Ink and Wash Paintings Implying True Sentiments---Painter Yuan Xikun in Lausanne

Coming into the new century, Beijing’s footsteps on the itinerary of its bid for the Olympic Games were hurried day by day, where every social strength had been mobilized to make great efforts to “bid for the Olympic Games”, among which there couldn’t be without the nongovernmental diplomatic strength. Famous painter Yuan Xikun was such a nongovernmental diplomat.

On December 12 of last year, Yuan Xikun, at the personal invitation of Samaranch, the Chairman of the International Olympic Committee, went to the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland to visit Mr. Samaranch and presented a wash portrait of Samaranch and a figure oil painting that he had created to the Olympic Museum.
 

Samaranch (the first to the right) with Yuan Xikun (the second to the left) and Wu Chuanfu, Chinese Ambassador to Switzerland (the second to the right), etc.

A fine piece of painting was completed for only 20 minuets

“My association with Samaranch can be traced back to the year of 1993. I can remember that it was chanced that Beijing bade for the 2000 Olympic Games. Samaranch came to Beijing and stayed at the Diaoyutai State Guest Hotel. As soon as I was told that this honored Mr. Samaranch in the international sporting world would come, I advanced my request, seven or eight days ahead of time, to do his portrait to the Beijing Olympic Games Bid Committee at that time and then met with its approval.”

“In order to be successful, I consulted a big quantity of materials concerning Samaranch beforehand, knowing that he had worshiped Napoleon and liked boxing. So it was easier to timely grasp his expression. That day at the Fangfeiyuan of the Diaoyutai State Guest Hotel, I finished his portrait within over 20 minuets when Samaranch received relevant leaders from the Beijing Olympic Games Bid Committee.”

“Afterwards I asked Mr. He Zhenliang to bring this portrait to Samaranch. After seeing the portrait, Samaranch said that he had like it very much and hoped to invite me to Lausanne and collect this portrait in the Olympic Museum.”

Samaranch met with Yuan Xikun at his office and said that it had been great honorable for him to invite a famous Chinese painter to come as his guest, expressing his thanks to Mr. Yuan for presenting his exquisite and beautiful paintings to the Olympic Museum, and had a group photo with him taken right by the two paintings to mark the occasion.

Samaranch and the working personnel of the IOC Headquarters, after enjoying the sight of these two paintings, spoke highly of Yuan Xikun’s superb oriental painting skill. Mr. Samaranch, on behalf of the IOC, expressed his sincere thanks for Mr. Yuan’s contribution to the Olympic Movement in his letter of thanks later to Yuan Xikun. He said: “The liaison with art is very important for the development of the cultural aspect of the sport movement.” and wished Mr. Yuan every success with his future endeavors.

Calling on “money king” in Lausanne

“I have called Samaranch as a great humanist because he has advocated that the Olympic is the liaison of sports with culture. I felt very honored to be invited as his friend for this private visit. As I had known Mr. Samaranch’s age and, according to the Chinese twelve animals representing the twelve Earthly Branches, had calculated that he had been born at the year of the Monkey as same as mine, I, saluting with may hands folded and raised in front of my face, said: “a small monkey is calling on the monkey king!” Samaranch smiled joyfully when hearing this.

An Intelligent nongovernmental diplomat

During the meeting, Yuan Xikun briefed Samaranch about the Jintai Art Museum whose foundation he had involved and showed the panorama of Beijing Chaoyang Park where the museum had been located. Samaranch, seeing the park with a clear lake, surrounding trees and a beautiful scenery in the pictures, said with pleasure: “This is a beautiful park.” Yuan Xikun excitedly told Mr. Samaranch that, of these trees, there had been some planted by our President Jiang Zemin; and Chinese leaders had attached importance to environmental protection and promoted afforestation and they had participated in the event of Arbor-Day in our country every year. Samaranch said with a nod that we should initiate “the Green Olympics” and expressed that he would pay a visit to Beijing at an appropriate time and visit the beuatiful Chaoyang Park, being a guest at the Jintai Art Museum.

“Afterwards someone said to me that since you had been a nongovernmental diplomat, why not had taken this opportunity to let Samaranch know something more about Beijing’s bid for the Olympic Games to increase Beijing’s influence in this regard?”

“I don’t think so. Now that I was not an official of the Beijing Olympic Games Bid Committee, I should speak of what an ordinary people and an art worker should speak. If the “bid for the Olympic Games” makes everybody to canvass votes and have others annoyed, finally it will have got to achieve the opposite of what we have intended. I briefed Samaranch about that Beijing had been beautiful in its environment and Chinese leaders had attached importance to afforestation. This was the publicity of “New Beijing” and “the Green Olympics”, which was easier for somebody to accept.