Wang Zhaojun, a famous writer, scholar, Jiao Mo painter, a native of Linyi Hedong, graduated from Fudan University and has worked in the Supreme People's Court, People's Daily, China News Publishing House, etc.
In the early 1980s, Wang Zhaojun became famous in the Chinese literary scene with his novella "Funeral Before Dawn" and reportage "The Wilderness is Calling". So far, he has published more than 4 million words, of which "White Candle", "Falling Fengpo Character", "Card of the Four Seasons of Jingshen Street" and so on have been translated into English, Japanese, German, Korean and other languages. The novel "Brothers" won the 2013 Chinese Outstanding Novel Award of Asia. In the past ten years, he has mainly engaged in the research of rural culture and calligraphy and painting art, and has authored "Black Duntun - Historical Sketch of a Chinese Village", "History of Zhu chen Village", "Ask hometown", "Figurative Chinese Realist Oil Painting", "The Way of the Book Saint - The Biography of Wang Xi", "The Flower of the Troubled World - The Biography of Wen Jiang" and so on.
From 1990 to 1996, Wang Zhaojun taught at Brock University in Canada. In 2014, he returned to his hometown to establish Dongyi Academy, mainly engaged in public welfare education and contemporary Jiaomo painting creation and research.
How I drew the scorched ink
Text/Wang Zhaojun
I learned to paint relatively late, and the starting point was low, and there was no fixed teacher. More than ten years ago, a friend heard that I wanted to study Chinese painting, so he gave me a set of his "Mustard Garden Painting Notations". After studying for a while, I generally knew how to paint the mountain stone forest, so I turned to imitating the famous masterpieces, and gradually worked hard, and I could actually paint a little similarity. For two years, I used to go to Mr. Wu Huaiyi's February Bookstore, where small art exhibitions were often held. When I look at the exhibition, I will meet some famous artists, so I take the opportunity to ask them for advice. The questions I ask are sometimes considered childish by them, and I don't think they are shallow and ask them repeatedly. From them, I learned about the benefits of literati painting, and I roughly understood the subtleties of traditional techniques, such as the composition of hills and ravines, the design of qi rhyme, the expression of mood, the weight of pen and ink, and so on. Soon, I began to copy the masterpieces of the ancients, including Xu Wei and Zhu Yun. At that time, I only knew the lines and pictures of copying others, and I didn't understand the inner nature of painting, so although there was a bit of a likeness, there was still no spirit.
I have many teachers, but none of them have done great things, and they don't even know how seriously I have learned their skills and put their teachings into practice. Mr. Chen Yupu is an excellent Chinese painter, and he has repeatedly said that the atmosphere of his works comes from personal cultivation. The "Theory of Landscape Painting" that he gave me is the enlightenment work of my landscape painting. In my usual exchanges, when Mr. Chen talks about landscape painting, I will record it and taste it carefully. That's how my calligraphy came about. Mr. Hu Shi gave me a copy of Xu Qingteng's album and a piece of Duan Yan, and he said to me: Xu Qingteng is a person who can't learn, when you understand his unlearnable ingredients, you will get started. Later, Wang Luxiang and I discussed the Bada Shan people and Xu Qingteng many times, read the books he wrote, and only then did we know that the humiliation, anger, resentment and disdain of those people gradually had a understanding, so we sorted out our own resources and began to create. Once I went to the longtan hydropower station construction site with some calligraphers and painters to collect wind, and people arranged a calligraphy and painting activity, and I knew that I couldn't write well, I didn't dare to write, and I didn't dare to go near the case. At that time, Teacher Fang Xinquan encouraged me: Don't be afraid, the more this happens, the faster the progress will be. I see what he means. Later, I worked hard to practice writing, and every time I could find the defects of pen and ink, I tried to correct them, and gradually made progress and understood the metaphysical beauty of the lines. Teachers of such a sentence, I have several.
Xun Zi yue: I taste and think all day long, it is better to learn what I have learned. Looking back on my calligraphy and painting process, I am very grateful to these teachers, and my strength is that I sincerely respect their teachings and work hard to practice them.
In the source of Chinese literature and art, there has always been a tradition of advocating "light and elegant harmony", whether it is painting or calligraphy, most of them like the style of "not exciting", "gentle and subtle", and "integrated and implicit". This middle way based on Chinese philosophy is enough to be called the mainstream of Chinese painting art. However, the stylistic preferences of painters vary from person to person, and I, for example, do not always like the smokey, rainy, elegant and detached ink taste. Rather than being unimpressed and moderately introverted, I prefer to face black and white, like grass and wildness, and like to be calm and cold. Based on this disposition, I hope to create a strong and somber effect through the sharp black-and-white opposition between burnt ink and rice paper. Compared with ink painting, Jiao Mo is more conducive to expressing my heart, and I want to use that uncompromising, uncompromising, simple and robust atmosphere to diversify the visual fatigue of glitz and emptiness, and seek a sudden sense of liberation through "blank space".
The scorched ink without adding water often gives people the trouble of scorching dryness in the operation, and it is difficult to have the kind of ink that is smooth and dripping with a large stroke, which is the destiny of the scorched ink. However, because of this, the traces of scorched ink left on the rice paper are particularly thick, and the condensation gives the picture a certain tension - the power of forbearance and depression. Thick black burnt ink and white rice paper contrast strongly in tone, clear and distinct, tit-for-tat, uncompromising, no reconciliation and compromise, no bargaining, no concessions and obscenities, thus forming tango-like entanglement and opposition. This artistic effect makes people feel strong, addictive, and shocking, so they can't let go.
Jiao Mo is a stubborn color that hardly allows for desecration and refuses to dress up. With a little more water and a little less water, Jiao Mo can immediately play various roles, but it is also easy to lose its true color. Strong-willed painters always try to preserve the original face of Jiao Mo, and that kind of resolute, serious, and unrecognized face makes people not know whether to shake hands with it or avoid it far away.
The artistic effect produced by the jiao ink painting is so strong that it sometimes makes the reader feel embarrassed, because the dark lines and heavy plates can sometimes appear aggressive, stagnant and a little dignified, somber and a little heavy. Because of the lack of transitions in ink color, Jiao Ink Painting is like a stubborn person who has walked to the black.
The two most basic elements of jiaomo painting, thick black ink and white paper, are also complementary. Rice paper, very white; burnt ink, very black. The two are on an equal footing, and there is no question of who wins or loses in the high-level competition between them, and only by cooperating with each other can we produce wonderful results. If you think of the various elements of art as fighting in the boxing ring, Jiao Mo painting is a super heavyweight fighter. It doesn't spend its fists and legs, it doesn't value small emotions, but once it hits, whether it falls down for a few seconds, or waves and shouts victory, it is a warrior. That's exactly the artistic effect I want. I wanted to put aside the sweet sugar water and drink the sour vinegar and bile, so I fell in love with jiaomo at first sight.
Wang Zhaojun Jiao Mo's "Qingshan Hut Map"
Wang Zhaojun's recent jiaomo works