I loved painting and calligraphy since I was a child.
Ko Jae sung- 194 1 was born in a poor family in the old revolutionary area of Yimeng, Shandong. His father is a versatile farmer with a gift for painting. He is often invited by nearby villagers to paint screens or other paintings. This made Gao Zaisong have a strong interest and fascination with painting since he was a child. Whenever he faces mature crops and the smoke from the countryside, there is always an uncontrollable excitement in his heart. Only in this way can he express his deep feelings for the old revolutionary base area in Yimeng, his hometown, with lines and colors.
Influenced by family and environment, Ko Jae sung, who loved painting and calligraphy in his early years, often used branches to paint underground because of his poor family and no pen and paper to practice painting. His persistence often attracts many adults and children of the same age to watch, and knowledgeable people often appreciate his painting skills. Whenever he is appreciated and praised, he will be more determined to engage in painting in the future.
After school, Gao Zaisong cherished the opportunity to learn painting. At first, he often painted the scenery of his hometown. His first work, Country Map, was well received by the teachers and other students who directed him at that time. Praise from teachers and others inspired his self-confidence and infinite creative inspiration when he was a child.
Life-long painting
A famous painter in Cao Zhou said: "Huaxiang is also the hometown of painting, and there are hundreds of painting shops alone." Love painting and calligraphy has become a common practice. Isn't this a microcosm of Shandong? Gao Zaisong, a painter in Yimeng, has distinctive paintings and calligraphy. His paintings adopt the way of central composition, and the combination of painting and calligraphy gives people a calm and steady feeling, which is refreshing and has become one of the unique representatives of China painting school.
Recently, the reporter interviewed Gao Zaisong, a famous painter in the old revolutionary area of Yimeng, Shandong. At the age of 64, he is full of energy, speaks calmly, gestures casually, sings freely, and great artists are in full bloom in front of reporters. In the eyes of reporters and others, he doesn't look like an old man in his sixties. The following is an interview excerpt:
Reporter: Many people say that standing in front of your painting seems to have a sense of sound. Your painting shows a strong personality, implying profundity and subtlety. Gao Lao, when did you start learning to draw? What makes you like painting?
Ko Jae sung: My father is a talented farmer with painting talent. He is very popular in his hometown. However, because we were born in War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, our life was difficult, embarrassing and poor, which made my father have no chance to achieve his career. It can be said that our father and the anti-Japanese war environment at that time influenced our thinking. I have been studying painting since I was very young, and I have also painted many works on the theme of the Anti-Japanese War.
Reporter: If your father is your first painting teacher, who has the greatest influence on your painting career, Gao Lao?
Ko Jae sung: My first teachers are my father and brother. Because they are proficient in calligraphy and painting, they have also influenced me. Calligraphy and painting art have been deeply branded in my childhood since childhood. In my decades of painting career, the people who have always influenced my progress and improvement are still several famous painters who have guided me and my teachers. They are Yu Xining, Guan Yousheng and Heibolong. They helped me a lot.
Reporter: Which school did Gao Lao graduate from? What impressed you most at school? What is the biggest gain?
Ko Jae sung: 1962 graduated from Shandong Art School. What impressed me most at school is that the conditions in the school are very simple and the learning conditions are very difficult. But it is this condition and environment that makes me hard-working and persistent, and makes me make continuous progress in my future artistic pursuit. Now I work in Shandong Painting Academy, and I am a part-time painter in Yan 'an Painting Academy. For decades, I have been striving for the harmony between art and life, and in this coordination, I have constantly gained understanding and established my own feelings.
Reporter: As far as we know, Gao Lao is good at painting landscapes, flowers and birds, figures and animals. My father and brother were both good at painting and calligraphy since childhood, influenced and edified by them. After years of painting and research, you have created a set of successful central composition method with unique painting style, unique picture layout, strong pen and ink, outstanding style and combination of painting and poetry, which embodies your temperament and mind. So old, how do you evaluate your painting characteristics?
Ko Jae sung: Up to now, I have created many works with different themes and styles. The main creative technique is the "central composition method", which is characterized by the integrity of the picture and the expressive force of the painting. That is to say, all the contents of the works are completed and displayed in the designated picture, among which the handed down works are "Lotus Reflects in the Sun" and "Gully Valley", and each work is accompanied by a poem that is particularly corresponding to the content of the picture. With the great influence of Birds, it also represents the other side of my creation for many years. Thousand Birds is a huge macro, five meters high and six meters long. Painting for more than three years. Balanced and changeable central composition, large-scale division, and uneven handling of reality and reality make the picture level beautiful and ethereal.
Reporter: Just now you mentioned that many of your works have poems that are consistent with the content of the picture. So, Gao Lao, do you evaluate your own works and poems? And among your works, which one are you most proud of?
Ko Jae sung: Most of my works are accompanied by corresponding poems. The themes are diverse, the poems are short and pithy, and they contain extremely rich emotions and meanings. The combination of pictures and poems can better reflect the integrity of my works, which is the uniqueness of my years of creation and an important feature of my "central composition method" To say my proudest work, I personally think it is Birds, because it takes the longest time from conception to completion, reaching three years. Its expressive force is very clear and meticulous. There are more than a thousand birds in the picture with different expressions. At present, all kinds of birds in China are basically painted, of course, some of them are conceived by myself. This painting is 5 meters high and 6 meters long. I have a great sense of accomplishment in finishing this work.
Reporter: At present, there are many famous painters in China who mainly collect paintings, and some of them mainly sell paintings. So, what is the purpose of your painting, Gao Lao? Why?
Ko Jae sung: I have been engaged in painting for many years. Many works are mainly collected, and some exquisite works are sold, but most of them are presented to friends at home and abroad and to art galleries for collection. I think painting is a science and an art. Every painting embodies the soul of an artist, and its value cannot be measured by money.
Editor's note:
Gao Zaicheng, a lifelong painter, 1962 graduated from Shandong Art School. On the way of learning painting, I studied under the famous painters of China, such as Yu Xining, Guan Yousheng and Heibolong. He has become a famous painter in China after decades of artistic development. Today, in his sixties, he still keeps feeling about life and the harmony between painting and life on the road of artistic pursuit. He actively pursued upward, explored the rich theme of life, and deeply understood everything around life, because he said that my works originated from life, and life in the old Yimeng area gave me a lot of inspiration. Thanks to my parents and the old revolutionary base areas in Yimeng, it has brought me infinite creative inspiration.