Spring of the World: The Poetic Comics of Feng Zikai: Feng Zikai's Poetic Comics

Author: Feng Zikai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-08-01
Features:
Introduction: In general understanding, cartoons are a form of satirical or humorous art, but such an explanation cannot encompass the intrinsic spirit of Feng Zikai's cartoons. Feng Zikai himself said, "The term 'cartoon' is derived from literal interpretation—'cartoony' means casual. Any painting drawn freely can be called a cartoon, because my sense of cartooning is similar to writing essays. The only difference lies in the tools used—whether lines or words." His attitude toward painting indicates both the casual and broad content of his cartoons and their strong literary quality. In literary creation, although Feng Zikai excelled in writing essays, he was particularly skilled in ancient Chinese poetry. Many of his early cartoon works were illustrations of ancient poems, such as A Few People Remembering Each Other on a River Pavilion and Watching the Milky Way from a Recumbent Position. The Complete Collection of Feng Zikai Cartoons published in the 1940s included a volume titled New Paintings of Ancient Poems.
The artist who most directly influenced Feng Zikai's cartoon creation was the Japanese painter Tatsuko Yoh. Feng Zikai once remarked, "Tatsuko Yoh's lyrical sketches open up one's heart, like a cold cup of coffee in the midst of suffering from heat." "A small painting with just a few strokes not only moves my eyes with its artistic beauty but also touches my heart with its poetic meaning." Feng Zikai was an artist with a strong artistic temperament, sensitive and talented. In his turbulent life, such as during the Cultural Revolution when he suffered persecution and humiliation, he endured the harsh spiritual blows only through his love for art and beauty. Before his death, he once said that one of his greatest regrets was no longer being able to read ancient poetry.
The above is the main reason why Feng Zikai's cartoons are so rich in poetic essence. The poetry is originally something readers must experience for themselves. Therefore, writing captions for Feng Zikai's cartoons is a thankless task. However, I still enjoy doing so because I have long been engaged in research on Feng Zikai and am familiar with some background materials. I hope my captions can serve as a supplementary aid for today's readers to understand Feng Zikai and provide them with a space for stories or imagination beyond the paintings. After all, reading Feng Zikai's cartoons requires bridging a vast gap in time and space.
Chen Xing, April 20, 2003, Hangzhou
In general understanding, cartoons are a form of satirical or humorous art, but such an explanation cannot encompass the intrinsic spirit of Feng Zikai's cartoons. The greatest characteristic of Feng Zikai's cartoons is "lyricism," which we call "poetic cartoons." Many of his early cartoon works were illustrations of ancient poems, such as A Few People Remembering Each Other on a River Pavilion and A River of Spring Water Flows Eastward. He believed that a good cartoon work should be: "A small painting with just a few strokes that not only moves my eyes with its artistic beauty but also touches my heart with its poetic meaning." The 130 cartoons of Feng Zikai included in this book are precisely such works that can move both our eyes and our hearts.