Over the years, Mr. Cheng Dali has been committed to the exploration and research of traditional Chinese culture and art, from the subset of classical history to ancient painting theory, from the paintings of the sages to classical philosophy, he has been widely involved in, forming a comprehensive and profound understanding of Chinese painting. His landscape works are not superficial expressions of skill, but blend in a deep cultural background and contain rich academic heritage. At the same time, while exploring the inherent laws of Chinese painting, he also thinks about the transformation and innovation of brush and ink. The purpose of his change is not to explore and seek innovation in the general sense, but to constantly climb the spiritual height of painting. His active aesthetic thinking has prompted his pen and ink to often toss between inheritance and development, and constantly move to a new realm of colorful faces.
Perhaps because of his early life in the south, Cheng Dali's early works obviously carry the warmth and elegance of the southern landscape, always expressing his feelings for the family mountain in the brushstrokes of light ink. Those vigorous lines are like the willow branches of Jiangnan blowing between the structures of the mountain, and the whole presents a faint and calm landscape image. From the simple outline and meticulous rubbing, it is enough to glimpse the painter's profound sketching skills, and you can also find the high elegance of the four families of the Yuan Dynasty. The painter uses the landscape in his eyes as a way to express his own state of mind, conveying the unbridled interest of pen and ink. The plain and natural, flowing and handsome aesthetic style he pursues is the aesthetic expression of the ancients who "do not pretend to be clever, they are naïve". The landscapes and peaks in the painting are beautiful, the clouds are smokey, and the quiet and sparse mountains and wilderness are revealed in the lush simplicity, showing a soft and fresh Jiangnan weather. In terms of pen and ink technique, he weakened the rendering of ink and used the form of light ink to write with pen and brush, intending to build a peaceful and idyllic picture mood. At the same time, the painter strengthened the outline of the line, trying to highlight the thousands of postures of the mountain stone trees. The painter moderately fused the two, forming a beautiful and flexible pen and ink feature.
In the late 1990s, Cheng Dali's pen and ink underwent a turning change, completely abandoning the gentleness and tranquility of the Jiangnan landscape and turning to the heroic majesty of the northern landscape. The cause of this is the western sketch after 1995. Perhaps the southern landscape that is too soft cannot release the surging passion, nor can he express the "escape in the chest", so he runs to the mountains in the west with full of enthusiasm. In those years, he went into Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Tibet and other places again and again, and on the way through the desert wasteland, he feasted on the landscape and scenery of the western landscape, thus achieving a complete transformation of his pen and ink style. He began to break all the shackles of the past, depicting the magnificent mountains and rivers of the north in a more free and free form. The thick ink color, the rough lines constantly shuttle between the mountains and forests, the figurativeness of the shape gradually weakens, the interest of freehand is increasing, and some even deviate from the root of the shape, and enjoy it in the space of care. The works of this period are full of the vast momentum of swallowing the eight wildernesses, but also full of majestic and unbridled masculinity. The rolling mountains spread out under his pen, flowing with the charm of arrogance and desolation. The mountain range made of splashed ink is more like a dragon soaring between the heavens and the earth, generating a visual effect with shocking power. This transformation of brush and ink is actually a true portrayal of the state of mind, reflecting the artist's artistic proposition of pioneering and creating.
In the years after his journey to the west, Cheng Dali's artistic attainments became more and more mature and sophisticated, and his performance in pen and ink techniques became more comfortable. At this time, his study of tradition was more in-depth and thorough, and his techniques were also refined. Whether it is Dong Yuan, Fan Kuan, Huang Gongwang, Gong Xian, the Four Kings, or Huang Binhong, Wu Changshuo, especially Dong Qichang, their extraordinary artistic achievements and brush and ink experience, giving painters different levels of enlightenment, resulting in a comprehensive and rich realm in the inheritance of pen and ink. Many works still maintain a majestic and atmospheric aesthetic style, using pen and ink to be dashing and free, and generally present a sense of grandeur. The mountains, trees, and seas of clouds in his pen do not take the details of the work, but only seek the likeness, trying to create a majestic momentum in the change of ink and the flying of dots and lines. In addition to the divine movement, the painter pays more attention to the simultaneous use of ink and water, and the thick and light and dry complement each other. In addition, his brushwork and composition are also integrated with the essence of ancient and modern, and he brings out the diversified technical forms to the extreme. Of course, in addition to his superb skills, his works highlight a kind of vibrant landscape spirit, conveying the natural clear sound of the painter's heart. What he depicts is not only the appearance of the landscape, but also the rich and lively sense of life, full of endless landscape charm and yearning for freedom.
In recent years, Cheng Dali has pursued a simple and peaceful artistic conception in pen and ink, transforming the image of a landscape that opens and closes into a gentle and clear appearance. The ink used is from thick to light, the brushstrokes are from complex to simple, and profound philosophical ideas are integrated into the pictures, so that the spirituality of the work is sublimated. In his view, natural landscapes are not isolated beings in the universe, but are closely related to human life and spiritual consciousness, and contain the cultural connotations of Chinese philosophy and religion such as Tao Zen. His works are not simply an objective reflection of natural landscapes, but a high-level spiritual experience that reflects the painter's profound understanding of traditional Chinese culture. In the seemingly simple brushwork and ink method, there are subtle changes, full of "like tender and pale, like withered and plump, intentional or unintentional, if light as thin" magic fun. The Tang Dynasty's "Twenty-Four Poems" believes: "The plain is silent, and the magic is small." It is precisely with a simple and quiet heart that Cheng Dali perceives the wonders of thousands of landscapes and rivers, gets rid of the shackles of skill, is one with heaven, goes with nature, and acts with nature, reaching the realm of the gods who cannot and have the law. Those vague and quiet pictures clearly float with a clear state of mind and transcendent feelings, implying the Taoist idea of the road to simplicity and return to simplicity. The enlightenment of Lao Zhuang's philosophy makes his works tend to be distant, quiet and ethereal, showing the innocent beauty of landscapes.
In the creation of landscape painting, Cheng Dali constantly seeks new creations on the basis of adhering to tradition, and finally can understand the changes of ancient and modern times, become a family of words, build an aesthetic system rich in personality style, and inject rich technical elements and cultural connotations into contemporary landscape painting, thus also determining the style and spirit of the work. As a knowledgeable painter, Cheng Dali can always refine the essence in the process of Boguan and transform it into his own artistic nourishment. Therefore, every change in his pen and ink represents a leap and improvement in the aesthetic level, and from the completeness and profundity of academic significance, it is enough to influence and enlighten future generations.
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