Introduction to the Department of Fine Arts

The Department of Fine Arts is committed to an educational philosophy that emphasizes solid foundations, interdisciplinary breadth, distinct individuality, professional proficiency, comprehensive quality, and continuous innovation. Adhering to the university motto of “Pursuing Truth and Innovation, Benefiting Mankind with Virtue”, the Department aims to cultivate high-level professionals who are well-rounded in moral character, intellectual ability, physical fitness, and aesthetic appreciation. Graduates are expected to possess profound theoretical literacy, creative talent, and keen artistic discernment, meeting the evolving needs of social, economic, and cultural development.

History and Development

· 1993: The Institute of Oriental Culture at Jiangxi University (predecessor of Nanchang University) was renamed the Department of Oriental Culture and Art, enrolling students in the Arts and Crafts major.

· 1996: The Department of Oriental Culture and Art was merged into the School of Journalism and Communication at Nanchang University and renamed the Department of Art Design. In 2000, it became affiliated with the School of Arts, Nanchang University.

· 2003: The Department of Fine Arts was established as an independent department, separating from the Department of Art Design.

· 2022: It became affiliated with the School of Arts, Nanchang University.

Education and Teaching

The Department offers an undergraduate major in Painting, with four specialized tracks: Oil Painting, Chinese Painting, Mixed Media Art, and Digital Painting. There are currently over 400 undergraduate students enrolled.

· Faculty: The Department features a distinguished faculty of 30 full-time teachers, including 4 professors, 11 associate professors, and 10 master’s supervisors. Six faculty members hold doctoral degrees, and four have overseas academic backgrounds. The team includes one Provincial Young and Middle-aged Academic Leader, two Provincial Academic Leaders in Arts, and one Provincial Young and Middle-aged Backbone Teacher. The course “Fundamentals of Chinese Painting” is designated as a Provincial Demonstration Course for Curriculum Ideology and Political Education, and “Fundamentals of Fine Arts” is a Provincial High-Quality Course.

· Facilities: The Department is equipped with comprehensive facilities, including an art museum, basic painting classrooms and specialized studios for Oil Painting, Chinese Painting, Mixed Media Art, and Animation, as well as multimedia classrooms and professional computer labs.

· Academic Exchange: Implementing a strategy of “inviting in and going global”, the Department has hosted large-scale academic exhibitions such as the 11th Jiangxi Province Landscape Painting Exhibition, the Jiangxi Digital Art Exhibition, the Chinese Contemporary Lacquer Painting Higher Education Forum and National Lacquer Art Works Exhibition, and the He Jiaying Teacher-Student Art Exhibition. The Department regularly invites renowned domestic and international artists and scholars for lectures. Faculty members frequently participate in academic exchanges at institutions such as the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris (France), the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University, the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and the Beijing Film Academy.

Research and Discipline Development

The Department offers a doctoral program in Arts Management (secondary discipline) and master’s degree programs in two first-level disciplines: Arts Studies and Fine Arts & Calligraphy. There are currently over 60 graduate students.

Faculty members have undertaken over 30 provincial and ministerial-level projects and published over 40 papers in CSSCI and Peking University Core Journals. Teachers have held solo exhibitions at home and abroad, published over 20 art albums and monographs, and authored over 10 textbooks.

Exhibitions and Achievements

Faculty works have won awards or been selected for exhibitions such as the National Art Exhibition, the National Youth Fine Art Exhibition, “From Yan’an” Art Exhibition Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of Mao Zedong’s Speech at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art, the Research Exhibition of Modern Chinese Oil Painting, the National Watercolor Exhibition, the China Oil Painting Exhibition, the “Optimum Painting” China Youth Oil Painting Exhibition, the “Humanistic Jiangnan: My Land, My People” Oil Painting Invitational Exhibition, the Biennale of Chinese Contemporary Young Ceramic Artists, the Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Ceramic Art, the National Art Exhibition Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of Reform and Opening Up, the National Chinese Painting Exhibition, the National Gongbi Painting Exhibition, and the Jinling Top 100 Works Exhibition. Works by three teachers have been collected by the National Art Museum of China. The Department also holds annual teaching achievement exhibitions and seminars.

· Student Achievements: Student works have won numerous awards, including: the Gold Award at the Jinling Top 100 Works Exhibition (Oil Painting), the Excellence Award at the “Optimum Painting” China Youth Oil Painting Exhibition, the Nomination Award at the “Giant Cup” Nomination Exhibition for Students of Contemporary Art Schools, theh Excellence Award at the West China Exhibition of Traditional Chinese Painting and Oil Painting, the Excellence Award at the National College Art Competition, and the Mingyuan Art Education Prize at the “Dazzle-2011” Shanghai Youth Biennial.

Student works have also been selected for exhibitions such as the Shanghai World Expo Chinese Art Exhibition, the “Visible Poetry” Oil Sketch Exhibition of China, the National Youth Artist Nomination Exhibition of the “Humanistic Jiangnan: My Land, My People” Oil Painting Invitational Exhibition, the National Recommendation Exhibition of Young and Middle-aged Artists, the Songzhuang Culture and Arts Festival in Beijing, and the Golden Osmanthus Award for Animation Works of Suzhou (Yangtze River Delta) Colleges.