Tang Dazhu
A native of Hefei, Anhui Province, a member of the China Artists Association, the vice president of the Hefei Yizhou Calligraphy and Painting Institute, and the editor-in-chief of the journal Yizhou, his works were selected for the "Eighth National Fine Arts Exhibition" in 1999; in 2004, his works were selected for the "Tenth National Fine Arts Exhibition"; his works won the "Century Chinese Style Chinese Painting Exhibition" Excellence Award; and the "Yixiang Cup Chinese Painting Art Exhibition" special gold medal.
Appreciation of works
Pen and ink are at your disposal
——Mr. Tang Dazhu's painting art creation pipe peep
Text/Liu Xuefeng
The study of Chinese philosophy or literature cannot be separated from one person: Zhuangzi; neither can be circumvented from a book: Zhuangzi. In fact, the study of Chinese painting is also inseparable from Zhuangzi and his works.
"Zhuangzi" begins with "The Getaway". The so-called getaway is to not rely on anything in the outside world, completely unrestrained mentally, not limited and constrained by any external things, and obtain absolute freedom. However, it is not easy to reach such a state. Zhuangzi believes that only by achieving "no self", "no work" and "no name" can we enter the realm of getaway.
Foolishly, painting is the same. In order to truly achieve a free mental state and create pure and aesthetically tense works of art, it is necessary to block any form of temptation of merit, fame and profit.
Those who do meritorious service will be burdened by merit, those who are famous will be trapped by fame, and those who seek profit will be hurt by profit. When they have not gained merit, fame, or profit, they must be painstaking and painstaking in order to win; when they have already gained merit, fame, and profit, they are often tired of their inadequacies, and they must worry about the day when they lose or be robbed by others of what they have already got, and they will work hard and exhaust their means all day long. In this way, you will fall into a situation of mental exhaustion and physical exhaustion. From the perspective of the principle of artistic production, this is completely contrary to the way of creation, and only those who completely abandon merit, fame and profit can truly enter the state of artistic creation, make a getaway in the temple of art, and write freely.
Linking Zhuangzi with artistic creation, I don't know who the founder is, and there are many related theories about the history of painting. For example, Dong Qichang said: "The way of painting, the so-called universe cares about the hand, there is nothing but vitality in front of the eyes." Shen Hao said: "You should know the ancient manuscripts, in large blocks." Shi Tao said, "Even if people can't, they can't, they can't, and the law is the ultimate law." Among them, the "Tao", "universe", "large chunk" and "zhiren" all come from the concepts in "Zhuangzi".
Mr. Tang Dazhu believes that the key to painting is not skill, but the focus is on human cultivation, that is, the purification of the soul, the purification of the spirit, and the sublimation of character. That is what Wang Jin of the Qing Dynasty said: "The word "rational qi" in the painting is well known to everyone." In order to cultivate the mind, it is rational and clear, and the mind naturally emits a vast thought, and the bottom of the wrist is born of strange interest. ”
It is precisely because in terms of value orientation in line with zhuangzi's way, as the main body of artistic creation, Mr. Tang Dazhu is spiritually independent and ideologically free, therefore, his creation is not intentional for merit, fame, profit and the like, purely because he wants to paint, the vision and the heart of the emotion trigger each other, stir each other, can't help but think about it, sue to the pen end, send pen and ink; when painting, I don't know that I am a grass worm, a grass worm for me. Interesting and interesting works are thus produced.
When we look at Mr. Tang Dazhu's work, "The Mountains Are Quiet like the Ancients, the Days Are As Long as a Small Year", we feel that the natural time and space no longer exist, and the world has completely entered Zhuangzi's "land of nothing"; "Pear Blossom Rain in the Pear Blossom Alley", it is as if the whispers of flowers and rain are heard in the silence of thousands of people; "Knowing No End", turning abstraction into concreteness, writing fiction with reality, and lyrical "life has an end" with the attachment of grass worms to the seasons. In general, Mr. Tang Dazhu's works are close to nature and life. He does not paint tall pine trees, does not paint bright peonies, and carefully depicts small insects and grasses that are often overlooked. However, these inconspicuous and trivial things, once the author's pen and ink are dyed, they have vitality and aura. At this time, what we see is no longer a natural thing, nor a deliberately operated painting, but a feeling of "all things are one with me", which liberates aesthetic reverie while obtaining aesthetic pleasure. This kind of reverie is Su Shi's reverie: "If there is a sound on the piano, why not sound it in the box?" If the voice is on the finger, why not listen to the king's finger? ”
In the final analysis, the sound is not on the piano, nor on the fingers, the sound and its emotional expression are in the heart. The same goes for painting. Painting is not about tools, not about objects, but about the heart. Only those who are empty and pure in their hearts, not bound by fame and fortune, can enter the state of artistic creation and create works with aesthetic implications.
Mr. Tang Dazhu's paintings have both the physics of the Song people and the meaning of the Yuan people, because he pursues inner lyricism, does not show off skills, does not cater to the customs, and paints completely out of authenticity and nature.
Of course, Mr. Tang Dazhu is not a supreme person, and his paintings are not perfect. Everything is developing and changing, and Mr. Tang Dazhu has never stopped the pace of art. When we carefully taste his paintings, from his natural and simple style, we can more or less appreciate the author's humble personality and produce some expectations in aesthetic resonance.
What to expect?
Looking forward to Mr. Tang Dazhu presenting better works that can reflect the taste of literature, the interest of literati, and the connotation of culture? Or is there more Tang Dazhu-style artists in the field of painting who have cultivation, feelings, and perseverance?
People talk about it.
(About the author: Liu Xuefeng, male, Han ethnicity, Anhui Woyang people. He studied Chinese in college and specialized in Song history with a master's degree. He has published dozens of literature, poetry, academic papers, etc. He is currently the executive vice president of Hefei Yizhou Calligraphy and Painting Theory Research Institute)