Author Wang Chongxin
Song Lei is a worker at Yantai Machine Tool Accessories Factory. His paintings are widely circulated in the local area, and his works have been published in newspapers many times. Art lovers from other places have also written to him asking for paintings, so he is known as a rising star in Yantai painting circles. But who knows how much hard work he put in during the days and nights when he taught himself painting!
Song Lei has been fond of painting since he was a child. Whenever he has free time, he always brushes ink on the case and draws non-stop, or does art decoration for the blackboard newspapers and bulletin boards in the factory. Although he was criticized for "painting the mountains and rivers of the motherland in darkness" during the turbulent years, his interest in painting has never diminished. However, for him, painting is a hobby after all, and his main focus is on studying technology. In 1976, an accidental work injury took away his eye, and the remaining one only had 0.2 vision. Faced with a blow that was like a bolt from the blue, Song Lei not only did not lose heart or despair, but instead strengthened his fighting spirit and became full of confidence in the future. He thought, if you can't do technical work, can you not contribute to the people? In order to make his future life more fulfilling, hot and mellow, he resolutely grasped the brush and determined to climb to the peak of painting art.
However, the road ahead will not be smooth. Difficult times challenge this striver. In order to buy paper for painting, he lived frugally and was very financially strapped; in order to learn the basic theory of traditional Chinese painting, he wore two pairs of glasses to read to magnify his vision; in order to get guidance and teachings from famous artists, he collected picture albums everywhere , seek advice from them, and learn from others' strengths for your own use. This is really a combination of ideals and actions, a confrontation between faith and resistance!
Song Lei studied painting to the point where he forgot to eat and sleep. When he picked up the brush and concentrated on painting, he could not even hear the sound of cars on the road outside the window, and he even dreamed of painting at night. In order to observe life, he often sat by the chicken coop or in the garden for half a day; in order to personally watch the scene of "clouds breaking in the mountains", he ran to Nanshan Mountain in the rain to make friends with nature. On the way home, he thought Thinking about how to conceive the picture, I almost became a ghost under the car. With such madness, he rushed forward and copied more than 300 paintings by Qi Baishi, 100 paintings by Li Kuchan, and paintings by famous ancestors such as Wu Changshuo, Pan Tiantao, and Ren Bonian. In order to portray a new artistic conception in his creation, he strives to "paint like the person he is" and deliberately pursues the "between resemblance and dissimilarity". He kept the painters' teachings in mind and insisted on painting three, four or even six or eight paintings every day. After the painting was completed, he showed it to the public and the painters, asking for their opinions. In addition, he also worked hard to study calligraphy, carve gold and stone, and worked hard to read Tang poetry and Song lyrics to understand the artistic conception and creative skills of those popular poems. . On the one hand, he is rooted in the soil of life, and on the other hand, he swims in the vast ocean of ancient and modern knowledge, picking beautiful flowers and accumulating rich nutrients for creating more innovative paintings. Comrade Song Lei, who is physically disabled but strong-willed, has turned the pain of his disability into perseverance in learning, turned his vision for the future into practical actions, and worked tirelessly and perseveres on the road of self-study. Isn’t this kind of spirit a role model for many students?
May Song Lei strive for progress, and may those who are determined to strive for progress as scholars!
(Published in "Mass Singing" on July 20, 1981)