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Sample Personal Statement for MA in Fine Art
An artist is a restless, wandering spirit forever searching for his
ego. As a practicing artist, I know many such cases of wandering
artists and of how their wandering has become part of their creative
experiences. I can cite my compatriots xx, xx, and xx (the latter two
being my alumni) whose overseas experiences, combined with their
Chinese culture and aesthetic sensibilities, have significantly
contributed to their successful artistic career. My knowledge of
modern western art also tells me that, if they had not had the
experience of going into West Germany from East Germany, artists like
Ghart Sigma, and John Christol could not have achieved their
present accomplished. In other words, the experience of being an
expatriate can veritably become an important part of an artist’s
formative development.
Having received a systematic education in Mural Painting at the
Academy of xx, the most prestigious art institution in China, I am
interested in pursuing a Master’s program in Fine Art from the xx
University of xx. I am interested in your program because I wish to
assimilate new input and new perspectives conducive to my future
artistic creation. In the present western world, all kinds of new
media, concepts, behavior and devices have entered the domain of the
creative art, demonstrating a whole spectrum of new artistic
practices. By contrast, in China’s art arena, painting and sculpture
continue to dominate artistic endeavors and avant-garde practices,
though not absolutely non-existent, have been few. Nevertheless, the
younger generation of artists like me has been most receptive to the
western art theories and concepts over the past two decades. On the
other hand, the rapid changes of the Chinese society have created the
most valuable resources for the artistic enterprise. What I lack is
the methodology in specific creative processes, the ways to translate
my private and individual impulses and responses into unique artistic
expressions.
The xx postgraduate program will make me part of the wider xx
tradition, encouraging me to cross traditional boundaries separating
different techniques and media, using excellent workshop facilities
for work in metal, wood, print, fabric, photography, film and video.
Your program will be tailored to my individual needs as a practicing
artist. In your program, fine art is seen as a broad field of
interdisciplinary practice, within which I can develop my own
positions. I can attend regular studio seminar groups and each term I
can present my work as a focus for group discussions. In this way, I
can grow and develop my long-term concerns as the program progresses.
This wholly novel education system will be extremely nurturing to my
development and will definitely become a turning point in my artistic
pursuit.
My present application derives wholly from an inner need to build on
my past creative experiences and to hone my artistic sensibility.
Practicing painting from my early childhood, I entered the Senior
Middle School attached to xx in xx when I completed my middle school
education at my hometown in xx Province. The entrance into the Senior
Middle School affiliated to xx itself was highly selective as
candidates came from across the entire nation. The experience of
seeking an art education at this school 2000 miles from my hometown
and living an independent life was most defining to me—I developed an
indomitable will when faced with major difficulties, whether in my
studies or in my daily life. It was this indomitable will that
resulted in many of my works being collected by the school and in
entering xx as top 3 among 7000 candidates, waived of the otherwise
required exams in general courses.
Whereas my training in the Senior Middle School was primarily in basic
techniques of French impressionism and Russian realism, my
undergraduate program allowed me to carry out some serious reflections
on the art that I had been practicing. Unlike most art students who
tend to focus more on creative practices and the improvement of their
techniques than on theoretical orientation, I found that both the
French impressionism (with its emphatic color theories) and the
Russian realism (largely outdated as a genre), plus the my education
in the middle school which was largely dictated by political ideology,
could by no means satisfy my creative impulse to visualize the
spiritual world of a growing young man. My greatest challenge lay in
how to explore for a way that could fuse my concept with my technique.
Therefore, in the open artistic environment of the academy, I
experimented with various creative possibilities through different
approaches, materials and media, including metal, relief, oil
painting, video and photography.
When I was a sophomore, I used candle and a flame-producing “gun” to
create a work entitled “xx” (3Mx3M), which was later awarded the third
prize at a student work exhibition. In 2002, my xx entered the
“Creation” Art Competition sponsored by xx. Then, in my last semester,
just before I was going to graduate, I used stained steel sheet in
combination with paper to create “xx”. This work later received a
nomination award (15/600) at “Light of the Academy” Exhibition and
also brought me a third-class scholarship. In December 2003, I
collaborated with 8 graduates from xx and xx University in putting up
an exhibition entitled “xx” at xx’s Exhibition Hall. In the wake of my
graduation, I launched an engraving studio together with several
fellow students and during this period I have mastered the technique
of silk-screening technique and have created a spate of engravings in
silk screen.
During my art education at CAFA, I have been systematically instructed
in the history of western art. Combined with the my voluminous
extracurricular readings, this education has familiarized me with the
great masters of western art, especially contemporary artists such as
Duchamps, Boyes, and Andi Worhol. In appreciating their works, I also
gained understanding of their artistic outlooks and the cultural
context in which their works were produced. In addition, I have also
become acquainted with books of art history like Modern Western Art by
Lucy Smith, History of Modern Art by H.H. Anason, and The Story of Art
by E. H. Gombrich. I have a fair amount of knowledge of diverse art
developments in the west from the most primitive cave paintings in
Spain and France to the latest modernist and post-modernist art
schools and movements.
As CAFA maintains extensive exchanges with art institutions all over
the world, I had opportunities to listen to lectures by overseas
scholars. In 2001, Mr. Richard Dycan came to lecture on Modern British
Sculpture which exposed me to works by Damir Hirst and White Reader.
In 2002 and 2003, Prof. Ursula from Karserl Art Institute of Germany
gave two lectures, respectively on Karserl Biannual Show and Venice
Biannual Show. Last year, an American professor came and played the
Video Works by Bill Ovila, All those have produced a profound and
lasting impact on my artistic sensibilities.
At the age of 25, I face a turning point in my intellectual
development. I have been sufficiently exposed to western influences
while undertaking my individual artistic practices. In this era of
globalization, many of the traditional values and concepts of the
Chinese society are being rapidly supplanted by new ones. How to
reflect the aspirations of the present-day society by incorporating
avant-garde western elements while remaining connected with
traditional art heritages of the nation will become a major challenge
for me. xx University of London has produced a number of leading
British artists like Damir and Hirst and winners of Turner Prize. In
addition, the sample works by your students on your website fascinate
me with their originality and imaginativeness. Through your fruitful
education, I wish to explore how my Chinese background and
sensibilities will interact with your culture and education and how
this interactivity will impact on my future artistic endeavors.
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