Part 07 The Freehand Spirit of Illusion Painting

(1)

The spirit of freehand brushwork is an inherent impulse in the art of painting. The essence or internal driving force of "freehand brushwork spirit" is the unity of subjective freedom and objective constraints. It can be said that in the history of world art, the earliest discussion, research, and practice of the "freehand brushwork spirit" was in Chinese painting art. As is well known, Xuan paper ink painting first appeared in China. Its tools, materials, and features best reflect the painter's subjective freedom of expression. However, when people talk about 'freehand brushwork', they associate it with 'freehand brushwork'. It seems that only large freehand brushwork can embody the "freehand brushwork spirit". However, we cannot deny that other forms of Chinese painting lack the spirit of "freehand brushwork". Every painter from ancient to modern times, both in China and abroad, has a desire and impulse for free expression and expression in their hearts. Therefore, we should explore the topic of "freehand brushwork spirit" within the entire scope of Chinese painting and even world painting. In this way, we can have more thinking about the freehand brushwork spirit in painting, and also deepen our understanding of the essence of "freehand brushwork spirit". In Chinese painting, "freehand brushwork" is only used as a genre opposite to "meticulous painting". The "freehand brushwork spirit" we are currently exploring has a much broader connotation than freehand brushwork as a genre.

From the perspective of the entire world of painting, Chinese ink freehand brushwork undoubtedly embodies the spirit of "freehand brushwork" and has achieved the highest achievement. Therefore, in the eyes of the world, "freehand brushwork" seems to be only something unique to China, but in fact, it is not. Russian painter Mernikov also absorbed the essence of Chinese painting in his creation. This "essence" is actually the "freehand brushwork spirit" of Chinese painting - free expressiveness. Our understanding of the "freehand brushwork spirit" should not be static in past impressions or experiences, but should open up our thinking and recognize it more dynamically and extensively. From the perspective of world painting, we may have a more authentic and profound understanding of the essence of "freehand brushwork". In the past, when painters compared Chinese and Western painting, they often simply classified Western painting as "realistic" and Chinese painting as "freehand". From outside the work, it seems like this, but if we delve deeper into it from the perspective of rational logic, there may still be many issues that cannot be justified. The "freehand brushwork spirit" we are currently exploring should have a higher academic starting point and a wider academic perspective. In this way, we will have a deeper understanding of the philosophical essence of the freehand brushwork spirit in painting, and a more thorough understanding of the "freehand brushwork spirit" of Chinese ink painting.

The concepts of "freehand brushwork" and "realism" seem to be opposing and mutually exclusive. But if we think carefully, we will understand that "freehand brushwork" is not about writing the "meaning" in our minds that is completely unrelated to the objective world. It is not a unique feature of Chinese painting to express emotions and ideas through the "objects" and "images" of the objective world. Why is Western painting not expressing emotions and ideas through the use of objects and images? In fact, as long as it is a human painting, as long as the painter creates it by hand, it must be expressing emotions and ideas through images.

From the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, Western painting did emphasize visual reality, and its free expression was also constrained by objective elements. The development of Chinese painting also has different conditions, and it highlights a spirit by trying to break free from the constraints of objective factors. Therefore, it is easy for us to classify Eastern and Western painting into two major systems through sensory understanding: "realistic" and "freehand". Of course, compared to Western painting, the "freehand brushwork" and Western painting in Chinese painting are the theoretical basis for "realism".

As is well known, there are many paintings in the history of Western art that have a "freehand" element, such as the portraits of French artist Flagnard. Especially in its' Strange Appearance ', the brushstrokes are flying, completely depicting the' grand freehand brushwork 'of oil painting. Some of the paintings by Greco and Goya in Spain have vertical and horizontal strokes and varying colors at close range, similar to Huang Binhong's paintings. Some paintings are even more "freehand" than Huang Binhong's. When viewed at a certain distance, everything in the paintings comes out and their shapes are also sturdy. Goya has a painting of a portrait of a certain woman. At close range, the skirt is painted in a hazy way, but at a distance, everything is just right. These all indicate that European painting has begun to transition from a "metaphysical" form to a dialectical form, that is, expressive freedom. In the period of Impressionism and Post Impressionism, painters had a broader space for their free expression spirit. But this' freehand brushwork spirit 'is still controlled in the dialectical unity of subjective freedom and objective constraints, and has not been imbalanced to the point of becoming the founder of modernism. In modernism, painters have greatly surpassed the endurance of this dialectical unity, no longer balancing the expression of subjectivity and objectivity, but infinitely exaggerating the subjective freedom to express the spirit. Without the tempering and nourishment of objective factors, the content expressed by painters becomes increasingly pale and vague. However, in any case, Western painting also pursues "freehand brushwork" spiritually, but they do not have a clear name for it. The term "freehand brushwork" is unique to Chinese art theory, but the content and spirit of "freehand brushwork" are universal in all paintings.

From this, it can be seen that the "freehand brushwork spirit" is nothing more than a free will pursued by painters in the process of painting. Which painter doesn't expect himself to be able to freely and effortlessly create works that combine color and shape perfectly? This is the ideal realm pursued by painters and a special way for humans to pursue freedom. Whether it's Chinese painting or oil painting, painters always hope that their paintings can reach the realm of perfection. As long as he is an artist, he has this desire in his heart.

What is the essence of "freehand brushwork"? Is absolute freedom the essence of "freehand brushwork"? Western modernism elevates this issue to a higher level, believing that the absolute freedom of painters is paramount. But after a hundred years of Western modernism, people have summarized its gains and losses: has the absolute freedom spirit of individual "indulgence" it emphasizes reached the exemplary height of the freehand brushwork spirit we pursue? Not at all. The self promotion of Western modernist painters, completely free from objective constraints, only resulted in cheap freedom, low-level freedom, and did not improve human painting art, but rather became even more sluggish. The self-destruction of modernist painting tells us that the essence of "freehand brushwork spirit" is not only freedom, but also freedom and constraints. It is a dialectical unity of freedom and constraints, and a dialectical unity of subjectivity and objectivity. Only by following this artistic law can we enter the realm of artistic freedom.

There have been many masters in the history of Chinese and foreign art. The reason why they can become masters is because on the long path of art, where freedom and constraints interact, they constantly conquer constraints and strive for freedom with their faith and will in art, climbing step by step, and finally reaching their own realm under a very high level of constraints. Today, every painter should also set a goal, which is to overcome the layers of constraints in the painting process and move towards a higher realm of freedom.

Why can Chinese painting with "freehand brushwork" have a long-lasting charm in the world? This is because it never forgets the unity of subjectivity and objectivity, its pursuit of freedom is just right, and it never abandons objective constraints, which is related to China's doctrine of the mean. The approach of Western modernist painters is very extreme and extreme. They reject the constraints of the external objective world and pursue personal subjective freedom to the maximum extent, resulting in falling into the abyss. Today's exhibitions of Western modernism are almost identical to a uniform set of clich é s, mainly due to the rejection of the constraints of the objective world by modernist painting. We painters all live in this world. Why reject this vibrant and colorful world and paint something unrelated to this beautiful world? Western modernist philosopher Leonta said, "Our avant-garde mission is to draw those invisible things. It's just artificial sensationalism, without charm.

What we mean by 'freehand brushwork' is not simply the 'meaning' that arises completely out of thin air in our minds, but the meaning triggered by 'reality' and the interest of 'reality'. The painter "freehand brushwork" finds a suitable "degree" between subjective and objective aesthetics for their own personality. This' degree 'is the artist's personal style. When we recognize a concept, we must find its opposite and make a comparison, in order to obtain a more accurate understanding. Where is the essence of "freehand brushwork spirit"? If this concept is brought to the extreme unilaterally, and eventually becomes like modernism or postmodernism, completely rejecting the objective world, lacking necessary objective constraints, and expanding infinitely, then this self will become helpless and can only collide around or fall into danger.

After the emergence of impressionistic masters such as the Eight Great Shanren, Shi Tao, and the "Eight Strangers of Yangzhou" in Chinese painting, we can still steadily move forward, which is closely related to traditional Chinese philosophy. When discussing the "freehand brushwork spirit", we must recognize its essence - to promote the spirit of free expression in constraints. Without the dynamic unity of subjectivity and objectivity, and without the constraints of the living world, Chinese painting may have nowhere to stand.

In the 21st century, we Chinese painters need to have a broad mind, develop Chinese painting with self-esteem, confidence, and self-improvement, while also recognizing the laws of Chinese painting. Chinese painting is not a closed entity completely separated from world painting, it is essentially a way for humans to pursue freedom. Only by comprehensively understanding the problem and comparing and studying the unique laws of Chinese painting with the universal laws of world painting (human painting), can we better understand and discover ourselves.

(2)

Some people may say that when you say that illusion painting is not abstract expressionism, or expressionism, turning realism into something to express, is it illusion painting? I have a very clear statement here, although the boundaries of illusion painting are very broad, the core is very distinct, which is the cultural and cultural characteristics of the Chinese people, that is, how the work highlights the cultural concepts, personality realm, and taste style of the Chinese people. There are also four ways of illusion painting discussed here: firstly, to construct an artistic conception with Chinese poetic cultural characteristics through form and color, rather than being satisfied with the depiction of external forms, light, and color. The second is the use of imagery, which is neither realistic nor abstract. The third is to use meaning to create color. Light and color are the soul of Western painting, just like the brush and ink of Chinese painting. Intentional light and color are romantic and dreamy light and color with regional and cultural characteristics. The fourth is to write with meaning, which is most commonly expressed through the use of calligraphy in Chinese painting to express its imagery characteristics.

The development of Eastern and Western cultures has their own trajectories: Western civilization is built on the traditions of ancient Greece, characterized by Aristotle's logical thinking in its way of thinking, while Eastern culture, represented by China, is built on the traditions of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, characterized by dialectics and grandeur in its way of thinking, seeking speculation.

In the art of painting, the East and the West also present different ways of cognition and expression. The important feature of Western painting is that color follows sketch, sketch follows perspective, and perspective is based on objective visual experience of fixed point gaze. His painting art is based on the aesthetic ideal of similarity, starting from primitive rock paintings and awakening in Greek bottle paintings. It matured during the Renaissance, with scientific and physical references, and is in line with the oil paint materials they chose.

Unlike Western painting, which is based on the existence of the objective world, with a fixed point perspective of truthful pursuit and realistic expression, traditional Chinese painting uses romanticism and the spatial consciousness of the unity of heaven and man to handle the picture, transforming the depth of nature into a flat layout of image space. Therefore, the spatial form of the work is not an objective visual representation of visual experience, but rather a reconstruction and combination after being processed by the painter's imagery.

Liu Youju's illusion painting is an academic perspective that combines with the contemporary Chinese context, with the theme of "meaning" and "realm" in traditional Chinese aesthetic content. Its goal is to seek the role and value of traditional aesthetics in the development of contemporary Chinese painting, thereby activating the extension of the role and connotation of traditional aesthetics in the current Chinese cultural context, and paving the way for the combination of Western art and Chinese cultural context. The term 'meaning' refers to the meaning of the mind, which is directly connected to a person's inner activities and is the inner perception of the outside world. In traditional Chinese painting, the concept of "freehand brushwork" refers to the expression of the painter's inner feelings towards nature. As Zhang Yi of the Tang Dynasty said, "learning from the outside and obtaining the source of the heart" is the expression of the meaning in writing the heart. This pursuit of "meaning" has been running through the entire development history of traditional Chinese painting. In contemporary times, how to continue the development of Chinese painting has become an important topic. However, "meaning" is created through "writing", leading to "realm". "realm" is "Xinjiang", and "realm" is the nearby world created in painting. It contains two levels of meaning. One is the layout and creation of "meaning" in the painting, which is for the creation of nature in the heart. In traditional painting, the highest pursuit is to make the painting the ideal paradise of peach blossoms. The second meaning contained in "realm" is the level of "realm". In Chinese literature and art, the realm theory is most classic based on Wang Guowei's triple realm theory. The level of realm on the screen depends on the artist's inner "accumulation" and "understanding". When "meaning" and "realm" merge into "artistic conception", reflected in artistic works, it will make people expand the wings of imagination, which is the free and beautiful flight of human nature beyond the material world.

The spirit of freehand brushwork is the essence of traditional Chinese art, involving the relationship between humans and nature. It can be traced back to the philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi, which is based on the principle of Taoism following nature. This nature is different from what we usually understand as nature. The philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi refers to the nature of nature, which includes both nature and human beings. The art of expressing nature should not stop at imitating the external image of nature, but should deeply reveal the inherent essence of nature. Han and Tang art also embodies the spirit of freehand brushwork, especially the cursive script that was popular in the Han Dynasty, Wei, Jin, Sui, and Tang dynasties. To some extent, calligraphy, painting, and Daoist philosophy are interconnected. The modernity of Chinese art can draw inspiration from the freehand brushwork spirit of traditional Chinese art. We seek the modernity of Chinese art, which is not in the West or outside, but in the essence of traditional Chinese art, the spirit of freehand brushwork, and deep within ourselves.

The main feature of Chinese painting is freehand brushwork. As the name suggests, the grand freehand brushwork is the freehand brushwork of freehand brushwork. Chinese painting brush and ink is not a form, but a creation of an "image". It is an abstract process of "returning to emptiness and becoming more complex". All the techniques of Chinese brush and ink painting serve this "return to emptiness and confusion", which inherently carries a kind of fuzziness and arbitrariness. Therefore, the "image" and "realm" that arise from "return to emptiness and confusion" have a characteristic of "impression". The creation of freehand brushwork, through the process of "return to emptiness and confusion" in image acquisition, "return to emptiness and confusion" in creation, to the "return to emptiness and confusion" in brush and ink, naturally becomes the impression of impression, The Teana belongs to this nature.

The Western Impressionism is the impression of natural color and light, and the "impression" of Chinese painting is reflected in the "great popularity" of the pen and ink with the universe and nature, Mr. Zong Baihua also pointed out that "Western Impressionism is the portrayal of an individual's subjective stance, while Expressionism is the expression of subjective fantasy emotions, while Chinese painting is an objective natural life that cannot be confused. Chinese painting is not without the expression of a writer's personality, and his spiritual characteristics have already been fully reflected in the pen and ink." Liu Youju's illusion painting is an object carved by imagination, It uses Chinese pen and ink experiments as a means to express the illusion effect of "light" and "shadow". From Liu Youju's series of works, one can see the magical and unpredictable nature. The epic and magnificent works make people marvel at the lively rhythm of ink and color, the magnificent and magnificent scenery, the elusive and mysterious artistic conception, and the profound and dynamic connotation, giving people a sense of boundless heaven and earth and a sense of grandeur in life.

(3)

The so-called creation of artistic conception refers to the subjective artistic summary, refinement, and illusion of objective scenery, in order to express the author's emotions and ideals more strongly or simply to create artistic conception. Artistic conception is an important category of traditional Chinese aesthetic thought. In terms of painting, the creation of artistic conception must be based on the construction of spatial imagery. Liu Youju's works no longer remain obsessed with the brightness and color of specific light sources, the expression of natural external features, and the composition and layout are no longer limited to specific time and space. He conveys emotions and expresses ideas through his freehand brushwork, either thick and dignified, or swift and unrestrained, just like Chinese painting and calligraphy, expressing emotions vividly, revealing his personality traits, aesthetic taste, and artistic talent, and forming a unique style of expression.

The poet creates the realm with his meaning, and the reader understands the realm. In this principle, painting and poetry are interlinked, that is, image creation: "standing up as an image to express the meaning". Arnheim said, "It was only after the rise of the Impressionist movement that aesthetic theory began to undergo fundamental changes: it began to recognize that a painting is a product of the mind itself, rather than a reproduction of external physical objects. It is this distinction between external physical objects and psychological imagery that constitutes the cornerstone of modern art theory." ("Visual Thinking") Unlike Western art, which had "reproduction" as the mainstream before the 20th century, Imagery has a long history in China. 'Calligraphy and painting share the same origin' refers to the pictographic representation of things and the painting of shapes and meanings; The Book of Changes: "Words cannot be fully expressed, words cannot be fully expressed," and "images can be established to fully convey meaning"; Laozi: "Holding an elephant leads the world." However, "Dao" cannot be seen, heard, spoken of, or shaped. Tang Sikong Tu's "Poetry: Carefulness": "Imagery is about to emerge, but creation is already extraordinary"... "Imagery" is the central category of traditional Chinese aesthetics. Image "is a unified concept that cannot be divided into" meaning "and" image ". Although we can say that 'image' is the 'ideal image', as Arnheim explains: 'The' possible 'or' visible 'aspect displayed by this psychological image is only related to the concept of thought and is consistent with it.', Such an image is clearly a minimalist visual representation of the concept they are thinking about in their minds... in fact, it is a model representing the workings of the brain... The form of such a visual image is completely determined by the dominant concepts in the minds of the thinkers. Imagery in poetry is a language image that expresses specific emotions and ideas beyond the reader's words. It is "empty", but has "definite" but uncertain. In painting, imagery is a concrete image of "reality" or "emptiness within reality". The artistic image of "meaning" is not a representation of objective objects, but rather an image of creation and emotion; Therefore, there is no concrete or abstract problem with it.

Imagery is an illusory event, therefore, the expression of imagery is inevitably "freehand". The artistic image of Liu Xie, who said 'the past is still present, the heart is also receptive', cannot rely solely on perceptual perception. The "Three Distances" in landscape painting are different from the "Three Sights" of the eyes, but rather the "Far" meaning derived from the visual perception of the object's mood and meaning, and the image of success as "satisfaction" and "satisfaction". Therefore, when it comes to painting, it is said that "all things between heaven and earth are filled with a trace of luck and thought, and the melody is perfect in its form. Therefore, those who can fully melody are only able to listen to one sound. What is the meaning of one?" (Deng Chun's "Painting Continuation") This is why Tang Zhang Yanyuan repeatedly emphasized "pride", emphasizing "not being unable to suffer, but suffering from... If one does not recognize it, it is true that one cannot". By using artistic techniques such as planarization and the combination of reality and emptiness, the physical "entities" in reality are transformed into artistic images that are ethereal and full of emotions. The freely galloping and full of human beauty strokes fully reflect the wisdom of the Chinese people, As revealed by Japanese author Daisuke Suzuki in his book "The Road to Zen": "The ultimate empirical fact should not be subject to structural or patterned thinking rules, to affirmative or negative rules, or to the cold epistemological structural style that has lost warmth." Chinese painting has indeed reached such an extraordinary level.

The "illusion painting" originated from the introduction of Western surrealist creative techniques in the 1980s.

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the emphasis on realism and the instrumental creative method of serving politics was emphasized. From a certain perspective, the latter violated the traditional aesthetic approach of "ultra secular" experience. In this regard, the "illusion" generated by surreal image experience can precisely construct a creative tendency that is not only related to tradition, but also has a contemporary charm. It should be said that "illusion painting" is a method of breaking through the boundaries of self expression in Chinese painting from the 1980s to the 1990s and even in the first 10 years of 2000. And the "illusion painting" created by Liu Youju also emerged in this context, so there will be many expressions and structures with a kind of magical realism.

For thousands of years, Chinese painting has developed a set of inherent modeling concepts and procedures. Each painter has their own aesthetic category and life limitations. It is not easy to break through, and the level of achievement depends on their own insights and creations. The breakthrough in Liu Youju's illusionist painting lies in his spiritual development and high school character. Hugo once said, "The only measure of greatness is his spiritual development and moral level." A barren land of thought can never produce great artistic fruits. That's why I especially want to advise young painter friends: an outstanding Chinese painter in the new era must be a very serious observer and thinker of social development, and must be a firm member of the social conscience square. One of the highest duties of culture and art is to cultivate the noble cultural character of humanity, which includes truth, goodness, and beauty. Therefore, if a painter is like a cow's hair, and a successful artist is like a unicorn, only proficient in techniques such as bone techniques, brushing and dyeing, texture effects, line operation, ink separation of five colors, image creation, and techniques such as flatness, retention, roundness, heaviness, and transformation, can he at best become a skilled painter. The immortality of art lies in its inherent vitality. Without profound cultural philosophy and ideological spirit, one cannot be full of kindness, innocence, and compassion, and do not value the cultivation of painting and personality. The artistic realm will not be high, and one cannot become a true master of masters!