ChanShingKau–Inherrtinganinstitutionallanguageof“originalHongKongaesthetics”byVincentLee28thNovember,2011
Inthe21stcentury,thefine-artcircuitinHongKongisnotedbythepriorimportanceofsolidifyingauniquelanguageforitslocalpaintingculture.
BoththeHongKongMuseumofArtandtheacademiarecognizeafactthat,theModernChinese-InkPaintingdemonstratestheglobalartscenewiththemost“original”perspectiveofHongKongcreativity.Thus,itcanberegardedasthemost“legitimate”formofHongKongartunderabasisofSino-Westernculturalinteractions.TheModernChinese-inkPaintingemergedwhileLuShoukun(呂壽琨)wasinitiatinga“NewChinese-InkMovement”(新水墨畫運動)duringhiscapacityasaChinese-paintinginstructorintheExtramuralDepartmentofTheChineseUniversityofHongKong.LuShoukunfosteredagroupofapprenticeswhoshowcasedcourageintranscendingthelimitationsoftraditionalliteratipaintings.Sincethe1960s,Lu’sapprentices,namelyNgYiu-chung(吳耀忠),WuciusWong(王無邪),LeungKui-ting(梁巨廷),KanTai-keung(靳埭強)andsoforth,unitedasprogressiveintellectualstore-interpretthemethodologiesofChinese-inkinfiltrationwithreferencetothegeometricalandsymmetricalemphasisofgraphic-designtheories.
Atthattime,LiuGuosong(劉國松),asaTaiwaneseartmaster,cametoHongKongandcorrespondedwithLuShoukun’smissiontopromoteModernismwithChinese-inkaesthetics.ChanShing-kau(陳成球)isoneofLiuGuosong’sdevotedapprentices,whoismuchaffectedbyLiu’sfavorinadopting“paper-tearing”(撕紙)and“water-rubbing”(水拓)techniquesasawaytorecomposethefragmentedillusionsofnaturallandscapes.ChanShing-kaurealizedthat,theTaiwanartcultureaccommodatedvarioussortsofliberal-mindedartstylesfromSoutheastAsiaandtheWest,whereastheso-called“right-wing”culturalandideologicalelementscouldbeappliedtoenrichthesystemofHongKongInkPaintingswithvividexpressionisticcontexts.BearinginmindwithLiuGuosong’sguidance,ChanShing-kauopenlyacceptswatercoloranddissolvedacrylicascomplementstoregulatethemoisturizedChineseink.Helaysstressonaharmoniouscoexistenceamongvariouskindsof“hydraulicpaints”oncerecognizingafactthattheycanbeequivalentlyabsorbedbyxuanzhipaper(宣紙),mulberrypaper(桑皮紙),mazhipaper(麻紙),synthetic-fiberpaper(人造纖維紙),cottoncloth(棉布)andothertypesoftwo-dimensionalChinesemediums.
ChanShing-kauupholdsanewconceptthat,theChineseinkcanberegardedasakindofchrominance,ortosay,akindof“pigment”forhighlightingthevitalityofoursecularityandecology.ChanShing-kauandhisfellowChinese-inkpaintersinHongKongmadeawiderangeofexperimentaleffectsbyafullypledgedmanifestationontheinter-relationshipamongpaper,brushandink.AkindreferencewasmadeonthesevenkindsofChinese-inkapplicationsadvocatedbyHuangBinhong(黃賓虹),whichwere,condensedink(濃墨法),paledink(淡墨法),cleavedink(破墨法),sprinkledink(潑墨法),soakedink(漬墨法),scorchedink(焦墨法)andshrunkink(宿墨法).Fortheuseofnewtexturalstrokes,apartfromfollowinghisoldacquaintancestopursue“pearl”strokes(珍珠皴),“leafvein”strokes(葉脈皴),“fishnet”strokes(漁網皴),“shiftingsand”strokes(流沙皴)and“ripple”strokes(波紋皴),ChanShing-kauattempttoenrichthemethodologiesbyinventingthe“pluckingsinewandpeelingskin”strokes(抽筋剝皮皴),“whitelinearasasubstitutetoblacklinear”(以白線代替黑線),and“whitelinearforaproductionoftensions”(白線產出張力).LiuGuosong,hismaster,endeavoredforhisartcreationsduringtheperiodthattheUnitedStatesaccomplisheditsmissioninsendingastronauts,likeNeilArmstrong,toreachthespaceandexplorethenoumenonofmoon.GettingadmiredwiththescientificachievementsoftheAmericans,LiuGuosongguidedChanShing-kautowithdrawfromthe“scholarly-liked”restrictedeyesightonourNatureandre-explorethevirtuesofthisUniversebasedontheWesternmodeofrationalphilosophy.Sincethen,ChanadaptstofosterinspirationsrelatedtotheideaofeternitygivenbyourCreator.EventhoughChan’sdescriptiononmountainouslandscapesreflectsaself-expressivemodeofliberationfromtheancientdoctrines,wecanstillcomprehendChan’snationalisticsentimentsduetohispersistingeffortsinmakingtheWesternvisualelementsconciliatewiththeharmoniousnormofConfucian-Taoistculture.Uptonow,hisChinese-inkpiecesreserveanappropriatescaleofspatialdistributions,andheenablesinkstrokestointerlaceasdecorativepatterns.
Indeed,ChanShing-kauencouragestheyoungergenerationtoremoldthe“self-images”oftheirChinese-inkpaintingswithcompositionalinnovations.In2010,correspondingwithLiuGuosong’songoingeffortsinconductingModernInkseminarsinvariousinstitutesandacademiesofMainlandChina,ChanShing-kaufoundthe“ContemporaryInnovativeInkPaintingAssociation”(當代創意水墨畫會)andunitedagroupofChinese-inkenthusiastsfororganizingapersistingseriesofjointexhibitions.Theestablishmentof“ContemporaryInnovativeInkPaintingAssociation”furtheracknowledgesthosewhohonor“travelingspirits”,asChanShing-kauconveys“self-expressiveness”and“leisure”astwoimportantcriterionsformakingModernInkPaintingemergeasanorthodoxinstitutioninthefine-artcircuitofHongKong.
Recently,ChanShing-kauconcentratesonportrayingclimatic,atmosphericandhydraulictransformationsduringtheseasonalchanges.Hedarestoconstitutefogs,mists,smoganddewasthemajorsubstancesinhisimaginativelandscapes.Puttingasidethecentralizeduseofbrushforces(中鋒),ChanShing-kauadoptsahugeportionofmoisturetocreatewashingeffectsforthepiecemealinkdropsthataremixedwithcolorpigments.Beingsuccessfulinpresentingartloverswiththevisionofimmensityandtranquility,ChanShing-kauaccomplishesthegoalofpursuingautopianrealmofinternalizedenhancementswithZenphilosophyasaguidingcode.
Author:VincentLEEKwun-leung(李冠良)
(DeclarationofInterests:IamtheArtOfficerfromtheArtOfNatureInternationalCompanyLimited.TheArtOfNatureestablishesitsexhibitionboothinthe4thCross-StraitXiamenCulturalIndustriesFairbetween28and31October2011.ChanShing-kauisaparticipatingartistinthisevent,andIpossesstheultimaterighttowriteaboutthecreativeideasofChanShing-kau’spaintingsbasedonhisfirst-handinterpretations.)