Celebrated Works by Renowned Artists---He Jiaying

Author: He Jiaying
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: He Jiaying is a master of fine-line figure painting, and his achievements and contributions are numerous, making it difficult to evaluate. The small book has been published, and I have been asked to write a preface. In brief: He is profound in character and quick-witted in talent, so his paintings are infused with spiritual essence while following established methods, progressing from substance to refinement, and are truly worthy of the ancient ideal of "unity of form and spirit." This term carries great weight, and I am weary of the current trend of chasing the void and delving into the empty, which leaves nothing concrete. Let us look at the ancient critiques: "Painters must move the life force within the material, transform endlessly, and concentrate their spirit to observe—this is indeed difficult." If the artistic spirit is complete but the form is lacking, it may seem alive but is not; if the form is complete but the artistic spirit is lacking, it may seem like a likeness but is dead. Both perspectives are valid, and the theory of "unity of form and spirit" should be considered the classic essence. However, truly practicing it, as Zhu Xi lamented, is indeed difficult. It must be admitted that this "difficulty" has persisted for thousands of years, and only a few have been able to overcome it.