Lai zhi steel, number cloud Zen. Born in 1963 in Bengbu, Anhui Province, he is a member of the China Artists Association and currently lives in Beijing and Shenzhen. In 2001, he entered the Chinese Painting Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts for further study, in 2002, he was admitted to the master's degree class of "Jia Youfu Studio" of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and in 2005, he entered the "Li Xiaoke Art Studio" of the Beijing Academy of Painting for further study. He has won the Excellence Award of the "Second Golden Color Award of Chinese Art". In 2018, Tianjin People's Fine Arts Publishing House published "Inheritance and Development- Laizhi Steel Ink Landscape Painting Collection". He has held exhibitions in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Shandong, Hangzhou, Japan, Taiwan and other places. Representative works include "Rise", "Art Road", "Cloud Road", "Gorge Road", "Great Tide", "Sacred Land", "Huangshan Smoke Cloud", "Three Gorges of the Yangtze River" and so on.
Chinese painting carries and disseminates many forms and charms of traditional Chinese culture, and has long become a mature and important artistic language under the repeated contemplation of famous masters of all generations. Under such a background, how can we inject new thinking and vitality into the creation of Chinese painting?
Laizhigang has worked hard for a long time and saved for many years, focusing on the traditional ink accumulation painting method, inheriting the strengths of Gong Xian, Huang Binhong, Li Keyan and other predecessors of the ink accumulation landscape masters, familiar with the laws of the ink language, and exploring their own unique artistic creation path in the inheritance. From his works, we can see that he has a deep understanding of the context of Chinese landscape painting, which is the inheritance; at the same time, he also innovates in the inheritance and practices his own unique "coming style". In Lai Zhigang's view, sketching is a good medicine to solve and break through the conceptualization, homogenization and assimilation of Chinese painting. For decades, he has traveled to many places in his sketching, and everywhere he goes, he is either looking at the mountains or chasing clouds, and the "smoke cloud" has become an important symbolic element in his artistic creation.
Lai Zhigang entered the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2001 and entered the Li Xiaoke Art Studio in 2005 to deeply feel and learn the spirit and thought of "Li Jia Shanshui". "I think the precious thing about an artist is that there is a word of 'truth', 'truth' is an attitude, a realm, a kind of practice, and the most important thing for an artist is to maintain a pure spirit and a pure heart." He said that he was a painter from the grassroots, and when he was a child, his family was poor, but he was obsessed with painting. He focused on the interest of landscape and the state of clouds and rain, and has been painting for more than forty years, and he also sighed: Painting for a lifetime, sometimes it is difficult to distinguish whether I am painting clouds or clouds painting me.
The works on display are diverse in scale, jump in style, and beautiful in artistic conception, which fully demonstrates Laizhigang's artistic talent for painting. "Art Road", "Great Tide", "Huangshan Smoke And Clouds" and other oversized and imposing works are also presented in this exhibition, showing the mountains, stones, clouds, water and other aspects, opening and closing, showing the majestic and strong momentum.
In his paintings, we are once again intimidated by the expressiveness of Chinese ink paintings. As the painter said, "In terms of pen and ink language, I chose the path of pure chinese ink painting, and my pictures have extremely transparent black, there are also rich layers of gray, and ethereal white." I think such pure colors are more in line with my character, or in line with my simple aesthetic pursuit of simplicity. In addition, I have been trying to prove through my own artistic practice that Chinese ink expression is not weaker than oil painting. ”
Celebrity Reviews:
Laizhigang is a lofty, obscure doer, and a true character who seeks art. For thousands of years, the ancient culture of the Chinese nation has been the foundation and soul on which we rely for our survival and development. He has manifested this soul, and now in the realm of mountains, water, clouds, and fog, it can be said that it has reached the peak of our time. His landscape paintings played a landmark role. ——Xiao Feng (Consultant of China Artists Association, Former President of China Academy of Art)
Laizhi Steel sees the aesthetic character of simple, known as dazzling, black and white infinity, and vivid charm; the new era of long-distance magic, broad and spectacular weather, and the spiritual aesthetic expression that conquers people's hearts! He touched the high realm, the great realm, and the true realm of the true color of Chinese painting art! ——Sun Meilan (Professor of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Academic Committee Member of Li Keyan Art Foundation)
Laizhigang has a deep understanding of traditional Chinese painting, and at the same time has a very keen sense of the current cultural context. So he can combine the visual experience and visual experience of traditional and contemporary people very well. So he found his own unique way of artistic language, with a unique artistic expression. - Pi Daojian (famous art critic)
The reason why Lai Zhigang is attracted by the attention of today's landscape painting circle is because he has a creative personality expression on the basis of the tireless study of the essence of traditional painting. His new contributions are mainly in the exploration of "accumulation of ink". It can be said that he has also greatly advanced one of the artifacts of Chinese painting, the "Ink Accumulation Method"! ——Wang Zhong (Former Deputy Director of the Theory Committee of the China Artists Association, Former Editor-in-Chief of Fine Arts Magazine)
Laizhigang's new landscape painting created a new style in the creation of contemporary Chinese landscape painting. With the "accumulation of ink", the traditional Chinese philosophical thinking of Lao Zhuang can be modernized and can enter the category of modern aesthetics, that is, he has brought "jimo" to the extreme. ——Wang Yong (famous art theorist and researcher of China Academy of Art)
We also specially excerpted and published the article "Yanbian Has a Feeling" that Zhigang published to talk about creation, so as to better understand the mental process and creative concept behind the painter. The article is published with permission and the subtitle is added by the editor.
Chinese ink expression is no weaker than oil painting
I am a painter from the grassroots, when I was a child, my family was poor, I went to school and misbehaved, but I was obsessed with painting, time flies, I am about to enter the year of the flower armor, I suddenly look back, and most of my life has been handed over to painting. Some people say that I have a high level of understanding in painting and am a natural painter, I smile bitterly, walk through most of my life, full of paper is the footprint of "looking down and grinding".
I have the genes of stubbornness, fortitude, and paranoia in my personality, and I also allude to the "asceticism" of climbing up the road of painting.
At the age of 12, he officially sought art from his teacher, and after more than 40 years of artistic exploration, he sincerely thanked several mentors for their guidance and help. The two enlightenment teachers of my painting are Ding Chucai and Si Yilan, following them to learn, the deepest memory is the freedom and the grasp of painting methods, such a solid enlightenment study, opened my keen awareness of the law of things, this understanding of the law may be like the shadow of the "Tao" into my painting genes, accompanied by my artistic growth.
In 2001, I entered the Central Academy of Fine Arts to study, in 2002 I was admitted to Jia Youfu's graduate class, opened a systematic professional art study, Mr. Jia Youfu's rigorous and simple academic spirit gave me a great influence, this stage also opened my in-depth study of "Jimo", and thus also fell in love with "Jimo".
In 2005, I entered Mr. Li Xiaoke's studio for two years to deeply experience and learn the spirit and ideas of "Li Jia Shanshui".
I think the precious thing about an artist is that there is a word of "truth", "truth" is an attitude, a realm, a kind of practice, and the most important thing for an artist is to maintain a pure breath and a pure heart.
In my creation, I have always pursued the poetry of the natural production of the picture and the fairy spirit of the paper.
I hope that through my paintings, I can express the supreme aesthetic realm of the avenue to simplicity, the invisible elephant, the sound of the big sound, and the great beauty without words.
In terms of pen and ink language, I chose the path of pure chinese ink painting, and what I can see in my picture is "black, white, gray", there is the ultimate translucent "black", there are also rich layers of dimensional "gray", and there is a delicate "white". Such a pure ink language seems a little different in the contemporary colorful art world. Someone asked me, why can't the landscape painting be colored? I think that such pure colors are more in line with my personality or in line with my simple aesthetic pursuit of the road to simplicity, and the simplicity of ink painting can accommodate everything, that is, "ink wuji". Another point, I have also been trying to prove through my own artistic practice that Chinese ink expression is not weaker than oil painting.
The process of accumulating ink is to make mistakes, find mistakes, and correct mistakes
In terms of creative experience, I think that Jimo is painted by "stupid people". Mr. Li Keyan once wrote in his paintings: "Predecessors have a method of accumulating ink in pen and ink, but looking at ancient and modern ruins, it is extremely rare for people to use this method. So this road is destined to be a "lonely road." The essence of the ink accumulation is that the pen and pen change, emerge endlessly, change layer by layer, blend layer by layer, and finally achieve the overall integration of the picture, and the "ink and shape" reaches no trace. The supreme state of pen and ink is blending, and blending is "you have me, I have you", which is one and the same.
The common "roadblock" in the ink accumulation: the "board, dirty, knot" that appears in the picture, this level is difficult for many people, modern society is fast-paced, many people want to "run" forward, so I say that the ink is painted by "stupid people". Why do I have a soft spot for Ink? Because in decades of artistic exploration, I feel that this unique and difficult artistic language like Jimo can best express my landscape spirit. I am naturally willing to challenge difficult things, the greater the difficulty, the more it can stimulate my creative power, and the difficulty of art determines her depth and height.
On the way to explore "jimo", I also got endless fun. As I often say, the most interesting thing about accumulating ink is to "make mistakes", and the more "mistakes" are made, the richer the traces left on the paper, and the more it tests the painter's ability to clean up. My landscapes include landscapes that express the broad and majestic and thick and the spirit of the times, as well as landscapes that express the feelings of poetic literati. I always believe that the accumulation of ink is a key to the peak of Chinese landscape painting art, which greatly enriches the expressiveness of Chinese landscape painting, and its sense of layering, volume and space can best express the broad and majestic spirit of the times.
After decades of artistic creation, "smoke cloud" has become an important symbolic element in my artistic style, shuttling through my creations. I have a special affection for the clouds, when I was young, because my family was poor, so I thought that one day if I could ride the clouds like a god and drive the fog, without eating, I could reduce the burden on my family, how good it would be to live freely, which might plant such an artistic seed in my soul.
The smoke cloud is more difficult to express, because it is fluttering and changing. Sketching is a good medicine to solve and break through the conceptualization, homogenization and assimilation of Chinese painting. Shi Tao said: Searching for Qifeng to make drafts, I am searching for beautiful scenery to engage in creation. Over the past few decades of sketching, I have traveled to many places, and everywhere I go, I am either looking at the mountains or "chasing clouds", from the clouds of Huangshan To the clouds of Jiangnan, the clouds of Tibet, the clouds of Taiwan, the clouds of Japan, and so on. Morning clouds, noon clouds, evening clouds, rainy clouds... At different times, the cloud is also ever-changing. Most of the clouds of the predecessors are either blank or outlined, and my smoke clouds are expressed by the ink accumulation method, and my smoke clouds can see the level, space, and volume. It can make people feel the flowing and flowing beauty of the clouds. After seeing my work, many viewers really liked my cloud. I have painted clouds for most of my life, and as soon as I see the clouds, I am excited, and sometimes I feel that I am not knowing whether I am painting smoke clouds or smoke clouds painting me.
Art is the most capable of fooling people, and art is also the most unconceivable
In terms of creation, all my attention to painting is focused on "change" and "life". I think that the innovation of art lies in "change", and "change" will produce power, vitality and energy. I think a really good painting should be "hair-growing", so that you can breathe, is alive, has vitality. I think that only such a painting can move the viewer and resonate with the viewer. When I was creating, I was almost alone quietly painting from morning to night, walking on the trajectory of life in the "three points and one line". A painting is a few months, the mind is not distracted, and sometimes it will reach the state of self-forgetfulness and enter the state of unity of heaven and man. Especially when I entered the peak of creation, I almost did not dare to come out of the atmosphere, and I felt like "lack of oxygen" on a plateau several thousand meters above sea level. When you come out of the picture, looking back, it seems that you have drawn half of it yourself, and the hand of God has drawn the other half.
What I always ask of myself is that new works come out every year. My artistic creation comes from Lao Tzu's Taoist thought, Lao Tzu's "Tao", which I understand as a law, and the law of pen and ink shows strength, behind the power is the Tao, and the Tao is the aesthetic view.
I have a saying that art is the most capable of fooling people, and art is also the most unconceivable.
It is definitely a wrong concept that art is not beautiful, beauty is powerful, and it is a very difficult thing to really paint beauty!
The beginning of all things, the road to simplicity, the evolution to the complexity, to the removal of complex and complicated appearances, to explore the source, to find the law of things, to remove the glitz, to forget the "attachment" and "deliberate", to listen to the call of the heart...
Laizhigang works to appreciate:
Spring Summer Autumn/Winter 138x34cmx4 2019
Idle house jumping out of red dust 123x133cm 2013
Gorge Road 1680x250cm 2013
Mountain rain and smoke clouds broke and covered 97x60cm 2017
Cloud road diagram 960x250cm 2015
Empty mountain after the new rain 68× 136cm 2014
Sketch 46x34cm 2017
Jiang Xue 249x31cm 2021
Reporter | Zhang Ting
Editor | Zhang Jin
Proofreading | Wang Xin