Oil painting characters have different expressions in different historical stages,bearing different im-prints of the times.Through the review of the nationalization process of oil painting over the past century,we can see the freehand,narrative and symbolic characteristics of oil painting creation on the expression of characters.The nationalization process of Chinese oil painting is actually the responsibility of Chinese oil painters to rejuvenate the Chinese nation,and it is an attempt to deeply explore the social culture and aesthetic psychological structure of the nation.The shaping of characters in oil painting evolves with the nationalization of oil painting,presenting the ex-pression of freehand brushwork.The shaping of character images is related to the tradition and spirit of freehand brushwork in Chinese painting,and it is a concrete manifestation of the spirit of freehand brushwork in traditional Chinese painting.In terms of the narrative expression of oil painting characters,the shaping of characters involves Chinese politics,history,values,etc.,and is finally reflected as a national cultural phenomenon.Several generations of oil painters have their own"symbolic"expression,and"symbolic"is a powerful means for a generation of paint-ers to construct visual language and strengthen visual expression.The discussion of the characters in the nationaliza-tion of oil painting is actually an exploration of the direction of contemporary oil painting characters creation.