Lin Haohu - A Case Study of Influential Painters in the 21st Century

Author: Jia Dejiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Absorbing traditional high antiquity and clarity, it aims at the artistic spirit (qi yun), with a fresh and profound style, ink and wash depicting lush mountains and dense forests, misty clouds, and landscapes overflowing on the canvas. It expresses emotions through brushwork and ink, with layered mountains and winding waters, learning from the natural world and forging a unique style. This is a full display of Lin Haohu's return to simplicity and the result of his diligent pursuit. Lin Haohu's landscape art is a crystallization of the subjective spirit illuminated by the fire of the soul and a reflection of objective beauty. Although many of his works are not epic in scale, grand in grandeur, they convey only general emotions, sensations, a dreamlike natural space, or a corner of the world's landscapes. Yet the sentiments, connotations, cultural atmosphere, and ethnic essence it conveys should all be categorized under the theme of "retroscopic reverie." Without a doubt, due to the profound and long-standing tradition of Chinese art and the influence of the three cultural philosophical backgrounds, Chinese art deeply reflects the aesthetic mindset of the Chinese nation and possesses such strong individuality. However, pure retrogression is meaningless. Only by delving into the depths of tradition, bringing it into a modern context, reorganizing and reconstructing it, and allowing it to regain its charm in the spirit of the times, is it meaningful. What Lin Haohu has done and is doing should all be attributed to this point.