Chinese Association of Culture Creativity

2013

Well

POST WINGS

In the conception and creation of this painting, I embrace freedom and spontaneity, inspired by the spirit of bold strokes. Drawing from the rounded and antiquated brushwork of the great master Bada Shanren, to the innocent and carefree style of Baishi, as well as the flowing ink rhythms of Kublai’s Chan poetry, I aim to achieve a harmonious spirit of "my painting embodies a formless essence." Although the intention lies beyond the brush, every stroke adheres to principle, seeking an unobstructed exchange in the interplay.

In the past, calligraphers and painters observed "sword dancing," "geese at play," "birds flying out of the forest," and "rocks falling from cliffs," realizing the subtle realm of painting and creating masterpieces. This is the spontaneous transformation of nature at the tip of the brush, a capture of the essence of nature itself. By incorporating a group of ducks into the painting, I convey my emotions through objects, utilizing anthropomorphism of the water ducks, intertwined with the variations of ink tones, and the balances of density and distribution, to reflect the life's significance of "making the void wide" and "constricting and relaxing" in the breath of life.

Throughout history, great masters of painting and calligraphy have learned from nature, gaining inspiration from the heart. With nature as my teacher, I observe the changing clouds in the morning, witness the colorful sunset in the evening, gaze far at the smoke-free horizon, and closely observe blooming flowers and falling leaves... thus observing the life and death of mountains and rivers.

Let me quote a Zen verse as a summation of the entire artwork, where there is poetry within the painting, reminiscent of the Zen notion that "there is an eye within the verse." I hope viewers can transmit heart through their eyes and attain the path with their hearts. The inscription reads: "Do not drift with the flowing water like a floating weed; when the filth is gone and dust is cleared, then one begins to merge. If one can understand the affairs of past lives, where is the Buddha if not in the heart?"

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