Wang Yi Qian Painting Collection

Author: Wang Yiqian
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-09-01
Features: Anyone evaluating the development of Chinese painting art in the second half of the 20th century cannot fail to mention Mr. Wang Yiqian. Born in Suzhou, China in 1907, Mr. Wang Yiqian spent over fifty years living in Manhattan, New York, and was known as the "defender of Chinese ink painting art" and the "soul figure who introduced Chinese calligraphy and painting art to the West." This summer, Mr. Wang Yiqian planned to publish a collection of calligraphy and painting works documenting his artistic journey, as well as his first solo exhibition on the mainland of China. However, when Shanghai Fine Arts Publishing House was preparing to go to press, the news of Mr. Wang Yiqian's sudden passing was announced. The venerable figure, who had dedicated his life to Chinese calligraphy and painting art, left this world quietly, filled with deep regret. Now, the publication of Wang Yiqian: Calligraphy and Painting Collection has become a way to commemorate Mr. Wang Yiqian. The collection features ninety-six works, symbolizing Mr. Wang Yiqian's ninety-six years of life. It provides a glimpse into Mr. Wang Yiqian's career as a Chinese calligrapher and painter deeply immersed in tradition. He remained devoted to tradition, engaging in rigorous academic appreciation and collection of calligraphy and painting, while simultaneously embracing the trends of the world with an open and perceptive mindset. His creative pursuits included exploring the intersection of calligraphy and painting. Mr. Wang Yiqian had a lifelong passion for Chinese calligraphy and painting art, studying under Gu Linshi and Wu Hufen in his early years. After relocating to New York and traveling the world, witnessing the finest Chinese and Western calligraphy and painting masterpieces, he concluded that Chinese painting is akin to opera. The artistic development of Mr. Wang Yiqian, like that of all successful painters, can be broadly divided into three stages: "representational," "abstract," and "figurative." Therefore, in his later works, he often stamped a seal reading "not a thing" to express his views. By comparing Mr. Wang Yiqian's landscape paintings from different periods, we can see how he gradually progressed from the system of the "Four Wangs" to embracing the styles of the Song and Yuan dynasties, and ultimately integrating Western techniques to fuse Eastern and Western art. In his works, whether depicting white mountains and black waters or green mountains and red waters, the diverse scenes feature traditional Chinese elements such as trees, houses, water mouths, and shorelines, along with the conventional techniques of brushwork and ink application, seamlessly blended with Western modern symbolic patterns and methods like staining, splashing, and printing. This integration creates a unique and harmonious visual effect. Particularly valuable are his works that blend calligraphy and painting. He used calligraphy as the framework for plane composition, filling in colors, or employed techniques like flying white, ink blooming, and even breaking free from the form of characters to create a sense of black and white interplay in his paintings. Alternatively, he completely abandoned brushes and Xuan paper, experimenting with tools such as brushes, flat brushes, ink pens, newspapers, and acrylics for more marginal experiments. Mr. Wang Yiqian's bold and unconventional exploration spirit was truly on par with that of young, energetic avant-garde artists. Yet, all of this stemmed from his profound understanding of outstanding traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting. "Brushwork and ink should follow the times," a famous saying by the Ming Dynasty master painter Shi Taoshi, who pioneered a new artistic movement. In his time, Mr. Wang Yiqian used his experiments and insights to provide an exquisite interpretation of this principle. Mr. Wang Yiqian once said: "The artistic language of Chinese calligraphy and painting is brushwork and ink. Brushwork and ink are inseparable from Chinese calligraphy and painting, sharing life and hardship, and cannot be separated for a moment. The brushwork and ink I refer to are almost synonymous with Chinese calligraphy and painting." Brushwork and ink have become a unique cultural phenomenon of aesthetic agreement in the Chinese nation. He further explained: "The beauty of brushwork and ink is indescribable, lying in its abstraction. Chinese landscape painters do not paint the mountains and waters they see but rather the ideal mountains and waters in their hearts. Abstraction is a deeper artistic experience, conveyed through brushwork and ink. Otherwise, abstract concepts would be empty and meaningless." He believed that "those who understand deeply see deeply, and those who understand shallowly see shallowly." Misunderstanding, distorting, or denying brushwork and ink ultimately reflects a lack of understanding and recognition of the profound and extensive essence of Chinese culture. He expressed regret over some young painters who neglected brushwork and ink, as their clumsy brushwork limited their creative freedom. Regarding comments that Mr. Wang Yiqian's calligraphy and painting had merged with Western art, the elderly master frankly stated: "I have never felt a significant difference between Eastern and Western art in my painting. Perhaps this itself represents a convergence of East and West." In reality, Eastern and Western art can only diverge in superficial understanding. Western painting also emphasizes the expression of brushwork and ink to achieve moving vitality. Whether examining the beauty of brushwork and ink from the perspective of Impressionism, Modernism, or Surrealism, one will find that they share a common essence, achieving the same effect through different means. He hoped that brushwork and ink would continue to evolve in the debate between old and new, East and West, and past and present, embodying the principle of "if something is renewed daily, it should be renewed every day." Mr. Wang Yiqian internationalized the traditional painting language of ancient China, freeing it from rigid and fixed brushwork and ink to transform it into a "language" with universal appeal. Mr. Wang Yiqian and Mr. Zhang Daqian were both seasoned masters of art. Both brought Chinese calligraphy and painting art to new frontiers in their time overseas. Now that both "Two Qians" have passed away, the invaluable spiritual and cultural legacy they left behind remains a source of learning and inspiration for future generations. The publication of Wang Yiqian: Calligraphy and Painting Collection may hold even greater practical significance than commemorative value, as the best way to honor the masters is through research and learning from their works.