Li Kui Zheng Painting Collection

Author: Li Kuiheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-10-22
Features: Li Kuiheng has a strong creative consciousness of breaking away from tradition and innovation. He often says he should have a sense of mission, which makes him restless and constantly proposes new topics, continuously changing his artistic style. In the past decade, he moved away from his intense, rigorous, and traditionally skilled (flower-and-bird painting) creations, venturing into "exploring new realms, discovering new forms, and seeking new languages." For this, he spent several years appreciating the subtleties of freehand brushwork and turned his attention to the color field of Western painting, continuously enriching himself and seeking truth. After a period of technical tempering and psychological preparation, he returned to meticulous brushwork, with a dramatically transformed style that gained attention and approval from the art world. His success lies in his profound reflection and unique insights into the intrinsic essence of Chinese meticulous brushwork. Additionally, he possesses a calm and steady creative mindset, able to filter out distractions and immerse himself in his pursuit—"the pursuit of artistic eternity." Li Kuiheng attributes his artistic approach to "combining meticulous and freehand brushwork, integrating Eastern and Western styles." From the works in this collection, we can perceive the efforts the artist has made: In terms of brushwork, Li Kuiheng believes that lines "can express form, quality, light, color, and emotion (or 'line meaning')." He disagrees with the "deification" of lines and emphasizes the importance of experiments to "weaken" them. He discovers from ancient masterpieces that "lines and colors are excellent companions" and thus realizes that "good meticulous brushwork can be achieved without outlining." Indeed, the use of lines depends on intention—lines are present, but even without them, the essence of lines should be evident, ultimately conveying emotion. I understand his "line meaning" theory to be roughly along these lines. Based on this thinking, he intentionally sets aside highly skilled lines and completes some works entirely using the no-outline (mubu) technique. For example, in Morning Dew, the sense of brushwork's arrangement and (zigzag) movement is still visible, showcasing his success. In recent years, he has further proposed and advocated "new no-outline painting," hoping to continue evolving his meticulous brushwork creations. In terms of color, he emphasizes "subjective and personalized color." In recent years, he has focused on using overall, rich, harmonious, and elegant tones to express emotions. He successfully blends Western color techniques with Chinese ink, creating layers of color and ink without the richness or lightness of ink, nor the thinness or exposure of color, achieving a powerful balance of color and ink. He pays attention to the formal variations in his compositions, such as adjusting traditional flat-hand techniques with modern compositional elements, seeking a sense of relief in traditional ink wash techniques, enhancing color and brushstroke texture through large-area coloring, and capturing the spirit of freehand brushwork within grand compositions while leaving traces of it—i.e., "meticulous brushwork with freehand essence." The decorative and distorted elements in his paintings adhere to the principles of painting, guided by subjective emotion, as emphasized in works like Golden Autumn and Spring Passion, which highlight "order," reflecting the tension of life. The series of calla lily paintings in this collection allows us to experience the rhythm the artist finds between reality and the mind. Looking at Li Kuiheng's paintings, one feels a serene, tranquil, and profound beauty of nature, and thus also understands the artist's deep effort to reveal the philosophical wisdom of life. The ancients said, "Brushwork and ink should follow the times," and Li Kuiheng's paintings reflect his sincerity and contemporaneity. After reading this collection, we clearly see the traces he has left for this era.