Text: no sky

01 should Chinese ink painting be westernized?

The traditional ink painting in your impression is opposite to the concept of Western oil painting system: Traditional Chinese painting.

The creation methods of traditional Chinese painting are generally fixed. According to the theme, it is divided into: flowers and birds, landscape and characters; According to the creative techniques, it can be divided into freehand brushwork and meticulous brushwork.

However, around 1985, the trend of western modern art entered China, and ink painting began to gradually move from classical to modern.

His creation also entered the stage of overall Westernization.

Influenced by the creative techniques of western modern art, artists began to imitate the creative methods of western modern art, such as the abstract painting school we all know.

Artists directly transplanted these forms of expression into the creation of ink painting.

Because western expressionism is close to the creation method of ink painting, it has become the first choice for many artists to use the viewpoint and method of Expressionism to transform the traditional ink painting.

Such paintings are therefore called performance ink.

Specifically, artists keep painting with pen, ink and rice paper. In the process of creation, they use some artistic symbols and composition methods that only they can understand, which makes the picture more impact, which is contrary to the gentleness and elegance of traditional ink and wash.

Moreover, artists express their emotions and explore the complex spiritual world by expressing the creation of ink painting, which is very different from the style of indulging in landscape, flowers and birds in traditional ink painting.

There are also artists who do not agree with the overall westernization and copying western modern art.

They began to look for a way to integrate Chinese and Western painting from Chinese folk art.

Some painters have integrated folk traditional arts such as folk murals, paper-cut, New Year pictures and embroidery into ink painting, which is refreshing.

The “half painting exhibition” held in 1985 focused on the charm of this innovative ink painting. Pu Guochang, a famous painter in this exhibition, clearly believes that his ink painting creation is a rebellion against traditional Chinese painting.

This is first reflected in the artistic expression of Pu Guochang’s paintings. Pu Guochang not only introduced many folk customs, but also broke the forbidden zone of “ink and water first” and reused color ink, especially the three folk extreme colors of magenta, blue and yellow.

Secondly, he changed the lonely and cold artistic style of traditional literati painting and pursued the sense of overlap, interleaving and accumulation.

He often stitches the elements of a variety of things together, making his works give a strong visual impact and look mysterious.

Although these types of “new ink” broke the pattern of old art to a certain extent, this creative method gradually fell silent after 1989.

Overall Westernization does not seem to find a perfect solution for the modernization of ink art.

02 where is the dilemma of ink painting?

The dilemma of Chinese ink painting has existed for a long time.

In the development of more than 2000 years, traditional ink painting has gradually formed the standard of strict creative form that we are now familiar with.

Such a super stable system makes the creative concept of traditional ink painting rigid and obsolete, which has been abandoned by modern art.

Therefore, many artists began to find a modern way out for ink painting.

However, in the previous section, our overall Westernization in the 1980s triggered the first major debate among artists.

Swallowing the achievements of Western art in a short time will not only cause indigestion, but also show the problem of taking the West as the standard too much.

Moreover, many young artists began to realize that it is impossible to make a difference by completely imitating the techniques of Western art.

If we do not create based on our traditional culture and reality, China’s modern art will never be born.

Therefore, the thinking of traditional ink art began to return to the sight of artists.

Many artists began to improve the ink language and stopped painting in the traditional way of writing.

The second big debate about the use of modern ink painting is whether it can no longer be called the traditional technique of ink painting, or whether it can no longer be used in modern ink painting?

We know that there are three essential elements for the creation of traditional ink painting: brush, rice paper and ink.

However, modern ink painters often use some new techniques in the creative process: row brush, collage, spraying, rubbing and so on.

In terms of tool selection, it is no longer limited to the brush, and non-aqueous materials such as paint and pencil began to compete with the brush.

The display of ink painting has also been transformed from paper to photography, devices and so on.

Via: @ Baru sauce

In fact, this change is inevitable. There is no need to rush to oppose it with traditional ink painting.

These changes stem from the artist’s response to the changes in the display mode and aesthetic needs of modern art.

Via: @ lumantuo

For example, traditional ink paintings are generally viewed and played close in our hands. Now we appreciate art works and keep a certain distance from the paintings after entering the exhibition hall.

This requires the work to have a certain impact on the overall vision, rather than local refinement.

And the traditional techniques can not meet the expression of spirit and inner feelings emphasized by modern ink painting.

It can be seen that embracing new tools for creation is an inevitable choice for ink artists.

The change of creative tools often leads to the change of cultural style, which is the inevitable change brought by development, rather than the transfer of manpower.

When contemporary artists accept new tools and materials, they find a new way to express their opinions and feelings.

03 where is the way out of ink painting?

Since the 1980s, the creation of Chinese ink painting has experienced a process from the overall acceptance and integration of western modern art, to rethinking and affirming the value of traditional ink painting, and then to changing the creative skills of traditional ink painting to form a “new ink painting” with both ancient charm and modernity.

Via: @ Third Master Z is not online

China’s contemporary “new ink” began to have a creative system that is connected with traditional ink and different from traditional ink.

The content of creation has gradually changed from the expression of the artist’s own spiritual world to the discussion of social practical problems.

Contemporary Abstract ink painting is a good example.

Abstract ink painters emphasize the impact of pure artistic expression and picture sense, so as to vent the passion of life and spirit.

For example, the painter Shi Guo used rubbing to create ink and wash