Motivation to paint
Introduction
Explaining the unexplainable
Existence
I think therefore I am
Impressionalism
Visualise the feeling
Self-portraits
Who am I?
Art that I like
Australia
Beauty in the wasteland
Europe
The underbelly
Iconography
Picture writing
Chinese Art
Traditional and modern
Chinese Art - Traditional and Modern
As China is in a state of rapid change, its modern art is truly fascinating. One of the pieces I've seen was a small sculpture depicting Confucius being crucified. When I saw it, I had to laugh because it looked so ridiculous on the grounds that crucifying the icon is so alien to East Asian thought. However, it was the absurdity of the image that made it so thought provoking. For me, it posed a lot of questions about the cultural differences between east and west, and how the growing influence of Christianity in China might in turn shape the local culture. I interpreted it as two different approaches to a teacher. In the west, many Christians are so busy apologising for crucifying Jesus that they never consider what he had to say. In the east, Confucius is given respect, and his words are considered.
A series of paintings (see below) that I liked involved an image framework of a room, with different components added to the frame in each different painting. As each image was substituted into the frame, it gained a meaning from the context around it, and in turn influenced the context around it. For me, it helped me think about the change occurring in China. It also helped me think about the how iconic symbols are used in China.
Photography is also a fertile arena of creation. For example, I saw a photo of naked bodies, which at first had me thinking that I was looking at another mundane nude. On closer inspection; however, I saw that there were mosquitos biting the genitalia. It was great! Initially I interpreted it as a photograph desexualising a sexual image, and thus making a bit of a joke on the art viewer. Then I interpreted it as a metaphor of a sexual congress.
Mixed in with the great art there is a lot of clichéd work as well. For example, there are paintings of Chairman Mao eating a McDonalds hamburger, or a Mao suit made out of Chinese money. Although they are a bit boring, a bit clichédness is expected in any artistic forum.
For a while, I thought Beijing was on the verge of becoming like Paris was in the 1930s. I thought Beijing would attract foreign artists from around the world, who would then work with Chinese artists. From the engagement would come the world's next great art movement and art that would be renowned for the next century. Now that I've been in China for a while, I think that, although the fire is set, it will never be allowed to burn. Contrary to what some people around the world believe, artists have great freedom in China. They can paint whatever they want. The main problem they have is promotion. By denying the avenue to promote work, the bohemian flame can't really spread. There is great inspiration for art, and great art is produced but it ignored by most of the Chinese populace that simply keep consuming the traditional staples. As for the artists that become famous, they are the ones whose style can be promoted in a newspaper and is conducive to China's networking culture. Invariably, this means that the leading artists aren't really pushing the boundaries necessary to appeal to an international audience. The experimental artists are there, but they have little hope of gaining any kind of following. Consequently, I think the flame will smoulder but never really take a sufficient hold to attract international attention and engagement necessary to create a Chinese Picasso.
While I prefer modern Chinese art, there are some aspects of traditional Chinese ink painting that I like as well. Just as the genius of the great German composures was in the notes that weren't played, the genius of Chinese ink painting is in the lines that are not included. If you look at a Chinese painting, the image seems to come alive. It isn't the painting itself that is coming alive, but the imagination of the beholder that has been triggered. By judiciously omitting lines, the mind of the viewer is forced to use its imagination to fill in the gaps.
The Chinese environment is the most common subject matter for ink painters. This is a boring subject for me as I have little experience with it, and therefore I am unable to truly empathise or engage with the scene in the way that I can do with Australian landscape paintings. However, I have seen some ink paintings of crayfish, and as someone who used to keep yabbies as pets, the paintings resonated with me.
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Judging Art