The improvement of the socio-economic and cultural level has brought about the vigorous development of the calligraphy and painting market, and at the same time, it is inevitable that some "marketing" will be the first and the people will be confused. The author of this article denounces those so-called "painters" who deceive the world under the guise of "literati painting", especially in a humble and "not enough to correct" mentality, there are many fierce criticisms of the hometown painting world. As a sign of respect, this newspaper does not modify the original text. However, at the same time, readers are reminded to distinguish that profit-seekers in the name of "literati painting" are by no means unique to one city and one place.
In this era, it is not appropriate to advocate literati painting
· Zhang Shaocheng
Literati painting left room for opportunistics
The rise of literati painting is a page that cannot be ignored in the history of Chinese painting. The liberation of pen and ink and the liberation of personality have prompted the painting material to shift from cooked paper and silk to raw paper, and the transformation of this material makes painting no longer bound to the description of real things. Su Dongpo initiated painting as a great literary hero "do not have to be similar", and then Liang Kai, Fa Chang to later Xu Wei, Bada Shanren, until the modern Wu Changshuo, Qi Baishi and other generations of people, literati painting has achieved indelible achievements.
However, as soon as the literati painting appeared, it had the characteristics of being easy to come by and be willing to do, leaving room for later opportunistic people, and it seemed that they did not have to go to the painting and did not have to work hard to obtain fame and fortune. They think that fame is everything, and over the years one "famous painter" after another has been born.
If the painter is full of thoughts about how to improve his popularity, how to "occupy the commanding heights of academia", busy with Zhang Luo, the establishment of small hills, and what kind of "leading figures", at the beginning he is not right-minded, deviates from the original intention of literati painting, and occupies the mountains under the banner only because of interests. The strength of public relations and publicity of such painters is far greater than the strength of the pen, so the heart, hand, and mouth do not match the number, and the desire drives the downward pen to be fast, and even painting feels tired. In their case, the hand is not as good as the mouth, because the mouth can blow. Whoever has a big mountain and a high reputation will hype up, and whose paintings will be able to sell for a large price. With the spread of the unhealthy trend of gift-giving in society, such painters became rich first.
The literati are known as the engineers of the human soul, but he is also a human being, and he also wants to live a good life, and finally he can't hold back, gives up the purity of the literati, raises the banner of authentic literati paintings, and surrenders to the market.
Artistic novelty is meant to be in the Dhamma
Literati painting, as a form of painting, should not have been denied. It opens the mouth of literary style and talent catharsis, and provides a great degree of freedom for creation, but freedom and law restrict each other, and new ideas must be in the law.
The legality of art is related to the cultural heritage. The literati in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Beijing and Tianjin have a deep atmosphere, many readers, and the Zhuangyuan Arch can be seen everywhere, which is a sign of reverence for the literati. In particular, the existence of the old gentleman cannot tolerate chaos after being young.
At the beginning of the last century, Li Keyan wrote an article "On the Hard Work of Art", which left a deep impression on me. He called himself the Ascetic School, emphasizing that writing should be slow. The Department of Chinese Painting of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, where he taught, naturally pursued this purpose. In 1978, I witnessed Li Keyan's eldest disciple Huang Runhua leading more than a dozen students to sketch in Huangshan Mountain, and at night, all the paintings were pasted on the wall with three or four corners with saliva. He harshly criticized a student for drawing twice a day, writing too quickly to tolerate it, and the student almost didn't cry.
The authority of the old man in the Central Academy of Fine Arts, if you do not come to the real world, it is difficult for you to understand. In the 1980s, at the Shenzhen Art Festival, Zhou Sicong was already famous all over the country and painted "Miners Group Painting", we all felt that the painting was very good, but Zhou Sicong was sullen and unhappy, and later learned that it was the old man who criticized her for "asking for escape too early", so Zhou felt pressure.
Objectively speaking, the aura of literati painting is in the north. There are generations of succession, there are strict requirements for the pen, the use of the pen should be more important than the use of ink, the requirements of the drawn line can not be weak, but not too strong, the strength needs to be average, starting and closing the pen is not easy to show the front. In particular, it is necessary to have the "sword ridge" that Huang Binhong said, that is, there must be flying white in the middle of a line, and it is difficult to do it simply that the cantilever and the hanging wrist hand cannot be shaken, and it is necessary to train the sword ridge for more than ten years. Thinking that literati painting can take shortcuts is a convenient door to become a Buddha in one step, but people are ignorant of literati painting at the time.
The essence of literati painting is the lonely height of the literati spirit
It's not that literati painting has no standards. In modern times, Qi Baishi developed the style of literati painting to the extreme. He was a carpenter, willing to risk starving to death in Jinghua and adhering to his artistic bottom line, poetry, calligraphy and painting were good at everything, and comprehensive cultivation was the standard of his literati painting. Every item of Qi Baishi is a high score, and the tadpoles and shrimps he created are enough to make him stand in the ranks of world masters.
Guangdong has no shortage of painting masters, if the standard of literati painting is relaxed, not according to the four all-round but one or two outstanding to measure, then there will be a group of pen and ink sensitive, rare talent, very talented people. If such a person is placed in the provinces of the interior, so that he has cut off the idea of getting rich, and let him be in the situation of "starving to death in Beijing", then it is possible to become a literati painter. But unfortunately, they live in Guangzhou, surrounded by a strong commercial atmosphere, too much temptation, too much desire.
【Ming】Dong Qichang's "Spring Stone Green Pine Diagram" ink on paper
95.2cm x 41.1cm From the British Museum collection
People have cars, you don't; people have villas, you don't... As a result, your heart is seriously unbalanced. Coupled with the endless walking of caves and pen meetings, the context of literati painting has been greatly violated. The boss gives money to influence your beauty, obviously it is an orchid with pen and ink, the boss can't understand it, saying that it is a pile of grass. Who would turn down money? Can you not change it?
One side feeds the other. This piece of soil is too fat to raise the crooked but most beautiful pine trees on the Huangshan Mountain. The essence of literati painting is the solitary height of the literati spirit, which is divorced from the masses and does not conform to the trend, and is the product of the mentality of "the pearl at the bottom of the pen has nowhere to sell", and how can a person who eats a mouth full of oil in Guangzhou become a master of literati painting? Talent is engulfed by desire, which is the real sadness.
The "Da Hong Pao" album published by the National Art Museum of China cannot explain your level
The term literati painting was used. Some people are not literati, have not written any articles, but say that their paintings are literati paintings, so, in my opinion, in this era, do not advocate literati painting, but can talk about freehand painting. Freehand painting is an art form, a means of painting, as opposed to gongbi painting. The term literati painting is easy to fool people and easily produce academic corruption. In the final analysis, art still depends on the painting and the quality of the painting. Some people may have literati feelings, but there may not be a shadow of a literati in the picture.
Academic corruption has a long history, it is not the same as the "tiger and swatting flies" in politics, not an insider, you can't see that he is blowing - you say he can't do it, others think you are jealous.
【Qing】 Shi Tao's "Remembrance of Jinling Album" No. 8 Ink on paper
Collection of the Freer Museum of Art, USA
In 2009, I witnessed a solo exhibition at an art museum in Beijing. The lobby is arranged like a funeral parlor, and several paintings are displayed a day. Banners and flower baskets are ready-made, so-and-so painting exhibitions open, concierges are in place, the next so-and-so painting exhibition please prepare, then the name of the banner and flower basket will be changed. Please guests to give the appearance fee, the higher the position, the higher the fee. As long as you give enough money, find someone to write a tout article, you want to order anyone can. As a result, it is very common for an exhibition to spend millions. Many of those exhibitions are so-called "literati paintings", which have spread and the negative effects have followed.
In the context of the market economy, driven by money, there is a lack of academic value judgment, and the sacred art hall and authoritative publications are no longer authoritative. You said that you had a solo exhibition at the National Art Museum of China and published a "Da Hong Pao" album, which is difficult to explain your level.
(The author is the former president of Guangzhou Academy of Painting, this article is reproduced from the "New Express")
Zheng Weibin, editor-in-chief of Chinese Painting Weekly