieties. What the former wants to draw, what the latter wants to carry. When he painted the back brother of the Three Gorges and the building cleaner, his eyes finally fell on "Bangbang". Their expectant, burning eyes set him on fire.
"Skylight and Cloudscape2》Ink on paper, 68x45cm At this time in 2021, Wang Shiming, who is in his prime, is already a member of the Sino-American Association and a part-time vice president of the Chongqing Academy of Chinese Painting. Can you use a paintbrush to create a biography of "Yamashiro Bangbang"? When he thought of this, he was a little excited. As the bottom of the city, "Bangbang" travels all day long, working hard, with no basic salary, no attendance, and no holidays. They are a bunch of transparent people, nameless freelancers. Because it is too free, it floats like the wind, and the water is as unfounded. Draw them, draw them! Soon, a series of ink characters named after "Bang Bang on the Streets of the Mountain City" stood up on rice paper. They are either alone on the street, or standing side by side, tall and empty, with an empty background, they are the absolute subjects of the picture, and they have the potential to stand up to the sky. As soon as these works were unveiled, they immediately attracted the attention of the art world and critics.
Mountain City Bangbang and Rent Collection Courtyard, ink on paper, 136x68cm, 2011
Mountain City Bangbang and Rent Collection Courtyard, ink on paper, 136x68cm, 2012As a result, Wang Shiming was uncontrollable. In the past few years, he has painted many "bangbangs", so that he himself can't tell which of their prototypes have appeared in **, which ones are considered masterpieces. In 2007, a realistic figure titled "Bang Bang on the Street of the Mountain City" was selected for the "People's Livelihood and Livelihood - Academic Invitational Exhibition of Modern Chinese Ink Figure Painting", which was widely acclaimed. In the official exhibition, there are not many ink figure paintings that focus on the bottom and the individual, but there are not many like Wang Shiming, who use rich brushstrokes to depict the figure in depth. In his paintings, even a group of anonymous people have clear faces and different expressions, and there is no simple imagery, abstraction, or even conceptualization.
Mountain City Bangbang and Rent Collection Courtyard, ink on paper, 136x68cm, 2011Talking about the creation of this stage, Wang Shiming admitted frankly that he has always paid attention to the language of pen and ink, and for the low-level characters who are deliberately portrayed, he will emphasize the use of the pen on the basis of the feeling of the character object, and maximize the use of the brush and pen power, so as to give the characters personality and vitality. From this, we can see that these low-level figures are often rich in brushstrokes, smooth lines, clear ink, accurate in shape, and full of three-dimensional and sculptural sense. When he painted for many years in one breath and gathered in the studio, Wang Shiming felt that simple realism and realistic techniques could no longer meet his creative needs. He embarks on a new quest. In the history of Sichuan and the United States, there is a proud record, that is, the creation of a large-scale sculpture "Rent Collection Courtyard". The vivid scenes of peasants being oppressed by landlords always make the audience empathize and even cry.
Bang Bang on the Street of the Mountain City, ink on paper, 200x200cm, 2007is also a low-level realism, in different eras, but with different situations. Why can't the "mountain city be bangbang" and meet the farmers in the rent collection yard in the air? Soon, a batch of works called "Mountain City Bang Bang and Rent Collection Courtyard" came out. After decades, the life and spiritual outlook of the people at the bottom have been vastly different. Compared with the ragged clothes, sad expressions, and angry eyes of the peasants in the rent collection yard, today's "Bangbang" is neatly dressed, with a calm expression, and a look of being at ease with what happens and smiling at life. Wang Shiming said that for the bottom layer of the reunion, he used the same rich brushstrokes and ink colors to express, without any difference. That's what he saw and felt. He has no intention of exposing and extolling, he just uses surreal methods to observe the lives of the bottom in different eras. With the same surreal exploration, he also gives contemporary meaning to traditional culture. For example, when he interpreted Qu Yuan's "Chu Ci", he did not simply ** Chu culture, did not restore the long-term poetry and character scenes, but let a group of contemporary people crowd on the boat of fate, muddy and confused. Dozens of people are overwhelmed by black pressure, in a sense, a metaphor for the collective unconscious of contemporary people in a hypnotic state. The work is titled "Chu Ci, Summoning Spirits, and the Death of the River", and has participated in many exhibitions such as the "New Chinese Artists Series: Chongqing Chinese Painting Exhibition", which has aroused heated discussions. With its rare exploratory and ideological nature, it has become an important representative work of Wang Shiming's painting process.
"Chu Ci ·ConjuringThe Death of the River, ink on paper, 145x300cm, 2016, he occasionally humors. Even if it is a dinner party with colleagues from the Department of Chinese Painting and eating roast lamb, Su Wu will be invited to sit with him and watch him happily eat mutton. And the sheep under Su Wu's whip also followed him to the oven and looked around, not knowing why. "The viewer is completely free to interpret it. I just want to express it from the bottom of my heart. If I had to talk about something, I would say that it was probably borrowed from the rhetorical devices of literature. Wang Shiming said that putting together two people and things that are different but related can produce an ironic effect. In fact, he did it completely. When he uses his exquisite, anatomical realism ability to endow the low-level characters of two eras with the same thick bones and strong muscles, but different expressions and eyes, in the same time and space, he has actually surpassed realism itself. What he brings to us is not only painting, but also thinking.
When Wang Shiming painted more than 100 "bangbangs", the time had come to 2019. Over the past 15 years, he has tirelessly painted "Bangbang", paying attention to ordinary people of all nationalities, exhibiting, winning awards, and being discussed. During this period, he participated in the creation of theme paintings and red themes from time to time, and he really trained himself to be a "bangbang" who held a paintbrush and worked enthusiastically. "In the past, the conditions were so difficult, and I was painting every day, so why not paint now? Although he has been retired for many years, Wang Shiming has relied on his physical strength and plenty of time to paint more diligently than before. He has the largest studio in Huxi Commune, which is filled with all kinds of finished and semi-finished paintings. Among them, a considerable part of them are his masterpieces that he is reluctant to sell. In the same room as "Bangbang", there are migrant workers, motorcyclists, pig sellers, flower farmers, and herdsmen, who gather together, and smile and show their teeth, which makes people laugh. However, what is surprising is that next to these strange low-level brothers, there are familiar characters standing coldly. If you look closely, it turned out to be Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian, Shi Lu, and Freud. They must have been god-like characters in the author's mind, but he didn't make them idols. On the contrary, Qi Baishi turned his back to the cornfield, staring ahead, letting butterflies fly behind him, frogs and insects were rampant, and the inscription on the painting was taken from the title of the painting "Stealing Life in the Grass" used by Qi Weng. And Shi Lu looked sleepy and sick.
"Stealing Life in Kusama".Painter Qi Baishi, ink on paper, 100x60cm, 2023, gives the low-level characters a tall body, but restores the god-like predecessors of the painting world to their true appearance. This is probably the unique technique of the "Wang characters". Reject the sublime, reject kitsch. Everything is from the perspective of life, on the same footing. When the new crown epidemic hit, Wang Shiming instinctively started a new creation. Because of the irrepressible impulse that originated from reality, he quickly completed the anti-epidemic work "One Breath and One Breath". The picture is not large, the patient is lying on the bed, painfully accepting **, his body and mind are distorted, and his face is blurred. I can't see who it is, maybe it's a neighbor, it's a relative or friend, in short, he's one of the tens of millions of infected people. This work later participated in the "China Power: Sichuan Fine Arts Institute New Coronary Pneumonia Epidemic Prevention and Control Theme Creation Exhibition", and the audience all felt pain. Gradually, Wang Shiming shifted his gaze from strangers to his own daily life, and began to use a large area of broken ink to express the unclear fireworks in the world. For example, in the "Xin Chou Chronicles: Hot Burning" series, all the portraits are blurred, shrouded in mist, and the ink is dripping, and the picture has a rich natural texture.
"Xin Chou Chronicles".Hot Burn 2, ink on paper, 68x45cm, 2021.
"Xin Chou Chronicles".Hot Burn 3, ink on paper, 68x45cm, 2021.
"Xin Chou Chronicles".Hot Burn 4, ink on paper, 68x45cm, 2021.
"Xin Chou Chronicles".Hot Burn 5, ink on paper, 68x45cm, 2021.
"Xin Chou Chronicles".Hot Burn 6" Ink on paper, 68x45cm, 2021"Compared with the hard brushwork of the early 'Bangbang' series, at this time, I pay more attention to the use of ink. The infiltration of ink gives people a sense of time and can well reflect the reality of the world. There are not many characters in the country who express characters in big ink. Walking into the depths of time, Wang Shiming has gradually become an intervener in life from a cold-eyed and enthusiastic low-level bystander. I have been drawing others for most of my life, so why can't I paint myself? As a result, we see that in the paintings of recent years, there are often middle-aged people who look like Wang Shiming, who become the protagonists of the paintings, physiotherapy, daze, teasing grandchildren, or watching homesickness. The "Growth" series, which records the happy growth of the little grandson, uses warm brushwork to express the various feelings of the grandson. In this way, as a smiling individual of ordinary citizens, he, like everyone else, was hot, ridiculed, narrated, and stared at.
Growing Up Series, ink on paper, 40x60cm, 2021During this period, his "Bangbang" seems to have grown old, no longer tall, whether it is carried on his shoulders or resting along the street, his body shape and expression have softened a lot. It's like the old "Bang Bang" who wanders the streets, not the model in "Bang Bang". As the pen line changes from hard to soft, the ink color changes from dark to light, and the portrait changes from clear to blurred, Wang Shiming, who has entered the world deeply, seems to have a more contemplative and detached attitude, and his pen is more relaxed and free. His paintings also have a stronger narrative and literary quality. He said that it stems from the feeling of life, the love of reading. In the limited time of the interview, he talked about his artistic life quite briefly. When it comes to his peers, he always praises. When he looked at his phone and offered to pick up his grandchildren from school, the interview came to an abrupt end. We walked out of the studio together. The moment he waved his hand and turned around, I saw his gray ponytail, trembling slightly in the air. It's like the "bangbang" in the earthly world, and us. Just as "Flowers" said: he doesn't make a sound, as if everything is determined by the author. ——— Artist Profile
About the Artist:Wang Shiming, born in 1957, is a native of Chongqing. In 1978, he was admitted to the Painting Department of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, majoring in Chinese painting, and graduated in 1982. He is currently a professor at the School of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, and a master's tutor. He is a member of the Chinese Artists Association, a member of the Jiang Zhaohe Art Research Association of the Chinese Artists Association, the vice president of the Chongqing Chinese Painting Society, the former vice president of the Chongqing Academy of Chinese Painting, and the director of the Chinese Painting Art Committee of the Chongqing Academy of Fine Arts.