Return and Introspection
by Zhou Bo
It is a sustaining activity of the group exhibition of Abstract Art which showed at PIFO New Art Gallery for the third time. This exhibition mainly embodied the curator Mr. Wang Xinyou’s foresight and taste. I also put forward a little bit thought through words on the last two exhibitions.
In the article which I wrote for the exhibition last year, I’d like to make a discussion on how to understand the abstract exploration of Chinese contemporary artists in the background of globalization and post-modern context starting from “China”. (See “Logic of Abstract”) Most artists and critics realize that Chinese abstract art is a new emerged contemporary phenomenon compared with abstract art stream in the global scope at modern period. In this kind of precondition, theoretical consideration also needs to make explanations of some problems such as “After abstract conception completed by art philosophy and art history, what is the meaning of the exploration of artists?” “What kind of possibility does the abstract form of language have in Chinese contemporary art?” “Is there any internal relations between these “possibilities” and our survival experiences?”
Therefore, I suggested Mr. Wang Xinyou emphasized the conception of “Where the Spirit Lives”. There are two meanings, firstly, abstract art exists in China; secondly, not others, but some Chinese abstract artists are engaged on studying abstract art in China. I think people could find some motivation sources of Chinese contemporary abstract art among many individualized explorations through this kind of limitation. However, although contemporary Chinese economy and life patterns have been changed into free and global in some degree or we can say the world becomes flat, Chinese abstract art as well as its explanation also need to start from now and here, from the individual experiences and considerations of artists. Of course, confirming some creative resources from other places or some creations are well known in an alien land, but I think only “ here and now” could supply the value foundation for creations. Abide by this consideration, I’d like to emphasize the root of abstract form further more in the article which I write for this exhibition. According to the works showed in this exhibition, I will focus on two concepts: Return and Introspection.
Return, began with parting. However, “return” means re-recognition of traditional culture. But this recognition is not the well-known archaize, vintage and worship of ancient in the art history, is an active and creative realization and integration. This realization could be based on form and physical appearance, but essentially the nature of spirit. That is to say, traditional recognition is not assimilated by tradition and real recognition must regard new comprehension and creation as the preconditions just like Paul Cézanne’s classical and traditional realization to Nicolas Poussin: Paul Cézanne is always Paul Cézanne, who didn’t follow the classical tradition because of respecting and worshiping Nicolas Poussin, but serving as a foil to the eternity of classical tradition through his creations. Therefore, in my opinion, the sense of return must have “creation” and “recognition” two elements, and these two elements are led by modernity.
Apparently, for the artists such as Shang Yang, Jiang Dahai, Li Huasheng, Liang Quan who underwent for more than half century, “parting” and “return” have different kinds of complexity. On the one hand, paintings as the “classicality” of Chinese art have always been negated from “May 4” movement to the time of Mao Zedong; on the other hand, since 1980s, imitated contemporary art negated everything from ancient to modern times, including artists themselves. They parted from imbroglio and puzzled art landscapes, and most of them have the similar start point —— literary route of painting realistically as well as stagnated and rigid Chinese traditional paintings in the time of Mao Zedong. Parting of course is also a beginning to start to give up, begins to let your body and mind wander in an alien land, or hide in those strange spirit regions. In the process of seeking, they made comparison and reflection. By all appearance, this kind of undergoing didn’t lead to wilder, but to find tradition and themselves from a wider and deep spirit. That is the so-called “return”. Of course, because of their self undergoing, they follow different routes. And their route decides their inventions and founds in their art as well as the subtle distinction of their attitude on tradition.
Dong Qichang’s project of Shang Yang has its origin, we can see some traces of the "grand landscapes" series—— it is still visual mosaic with some sort of banter, including the dialogue between the old and new media, as well as inquiries of the old and new tradition fracture. Of course, the new works are more pure in visual structure, which allows them to be intuitively close to the exploration of form, but essentially it is a kind of cultural act. Although Shang Yang sets Dong Qichang who is a master of Southern Sect paintings as model, we are even more easily associating schemas of high mountain and huge plain of Northern Sect from some of his works. The subconscious outpouring reminds us that Shang Yang's artistic language is founded on the plateau and loess in the area of Shanxi. Therefore, Dong Qichang is a just a classical symbol for Shang Yang, refers to the tradition, and sprayed images is a metaphor of new media resources. Because of this coexistence and dialogue of ancient and contemporary symbol, Shang Yang’s exploration of spirit and tradition is still corporeal. Differently, Jiang Dahai, Liang Quan and Yan Shanchun’s works are melted in vagueness and secret. I have associated the scenes of dripping gray points in the wild space with traditional “Mi’s cloud and mountain” in Chinese Landscape Painting. From the formal point of view, his work includes various levels with high density, representing static and dynamic dependencies without boundaries; it is an exploration about density and change. From the spirit, Jiang Dahai’s art is founded on philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi, happy and ease in concept, attracted to the free structure and the reclusive soul. If Jiang Dahai's work has a philosophical meditation, then Liang Quan’s work has some literary light and ease characteristics. It can be said, Liang Quan’s art is a formal landscape collaged by rice paper. His art has a clear modern structure, and these kinds of montage, emptiness and frailty let us associate with Paul Klee. However, the works of Liang Quan build the capacity of attachment to the traditional literati paintings. I think artists have to follow or that he can not give up or abandon, is the light redden color of the Chinese traditional paintings from Huang Gongwang of Yuan dynasty. In Liang Quan’s works, patches of faint anthocyanin and speckled ocher confide such a context image. Others, such as those mysterious regular and gossamer ink grids of Li Huasheng are reminiscent of the traditional reclusive and easeful scholar-bureaucrat. On the numerous layers of Su Shangzhou’s “supreme”, we can experience a traditional power of tolerance and accumulation in such traditional Chinese paintings. Yan Shanchun’s “Pursue Dream at West Lake” contains a kind of sentimental melancholy in the southern misty rain. There is clearly looming memories waiting to be aroused. They are layers of moist past.
From the works of the above artists, we could feel a kind of cultural standard consciousness obviously. It has a close relationship with their personal traditional art attainments and their painting backgrounds. But we must point out that their cultural standard concept is totally different from the nationalism reflected by the slogan of art “nationalized” since the time of Mao Zedong. Their paintings embody an open and liberal modern consciousness, never show a well-known proper pride and glory with closure. The calm and harmonious modern consciousness without struggle is also opening to the Chinese traditional classic art. Because of that, we could feel a kind of sense of return from their works, which is a self-knowledge and introspection towards cultural identity and also contains temperature and heat under placidity.
However, only the sense of return in culture is not enough for the form exploration in an era obviously. We also need a form summoned from the experience of people’s existence. The reason is that human is still a perceived existence, even if stripped of all cultural decoding. The art should faithfully express it. I think this is the essence which Pollock boasted "I am nature". So, I think Chinese abstract art need to be closer to the individual existence and origin of mind. It should be a kind of experience and reflection of inner spiritual profundity. It is called “Introspection” herein.
About introspection, what I want to stress is a state of detachment of experience here. What form conveys to us is something seemingly familiar, half-comprehended, but resonate deep inside our heart. Introspection is origin from suspicion. Suspecting body, questioning experience, denying appearance, inquiring existence——these draw the outline of spirit characteristics of modern people in some extent. No exception of the artists. The extreme of suspicion points to nihility. But for arts, it is often the starting point of creation. As Harold Rosenberg said, "Modern artist was born from nihility." In order to understand this "nihility", it requires a profound spiritual intuition without doubt. In the aspect of art, it is not from a manner through the accumulation of knowledge and experience, but through a kind of Zen-like sudden inspiration. Or through a kind of spending —— let us toss despair to time.
Tan Ping's work is origin from his shocked observation of his father's cancer and cancer cells. Imagination on the cancer spread tingles his soul inexplicably. The basic form of a series of his works is born in such an experience. In Tan Ping’s works, we obviously can not see the "sense of return" previously discussed. Because his art has nothing to do with the collision of civilizations, which is about people, about the existence of body, about growth, reproduction and corrupt of destructive cell element in the most basic sense. He thus gave birth to a variable circle form, as a metaphor of changes and disillusionment of life and human society. This is the way of Tan Ping: direct visualization of the existence of human and society, needle-like thorns to the hidden depth of soul, ultimately presenting the sense of the nihility of life to the visualization with the most basic form and image. This approach naturally has its background reasons of studying in Germany, but on its origin, I think that should not be limited to the tradition of expressionist paintings, but should also include Joseph Beuys. Joseph Beuys warned people, aesthetic problems were human problems in the final analysis, and all the arts connected to the human nature. Tan Ping’s art points to “a living existence”—— cancer and physical demise. The work itself is not only the therapy and liberation of self-spirit, but also enlightenment and release of life attitude.
Different from Tan Ping, Liu Wentao and Hu Qinwu’s works allow us to appreciate the power of another kind of introspective. Their art is not from sudden shock, but from a kind of extraordinary toughness. This toughness should abandon all daily trivialism, and life traces will be flattened by time. I said that it is indeed his concerns on time and space behind those thick lines of Liu Wentao’s expatiation, and both are the main dimensions of all constituted existence. He is bent on the pursuit of pure plane and peace. That silent introspection has been challenging illusion and emotionality. This makes his work have a quiet and frosty beauty. It seems that Hu Qinwu’s work has similarities with Liu Wentao’s work, both revealed an order in the constant repetition. But Hu Qinwu’s art is totally an interface presentation based on “conflict”. First, our intuitive feel of his work is contrary to its production process. Who knows, those visual light transparent ring marks are from the dripping, condensation and high-pressure spray of water gun. He works so hard like a car repairman, without the slightest desire of expression to the world, has nothing to say. Obviously, Hu Qinwu is surrounded by a deep sense of nihility, and only Art becomes the support of his existence.
I always feel that art is like Antaeus, if there is no Mother Earth Gaea, then his power could not be permanent. Every artist should have his own Gaea, otherwise he would be like a river without water or a tree without root. In this article, whether it is "return" or "introspection". I wish my emphasized point was still on the exploration of abstract art in the form of "root." Forms must have the characteristics of root. Of course, the way of rooting is not only one or two. But only art forms with root will not be blown or swept away by storm. From this sense, root is reality and only reality could be permanent.
2010 Tomb-Sweeping Day in China Central Academy of Fine Arts
