Artist Cao Yong will make a rare appearance in Folsom Saturday, June 4. This is not the first time the world renowned, but somewhat elusive artist has shown his artwork in the area. But each time, more of the artist’s nature and talent unfolds to reveal a little more he sometimes tries to hide.
Mike Boehm of the Los Angeles Times wrote “Once an art-rebel who was literally a wanted man in his native China, Cao is now a (famous) painter of romantic visions of California, Hawaii and the Italian coast, having remade himself in three countries by mustering physical endurance, resourcefulness and a classic immigrant’s willingness to adapt.”
In 1962, Cao Yong was born into hardship in China.
During the Cultural Revolution, his family was singled out for harsh treatment by the authorities because of their previously distinguished background. While other young children his age started kindergarten, young Cao Yong began working. By age five, he found himself ferrying heavy baskets of gravel at a construction site. One day a rock pit caved in, nearly crushing the tiny boy to death under the rubble. Luckily, he survived and each event made him stronger. It was through drawing that Cao Yong found peace and consolation in those difficult years. At age eleven, he began studying with a noted artist from Beijing. In order to buy art supplies, he often pawned his clothes and skipped meals. Yet it wasn't just poverty that Cao Yong had to contend against; discrimination from his community dogged the young artist daily.
Always an outcast in the ideology-dominated environment, Cao Yong had to face constant persecution even as a university student; nonetheless, he excelled in his art classes and received his fine art degree.
After graduation, Cao Yong became the youngest art professor at Tibet University. During his seven years in Tibet, he immersed himself in the spare beauty and distinctive culture of the isolated highlands. To study the prehistoric cave paintings of Tibet, Cao Yong--accompanied only by a horse, a dog, and a gun for hunting--lived alone in deserted mountain caves for nearly a year.
Cao Yong's now-legendary experience in Tibet resulted in a remarkable series of paintings, which was exhibited at his first one-man show in Beijing in early 1989. The exhibit was an instant success, and the event was covered by major international news agencies from Asia, Europe, and North America. However, this celebrated art show alarmed the Chinese authorities. Beijing police confiscated and burned seven of Cao Yong's paintings, and then arrested him. But Cao Yong managed to escape. With his fiancée Aya Goda, a Japanese art student, he set off on a perilous eight-month journey as a fugitive. Finally, with the help of the Japanese Embassy, the couple
This journey was described by Aya Goda in her book Escape. Published in Japan in 1995. Escape was awarded the Grand Prize for Non-Fiction from Kodansha Book Publishers, Japan's most prestigious book award.
Cao Yong’s fondness for California, which he has called home for 17 year, is described in a recent interview with Giovanna Stark, owner of American Visions Art Galleries in Folsom and Granite Bay.
When did you know you wanted to paint and to create art?
When I was eleven years old, I saw a couple of art teachers from Beijing transferring a live human being’s face onto the paper like a magician. In that moment, I was deeply touched by this art that reaches to ones spirit.
You were born in China – can you see Chinese influences in your current paintings?
That is for sure. Now that I finally go back to China, it’s like being back to the mother’s womb.
You spent time in Tibet – how did that experience influence your art and your life today?
The experience of being at the place closest to the sky enormously enlightened my spirit. In art, those religious murals, the natural totem art has become part of me. Any experiences one have that creates an impact in his live whether it’s a place or thing, it not only is just an influence of life, but has become part of one’s life.
You left China when you were young because your art was not appreciated. How did you feel about returning to China and having the honor of working with the Beijing Olympics?
Whether or not I was appreciated, I still need to leave because the room for expansion can no longer satisfy me. Life is not a business transaction. Returning back to China is like the annual ring of trees’ growth and diameter relation, a cycle without points of beginning or end and vice versa. Beijing Olympic provided China a chance to face the world. Everyone who is emotionally attached to the Olympic is a participant. It’s a confluence of live.
You have painted a series of California pieces and a series of Italian and Mediterranean pieces: is painting a California scene different from painting an Italian scene?
Certainly it’s different. Every place, whether is its natural scene, culture, geography, weather, human relationship, even something small as a piece of rock or huge as trees, or even a drop of water sends a different message. Our mighty creator mystically creates objects in a non-replicated form. Even in some ordinary objects one could find its inner souls existence to be different.
When I was painting the Italy and Mediterranean series, I can feel its natural pulse from earth, it’s shoreline, and it’s unique aroma. Even in that place, villages are different from each other. The sun and ocean’s reflection and even the relaxation are different. For California series, I couldn’t capture the relaxation of Italy or the northern France. In California’s beach, one couldn’t experience the sense of non-competitive, natural fragrance. California has the inertia of the modern time, non-stop pace. Even in the beach one could still sense the stress and hastiness. To certain degree, California is a representation of the modern age and in this place, people are being drag into the flood of modernization and lost the beauty of harmonizing with nature. 
The emotional attachment with nature has been washed out by modernization. When I was painting California series, I profoundly wish that people could slow down their pace and enjoy the beauty that nature has provided for us. What do you most want people to like most in your paintings?
When I touch the mysteries and aroma of nature and origin of life, I share it with everyone. This is not to ingratiate with anyone. Ingratiation was never able to capture the sense of beauty in life.
It’s the enlightenment and participation of nature. I can only focus when the beauty of nature touched my heartbeat. When I’m focus I’m only a bridge, and my art is only a method to communicate with people, even though viewers have different feelings. You travel all over the world – what are your impressions of Folsom, Granite Bay and Northern California?
Sacramento has many beautiful places to see. It has two strong rivers that bring it energy every day, and where there is energy, good things come. I have visited my friends in Folsom and Granite Bay and feel the rugged canyons below the bridges and the waters give much inspiration. It is a very beautiful place, and makes me feel like I am part of nature. And Folsom seems like the old Western stories I have read. My art collectors in Sacramento have many things in common. They love nature and its boundless beauty and they hear the power of the river in everything they do, and they have connection with history to give timeless wonder and strength.
If you didn’t paint for a living, what other profession would you like to have?
A backpacker.
You have many animals in your pieces of art and we’ve heard stories that animals are your friends. What is it that you like most about animals?
Animals are spiritual and all have their lovely side. They all have a mystery side of them that we know too little about.
Is it true animals respond to you differently, are less afraid of you then they seem to be of most people?
Animals have strong recognition ability. Whether or not a dog will bite a person, it knows immediately when it sees the person. Bite or not depends on the individual. The person is friendly or not, it could tell right away. Mask could deceive people but not animal.
Are there adventures you still want to try?
Besides those adventures that bring misery to others, including animal, nature, and myself that I don’t want to try, I want to experience everything, especially the ones that are spiritual and mystery.
I noticed that in your note about this call, you called this an interversation. Was that intentional?
I don’t know if it was intentional or not. I wanted to keep this time talking with you informal – to have more of a conversation than an interview. My words took on my true feeling. Interversation describes this.
Last question, how do you want to be remembered?
If I take this question into consideration for my life then I’m a slave of others ideology. I don’t idolize anyone.
Is there anything more you want to tell people about yourself?
Go fully understand yourself, listen to the voice of your spirit, do good things for yourself and do things that you really want to do. And when you do good things for yourself, you bring honor to every person around you. To honor is to give freedom.
