Recently, Zhong Dachun, a calligraphy and painting blogger with 306,000 fans on Weibo, posted that four of his original paintings were plagiarized by the painter Shi. “The pictures were copied, the inscriptions and text were copied, the fonts were copied, and even the paper proportions were copied. Make your own works and sell them openly."
In response to this, Shi posted a video saying that it was because Zhong Dachun was selling paintings at "exorbitant prices" and she copied Zhong Dachun's paintings in response to the legitimate needs of fans and has already copied them. A "second creation" was carried out.
▲ Zhong Dachun Weibo screenshot
On the afternoon of January 26, a Red Star News reporter contacted Zhong Dachun himself. He said that the price of his paintings is determined according to the market, and is not "a sky-high asking price". It is Shi's excuse for "second creation" It's even more nonsense. "There is no harm in colleagues copying each other, just indicate the source, but it is wrong to sell it. Originality is not easy, please respect the originality." After that, the reporter also tried to contact the painter Shi, but as of press time, Shi had no response.
Blogger reported:
Four of his works were plagiarized by the painter Shi
"They were sold openly"
On January 5 this year, calligraphy blogger Zhong Dachun posted on Weibo that his paintings were plagiarized by the painter Shi.
It is understood that among the currently known content, four of Shi’s works have been accused of plagiarizing Zhong Dachun’s paintings. Zhong Dachun said, “The pictures are copied, the inscriptions and text are copied, the fonts are copied, and even the paper proportions are copied – except for the signature. I didn’t copy the name, but everything else was copied, and I even said it was my own work, and I openly sold it.”
Later, Shi responded in a video saying: It was because Zhong Dachun was selling paintings at “exorbitant prices” that fans couldn’t afford it, so they asked her to copy four paintings. "small". What she did was to respond to the legitimate needs of fans and "secondary creation" of Zhong Dachun's paintings.
In addition, Shi also mentioned, "He (Zhong Dachun) violated my right to portrait and privacy, and also led fans to engage in online violence. I hope Weibo officials will deal with it seriously." In the video, Shi did not directly respond to whether his paintings were suspected of plagiarism.
On the afternoon of January 26, a Red Star News reporter contacted Zhong Dachun himself. Zhong Dachun introduced that he is 27 years old and has studied painting in the Children's Palace since he was a child. In 2018, he studied under Mr. Lan Zhai from Chengdu. He currently makes a living by selling paintings. Before this, he had no interaction with this "stone painter". This time, he only found out that his work had been plagiarized when a fan friend sent him a private message. Afterwards, Shi did not apologize or try to reconcile.
Zhong Dachun believed that Shi's claims that he had made "secondary creations" such as "drawing his eyes higher" were nonsense. "I have never seen a 'second creation' that copied the composition, the content of the inscription and postscript, and even the aspect ratio of the paper, the position of the inscription, and the writing font. As for the eyes being painted on the forehead, it may be a technical problem with the stone painter's inaccurate composition of details. "Zhong Dachun said.
▲ Comparison of the paintings of the two people (left is by Zhong Dachun, right is by Shi)
In the response video, Shi also said that Zhong Dachun is not a nationally certified painter, and cannot sell paintings without a "Runge Certificate", and just treats his fans as " Chinese chives". In this regard, Zhong Dachun said that he "creates seriously, does not hang out in circles, and never dares to call himself a painter. He is just a wild fat man who paints irregularly, and there is no capital operation behind him." He believes that there is no harm in colleagues copying each other, as long as the source is indicated, but it is wrong to sell them.
As for the "runge certificate", according to Zhong Dachun, there is no such thing as an institution determining the runge. Only the market can measure the price of a work. Every time the price of his paintings increases, there are too many orders to fill it. The price increases to ensure the quality of the paintings, and the audience will only buy after they understand it. There is no "exorbitant asking price" situation.
A reporter from Red Star News learned from the China Artists Association that "the Runge certificate is only a guide price determined by the organization based on the artistic level and market price of the painting. It is not regulated by the country or law. The artist can set one by himself for how much he wants to sell."
Zhong Da Chun said that this is not the first time that his work has been plagiarized, and it has happened many times before. He is an original type of painting, and his paintings are not distinguished by technique, but by conception."Over the years, I have independently created more than a thousand paintings of different themes, and each one has its own story. It is not easy to be original, and few people know the hardships behind it." Zhong Dachun said.
Reporter investigation:
Many of the titles of those accused of plagiarism are questionable
Some organizations said they had "collaborated"
On January 26, a Red Star News reporter tried to contact the painter Shi and found that he had canceled his Weibo account that he had previously responded to publicly. The Red Book account has set up functions such as only friends can comment, and strangers cannot send private messages. As of press time, Shi has no further public response.
▲ Shi’s Weibo is no longer viewable
The reporter noticed that Shi’s profile on a certain cultural and art auction platform had many titles: Chairman of the Chinese Art Masters Association, senior artist of the Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Creation Academy, lifelong researcher of the Oriental Painting and Calligraphy Academy, A member of the Hong Kong Artists Association, a specially appointed painter of the Chinese Painting Academy of the Chinese Academy of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, a contracted painter of the Beijing Diaoyutai Painting and Calligraphy Academy, and a national first-class artist...
The platform said in an interview with an upstream news reporter that Shi’s relevant introduction materials It is true and has relevant certificate of appointment as proof. Regarding the question of plagiarism in the paintings, the platform said, "You can provide us with the information, and we can synchronize it to the consignment contact person." After verification, a Red Star News reporter found that the "China National Art Calligraphy and Painting Research Institute" and "Oriental Painting and Calligraphy Research Institute" Both organizational units of the "Academy" are shown as "disbanded" or "revoked", while the "Chinese Artists Association" and "Beijing Diaoyutai Painting and Calligraphy Academy" do not have any relevant information on Tianyancha.
▲Relevant units have "dissolved" or "revoked"
So, is Shi's status as a senior artist of the Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Creation Academy and a member of the Hong Kong China Artists Association true? The reporter then called the China Painting and Calligraphy Creation Institute to verify, but the institute’s wiring staff refused to be interviewed on the grounds of a meeting. A staff member of the China Hong Kong Artists Association said: "She (Shi) has cooperated with us and participated in related activities, but there is currently no data on the official website that can prove that Shi is a member of our association."
The Red Star News reporter noticed that regarding the title of "National First-Class Artist", the Personnel Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism responded in a public message in 2018: "There is a 'First-Class Artist' in the professional title of art professionals, but there is no The term 'national first-class artist'". The reporter further consulted the China Artists Association, and staff said that the title of "National First-Class Artist" exists, but it is assessed by social organizations, not by national government agencies.
Red Star News reporter Cai Xiaoyi intern Chen Siyu
(Source: Red Star News)
