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.