Xue Chen Language Painting: My Review of Chinese Painters

Author: Zhang Yu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-11-01
Features: In the book Snow and Dust: Words and Paintings, Zhang Yu's notes on Huang Yongyu stand out. Compared to Huang's works in painting, oil painting, printmaking, and sculpture, his profound written works (thought notes) have established his position in contemporary art history—"a deeply witty trickster." Compared to his paintings, his prose is indeed outstanding, as Zhang Yu aptly states: the clever Huang Yongyu possesses the power of wisdom, and his speech Painting and Literature delivered on the millennium lecture platform of Yuelu Academy is more impressive than most of his paintings. This is not to belittle Huang Yongyu's artistic achievements but at least reveals a phenomenon—the literary cultivation of painters can enhance their reputation. In contrast is the "Cui Zifan phenomenon": Cui Zifan, a man of military background, was not a learned individual, not even "one car" of knowledge, yet this humble old "revolutionary" pushed the freehand floral-and-bird paintings of Wu Changshuo and Qi Baishi further into a realm of roughness, clumsiness, simplicity, and minimalism (though due to his lack of learning, Cui Zifan's floral-and-bird works often sacrificed refinement for simplicity). The reason lies in the military career that nurtured his courage and wisdom in overcoming challenges, as well as his ability to grasp the overall composition of a painting. Combined with his early rural life experience and later identity as an artist, these elements converged to produce Cui Zifan's floral-and-bird works, characterized by extremely saturated use of color and ink, yet with minimalist composition and decorative effects. In the contemporary debates—both praise and criticism—about the "Cui Zifan phenomenon," Zhang Yu's brief remarks eloquently explain why Cui Zifan became the "cart-pusher" in the "" (a metaphor for the era following Qi Baishi's mastery). Snow and Dust: Words and Paintings, though composed of short chapters and notes, is disorganized in its categorization of artists. Some chapters, however, follow certain patterns, such as the "examination" of new literary-artists and the "troop" of Shaanxi painters. This also reveals Zhang Yu's (spontaneity), adhering to the traditional style of "notes," especially within the limited text, he intersperses many anecdotes and background stories about the artists, enhancing the readability of the text. Of course, the book is not without flaws—some passages are mediocre, as demonstrated by the group of notes on Zhang Yu's Shaanxi painter contemporaries, which highlights his "far-reaching yet close" approach. Nevertheless, this remains a rare gem of a book, offering a delightful, satisfying, and eye-opening read.