Lai Zhigang is considered one of the most influential contemporary landscape painters, and his creative achievements are indeed abundant. His dedication to art has left a profound impression on me. From this exhibition, it is evident that he has put in a lot of effort. He perceives life and nature deeply and explores traditional art forms thoroughly. After reaching a certain level of thought, his artistic creation and practice naturally achieved a high level, reflecting his thoughts and responses to reality.

I recall that his early works often embodied more emotional elements, and he personally adhered to the principle of "大道至简" (the great way is simple) in his art. However, through this exhibition, I feel that his progress and changes are significant. Firstly, I think he has delved deeper into his subjects, showing more thoughtfulness and reflection on real life and personal experiences. If we measure artistic creation by its intellectual and spiritual depth, this creation has indeed seen significant changes in its thoughtfulness.

He has moved from focusing on subjects to deepening his understanding of them, investing considerable effort. His attention to universal artistic creation has better aligned with the exploration of national cultural traditions, Chinese style, and Chinese spirit. His works now exhibit a higher degree of artistic excellence than before.

I also feel that he has shifted from focusing on content and nature to a deeper study of the essence of art. For instance, his skills and techniques have improved, embodying the idea of "技近乎道" (technique approaches the way). Each piece of his work shows a spirit of meticulous craftsmanship. Each piece is a fine contribution to society and the people, demonstrating a profound commitment and attention to detail.

Through his works, we can sense grand style, grandeur, and broad vision. He has created numerous masterpieces for society. Holding such an exhibition at the National Academy of Painting shows his infinite love for the traditional culture of the Chinese nation, his infinite loyalty to life, and his relentless pursuit of artistic innovation. This has allowed him to become such an artist.

I believe his creative output is extremely rich, and his insights into life are very profound, making him an artist with a high level of artistic achievement. I have also gained deeper insights from the evaluations of many artist friends and his adherence to principles like the truth of art and the rule of simplicity in artistic creation.

Comparing this batch of his artworks with his solo exhibition a few years ago, I see significant progress and development in several aspects. Firstly, he has genuinely deepened his focus on subjects, not merely expressing natural objects but investing thoughts and emotions, continuing the tradition of truthful art. His attention to subjects has deepened, which is a major step forward.

He has pursued the highest understanding of national cultural traditions, showcasing and recognizing national style, spirit, and character more profoundly. If Li Keran and Jia Youfu have established personal connections, Mr. Lai Zhigang has done commendable work beyond skills and techniques.

He has shifted his attention from content, material, nature, and life to a deeper study and understanding of the essence of art, making significant strides, especially in skill and technique maturity. His large works, characterized by Chinese national traits and the most artistic black-and-white brushwork, express themselves fully and profoundly.

His achievements in the study of art's essence are worth our contemplation. His artistic practice has advanced significantly compared to previous exhibitions. Sincerely, I congratulate Mr. Lai Zhigang and hope he can make greater contributions to the inheritance, expansion, innovation, and development of Chinese national cultural traditions in his future artistic creations and practices.

A few years ago, Mr. Lai held a solo exhibition, and now, years later, he has produced so many new works, showing significant changes. He demonstrates profound creativity and deep insights into life. This time, compared to his previous works, I feel he has made great improvements in thoughtfulness, artistry, and research on the essence of art.

He has deepened his focus on subjects, creating a solid foundation for an artistic realm with profound thoughtfulness and intellectual depth. At the same time, his attention to universal artistic concepts has furthered his understanding of national spirit, character, and the unique spirit of Chinese art, taking a significant step forward.

Moreover, his research on the essence of art has achieved a certain height, not just focusing on content and nature but also reaching a certain level in art research. Each of his works feels meticulously crafted, contributing high-quality pieces to society and the people. Therefore, the changes in his work this time are substantial. He respects national cultural traditions, loves real life, and innovates and creates in artistic practice.

His theme is inheritance and innovation. We know that inheriting and innovating excellent national cultural traditions is the need and demand of our times. Holding such exhibitions is hoped to play a leading role. Mr. Lai Zhigang has a deep understanding of the mysterious and unknown aspects of nature. In this process, he has mastered skills and techniques.

His works exhibit qualities like "black as Taiji, thick and elegant," truly reflecting these qualities. In the thick blackness, there are changes, like crows entering the night or egrets standing in the snow, with variations even in the purest forms. This is more difficult to achieve.

He emphasizes personal cultivation, reflected in his works, which are highly individualistic and stylized, with a sense of the times, spiritual connotations, and personalized understanding and recognition. His compositions and structures also exhibit many personalized elements.

With so many large-scale landscapes and substantial investment, I can truly feel Mr. Lai Zhigang dedication and persistence in art. His deep research, exploration, and mastery of traditional Chinese brushwork are commendable. Chinese painting's use of ink and brushwork to understand and interpret nature and the world is its main element, and studying and mastering this is the most challenging and necessary.

Mr. Lai Zhigang has captured this essence, showing great effort and persistence. From his works, we can feel the spiritual and technical communication and integration, reaching a good level. He is an artist with deep experiences of real life. His works embody his aesthetic ideals, reflecting grandeur and natural majesty, deeply rooted in life and natural experiences.

Despite focusing on black-and-white ink as the primary medium, his paintings are not monotonous and do not lack the expression of vibrant colors. Chinese painting uses black-and-white ink as its main color scheme to present its artistic achievements because this color inherently embodies the essence of describing objects and understanding the natural way in life and nature. The intrinsic colors he displays internally are profound and richly colorful, even without the vibrant colors of nature.