艾中信（ 1915年10月13日～2003年12月28日），生于上海川沙县养正村， 1936年考入地方 大学艺术系，1940年毕业后留校任教。1943年任中国美术学院副研讨 员。1946年至1949年任北平艺术专科学校副教授。1950年任地方 美术学院教授，1954年起兼任油画系主任，1979年至1984年任副院长。1986年起任《中国大百科全书》总编辑委员会委员，为《中国大百科全书·美术卷》编委会主任。现任吴作人国际美术基金会理事长。他师从和跟随 徐悲鸿、吴作人等第1 代油画大师，成为努力 于绘画写实主义创作的一名 传人，曾任地方 美术学院油画系教授、油画系主任，副院长，中国美术家协会理事，《中国大百科全书美术》编辑委员会主任等职。2002年5月获“文明 部”颁发的《外型 艺术创作研讨 成就奖》。2003年巴月获中国文联与中国美术家协会联合颁发的《第2届中国美术金彩奖成就奖》。 艾中信提倡理想 主义，主张创作立足于生活,是参与推进中国古代 油画的优秀先驱。

艾中信对中国油画的重要贡献当属革命历史画。他创造性地使用了“全景式风景”的款式 ，被美术界称为“艾家祥”，即构图超宽幅，集人物、现场与风景为1 体，壮阔宏大，气势逼人。如《通往乌鲁木齐》（中国美术馆藏），《红军过雪山》（中国革命军事博物馆藏）， 《东渡黄河》（国家博物馆藏），《夜渡黄河》（国家博物馆藏）是这类 风格的代表作。《通往乌鲁木齐》作于1954年，表现的是大建设时期人民创建新业的壮阔局面。生活、传统和作者的豪兴融合在一同 ，具有催人奋发的震动 力。《东渡黄河》采用大场景的手法，表现了在日寇进逼的民族危机面前，红军勇敢 挺进前线的场景。画家从俯视的角度画出滚滚黄河奔流而下，队伍向渡口集结的待发之势，磅跨壮阔。《夜渡黄河》在主体、构图、风格、题材都是前作的继续，表现出了更大的成熟性。夜空高悬，大河沉暗，凝聚着，深藏着巨大的张力，而突然照明弹裂响，刘邓大军强渡的队伍从夜雾中奔涌而出。这些作品已成为20世纪中国油画的代表，散发出浓郁的时代气息。

在写实主义领域内，艾中信的艺术特色总的说来是写实中的写意。
在２０世纪以具象再现方式的写实绘画在中国盛行的过程中，确已代出高手，同时难免出现了1 种偏差，就是徒以表面貌似精谨工细的再现为能事，这是由于复制品的遮盖 促起的习气 和曲解 酿成的 。有些学养深的专家能摆脱俗见，很早就探寻着有中国特色的途径，在写实中写意。艾中信属于第二代，他的画法与师承有关。与其说他是取法于徐悲鸿，不如说更多和更直接地取法于吴作人。由于 当初求学时徐多在国外，而吴的直接教学时间长。或许 更重要的还在于艺术性情 方面。尽管艾中信尊重徐先生近儒性情 之典雅端正，并且也受了良好影响，但他本身 的性情 更倾向于吴先生的从容含蓄。吴先生本身 当初重视 接受的不是法国学院派的余绪，而是从德拉克洛瓦的浪漫手笔到渗透了印象派新风的比利时大家巴斯天氏，其画风中感情的自然流露更强，手法收放有致。例如吴作画重庆受日寇大轰炸时侧重 写山城烟云蔽天、江流哭泣 的悲愤，画藏女则在明丽的高原色彩中跳动出清新气息，这些画成时艾中信都是最早的近距离观者。齐白石像这样的精品，艾中信更是守在旁边见过作画过程的。他本身 的心照不宣 尤深。关于徐、吴画风的比较，艾先生常谈及，也见之于他的回忆文字中。他并无轩轾于其间，但可以说在性情 上与吴更近。
艾中信在尊重生活真实的基础上，不怎样 喜欢周到的描摹与理性的实证，也没有重视 去发展这类 倾向上的能力，而是兴之所趋在于“得其意思”。他所擅长的写生作品是心中感受与手下处理之间直接自若 的转化，关系对了就不必反复多改；他那反复经营的大构件作品，则是努力捉住 全体 气韵而让无机 的要点顺势凸显出来。在这里，难得无限 的笔墨恰当地与通篇的大经营构成为全体 通畅的和谐。
经过老师的传授，他当然受过外国画家的影响。在近代的外国画中，印象派有明显的以色写意倾向，艾中信的画风看来有接近西斯莱的地方。但他平素不怎样 喜欢揣摩 印象派。要说借重，他爱好柯罗和巴比仲的笔法意味更多，虽然从前看原作少。除了这方面的性相近外，恐怕更离不开民族传统的深层作用。他在大学期间学过中国画，后来的环境更常和中国画家在一同 ，中国画的写意对他有很深的潜在影响，到暮年 有闲时，他还能偶弄纸上笔墨和寄情于篆刻。
“写”对于他是1 种久长 的爱好，或1 种潜质。但“写”之于他不是孤立的书写性技巧，而是与“意”互为表里的。尽管普通 地说来，感性情势 总是精神内涵的外显，但中国审美术语中的“意象”更有它的特殊性，它强调意在笔先的决定性意义，强调“象”在创作思维中被转化成为精神性的“意”的范畴的东西；再经过“写”，经过笔墨如书法那样的处理，则常常 达到更大的艺术高度。惟其 意在笔先，所以能指到妙处；但写又自风趣 味生成的化机。据我所知，艾中信在理论上留意 “意象”这个要义是后来的事，而他的艺术修习和实践早就走在这条路上了。写实中的写意属于中国油画在２０世纪中期很多人共同努力的1 种创造性探索，其中包括艾中信独到的成的果。

《崇文门外》、《雪里送炭》、《紫禁城残雪》"画中有诗"，被李可染评价为"中国油画墨"。
《卖柑者》获重庆抗战美术博览会 青年奖，由地方 图书馆收藏；
《沙坪小景》获重庆"第3届全国美展"教育部奖；
《通往乌鲁木齐》由中国美术馆收藏；
油画《红军过雪山》、《东渡黄河》等被革命历史博物馆收藏
《忆嘉陵》由中国美术馆收藏。

AI Zhongxin (October 13, 1915 ~ December 28, 2003) was born in Shanghai, Yang Zheng Village of Chuansha County, in 1936 admitted to the Art Department of Centre College in 1940 after graduating from school to teach. 1943 associate professor at The China Academy of Art. From 1946 to 1949 served as associate professor of Beiping art school. 1950 professor of China Central Academy of Fine Arts, since 1954, served as director of the oil painting department, from 1979 to 1984, vice president. In 1986 he was appointed member of "Chinese encyclopedia" editorial committee, director of China for "Encyclopedia of Art Volume" editorial board. Wu Zuoren, chairman of the international fine arts foundation. He studied and followed Xu Beihong, Wu Zuoren and other first generation oil painting masters, become a person dedicated to painting realism creation, a former China Central Academy of Fine Arts professor of the Department of oil painting, oil painting department director, vice president, director of China Artists Association, China "Encyclopedia of art" editorial board of director. May 2002 by the Ministry of Culture issued "plastic art creation research achievement award". A 2003 Pakistan jointly issued Chinese and Chinese Federation of Artists Association of the second session of the "China gold prize arts achievement award". AI CITIC advocates realism, advocates creation based on life, is to participate in promoting China's modern oil painting an excellent pioneer.

AI's important contribution to Chinese oil painting is a revolutionary historical painting. He creatively used the "panoramic landscape" style, art is called "Ai Jiaxiang", the composition of ultra wide, set character, scene and landscape as a whole, the magnificent grand and imposing. Such as the "gateway to Urumqi" (Chinese art collection), "red snow" (Chinese Revolutionary Military Museum, "east the Yellow River" Tibet) (National Museum Tibet), "night the Yellow River" (National Museum reservoir) is a representative of this style of work. "To Urumqi" in 1954, is the performance of the construction of new period people create magnificent situation. The traditional life, and the author's joy together with inspiring shock. "The Yellow River" by the big scene to show in front of the Japanese approach, advancing the national crisis, the heroic advance front scene. The painter from an aerial perspective draw rolling the Yellow River down to the ferry team gathering momentum trend, pound grand cross. "Night crossing the Yellow River" in the main body, composition, style, theme are the continuation of the former, showing a greater maturity. The sky was dark, rivers, condensing, deep with great tension, and sudden flare split ring, Liu Deng Army force team rushes out from the cold of the night. These works have become the representative of the twentieth Century Chinese oil painting, emitting a rich flavor of the times.

In the field of realism, the artistic features of AI Zhongxin in general is realistic in style.
In twentieth Century by the representational representation mode of realistic painting in the process of China popular, have a generation of master, inevitably there is a deviation, is only to the surface with fine reproduction for seemingly fine feature, which is due to the misunderstanding of habits and shielding replicas of the pro. Some experts can get rid of the flesh is quite deep, very early to explore the way to have Chinese characteristics, in the realistic freehand brushwork. AI Zhongxin belongs to the second generation, his painting and the related teaching. Rather than taking Xu Beihong, it is better to say more and more directly to Wu Zuoren. Because at the time of study Xu more abroad, and Wu's direct teaching time is long. Perhaps more important lies in artistic personality. Although AI CITIC respect Mr. Xu nearly Confucian character elegant and correct, but also by a good influence, but his own character is more inclined to Mr. Wu's calm implicit. Mr. Wu had to accept the ithread not the French school, but from Delacroix's hand to penetrate the romantic Impressionist New Belgium Bastien everyone's feelings, its style in the natural way and have stronger. For example, Wu painting Chongqing by the Japanese bombing when a mountain cloud day, the word rewriting cry of grief and indignation, the painting in the bright colors of women in plateau beating out the fresh air, these are painted when AI Zhongxin close the viewer first. This boutique together white stone, it is beside AI Zhongxin seen painting process. He understands deeply. A comparison of Xu and Wu painting wind, Mr. AI talk about his memories of the text, also in the. He has no money in it, but it can be said in character and Wu closer.
AI Zhongxin in respect of the basis of real life, not how thoughtful love empirical description and rational, nor the ability to focus on the development of this trend, but the trend is to "Xing"". He is good at painting works is the direct conversion between heart and feel free to hand, you don't have to repeatedly change his works; components repeated operation, it is hard to seize the overall spirit and make the key points stand out with organic. Here, a limited ink properly and the whole business form for the whole smooth and harmonious.
After the teacher's teaching, of course, he was influenced by foreign painters. In the modern foreign painting, impressionism has obvious tendency to color freehand style, AI Zhongxin seems to have close Sisley place. But he never love pondering how impressionism. To rely on, he likes Coehlo and Bobby Zhong brushwork means more, even though I see less original. In addition to this sexual proximity, I am afraid more inseparable from the deep role of national tradition. He learned China painting during college, later environment more often and China painters together, Chinese painting freehand brushwork of his potential deep influence, to old age of leisure, he can even get the paper and ink focussed on the seal.
Writing is a long term hobby or a potential for him. But the "write" in his writing skills are not isolated, but with the "meaning" of the life. Although generally speaking, the perceptual form always the spiritual connotation of explicit, but the particularity of the Chinese aesthetic terms of "image" has the decisive significance, it emphasizes the meaning before, stressed the "image" in the creative ideas are translated into the spirit of the "meaning" category of the East West; after writing "" after treatment, such as calligraphy ink that tend to achieve greater artistic heights. Only the thought of first and so can refer to beauty; but also write machine generated its own interest. As far as I know, AI Zhongxin in theory "image" is the essence of the later, and the study and practice of his art early to go on this way. Realistic freehand brushwork belongs to the Chinese oil painting in the mid twentieth Century a lot of people work together a creative exploration, including AI CITIC unique achievements.

"Chongwen", "outside", "Forbidden City" yeoman service snow "by Li Keran There is poetry in a painting. evaluation", "China ink painting".
"Selling oranges" by the Chongqing war art exhibition Youth Award, by the central library;
"Shaping" scene by the Chongqing "the third National Art Exhibition" award of Ministry of education;
"Leading to Urumqi" by Chinese art museum;
"Red snow," painting "to the Yellow River" Revolutionary History Museum collection etc.
"Yi Jialing" collected by China Art museum.