Hanlang

Author: Jia Dejiang, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Chinese painting art has always emphasized the unity of art and philosophy, advocating "achieving the way and advancing in technique," and stresses the consistency between artistic quality and personal character. In traditional painting theory, the level of artistic style is considered more important than the creation of style. One can say that styles vary in elegance and inferiority, but must acknowledge that artistic style has high and low levels, and it always reflects the artist's personality, spiritual taste, and cultural cultivation indirectly. Generations of outstanding painters, especially literati artists, were well-versed in poetry, calligraphy, and painting, and attached great importance to the cultivation of their spiritual character. Chinese landscape painting does not imitate nature like Western landscape painting; instead, it requires "learning from the creation of nature and finding the source within the heart," "painting as the trace of the heart, and the realm created by the heart." In reality, it is based on the artist's personal beliefs and communication and harmony, as well as the selection and integration of the subject. The choices and pursuits of renowned landscape painter Han Lang in his artistic journey also conform to this creative principle. Unveiling the landscapes within his heart and expressing the "inner beauty" with brush and ink have become his conscious awareness. In his article "The Distant Mountains Are Calling," he wrote: "Besides this, there is no other choice. Because I have indeed faced many choices at the crossroads of life, and in the end, I always resolutely took this irreversible path." The words reveal a profound understanding of life gained after experiencing the world, and it is through this that the author feels Han Lang's spiritual maturity.