The Call of Nature 所谓本性

 The Call of Nature

Think green: Green is Nature. Green is Peace. Green is Purity. Green is Longevity. Green is Eternity. In his compositions of oil on canvas, how- ever, contemporary Chinese artist Ren Jianhui orchestrates a somber yet tempestuous concerto on the faces of his sitters in portrayal of their erosion by time, less the windows of their souls. As facial features dance themselves away along the timely breeze, the eyes remain shimmering in permanence, and so do our souls. Green is not Red. Green is Nature: Nature is Eternal.

Walking out of the shadows of Prof. Wu Guanzhong, a teacher who made him a favourite to succeed the volatile technique using dots and lines, instead, Ren distinguished himself in the contemporary art world with his unique technique, retaining just the “xingshimei (形式美)” or beauty of formal aesthetics, emphasized by Wu during his college years. In his “Green Wind” series of portraits, Ren plays an aesthetic pun on “green: creatively in its theme while continuing with his explorations further into the perfect harmony between Eastern and Western painting.

Evidently, Ren has found his expression of the Truth, and shows us the visually aesthetic route towards it. Although the paintings seem contem- porarily simplistic at first glance, they are mysteriously suggestive with much food for thought. Nevertheless, I suggest the viewer to look at the series of paintings from three different levels of context, ascending the ladder of understanding them aesthetically, socially as well as spiritually alongside the artist with progression.

In this series, it is apparent that Ren’s technique of applying the oil paint in an unprecedented way, where he harmonizes the essence of Chi- nese and Western art, has reached its maturity. Although it is difficult to determine for sure his unique process of treatment of paint, traces of a variety of brushstrokes applied with paintbrushes and palette knifes and pouring the paint in calligraphic manner can be seen in his work. Artistic elements of Western realism, such as the refined brushstrokes on the sitters; eyes, the three-dimensional volumes of facial features and the single perspective from the viewer, greet the aesthetic essentials of Chinese painting – the “daxiangwuxing (大象无形)“, or indistinctness of form and formlessness, of Chinese art, the Chinese-ink technique of “liubai (留白)” of imaginative areas left blank, and the simplistic Zen-like pictorial space, resulting in a truly international style and avant-garde painting. Most interestingly, Ren’s personal style of painting reminds us nothing of the like, and reflects the fruits of his own arduous explorations from his practice for over forty years. What we witness today is the true masterpieces of Ren Jianhui, where aesthetic style tells beyond his artistic substance.

Green equate to Nature, especially in our age of climate awareness. Shades of green are employed by the artist in multitudes in his portrayals of unnamed sitters, as we wonder about the boundlessness and omnipresence of Nature in our lives. It is a phenomenon unchangeable and un- avoidable, nor can we live without. A different tint of green envelops the subject in each portrait, celebrating the diversity of mankind. Every person is unique and imperfect, but under the green veil of Nature, it is a world united and harmonious. While Nature is eternal, man is not. As we travel in time, our skins become wrinkled, hair fallen, image blurred, minds obfuscated. The enigma in Ren’s work alleviates the ruthless passage of time as much as Dali’s clocks dilute the persistence of memory. As Confucianism teaches, “People at birth, / Are naturally good. / Their natures similar, / Their habits make them different”, while every feature on our faces might be washed away by the storms of time, the eyes, the windows to our souls, remain clear and untouched. The eyes of Ren’s sitters reflect their good nature despite poor habits after birth, not losing their luster over time. Thus, their eyes are glittering with purity, the truthful reflection of their hearts and minds.

On the other hand, however, the complete tone of green triggers our inquisitiveness about its complement, red. The artist’s concern and critique towards contemporary Chinese art is comprehensibly noted from his refusal to embrace a single dab of red paint in this large series of portraits. Ren believes art is a medium for the personal expressiveness of man, as well as a route toward attaining the Truth. Contemporary Chinese art, and even contemporary Chinese society at large, to the artist, is analogous to his sitters’ inability in realizing their state of being lost in superficial- ity. The Truth is within oneself, as reflected in the eyes, the windows that neglect introspection.

Ren has always preached and practiced the philosophy of oneness with Nature. Since the very first painting of Chinese landscape during his youth, he has been seeking the meaning and the truth of life on paper and canvas. As all cultural traditions and religious faiths converge into the philosophies of the universe, which in turn leads to the recognition, exploration and attainment of universal Truth. Ren ultimately believes that artistic practices such as painting, literature, music and dance, as well as aesthic appreciation, are in fact meditative ways towards eventual enlightenment. Therefore, in the language of painting, Ren brings to us the medium where we look, think and meditate into the Truth of Nature, towards the ultimate joy of man, where one becomes more than a part of Nature, but rather becomes Nature himself.

所谓本性

绿色代表自然。绿色代表和平。绿色代表纯洁。绿色代表长寿。绿色带表永恒。然而,在中国当代画家任建辉的最新画作中人物的脸孔上,呈现出的是一场场庄重严肃却又雄浑激进的交响乐,描绘出被时间摧残、腐蚀的痕迹。当人的脸部五官随着时间而老去,双眸还是会像灵魂一样永久地闪烁着。绿色而不是红色。绿色代表本性,本性就是永恒。

在走出了教授吴冠中,一个教他在绘画中灵活运用点线技巧老师的阴影后,任建辉在画作里运用他熟练的绘画技法, 以及表现自若的形式美,而在当代艺术界颇负盛名!在任建辉的绿风系列,“绿字的运用一语双关:除了在主题上的创意,他也继续对东西方绘画的完美结合做出进一步的探寻。

显然,任建辉已经找到了真实的表达方式,并向我们展示了往真实审美路线的走向。虽然他的画作一眼看去,像似简易的当代绘画,然而,它所显示的神秘暗示却耐人寻味。然而,作为一个观赏者,我认为应该从三个层面来欣赏这系列画作:随着画家不断攀爬艺术美学、社会分析与精神理念的阶梯而进一步取得见解。

很显然的,在这个系列里,任建辉将一种前所未有的方式运用在油画里,他将中西方艺术的精髓完美结合,并达到了非常纯熟的境界。尽管运用独特的处理方式来画油画是个非常困难的决定,但他做到了!各种各样的画笔技巧,刮刀及颜料铺陈法,甚至包括中国书法形体,都可以在他的作品中找到痕迹!西方的写实主义艺术元素,例如精致画笔勾勒出的人物眼睛,三维立体的面部轮廓和单一的透视视角,相比之下,中国绘画的审美要点大而无形,或者是中国艺术模糊了形式与无形式的区别,中国水墨的留白技巧和简单的似禅图案空间,形成一个真正国际风格的前卫绘画。任建辉的个人绘画风格并没有与以上任何画风相似,并且反映了他近四十年来从实践中辛勤探索的成果。今天我们见证了任建辉的真正杰作,作品里显示的美学风格已经远远超出了艺术本身的内容。

绿色等于本质,特别是在这个注重气候意识的年代。当我们还彷徨在无边无际,无处不在的生活本质中的时候,画家就将形形色色的绿运用到他们不知名人物的绘画当中。这是不可改变的,不可回避的,它就存活在我们的生活中,没有它我们不能生活。在每一幅画中,每一个不同色系的绿色,都围绕着一个主题,庆贺人类的多性样。每一个人都是特别的,不完美的,然而在本性的绿色缭绕下,这是一个团结、和谐的世界。虽然本性是永恒的,然而人不是。岁月流逝,我们的皮肤出现皱纹,头发脱落,视线模糊,记忆力下降。在任建辉的作品里缓慢了时光的残酷流逝,就像达理(S. Dali)的时钟冲淡记忆的痕迹。正如儒家所说人之初,性本善。性相近,习相远。当我们脸庞在时间的暴风雨中被冲刷,变得模糊,然而眼睛,我们的心灵之窗仍然保持清醒,原封不动。任建辉画中人物的眼睛反映出他们善良的本性,尽管他们出生后可能染上的不良习惯,随着时间的流逝,并没有失去它们的光泽!他们的眼睛闪烁着纯净的光芒,真实地反映了他们的内心和思想。

然而,另一方面,完整的绿色色系激发了我们对它的互补色红色的好奇心。画家拒绝在自己这系列的任何画作中染上一笔红色颜料,说明了他对当代中国艺术的关注与批判。任建辉相信艺术是个人个性表达的媒介,也是一条通往真相之道。对他而言,当代中国艺术,甚至整个中国社会,其实像画中人物一样不知不觉地在虚拟中迷失方向。真实在自我的内心当中,而眼睛就是内窥心灵的窗口!

任建辉一直在推崇和实践着人与大自然合一的哲学思想。自从他年轻的时候第一次绘画,他就开始从纸张与画布上探索生命的真谛。当他内心所有的传统文化与宗教信仰融合成一种哲学思想时,他渐渐地理解、探索并得到了宇宙中的真实。任建辉始终相信艺术家的实践,无论绘画、文字、音乐或舞蹈,以及美学的赏析,因为它们事实上都是一种通往最高境界的思考方式。因此,在他独特的绘画语言中,画家带给了我们一种能够观看、思考与冥想大自然真实的平台,令我们走向人类最终成为大自然一部分的欢乐。

Simply put, the art of Ren Jianhui is omnifarious, just like the tones of green, the mother of all colours.

Jack Ren Cong 4th July 2008

任聪 200874

总而言之,任建辉的艺术,就像是绿色的基调,乃所有颜色之母。