Study IX - Veil

Veil -- Painting on Porcelain II, Yafei Li, ca.2017

The word "veil" reminds me the word "curtain" we talked about before. When we looked at Ni Tzan's Six Gentlemen, I asked Tony -- do you think those trees want to leave the island and go to another place? This is curtain, this is veil. Behind the curtain, everything is practical, but with the veil, they become mysterious.

Early this week, Tony shared a japanese artist Takashi Murakami with me. I start to understand Tony's words "study", "copy", "version", "pastiche". I want to make something "very very different", something creative, but I have to study first.

Study VIII - Tide/Regain

Tide/Regain -- Painting on Porcelain, Yafei Li, ca.2017

Peng Wei is a contemporary Chinese artist. She was born in 1974. I first know her from a book by Chen Danqing (another more famous artist in China, but more western). I said that there was a gap between modern and ancient Chinese art. However, I think Peng Wei is definitely a bridge. I like her painting a lot. Recently, I read a letter from Jiang Fangzhou (a young Chinese writer) to her.

Peng Wei's painting is beautiful, with temptation to "sink" and "fall".

As Bertolt Brecht said:" Do not start from old good things. Always choose new bad things to start with." After all, it is easier to proceed with creation from "new bad things". In the mass culture filled with loopholes, rough feelings of the times. sensitive and intelligent mind is easy to find one of the cracks, dig into it, find their own place. Just as Marcel Duchamp and DADA just seem to be another modern casual, but its birth itself is a sign of the changing times.

Old good things are daunting, first frightened, and then discouraged: not only the existing good has been depicted, and it seems that even all the possible beauty has been exhausted.

However, Peng Wei chose a difficult way: starting from old good things. I believe this is the way I want to start with in my journey. Regain from the tide of old good things.

Study VII - Free

Free -- Mine is FREE, Yafei Li, ca.2017

That year, he was 44 years old,
but still concerned about the people, and admonished bluntly.
Finally, because of satire, offended the power, was demoted.

Who is the goose?
Snows heavy in Hsun-yang, the court's winter is approaching too.
Riverwater spawns ice, warm blood is no longer there.
Lost goose, cold, hungry, ridiculed in the market.
Demoted man, exclusive, alienated, accompanied by snow.

Who is the goose?
Where will the goose fly? Where is his fate heading to?
Flying to the war in Huai-hsi, returning to the chaos of the court.
Afraid of being shot, for soilders' feast, feathering their arrows.
Afraid to repeat the same "mistakes", for villains' food, promoting their powers.

Who is the goose?
Is he alive? Is he FREE?
Mine is alive. Mine is FREE.

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Here below is the Chinese text of the poem.

放旅雁

元和十年冬作

九江十年冬大雪，江水生冰树枝折。百鸟无食东西飞，中有旅雁声最饥。

雪中啄草冰上宿，翅冷腾空飞动迟。江童持网捕将去，手携入市生卖之。

我本北人今谴谪，人鸟虽殊同是客。见此客鸟伤客人，赎汝放汝飞入云。

雁雁汝飞向何处，第一莫飞西北去。淮西有贼讨未平，百万甲兵久屯聚。

官军贼军相守老，食尽兵穷将及汝。健儿饥饿射汝吃，拔汝翅翎为箭羽。

Study VI - Save

Save -- Hunting Scene from Cave 249 in Dunhuang, Yafei Li, ca.2017

Last Tuesday, looking at those Arhats, Tony asked me, "how many of your friends in China can paint this?" I said, "I don't know." Probably lots of people can do it, but they never want to do it. 

"Unlike other countries and cultures, there is not a gap in Chinese art. You always can find sources, from Tang to Song, from Song to Ming." However, I think we do have a gap, from the twentieth century to the present. In the twentieth century, the modernization in China has become blind Westernization, almost in every aspects. Nowadays in China, art students will have sketch and oil painting tests instead of Chinese ink painting and calligraphy in order to get admitted into college. Almost all Siheyuans were demolished in Beijing, and skyscrapers took place. Although China has over 5000 years of history, China is still young because of the gap. China needs to be saved.

Saving is to find the source.

I showed those Arhats and this panting to my mentor. His comment is still concise. "Keep doing it. Dunhuang murals are a very good and high starting point for you." For me, it is a great encouragement. Tony said the same words -- "keep doing it" -- before.

I walked with Natalie after the class last Tuesday. We talked a lot, architecture, painting, mentor, and Tony. Both of us agreed that Tony had a special link with Chinese art, even though he did not know that much about China. We regard him as our mentor as well. "Breathe the cold air on the mountain." With my mentor, with Tony, I never feel alone.

Study V - Meet

Meet -- Yamantaka, Yafei Li, ca.2017

"Live lonesomely with a light heart.

Breathe the cold air on the mountain."

These are the words he gave me on the day that he officially became my mentor. He said that he still could not fully understand the true meaning of it. He has been exploring, and now is the two of us together. I cannot remember where we first met, what is the first topic we talked about. Seems like we had met before. He do not need to say, I do not need to speak, we can understand. We went to Tibet, went to the desert, went to the snow-covered grassland, all together.

I took five hours to draw the Mandala. So arrogant, so excited. I wanted to show him at the first time, and wanted to know his comment. However, he only said a few words. "No detail. No patience, Color is good." Of course, compared to Tibetans, they take five to ten years to learn to draw Thangka. After that, they paint one for a few months or even a year. My five hours, what is it?

They, his family, are on the road, to Dunhuang, to Xinjiang. His son had food poisoning, and he was in hospital. "A trip, sometimes it is smooth, but also there are ups and downs. Both beauty and tribulation are parts of a trip. Now what we are experiencing are all our memories later. My son, Come on!"

Yamantaka, beats the devil, protects the kindness. Pray for my little brother. Pray for them on the road. Pray for victims in Las Vegas.