On October 26, 2016, NAMOC Donation and Collection Series Exhibition: Magnificent Color of Life—An Exhibition of Paintings by Yao Zhonghua was kicked off in the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC).

The exhibition, a part of the“2016 Collection and Donation Series Exhibitions of National Art Museum of China”, was separated into the three parts of oil paintings, gouache paintings, and Chinese ink paintings and heavy color paintings and cartoons. They were comprehensive presentation of Yao Zhonghua’s sincere artistic feelings and sublime artistic styles. Audiences may hence experience the artistic explorations and mental journeys of the artist. They will gain insight into the spiritual motivation of Yao in his artistic pursuit over the past six decades, and subsequently understand the historical missions of artists of Yao’s generation and the orientation of their artistic explorations.

Yao was born in 1939 in Kunming, southwest China’s Yunnan province. He graduated from the high school affiliated to the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1959, and from the oil painting department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1964. He is the honorary president of Yunnan Oil Painting Society, a member of the Yunnan Provincial Institute of Culture and History Research, and first-grade artist. He served as a member of the council of Chinese Artists Association, executive member of China Oil Painting Society, member of the Yunnan Provincial Committee of CPPCC, and vice-president of Yunnan Painting Academy.

Yao is a leading figure of the contemporary art circle of Yunnan. His artistic creations are absorbed in portraying the unique images of the ethnic minorities, regions and folk customs of Yunnan. His artistic style features dignified and unrestrained expressions, permeated with true feelings and rich colors. They are subtle and refined, projecting characteristics of the time and nation in art, while maintaining distinct personal artistic style. The gouache sketches that Yao painted in the 1960s to 1980s were undoubtedly an important way for the artist to understand nature and experience life. With them, he sharpened brush strokes, and stimulated inspirations in the interaction of the “realm” and “self”, leaving unique charms. That is unconventional flavor, brisk, neat, subtle and delicate. In the 1970s, Yao started to steer towards Chinese ink painting from oil painting. While sticking to oil painting creation, he has constantly made artistic innovation with ink painting. His ink paintings, heavy color paintings and cartoons focus on more diversified themes than oil paintings, such as folk customs, figures, landscape images, myth history, current affairs and the ways of the world, with profound artistic conceptions. They are outcomes of the artist returning to mental state taking things coolly and at ease after high agitation.