Zui Yi Zhai Painting Theory Notes

Author: Liu Yitao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-09-01
Features: I believe that "intoxicated art" is a form of obsession; it is the expression of a painter's deep infatuation with art, strong personality, independence, unrestrained spirit, and freedom from societal norms. That is why I named my studio "Zui Yi Zhai" – it reflects my own madness for art. Without it, my aspirations cannot be clearly expressed. Poets and painters are all drawn to the path of intoxication, ultimately reaching the pinnacle of art. Li Bai is renowned as the "Immortal of Wine," with the lines "Raising a cup to invite the moon" – his intoxication lies in the moon, not the wine; "Singing while drinking" – his intoxication lies in the song, not the wine. In the "New Tombstone Inscription" for Li Bai written by Fan Chuanzhen of the Tang Dynasty, it is written, "Drinking is not for the sake of drunken pleasure, but to seek oblivion for self-protection." Gu Kaizhi's "obsession," Mi Yuanzhang's "madness," Liang Kui's "frenzy," and Ni Yunlin's "eccentricity" are all forms of obsession with art. The wise often appear mad or eccentric in the slightest tipsy state, or dull and obsessed, yet they reveal their unrestrained and extraordinary nature. This is not true drunkenness; it is merely a of the artist, different from the reckless intoxication of ordinary people.