The Pentium Era - South to North

As soon as he started painting, Zhang Chen forgot about everything else and immersed himself in the joy of creation.

Zhang Chen is not from the Zhejiang American Art Institute, but he even looks down on those from the Zhejiang American Art Institute from the bottom of his heart. He feels that they talk too much, especially when it comes to the so-called new generation avant-garde art of Gu Wenda and others.

They say something that they cannot explain clearly every day, and they think they are profound, but in fact they are just bluffing and weak. A person only needs his mouth if his hands are not good, but if his hands are still good, then his mouth will be fine. It shows that he has other purposes, and for these other purposes he is pretending to dress himself up.

You should paint only if you like painting. Everything you have is in your paintings. Zhang Chen feels that no matter whether you are painting, writing or composing, you should say nothing. Politicians You need to deceive others all day long, right? Are you engaging in art politics? OK or not, get something out and you walk away and your work speaks for itself.

He also took the Zhejiang American Art Examination once. He went with a friend who had been painting together since childhood. Looking at the teachers in front of him who were taking the exam, Zhang Chen thought to himself, who the hell are you? Why do you take the exam for me? Just those few strokes of your hair, I could draw them with a pen between my feet.

Zhang Chen drew casually and felt bored. It only took less than half the time to get out. Among those who applied for Zhejiang American Academy of Sciences that year, Zhang Chen’s professional course score was the first, which shows that Zhejiang American Academy of Sciences is still very powerful. Being able to earn a living based on his ability made Zhang Chen respect him more.

But the gap in Zhang Chen's cultural classes was too big. He only got zero points in English, and only 29 points in other subjects combined.

Zhang Chen dropped out of junior high school and never studied again, nor did he take any serious cultural courses. He was already very satisfied with the score of 29 points. What's more, what he still couldn't figure out was, what the hell are you doing? A painter has to take some cultural courses. Isn't this forcing the painter to take it? It's really funny.

Zhang Chen has never taken the college entrance examination since then. That friend did not get the marks for the professional courses at the Academy of Fine Arts, but he went to Zhejiang Institute of Silk Technology.

Zhang Chen painted purely out of hobby. When he was a child, his family lived next to the cultural center. In the cultural center, there was a painter who was sent back to his hometown from Beijing. Zhang Chen liked to watch him paint when he was fine. It was the first time he saw him finish painting. Zhang Chen was frightened when he saw a painting.

Zhang Chen just followed him around at first, doing this and that, and later he followed his example. When he met a painter who had a task and needed to paint propaganda posters on the walls of the street, he also climbed up on the scaffolding at a young age. Climb down.

The painter only stayed in the Cultural Center for a short two years before returning to Beijing. At that time, Zhang Chen was in the third grade of elementary school. From then on, he began the path of self-study. He returned home every day and whenever he had time, he would paint and paint. He would draw on anything he found. When he didn't even have paper or pen, he would wet the mud in the yard with water, take a chopstick, and draw on the mud.

He spent almost all his pocket money to buy painting materials. He went there so often that even the clerk at the only state-owned stationery store in Yongcheng that sold painting materials knew him. There was a salesperson from Hangzhou, and He's extremely nice.

When Zhang Chen was young, there were many Hangcheng people in Yongcheng, not only because there were several factories in the town that moved from Hangzhou, but also because there were many educated youths who came from Hangzhou a few years ago and later worked in various units in Yongcheng. This salesperson is one of them.

When Zhang Chen went over that day, he showed Zhang Chen the newly arrived picture folder and sketchbook. At that time, these two things were rare items in Yongcheng. The clerk asked him if he liked it. Of course Zhang Chen liked it, but when he asked about the price , knowing that he couldn't afford it, the salesperson told Zhang Chen, "You can take it, I gave it to you, why?" Zhang Chen looked at him in surprise.

Because I have finally been transferred back to Hangzhou and will leave here tomorrow. I am very happy. I hope you can also know my happiness and celebrate with me, the salesperson said to Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen was already in junior high school at that time. His favorite thing was Sunday, when he could ride a borrowed bicycle and carry a picture folder, almost standing on the bicycle, to sketch outside the town.

Once he fell down on the road and his hands, legs and face were all bruised. However, he still insisted on sketching. When he came back in the evening, people on the road were stunned. They saw such a person covered with bruises. A child with blood and scabs on his hair and face was standing and riding a 28-inch bicycle, not knowing what had happened.

In the second grade of junior high school, Zhang Chen was drawing in physics class. The physics teacher took away the sketchbook and tore it up in front of the whole class. He was also made to stand in front of the blackboard.

The teacher turned around and sat down to continue teaching. Zhang Chen stood there, looking at his torn sketchbook on the ground not far away. He suddenly picked up a small bench behind the classroom door for students on duty to stand on to wipe the blackboard. , and hit the teacher on the head.

Zhang Chen fled home and never went to school again. His parents' beatings and scoldings were of no use. The principal came to the house in person and assured Zhang Chen and his parents that as long as he returned to school, the school would definitely not deal with him, but it was of no use. , Zhang Chen can't say it, so he won't go up.

Zhang Chen is a celebrity in the school, and he has also helped the school win honors such as first place in the blackboard newspaper competition in the province. Almost all the posters and slogans in the school are drawn by Zhang Chen and written by Zhang Chen. This makes the principal every time When accompanying superior leaders on inspections, they received a lot of praise.

The principal and head teacher both felt very sorry to have Zhang Chen gone. Privately, they also blamed the new physics teacher for being nosy. Zhang Chen was not just in your physics class. In what class did he not draw? Fortunately, he only cares about his own painting and does not affect others. It is better than those who are naughty and mischievous in class. When other teachers see Zhang Chen painting in class, they will pretend that they have not seen it.

Besides, if you want to take his sketchbook, just take it away, call him into the office, write a review and return it to him. Why did you tear it up? Who doesn’t know that sketchbooks are his lifeblood.

The poor physics teacher's head was smashed open by Zhang Chen, but no teacher or classmates sympathized with him.

The physics teacher thought about it later and thought it was a bit excessive. In addition, Zhang Chen was a poor student, but not a bad student. If he really dropped out of school because of this, he, as a teacher, would be uneasy for the rest of his life.

He asked his classmates to take him to Zhang Chen's home and talk to Zhang Chen personally. The classmates who accompanied him said that the teacher almost burst into tears, but Zhang Chen still did not return to school.

Later, even his parents didn't dare to push him anymore. They saw that Zhang Chen seemed to be very happy and comfortable when he was painting alone at home, but as soon as he mentioned going to school, he immediately turned his face and his eyes were cold.

His father said that he had never seen a child with such a look in his eyes. It seemed that he was really cruel. If you force him, don't force him to cause trouble. Fortunately, painting can be considered a craft. If you paint well, you won't be without food in the future. It's up to him.

When he turned eighteen, other classmates who had not been admitted to college were unemployed and still worrying about their jobs. The old leader and artist of the Yongcheng Wu Opera Troupe actually came to see Zhang Chen personally and wanted to recruit Zhang Chen into the troupe.

The artist was from Hangzhou. When the educated youth arrived in Yongcheng, he was recruited into the Yongcheng Wu Opera Troupe. His girlfriend who went to the countryside with him later became his wife. She had returned to Hangzhou long ago and was an actor in the Zhejiang Repertory Theater. My father-in-law is the deputy director of the Provincial Department of Culture. His wife has been active in various places and has been contacted. The Zhejiang Repertory Theater also agreed to hire him, but she was stuck by the old director of the Yongcheng Wu Opera Troupe.

The old group leader said, you can leave if you want, but firstly, we need to get two household registration quotas from the provincial department for our group, and secondly, we need to find an artist.

How old was Yongcheng? Among the painters, the artist certainly knew who was good at it. He immediately recommended Zhang Chen. As for the two household registration quotas, his father-in-law also found a way to help him get them. At that time, Xu Jianmei and Feng Laogui, They all had agricultural registered permanent residence, and the two quotas given to the Yongcheng Wu Opera Troupe were given to them. The artist took the old troupe leader to Zhang Chen's home in person.

Zhang Chen's parents, as soon as they heard that their son was admitted as a special talent, they immediately arranged a career. How could they be reluctant? Zhang Chen was already familiar with art designers, and they usually called them teachers. When he arrived at the troupe, he also worked in painting, even using paints. He didn't have to spend money to buy it himself, so he was naturally happy.

In this way, Zhang Chen arrived at the Yongcheng Wu Opera Troupe.