Father- Luo Zhongli, 1980, Oil on canvas, 215×150cm, National Art Museum of China
Many will remember that a gigantic portrait of a peasant touched the hearts of the Chinese people with its visual and emotional power. This is “Father” created by Luo Zhongli. This painting was created while Luo Zhongli was studying at the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts. He draws on the techniques of photorealism to portray a typical peasant image meticulously. The old man’s withered face was full of wrinkles, his nose had a “mole of fate”, his lips were dry and cracked, with only one tooth left, and he was holding an old porcelain bowl in his broken hands. All of this is so real and clearly displayed in front of people, which strongly impacts the audience’s vision and shocks people’s hearts-this is our father! This unprecedented work showing the image of a farmer, with its creative thinking and profound connotation, not only shocked the art world, but also spread to the society, and aroused a discussion on the authenticity and typicality of the image, form and aesthetics . This work was originally called “My Father”, and won the first prize when it participated in the Second National Youth Art Exhibition, and was changed to the current name by the judges. Luo Zhongli was born in the suburbs of Chongqing in 1948. After graduating from the High School Attached to Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in 1968, he took the initiative to live in the Dabashan countryside for 10 years. In 1980, Luo Zhongli, who was still studying painting at the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, became famous with a super-realistic work “Father”.
