Line of Love: Tang Liang's Graphite Pencil Collection

Author: Tang Liang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: I greatly admire and promote Mr. Tang Liang's ink drawings, as his ink drawings are first-class in both fundamental artistic skills and artistic standards. Ink drawing emphasizes the expressiveness of lines and focuses on using "formulaic" techniques to depict objective objects. Therefore, most beginners in ink drawing start by practicing ink lines, requiring proficiency and ease before moving on to sketches or creations. From the works in The Passion of Lines, we can see that Mr. Tang Liang has masterfully grasped the techniques of ink drawing on a solid foundation of painting and sketching. His ink drawings use lines in various ways—both lively and fluid single-line outlines, layered and combined lines, and the integration of lines and planes. It is also worth mentioning that Mr. Tang Liang creatively applies techniques similar to Chinese calligraphy in his ink lines, giving his works a rich Eastern artistic flavor. His lines are sometimes dense, sometimes rough, sometimes delicate, and sometimes simple, seemingly effortless yet endlessly varied. In Mr. Tang Liang's ink drawings, techniques no longer follow fixed procedures or rules. He treats ink lines as the language through which he expresses objective subjects and conveys personal emotions. His mastery and application of ink drawing techniques have reached the highest level of "method within methodlessness." Like most ink drawing artists, Mr. Tang Liang chooses architecture as his subject, a traditional theme. For this theme, ink drawing primarily has two expressive tendencies: one focuses on the outlines and structures of buildings, emphasizing their objectivity and inherent logic; the other focuses on expressing feelings about buildings and their environments, emphasizing the artist's subjective experience. To distinguish these characteristics, the architectural and art communities refer to the former as "architectural paintings" and the latter as "painting architecture." Historically, few painters and architects have excelled at both. Those who consciously unify the two to achieve perfection are even rarer. Mr. Tang Liang is undoubtedly one of them. In his works, we can see that he "is not satisfied with merely copying the appearance of buildings." On one hand, he "integrates the spirit of architecture with diverse shaping techniques, lines, and the charm of color." On the other hand, he "uses the diverse and distinctive architectural forms from around the world to express his emotions." Therefore, Mr. Tang Liang's architectural ink drawings hold greater artistic value. I believe he belongs to the category of "painting architecture," yet he retains the skill of "architectural painting" as an architect.
Due to the simplicity of ink drawing tools and the ease of creation, it is difficult to produce large-scale works. Therefore, artists use it for preliminary sketches, while architects use it for design drafts and presentation drawings. Additionally, because ink drawing has strong black-and-white contrasts, it is convenient for printing and publishing, so artists also use it for book illustrations and sequential art. Historically, few single ink drawings have become art works. The key reason is that most ink drawings, while emphasizing technique, neglect the expression of "emotion."
I believe that realism aesthetics judges art works based on whether the author expresses the objective world with sincere emotions, skilled techniques, beautiful forms, and typical images. Judging most ink drawings by these standards, their techniques, representational abilities, and visual forms are mature, lacking only the "emotion." However, Mr. Tang Liang's ink drawings can be considered excellent art works because he infuses them with "emotion." At the same time, his works fully meet all the requirements of modernist aesthetics for art works.
It is worth noting that Mr. Tang Liang is not only an outstanding artist but also a highly successful businessman. Unlike ordinary merchants, he loves art and works tirelessly, pursuing it with passion, viewing it as his life. At the same time, he differs from ordinary painters in that he pursues art without commercial motives. He does not "bend his knee for five bushels of rice" and does not need to cater to others' preferences. He paints simply to express his feelings about life and the world. In his ink drawings, he seeks self-expression and joy. Therefore, his ink drawings are free from, elevating their artistic value.
The Passion of Lines collects over 200 of Mr. Tang Liang's outstanding ink drawings over the past decade. Its publication offers art enthusiasts a feast of art. I believe that Mr. Tang Liang's efforts and contributions to expanding the expressiveness of ink drawing and enhancing its artistic value will have a profound impact.