Ink Art: In a New Spirit
In the early 20th century, the concept of Chinese quintessence and Chinese paintings emerged and became well-accepted. With China’s New Culture Movement encouraging intellectuals to study overseas, Xu Beihong introduced French Realism into China, gradually starting the conceptualization of Modern Chinese Paintings. After the establishment of People’s Republic of China, New Chinese paintings prevailed by depicting socialist construction with Realism painting techniques. Since China’s reform and opening up, Chinese Paintings has developed into various kinds, including Modern Ink Art, Experimental Ink Art, and Contemporary Ink Art. By expressing these emerging concepts, contemporary Chinese artists strived to engage Chinese paintings in the narratives of global art history.
Concepts of New Gongbi, known as the meticulous-style Chinese painting, and New Ink Art, have gained prominence over the last decade. Artists who had gone through the 1980s trend of Modern Ink Art, Abstract Ink Art, and Experimental Ink Art, focused on borrowing the notions and forms of western modern and contemporary art, with a propensity for the properties of ink and wash as well as the subjectivity of culture. Compared with those artists, New Gongbi and New Ink Art artists are inclined to specific qualities of images and metaphor. The two streams of artists developed diversity from different social and cultural contexts, as well as visions of art. Interactions and communications rarely happened between them due to their distinct experience of life and art. Although the two groups shared the same space in some exhibitions, they hardly resonated with each other’s vision of fine arts due to their discrepancies in knowledge base and experience. However, each generation has to solve its own problems. Their creations extend in two different paths.
Wang Tiande, Wang Shuye, and Zhang Quan have gone through China’s avant-garde art movement of the 1980s. They displayed interest in metanarrative on the creation of consciousness. Wang Tiande deconstructs the traditional Chinese landscape pattern with ink brushes and burn marks, forging a bleak, desolate visual imagery. Those paintings, along with inscriptions on rubbings, reveal the philosophical reveries towards ancient times. Meanwhile, Wang Shuye focuses on constructing an artistic vision of the world. He believes failing to adapt to the view that transcends all preferences leads to all disturbances. Thus, he precipitates the idea, Non-Disparate Visual Method, from Zhuangzi’s philosophy. His works conceal images from perceptions, inspiring people to re-perceive. Zhang Quan’s works share similar visual elements, but he emphasizes historical nihility. His works bring in a melancholic contemplation of the past.
The other ten artists create their works under the influence of New Gongbi and New Ink Art. Liu Ting and Liu Shaoyuan converge on painting mountain forests. Liu Ting blends scenery and landscape, likely influenced by Paul Cézanne, while Liu Shaoyuan depicts trees and stones in traditional Chinese paintings. Yu Yu creates a three-dimensional water image by collage with a feminine red, which forges a dialogue with Ma Yuan’s Water Studies from the Song Dynasty. Li Zhongcheng draws medieval monarchs and knights among artificial mountains, replacing the traditional image of seclusive scholar-officials. Interestingly, Li’s workpiece resonates with Tiger’s Cave by Liu Shaoyuan. Moreover, Ye Zi’s creation pays attention to the selfness and covert flows of feminine emotions allegorically. Similarly, Yao Hao is inspired by his memories. Among these workpieces, the artists self-consciously reflect on themselves. Works by Xiao Xu, Zeng Zhiqin, Li Jian, and Zhao Peng are based on traditional landscape and bird-and-flower paintings. Meanwhile, they introduced surrealistic elements, which differed from conventional arts.
In a sense, Wang Tiande, Wang Shuye, and Zhang Quan developed a more mature art form, while the other ten artists are exploring their potential. These workpieces are the initial phase of their journey. Their vitality, instability, and concealed perception will take time to settle down. Despite the differences, these artists had dug further into the traditional Chinese ethos of art. In their works, we rarely see the anxiety of integrating into the global art history but instead we see the exploration of inner cultural subjectivity. They seek the balance between form and meaning, whether grand or detailed, evident or covert. For them, ink and wash is the language that illustrates their visions. The focal point concerns the image and how an artist understands human being and arts.
Wei Xiangqi
September 2022
