Ink Painting, Calligraphy: The Third Abstraction

Ink painting (shui mo) in Chinese and East Asian art, can be considered the artistic equivalent of oil painting in Western art. Calligraphy (shu fa) represents the greatest achievement of Chinese and East Asian art and its value can be considered as fundamental as that of Greek sculpture in Western art as well. Contemporary art in China has three major characteristics. The first is characterized by realism and an imitation of reality inspired by the opening of society following China’s Reform. Images present unique expressions of deeply personal and profound experiences witnessed by the individual, as manifested by artists such as Zhang Xiaogang, Zeng Fanzhi, Fang Lijun, and Yue Minjun. The second is characterized by conceptual ideas integrated with Chinese cultural principles resulting in a unique fusion of Eastern and Western concepts, including works by artists such as Xu Bing, Cai Guoqiang, Huang Yongping, and Gu Wenda. The third characteristic employs Chinese art concepts, traditional materials and aesthetic experience, which represents an unprecedented and new interpretation of contemporary art.

The focus of this exhibition is the third characteristic, which is distinguished from the two aforementioned that derive forms and images from both Chinese and Western culture. Here, art concepts are Western and, thus, easily understood against the backdrop of the Western world and the infrastructure of its established industry; but, in this context the content is immediately associated as exotic. The Third Abstraction is similar to Abstract Art as an intrinsic art concept that is not easily understood and emerges from the hands of Western artists. It is a Chinese/East Asian conceptual method that has yet to receive widespread acceptance and understanding in the West. The situation is similar to the way Western artists were first inspired by East Asian art through Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints at the end of the 19th century. Through the import of this common folk art, ink painting and calligraphy then became part of the elite art rapidly imported through the Netherlands and popularized among Western painting concepts. It was key to preserve the distinctive Japanese characteristics and cultural symbols and, in this manner, the West gradually began to accept ink painting and calligraphy in art. In contemporary art today, this process seems to be repeating itself.

In this third characteristic, “Ink Painting, Calligraphy: The Third Abstraction” is the most typical style. Ink becomes a kind of material and form of painting, the highest form of Chinese art. But upon the introduction of European art in the 19th century, the role of ink painting was diminished. The reason for its decline is attributed to the emphasis on realism and the tendency to reproduce figures and objects in ink and wash painting. This emphasis minimized focus on the process of writing, reduced attention on the expression of the creator’s mind and mastery of the art. Once it was recognized that photography and film techniques increasingly supplemented methods of painting, the function of calligraphy was renewed as a focus on painting. “Ink – Calligraphy” may comprise a painting, but the “inner picture” is unseen by today’s world that cannot perceive the creator’s meticulous record of subtle perceptions. It provides a direct expression of the relationship between the individual and a mystical realm, reducing the loss caused by manufactured materialism. But this is not call for a return to traditional Chinese calligraphy and literati painting, but one that urges each and every artist to generate the quality of being unique, moreover to refuse to be confined by greater restrictions or requirements, to appreciate the freedom of true inspiration. “Ink Painting, Calligraphy: The Third Abstraction” avoids being trapped in the superficial web of contemporary art politics and discourse. Here, the value of contemporary art is placed in the process of creation and direct appreciation by the audience. It rejects the teachings of the creator and liberates the audience from the enslavement of the creator, thus allowing art to return to itself.

This exhibition features nine different artists selected for their breakthrough contributions to The Third Abstraction.

Lan Zhenghui’s large-scale paintings appear like handwriting, but the composite image of his brushstrokes composes a surface. This surface is not flat, and the intense fluctuations and variations of the ink and wash strokes produce an abundance of unexpected changes. It embeds a complex richness of spontaneity to the entire image surface.

Wang Tiande’s cultivated unconventional style preserves the aesthetic beauty of ink painting and his work continues to reveal the integrity of the ink medium. There is an intrinsic quality of uncontrollability when mediating the application of black ink color with water, which generates a natural appearing result—nevertheless one that follows the artist’s design and intended composition.

Shang Yang’s canvases gradually enter a state of ink through an extremely energetic calligraphic style that is almost soothing. The images essentially appear as unrestrained calligraphy, seemingly carefree and relaxed, but actually in the expression of such freedom it is very difficult to maintain one’s own integrity where one needs to constantly maintain distance from the object and the ready-made, thus preserving the rules of painting in the physical world.

Wei Ligang spends great efforts to manifest subtle changes through a fusion of symbolic lines. In one concentrated stroke he expresses the inner strength of the body and mind using the arbitrary fluctuations of the inner lines to manifest the subtle changes and, thus, truly reflects the inherent power of traditional Chinese painting.

Zhu Qingsheng’s paintings directly reveal the state of mind of a primal language because this kind of complicated inner mentality cannot be verbally expressed or understood. It can only be revealed on the canvas, where the painting is a reality, reaching a pure, unadulterated state upon which the spirit of literati painting is realized.

Zhang Hao’s calmly painted strokes are composed on a gigantic scale, gradually accumulating strength, and form a sense of heaviness compared to the actual texture of the material. The resulting passion and rationale melt into a unified composition creating silence within the painted image.

Shao Yan’s uncountable studies of the significance behind the writing and molding of characters present the greatest possibility for new beginnings and change. Although the calligraphy of each character can stand alone, the process of calligraphy is infused with passion causing each and every one to burst forth with life.

Inoue Yuichi uses the brush to express the essential techniques of traditional calligraphy. Each brushstroke corresponds to a singly painted stroke of one word or the many words of a single written character. He employs the greatest concentration, constantly having to part with a bit of his own soul each time he writes, where each work is a dedicated record of the solitary journey of the soul.

From a Western culture perspective, André Kneib fully understands and identifies with the intrinsic essence of Chinese calligraphy and simultaneously incorporates the exquisite Western sense of color, thus broadening the realm of expression within Chinese calligraphy. His understanding of calligraphy’s significance presents an important moment, one that completely transcends the standards of abstract expressionism.

These nine artists are not mutually similar, but together constitute a complete facet of The Third Abstraction.

Resource: Artron   2009-08-21