Portfolio of Chen Ping

Author: Chen Ping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features: The joy of painting lies in its temperament, and temperament is the heart of the painter. The sorrow of painting stems from no personal brushwork. Observing the brushwork of predecessors, most are creators leaving their mark, while those with their own brushwork are rare. Those who can be called masters of their own style are few, with the ancient Mi family's misty mountains and the modern Li family's landscapes, all establishing their own schools through personal brushwork. The beauty of painting arises from literary heart. Without literature in painting, it cannot be read; without heart, it cannot express its intent. As a painter, I spend my days guarding a inkstone filled with aged ink, a few bald brushes, and several scrolls of fine paper. I pour my thoughts from the heart, visions from dreams, and journeys from the day into the paper, expressing my temperament, indulging in brushwork, refining in literary thought, creating piece after piece as traces of the heart. After years of observing paintings, I have discerned three realms: the first is the realm of reality, which seeks truth through depicting objects. Chen Ping's paintings are the "form of nature within his own 'mood' estate," his idealized "images of his 'mood'," which overlap with his humanistic sentiments. In his paintings, you will never see a trace of restlessness. His works exude tranquility, like still water, embodying a great stillness that leans toward "determination." Chen Ping explains the meditative state of "situation," "enlightened state," and "spiritual state" as a state of "being free from thoughts, which is called 'cherishing Buddha'—a serene and comfortable heart."