Sketch of Wash Painting:
Respect for the Tradition, Stay Close to the Nature

To fans of calligraphy and painting who are over thirty years of age in the Shantou region, XXXX is not a name unfamiliar to them. In the 1970s, as a child, She gained a national reputation for her wonderful cursive style of calligraphy. Witnessing initial fruits of the Reform and Opening up Policies in the Shenzhen special economic zone, her painting, Awakened Land, was published in The People’s Daily in1997. This work is also one of the successful urban water and ink paintings that were published so early and spread so extensively. Later on, XXXX entered into a period during which she, while swallowing all loneliness, underwent many turns and twists of exploring ancient Chinese painting traditions. She started imitatating the of styles of modern painters such as Li Keran, Fu Baoshi, Huang Binhong as well the “Four Wangs” and Shi Tao of Qing Dynasty, Dong Qichang of Ming Dynasty and Four Masters of Yuan Dynasty. From laws of pen and ink to the essences of work structure and theoretical insights, she carefully studied all aspects of their artistic creations. Her endeavor was closely associated with the learning of artistic traditions advocated by the circle of Chinese paintors in the 1990s. However, she does not agree with imitation in the name of criticism but uses for reference. She proposes to study traditions open-mindedly and sympathetically. Nowadays, many people take traditions as a springboard, intending to discard it in a way described as “tearing down the bridge after crossing the river”. Also, some people take some superficial techniques learnt from ancient people as an asset of their showcase. In contrast, XXXX has displayed more profound revelation with real belief in and the understanding of traditional arts.

XXXX’s attention and reflection on sketching also started from that period. Modern Chinese fine arts education attaches great importance to sketching due to the deep influence of West fine arts education. Such influence has affected academic fine arts education since the foundation of The People’s Republic of China and has gradually evolved to become the sole way of learning Chinese paintings, thus creating a lasting impact on the learning and creation of Chinese paintings. As a reaction to this extreme approach, many contemporary painters have taken on another extreme approach: they create so-called conceptual paintings by acting blindly, separating themselves from reality and denying the use of sketching. XXXX’s artistic practice was also influenced by the concept of academic sketch. In a personal exhibition held in Shantou in 1999, some of her works could have been classified into this category, namely conceptual ideas and pen and ink techniques entirely serve for an accurate depiction of natural landscape. During the long process of study of tradition, she has gradually become aware of the concept of sketch called by ancient Chinese painters as “I put the images of mountain and river on paper because I feel that they are like indispensable parts of my body”, this reveals the fact that the Chinese way of sketching is completely different from that of the West. Ancient Chinese painters not only digested the shapes of mountains and rivers and changes in the clouds and the four seasons but also even put personal conceptual ideas and philosophic thinking of the nature and life into the creation of paintings, which is a very complicated process. The concept and attitude toward sketching is the same as towards Chinese paintings. All the understandings XXXX have gained have come from years of consistent hard work and practice. Over the years, she has visited many renowned mountains such as Tai Mountain, Hu Mountain Yue Mountain, Wuyi Mountain, Sanqing, Emei, Luofu and so on. She has spent time in various forest locations in the region. She do many sketches wherever she went.

At the end of 2002, XXXX brought back many latest works involving personal figures, mountains and rivers, blossoms and birds to her hometown for exhibition. She once again showed her achievements to her town folks with so plentiful artistic works.