Chinese characters, horizontal and straight skimming their own meanings; the Olympic Games, challenging the limits of unity and progress. When Chinese classical culture meets modern sports in the world, when China's "Hanshu" meets charming ice and snow, what kind of sparks will collide?
With the dance of pen and ink on paper, Hanshu artist Wang Xuyuan waved out "2022" and 15 different "winter" characters in the shape of snowy mountains and tracks, brilliantly interpreting the 15 sports of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The beauty of the Winter Olympics
In the 10-day countdown to the Beijing Winter Olympics, the CCTV news channel broadcast a propaganda film using the same footage that Wang Xuyuan splashed ink on the Beijing Winter Olympics.
This group of works, called "Winter Fifteenth", is based on the Chinese character "Winter" and is displayed through different forms and combinations, showing the fifteen sports sub-events of the Winter Olympic Games.
Winter Alpine Skiing, on Ink Paper, 2019
From short track speed skating to figure skating, from winter biathlon to alpine skiing, flying on the ice, snow mountain leaping, to swooping down and passing through the clouds, not only the form is vivid, but also shows the majestic momentum of winter snow.
Winter Nordic Biathlon, ink on paper, 2019
In the view of creator Wang Xuyuan, this is the wonderful fusion of ink painting and ice and snow sports between the lines and brushes, but also the interweaving and collision of abstract art and figurative movement in pen and ink, and it is also his fusion expression of the beauty of the Winter Olympic architecture and the pioneering exploration of the Humanistic Olympics.
Winter Steel Frame Snowmobile, ink on paper, 2019
Speaking of creative inspiration, Wang Xuyuan lamented the magical charm of Chinese characters. After studying and practicing the winter project, he decided to use the character "winter" to create the "Winter Fifteenth" series, so he studied the historical calligraphy and famous calligraphy of the Chinese character "winter".
Higher - Olympic Motto, ink on paper, 2019
"The same Chinese character "winter", I combed and studied the calligraphy of nearly a hundred kinds of winter characters, and through research to understand the calligraphy masters' expression of the beauty of lines, structures and emotions. "Expressed again in the form of the Book of Han,
Faster - Olympic Motto, on Ink paper, 2019
There are always difficulties in creating. The difficulty of "Winter Fifteen" lies in finding a balance of beauty between abstraction and figuration, to express the artistic conception of oriental aesthetics. "Studying the calligraphy of the word 'winter' is an abstract expression, and the athletes' competition is composed of countless figurative pictures. How to find a balance between abstraction and figuration between this kind of movement is the most difficult, but it is also the wonderful place of ink art. ”
Stronger - Olympic Motto, on ink paper, 2019
In "Winter Fifteen", Wang Xuyuan used a few strokes to perfectly show the speed and strength of the athletes, and used the oriental aesthetic to express the dashing moments, allowing the viewer to immerse themselves in the artistic conception of ink painting.
Double Olympic love
This work "Winter Fifteen" also covers Wang Xuyuan's "Blue and White Porcelain" series.
When creating the art of the Winter Olympics, he boldly used Chinese national porcelain as a carrier. Blue and white porcelain is made of white porcelain and black material before firing, which in Wang Xuyuan's view, seems to be painting on paper, which can show a kind of ink artistic conception.
Winter Hockey, Blue and White Porcelain Plate, 2020
"We have been seeking some breakthroughs in blue and white porcelain, improving the tradition of the original appliqué paper style, and improving the glazing method to express a more free mood." In the end, Wang Xuyuan said, he found that combining abstract splashing ink with movement was the feeling he wanted. After repeated firing and color addition, the blue and white porcelain and the Winter Olympic works are finally integrated, and the pure blue flowers and white ice and snow make the performance of the Winter Olympics uniquely Chinese.
Winter Figure Skating, Blue and White Porcelain Plate, 2020
Wang Xuyuan has always had Olympic feelings in his heart, this is not the first time he has been involved in the Olympic Games, his Olympic complex began fourteen years ago. In 2008, Wang Xuyuan first tried to use Chinese characters to interpret architecture, his "nest" character, in the freehand painting, can not only vaguely taste the "nest" character of the pen transfer, but also highlight the structural framework of the National Stadium Bird's Nest, on flat white paper to build a three-dimensional space of the oval building, the work has also been made into a large fiber art work, displayed in the hall of the Beijing Olympic Games International Information Center. The skillful combination of calligraphy art and Olympic elements not only makes a useful attempt at the innovation of modern Chinese calligraphy, but also provides a new perspective for the development and dissemination of traditional Chinese culture. In 2015, the news of the successful bid for the Beijing Winter Olympics once again ignited Wang Xuyuan's Olympic passion.
Winter Freestyle Skiing, Blue and White Porcelain Plate, 2020
In his view, the Olympic Games is not only a competition, but also a carrier of cultural exchanges, he has always wanted to create Olympic works again, hoping that through his Hanshu ink art, the Olympic Games and art will be connected, so that everyone can feel the beauty of sports in the visual of art. "The perseverance of athletes inspires every generation, like the spirit of the women's volleyball team we had back then, like the recent short track speed skating team championships. Next, I hope to express the spirit of athletes' hard work and never give up in their creations, and inspire our young generation to brave the hardships and dangers. Wang Xuyuan said,
"Winter Short Track Speed Skating", blue and white porcelain plate
Calligraphy and painting are of the same origin, and Wang Xuyuan has always hoped to explore an "international vocabulary" in qi, context, meaning and rhyme through the integration of calligraphy characteristics, sports characteristics and visual figures, and to perfectly integrate the traditional Chinese culture and art of Chinese characters, ceramics, and blue flowers with the modern theme of the Winter Olympics.
"Winter Ski Jumping", Blue and White Porcelain Plate, 2020
"International competitions and Chinese expressions not only make the Chinese people see the subtlety at a glance, but also make foreign friends sigh the exquisiteness of Chinese art." Wang Xuyuan said that in the long years to come, the Olympic spirit will be immersed in his cultural blood, and he will also explore the future development of Chinese art in the contemporary cultural context with a tenacious persistence, and show the beauty of Chinese art on the world stage. (Cong Song)