From The Footprints Of Life To All Things One With Me

Artist case study is a kind of art ontology issue. To study the art practices of well-known older generation artists under the contemporary context is a kind of case study with typicality and academic quality, as well as value for art archive study and realistic significance. Jin Zhilin is a representative of the famous older generation artists. Therefore, his oil paintings are selected as the subject of this study, with the aim to reflect history, and, what is more important, to provide us valuable treasure for art practices and development.From the view of an artist and educator, the author believes that artist case study should base on the reality, conducting the study under the context of the artist's time. In this way, the study is of authenticity, comparability, historical and realistic significance.The method of study emphasizes "fanning out from point to area." With the summary method from individual to general, the study involves and reflects artistic thoughts of the time, the development and reform of the country, the society and the cultural and artistic field, and conduct analysis on such reforms. Therefore, the author advocates "dynamic study" as the method. Through analyzing and studying the condition of art practices, social background, incentive and process of drawing, the study goes into the depth of the paintings to explore artist's thinking and his mind code.Through an overall research on Jin Zhilin's life, his art practices, art theory opinions and philosophical thoughts, this paper conducts realistic and objective analysis under both historical and current contexts. It is not the case study aiming at only one artist, but a reflection of the time presented by the first-generation oil painters cultivated by the People's Republic of China, and an epitome of great changes in the 60 years since the foundation of the People's Republic of China. The study is of realistic significance and historical document value. Meanwhile, the study of Jin Zhilin can be extended to the other artists'"dynamic" studies at his time or later, so it is sustainable.