The CAFA School of Fine Arts was founded in 2003, it incorporates the oil painting, printmaking, sculpture, mural, experimental art and the “modeling foundations” departments. Aside from the new additions of the experimental art and modeling foundations departments, the other four are traditional core disciplines at the academy, and thus, despite the fact that the “CAFA School of Fine Arts” was only established a few years ago, its history is tantamount to that of the Central Academy itself, an enduring accumulation of long-standing and distinguished traditions.

    Looking back on history, the history of the “plastic” (or three-dimensional) arts at CAFA have always played a leading and exemplary role across the entire nation. The ideology and artistic orientation proposed by our elders Xu Beihong, Wu Zuoren, Dong Xiwen, and Jin Shangyi trained artists to “observe reality” and “serve the people,” it has influenced China’s art education and artistic production for decades. Their works, such as Tiananmen Square’s “Monument to the Peoples Heroes” and the celebrated painting “Founding of a Nation,” not only resonate deeply in Chinese society, but have also become classics of in the canon of modern Chinese art history. New masters are ever emerging, revealing themselves as successors of this history and beacons for future directions. It’s not difficult to witness this new generation of masters active in art education, the fruits of their research and artistic practices similarly playing leading, exemplary roles in Chinese art education, many of them are also influential within the international art community. 

    Upon entering this new century, and despite an artistic domain confronted with challenging demands posed by the break-neck speed of expanding international and local communities and cultural development, the development of the three-dimensional arts in itself is facing many new issues and challenges. But the various instructors in the School of Fine Arts have not wavered in their direction, and neither have they catered to, or blindly followed trends. Instead, with clear rationale, tolerance and open minds they have calmly confronted the spirit of the times. Within the parameters of art history and in light of the sensitive relationship between inheritance and evolution, each one has earnestly reflected on their own artistic orientations, examined in the very nature of art, and persisted their own creative pursuits; in the process they are continually discovering individual paths to artistic development.

    Now, in order to display the comprehensive artistic achievements of each professor’s research and practice, CAFA’s School of Fine Arts is holding an exhibition of faculty works; this exhibition also demonstrates the collective power of our CAFA faculty. Especially amidst the multi-faceted cultural and artistic developments of today, this type of large-scale exhibition will undoubtedly serve as a positive agent reinforcing the cohesive and resolute artistic ideals and conviction of our faculty, thus enhancing our ability for artistic reflection and experimentation.

     Unmistakably, the three-dimensional arts are an important symbol of the entire nation’s progress. Owing to the unique status of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, progress in these disciplines must take the forefront, it is at the behest of our faculty, as well as a historical responsibility shared by each of our instructors. Thus, the faculty of the CAFA School of Fine Arts are tenaciously forging ahead as they simultaneously reflect on the past. Even more importantly, in attending to contemporary needs as well as those of the future, we have a duty and obligation to realize the anticipated contributions to the development of the arts in China.