李:你的作品反映的都是二三十代中国人的样貌，为什么没有将当代中国人作为你作品描绘的对象? 

曹:人物在我的作品中是一种符号，是情感传达的载体，我追求他们外在和内在的统一性，这种统一能够使我排除过多纷乱芜杂的视觉表象，进入对内心情绪和作品情感的深入挖掘，简单而纯粹的直达内心。 之所以选择民国时期作为作品描绘的时代，是基于我对这个时期整体面貌的欣赏。首先从人物的外在服饰、发式来说有比较统一鲜明的时代特征，其次从人物的精神面貌来说，"民国好比是新做人家，凡事初定，气象清新，回首前瞻，与传统、与世界两不隔绝。民国范儿，是各色人等坦然率真的那股劲儿，敢做敢为，有豪情，有胆气，有一本正经的天然淳朴"；此外,民国相对于今天的时代，代表的是从前，我很喜欢木心先生在《从前慢》一诗中描绘的情境:"记得早先少年时大家诚诚恳恳 说一句 是一句清早上火车站 长街黑暗无行人 卖豆浆的小店冒着热气从前的日色变得慢 车，马，邮件都慢 一生只够爱一个人从前的锁也好看 钥匙精美有样子 你锁了 人家就懂了。"民国的特质以及它作为从前的一种象征，我认为它和我想在作品里传达的主题是相吻合的。 当代生活是我正在经历的场景,丰富多姿,我非常有兴趣地在审视和体验当代的生活，并且一直在努力寻找属于我自己的表现当代生活的视角和关键语汇,找到了一定会去描绘它。

 李:谈谈你作品的材料。

 曹:我目前的作品是纸本水墨,不是传统水墨所使用的生宣、熟宣,是选择了表面带有一些肌理的皮纸、麻纸等介于生熟之间,并带有一点色调(譬如灰、黄、绿)的材料，这种纸性能使我的绘画语言呈现出最佳状态。在用色的选择上,目前在使用日本产的吉祥颜彩,这是一种矿物颜色,色泽饱满纯正,由于我在读硕士期间学习的专业是油画,所以转而研究水墨时希望在传统的以墨为主的基础上加入彩的成分,所以对颜色质地的选择要求会比较高。 

李:你的作品多以系列的方式呈现，谈谈你的创作构思。

 曹:我认为系列作品是能够将我的思想和对画面形式的探索等相关问题得以解决的一种很好的方式。通常来说，当一个艺术家的技术手段到达相对成熟稳定的阶段后,产生精彩作品的关键除了思想情感,很重要的因素就是创作时的状态。灵感往往一触即发,稍纵即逝,所以,及时地抓住这个契机,将作品完整地呈现出来就是最好的方式。在作画之前，我往往会用很长的时间来缓慢而专注地培养和酝酿感情，然后在达到最好的状态时开始创作,在状态不在时停下来,然后,顺着这个思路继续追寻,实践,就这样诞生了一个又一个的作品系列,其数量的多少是由状态持续时间的长短来决定的,不刻意去找,来了就画下去,消失了就停住,再去感受和遇到另一个主题。 还有一种情况是通过系列作品去研究一些问题,比如画面的形式。譬如《四时即景》和《春常在》这两个系列,前者是做减法,将中国画的留白做到极致，就像京剧舞台上的布景,仅借助小小的道具,一盆花、一个绣墩来提示人物的环境；后者则是做加法,通过对背景满满的铺陈来呈现画面结构和层次上的丰富性,增加水墨的韵味,这是有意识的主动探索。 彩的介入也是我思考的一个方向,西画的学习背景对我的水墨创作有一定的影响,会在画面中有意识地扩大色彩的比重,此外,对民间版画的研究也使我在用线及色线结合的方式上有一些处理,比如断续的线,钝的线及线色错离,我认为这样的方式可以增强画面的生动性及厚重感,不浮巧,有拙气,有味道。 

李:对于宗教题材的作品及创作有什么想法? 曹:宗教题材的美术作品在中西方艺术史上都是独树一帜的,诞生了大量精彩的作品。我个人非常喜欢西方中世纪时期的宗教绘画,这些作品无论在表现手段及形式语言上都非常精湛。事实上,这种线性、平面化、叙事化的表现方式和中国绘画有着异曲同工之处。我曾在西班牙和中国的博物馆、美术馆看到过大量欧洲祭坛画的原作,那种绘制在木板上的繁复的程式及高贵神秘的金色的运用都使我非常着迷，我也觉得非常值得和有兴趣去深入研究和借鉴。

 李:从你作品的题材和表现手段来看,注重细节,很生活化,你是如何选取艺术表现的主题的? 曹：艺术源于生活,艺术家有着比普通人更敏锐的观察和感受力,能在俗常的生活中找到创作的源点是一件很幸福的事。生活即艺术,从细节出发,去研究细小而深入的问题是我的兴趣。浪涛之于溪流是波澜壮阔，浪涛之于大海只是平静的一滴水，这是由个人经验、情感体验、感受力决定的。艺术创作的出发点就是关注自我及与之相关的人的生存状态。通常来说,男性艺术家会去做很社会性的作品，譬如污染、拆迁，经济问题，战争，他们从现象看本质，如通过经济不好看人类无休止的欲望，看人性；而女性艺术家更习惯从自我出发去看整个的生命体，去寻找人之共性，但无论是向外发问还是向内审视，万物回归到本质都是一样的。美术作品是以视觉语言来呈现的,无论外化的形式如何,本质上要回到艺术本身,回到内心。 我最近开始着手画一个名为《日趣》的系列作品，以儿童为题材，取材于民国时期小学生的语文课本,尺寸是一平尺见方，计划画365幅。通过描绘儿童每日里细小琐碎的日常活动来表现"日日新鲜，日日有趣"的意思,很美好很温暖。我以每天为单位，以"每日一课"的方式进行创作，不着急，也不间断，力求始终保持创作的新鲜感和热情，同时追求画面朴实、有趣、稚拙的审美趣味。我认为这种创作方式既是我每日的功课,也是我每日的生活,更像是一种对自我内心持之以恒的历练，即认真地对待每一件小事，感受它的美，保持初心，坚持不懈。对于做人做事,这都是一种很好的品质。 

Slower days in the past —Professor Li Zhengrong, School of Arts, Beijing Normal University · Artist Cao Ying art interview. Li: your works reflect the appearance of Chinese people in the1920s or 1930s. Why don‘t you draw the contemporary Chinese as the object of your work? Cao: people in my work is a kind of symbol, is the carrier of emotion, I pursue their external and internal unity, the unity can make me out too much chaos like this visual representation, into the inner emotion and works of emotional dig deep, simple and pure feeling. It is based on my appreciation of this period. First of all from the character of the outer clothing, hairstyle, there is a distinct characteristics of The Times, second from the character’s mental outlook, "the new republic of China is like somebody else, at the beginning of all things, new spirits and pure and fresh. The republic of China, is a variety of people, such as the unashamedly genuine, aggressive, with a bold, natural and natural simplicity. In addition compared to today‘s era, the republic of China represents the past. I like Mr. Wood heart in "Time was slower in the past" a poem depicting the situation: Remember young days in the past. People were sincere and honest. They honored what they said. Early morning in the railway station. Long, dark and empty was the street. The soybean milk diner was steaming with heat. Days were slower in the past. Carriage, horse, and mail did not reach fast. You need your lifetime to just love the person who is right. The lock was fine in the past. The key was exquisite and fit. You lock and he will get it. The characteristics of the republic China and its status as a symbol of the past, I think it is consistent with the theme that I want to convey in my work. Contemporary life is the scene I am experiencing, rich and varied, I am very interested in examining and experience of contemporary life, and have been trying to find my own perspectives. If I find it, you will see it in my future art work. Li: tell me about the material of your work. Cao: I am currently working with printed ink. The paper is not used by traditional ink painting, like raw xuan,Pimade Xuan. My working paper is like sized Xuan, with some texture and a little tone( such as grey, yellow, green).The paper will give the best appearance of my drawing. On the choice of color, I am using Japanese auspicious YanCai, this is a kind of mineral color.Because I studied oil painting in my Master thesis, so when I turned to ink painting, I would like to have color texture on the basis of the traditional ink. So I prefer the better quality of color material. Li: your work is presented in a series of ways, and you can talk about your creative ideas. Cao: I think the series of works is a good way to solve the problems of my thoughts and the exploration of the form of pictures. Generally speaking, when an artist’s technical means arrives at a relatively mature and stable stage, the key to producing a wonderful work is the state of creation. Inspiration tends to be explosive and fleeting, so it‘s best to take this opportunity in a timely manner and to present it in its entirety. Before painting, I tend to use for a long time to slowly and focus on cultivating and brewing of affection. When I feel very confident, I will start painting. Otherwise I will stop painting. So following this train of thought to pursue, practice, series of works were produced. Its quantity is determined by the length of the state duration, not deliberately to find. There is also another case that I try to study some problems with series of works, such as the form of the picture, such as "four emphasizes" and "often in the spring". The former series is to do subtraction. I left Chinese painting blank to the most, like Peking Opera on the stage set, only with the help of a small props, a potted flower, an embroidered pier to prompt the character of the environment; The latter is to do addition. I tried to present the picture structure and the richness of the hierarchy through full background ,to increase the ink flavor. This is my conscious active exploration. My anther creative idea is to introduce Colors to ink painting.Oil painting background has a certain influence on me. I always consciously to expand the proportion of color in the picture, in addition, the study of folk art also made me in the thread and the combination of the color line on some processing, such as discontinuous line, blunt line and the line from the wrong color, I think this way can enhance the vitality of the images and massiness, conceal itself and have a special taste. Li:How do you think about religious works? Cao: The art works of religious themes are unique in the history of Chinese and western art. There are a great number of wonderful works. I personally like the western medieval religious paintings, which are very exquisite in both expression and form language. In fact, this kind of linear, flatness, narrative expression has kind of similarities with Chinese painting. I have seen a large number of European altar of the original paintingin Spain and Chinese museums. I was fascinated by the paint on the board of heavy and complicated programs and the use of the noble and mysterious golden. I also have great interest to study and draw lessons from them. Li: from the theme and expression of your work, we could see that you pay great attention to detail and life, how do you choose the theme of artistic expression? Cao: Art comes from life and artists have more sensitive observation than ordinary people. It is a happy thing to find the source of creation in the common life. Life is art, and it is my interest to study small and deep problems from the details. The waves are magnificent, and the waves are just a water of calm, which is determined by personal experience, emotional experience and stress. The starting point of artistic creation is to focus on the self and the living conditions of the people involved. Generally speaking, the male artists will do social works, such as pollution, demolition, economic issues, the war, they look from the phenomenon of nature, such as through economic to explore human endless desire, the human nature; While female artists are more accustomed to looking at the whole life from themselves, to find the commonality of human beings. Whether to ask questions or to look inward, the essence of everything is the same. Art works are presented in visual language, regardless of the form of externalization, essentially returning to the art itself and returning to the heart. I recently began to work on a series of works entitled "daily interest", which is based on children. The idea is from Chinese textbooks of primary school students in the republic of China. The size is a square rule and plans to draw 365 pictures. It is very nice and warm to show the daily activities of children. I paint in every day, in the form of "daily lesson", don’t try so hard, without uninterrupted, makes every effort to keep the freshness and enthusiasm, and the pursuit of simple, interesting, plain and aesthetic taste. I think this style of work is both my daily homework, and my daily life, more like a sense of self consistency of experience.I amstudious to do every tiny thing, feel the beauty of it,keep the beginning of the heart andconsistent efforts.This is a good quality for doing things. 

 曹颖艺术评论 

"曹颖的作品在中国当代艺术市场中并不常见，这种天真烂漫具有想象力的风格反而在欧洲比较常见，但也并非欧洲当代艺术流派，如今能看到这样的作品，尤其是在中国见到，令我感到很惊喜，它们很特别。" 

—— 芬兰大使夫人Anna Gustafsson

 "曹颖作品已俨然形成了属于她自己的独特面貌，这是一个成熟艺术家的标志，是难能可贵和值得欣喜的，更难能可贵的是曹颖作品的风格形成不是刻意为之，而是一种心性的自然流露。她作品中蕴含着一种古典的诗意和当代的情怀，温婉含蓄又饱含深情，让人感到温暖。艺术应该是内寻的产物，是心像的反映，曹颖在她的作品中借助各种画面符号恰如其分地显现出她内心的映象和情感，同时，她的人物有着中国文化的完美审美意味，如人物面如满月的脸型，眼神，稚拙朴素的样貌等。她用笔苍厚，拙中见巧，见功夫，她的小作品有大气派，晕染用线有力道，扎实稳健，她本人外在的秀和她作品内里的力形成反差，这是很难得的。真正优秀的艺术作品不存在于当下，是有生命长度的，是画给五十年后的人看的，今天在展览中看到那么多年轻人，儿童在她的作品前驻足留连，我相信，她的作品是经得起时间推敲的，是很了不起的作品。" 

——海外华人美术家协会主席、人民大学中国画研 究院客座教授，美国著名华人艺术家曹俊 "油画民族化是一个老问题其实也是个绕不开的新问题，只是随着时代的变化而叫法不同。曹颖的油画自觉地从民间艺术出发，结合油画的技法手段，坚持数年，已形成了自己独特的风格，在中国油画界独树一帜，给人耳目一新的感觉，我相信她这条路会越走越宽。" 

-—著名当代艺术家沈敬东 

曹颖作品的动人之处是她画面中的朴素和一派天然。人物的眼神情绪在预设的空间里似有若无地交相呼应又互无牵绊，营造出一种耐人寻味的语境与氛围。回归朴素是艺术的至高境界，人心向善即将所有复杂的事务处理成简单，这需要人生漫长的历练与行走，我认为曹颖在她作品里追求的就是将最初人性的朴素与最后艺术的返璞归真互为表里，从而到达艺术的极致。" ——中国国家画院王孟奇工作室画家、《从前慢》曹颖当代水墨作品展策展人一澄 

Cao Ying‘s art Experience She was Born in a family of art, learned painting from childhood. She obtained her master of the oil painting at the department of the Art Institute of Beijing Normal University. She studied the eastern and Western culture and painting skills. Her supervisor was Professor GuoXinghua who was the student of famousArtists Wu Guanzhong and Wei Tianlin. Her works also have been given the guidance and commends by Mr. Shao Jingkun and Mr. Chen Danqing. Cao Ying was versatile. Besides calligraphy and painting,she also studied sculpture and folk culture and cultivated the many skills of Art.Her sculpture and folk culture was instructed by professor Tang Suguo at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts and famous sculptor Mr. Tian Shixin. She held several personal exhibitions in Mainland, Europe, the United States, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Cao Ying’s works are collected by art institutions and individuals in and abroad. Her works are reported by various media, for example：the "People‘s Daily", "China cultural newspaper", "Chinese education", "Chinese Youth Daily", "art market", "Micro art", " Grand View of Art ", " Most art ", "The world Chinese" of New York, "China Contemporary Art Yearbook", Chinese education television, Artron Net, China National Art Network, Bobao Network, Art Painter Alliance, Xu Xian Net. Cao Ying published "Ying Cao - contemporary art masterpieces" "Easy in the past of Cao Ying ink paintings " , "Ying Cao’s oil painting" et al. In 1997, Cao Ying was invited by the ministry of education of Singapore to teach literature and art courses in Singapore. During that period, many works were collected by Singaporean government officials. Now Cao Ying is deputy director of art department of education college of Beijing, member of Chinese artists association of Hong Kong, and director of overseas Chinese artists association. For the love of the Oriental art, Cao’s drawing element contains the rich nation. She is skilled in creating new idea from the Chinese folk art, paper-cut, embroidery, opera and combination the modelling of the imagery, artistic conception full of interesting life and the freedom of the imagination, thus constituted her own unique artistic features. Cao ying art review "Cao‘s works in Chinese contemporary art market is unusual, this childlike imaginative style more common in Europe, but not the European contemporary art genre. Now I can see such work, especially see it in China, makes me feel very surprise, they are very special." — Finland’s ambassador, Anna Gustafsson "Cao has formed her own unique features, this is a sign of a mature artist, is more valuable and worthy of joy, more valuable is the style of the works of Cao is not deliberately, but a kind of the natural language of the heart. There is a kind of classical poetic and contemporary sentiment in her work, which is warm, implicit and with deep love. Art is a reflection of the heart.Caoexpressed her heart and feelings with the aid of various image symbols aptly. At the same time, her characters have a perfect aesthetic meaning of Chinese culture, such as the full moon face, eyes, plain and simple appearance, etc. She paints with thick pen Great wisdom seems slow witted. Her little works have great spirits. The shading lines are strong, solid and stable. Her outlookingelegance and the inner force contrasts in her works, which is very rare. Really good work of art does not exist in the present. They have a length of life and for showing people fifty years later. In the exhibition,I see so many young people today and they stopped in front of her works, so I believe that her work is stand the scrutiny of time." — President of overseas Chinese artists association and Chinese painting research of renmin university of China Visiting professor, Cao Jun, a famous American Chinese artist "Oil painting nationalization is an old problem, but it is also a new problem that can‘t be solved. It is just different from that of The Times. Cao’s painting consciously from folk art, the combination of painting techniques, insist for several years, has formed her own unique style.This style has the refreshing feeling, I believe this way will be more and more wide." — famous contemporary artist shenjingdong "The touching part of cao‘s works is the simplicity and nature of her picture. The character’s eye and emotion in preset space seems to have faintly discernible echo and create a kind of interesting context and atmosphere. Returning to simple is the supreme state of the art. The heart to be good will solve all complex problems.It need to life long experience. I think Cao pursuits that her works is the original human nature ,so as to reach the perfection of art." — wangmengqi studio painter of China‘s national academy of art and the curator of contemporary ink painting by caoying, a curator of contemporary Chinese painting.