On the first anniversary of Mr. Wang Dingli’s death, we commemorate the dedicative, diligent and unworldly professor—Mr. Wang Dingli through coordinating his paintings, articles and background information all his life, editing Wang Dingli’s Collection of Buddha Paintings, as well as holding a series of activities including Exhibition of Wang Dingli’s Artistic Works, in the hope that the later generations would learn from the master’s diligence and unworldliness, and carry on the master’s profound style in arts.

Mr. Wang Dingli once presided in internal mural paintings of wheel of law in Yonghegong Lama Temple in Mr. Wang Dingli worked as the professor in the School of Chinese Painting of China Central Academy of Fine Arts and was a famous Buddha painter, an expert of traditional Chinese mural painting, an expert in traditional Chinese dyes and color theory.

1953, participated in copying work of mural paintings in Yongle Taoist Temple in Shanxi in 1957, copied the mural paintings in grottos in Tulufan, Tuyugou, Kuche and Baichengkezier upon entrustment of Xinjiang Autonomous Region Government in 1964, presided in copying of mural paintings in Eastern Han’s Tomb in Henan in 1972, exhibited his paintings in Japan in 1974, published the Collection of Mural Paintings of Han and Tang Dynasty, as well as presided in copying of mural paintings in Beihuang Temple in Hebei in 1982.

Mr. Wang Dingli studied traditional mural paintings extensively all over China, conducted large numbers of researches and investigations on application of traditional Chinese colors and their origins, based on which he summarized his own theories, wrote and published serial works as Traditional Chinese Colors, Use and Making of Traditional Chinese Painting Dyes, Teaching of Traditional Chinese Colors. His efforts enabled conservation and inheritance of the cultural heritage in face of being lost.

Mr. Wang Dingli’s meticulous style, strong color figure paintings inherited and developed the Chinese tradition in meticulous-style figure paintings, for which they are full of the characteristics of folk paintings, and appear unique and distinct. He is a smashing instructor of China Central Academy of Fine Arts who has virtues and specialties. He dedicated his whole life in teaching of traditional Chinese paintings, brought up numerous excellent artistic talents, and contributed significantly to Chinese education of fine arts.

The School of Chinese Paintings, CAFA
CAFA Arts Museum
, June of 2010