穆益林的名字已早为人们所熟知，他在画坛上参赛近三十年，获得过“全国二等奖”、“优秀创作奖”、“上海一等奖”等十余项奖，东渡日本讲过学，办过个人画展，流传于世界各地的作品赢得了很多知音，人们在热情地注视和期待着他。

　　迄今为止，穆益林十分重视研究和继承中国艺术之传统，早年在上海市美专求学期间，便在扎实地进行色彩和素描写生及创作之基本功训练的同时，一头扎进并沉潜于传统艺术的大海中。对中国传统的绘画、书法学习得很刻苦，整个暑假专心致志地在上海博物馆展厅里对各时代大师的典型作品挥汗临摹，连续几年对馆藏的仰韶文化、商周青铜纹样、汉镜画砖、玉刻陶俑、帛画壁画、宋磁划花、剪纸瓦当和清朝刺绣等各时代的民间艺术悉心地作过分析、研究和临摹，他以佼佼的成绩获得了师生们好评，在1964年得到上级机关和学校的嘉奖。传统艺术中的闪光点及与当今时代的距离之差，使他领悟到“随时代而创新是中国传统之精髓”，使他找到了自己艺术实践的方位。他在大师们的作品前是个虔诚的学生，但当他一搞创作，则视一切大师为友，为竞争对手，以己之长，克其之短，从观念、感受、艺术语言诸方面拉大与他们的距离，力求另辟蹊径，这不真是各时代绘画大师们所具备的素质吗?

　　穆益林的画是很动人的。因为他始终以画家的真诚和诗人的修养热情地拥抱着生活。“有感于心，发而为画”，把自己所感动的意境奉献给人们共享，所以他那充满诗意美的画使人们总感到息息相关而情真意切。在他的画中，不同功能的艺术语言很多，不同之意境则精到得体地采用了不同之形式法则，古今中外名家大师们仿佛曾来助过他一臂之力，然而，他那显明的个性、时代意识和浓郁的生活气息在他那独特感受、独特意境、独特语言所形成的独特风格中强烈地表现出来，作品的内涵、韵味、力度和别出心裁的装饰形式，常使人震撼并为之倾倒，这是十分难能可贵的。国外友人对他的“与众不同”也给了很高的评价。

　　穆益林的，画属于中华民族，也属于世界人民。他正值中年之大好岁月，有着深厚的修养和功力，对未来的自信，竭尽全力、锐意进取的奋发精神和默默奉献的情操胸怀，更因为他赶上了一个艺术发展的好时代，所以他一定会不负众望而在世界画坛上显其身手并取得更大的成功。这将使我——作为他的老师而感到十分快慰。

　　Preface to Mu Yilin Albumof Silk Paintings

　　The name Mu Yilin is well known to people. He has been active in painting circles for almost 30 years and had ever won National Second Award, National Excellent Award, Shanghai First Award and others, over ten in total in various contests. He had been to Japan to give lectures, and held personal painting exhibitions. His works had been spread to everywhere and met with great favor in the world. People are eagerly watching and awaiting him.

　　So far, Mu Yilin has attached importance to the research and heritage of the traditions of Chinese art. When he was learning art Shanghai Fine Arts School, he had been immersed in the sea of traditional arts while solidly doing the basic skill training such as color and sketch portrait and others. He worked very hard on the study of Chinese traditional paintings and calligraphy. He spent a whole summer vocation in copying the typical works of all ages of masters in Shanghai Museum. He made a careful analysis, research and copy painting to Yang Shao Culture, the patterns on bronze ware in Shang and Zhou Dynasties, mirrors in Han Dynasty, paintings on bricks, jade carving, pottery figures, silk paintings, wall paintings, China in Song Dynasty, incising decorations. paper cut, eaves tiles and embroidery in Qing Dynasty with several years' efforts. His high performance won favorable

　　comments from teachers and classmates for him and was awarded an honor by higher authorities and the school in 1964. The distance between the shining points of traditional arts and the demand of modern times made him realize that to innov ate with times is the essence of Chinese traditions, which positioned where his art practices should go. He is an earnest student before masters' works. hut when creating his own works, he would see them as friends and competitors. He knows to defeat his competitors with his own advantages and then widen the distance in terms of' concept, sensation and art language, trying to find a new path to art. These are exactly the qualities all ages of masters owned! His paintings are impressive, because he always embraces life with his sincerity of artist and his inner depth of poet. He changes all of his sensations and inspirations into paintings to share with people, so his paintings f'ull of poetic

　　aesthetics can always resonate widely among people. In his paintings there are a lot of different functional art languages. Different artistic conceptions reveal themselves in different formats. and you may feel that all domestic and overseas masters of all ages have come to his favor. His noticeahle personality, sense of the times and the strong sense of life. however. come out vividlv fromhis typical style formed by his unique feelings, unique artistic concepts and unique art languages. Theref'ore the connotation, lasting appeal and original decorative forms of his works are shocking and fascinating to people. International friends also speak highly of his uniqueness.

　　Mu Yilin' s paintings belong to both of the Chinese nation and the whole world. He is in a good time when he is middle-aged, full of confidence, with deep ac.c.umulation of' culture and art and a spirit of pioneering and constant innovation. And the more important is that he is in a good time of art development, so he will surely fully display his capacities in the world painting realm and achieved greater success. As his teacher. I will be happy to hear that sort of news about him.