by Li Jin
The works that I created during the quarantine days are irreplicable in my eyes. It’s not like old days when I could party with friends and drink. During the epidemic, painting has become the only way to channel and express all my emotions and thoughts. Although I can contact with the outside world with my mobile phone, I prefer to stay alone for most of the time. There is a growing feeling that the meaning of my life is to paint.
In the early stage of the epidemic, when I witnessed the vulnerability of life and people’s helplessness facing the disaster, I began to experience a kind of panic concerning about an uncontrollable future. Such emotions are reflected in my paintings, which are still themed of feasts illustrating men and women eating and drinking. However, the mentality of the characters in the images has been far different from the work prior to the outbreak. I used to paint a lot of teasing and humorous subjects, which are still reflected in the new works, but with a heavier accent in general.
When the situation got improved, I was in a different mood. Being optimistic with sunshine has been my personality and also in my art. I mostly use painting to transfer positive energy. The experiences of the epidemic such as the departure of relatives and friends have left people desperate and worried. But I still expect to see the bright side, and convey hopes through my art. Sometimes, only with an undying ambition, can one truly live, which is what we call the vitality in art.
My current creation is generally in two styles—expressive roughness and exquisite delicacy. It can be refined or freehand. The artists I admire are able to achieve the ultimate of both ends, before unifying the two extreme and seemly contradictory elements. It is the so-called flexibility in full control, which I am very yearning for. Refinement and freehand are in fact not about form. As the concept of rawness and maturity goes, it touches upon a core idea that after all, the artist is the creator, who will inevitably brings the two elements into each other, which forms a kind of interesting dialectic. In this exhibition, some meticulously rendered works, carry the features of Chinese traditional realistic painting in fine brushwork. However, when you observe my painting process, you may find I was in a relaxed state, to make the end result reveal a sense of freehand quality during the creation. Meanwhile, looking closely at my freehand paintings, you will also sense perseverance and carefulness. Even in a casual form, I’ve taken efforts to expound some details.
The exhibition also includes works created during my sojourn in Jiangnan, the south of the Yangtze River before the epidemic. The elegant and exquisite southern temperament nurtured by the beautiful sceneries, humanistic environment and the mild climate, have a lot to allure me as an artist from the North. The travel and creation in Jiangnan has refreshed my feeling like preparing coarse grains in a refined process. I truly like this Jiangnan tone from the bottom of my heart. A tone is often related to its natural and social environment. For example, the Qin tone (Shanxi opera) is unique in Shanxi or Shanbei. Therefore, ink wash has an inseparable connection with the gentle beauty of Jiangnan.
From the visual perspective, landscapes in the North give an overall strong impact like bright green and red. You can hardly find such a tension in the South, The Jiangnan temperament is about intricate details, which I 've always been fascinated with. In fact, my trips to Japan in recent years, bear a similar intention with the Jiangnan sojourn. I 've been looking for a place that is different and holds a distance from my surroundings. For example, I went to Tibet in the earlier years to distance myself from the familiar environment. The refinement in Japan is close to that in Jiangnan. I am fond of the feeling of being both familiar and a little strange. Many places that appear to be homologous are actually in great difference. It creates a contrast that is potentially inspirational for artists.
My artistic creation always revolves around my life, expresses my state, including perceptions of men, nature and the change of four seasons. I tend to immerse myself in the painting, to create such an advantage that as long as life goes on, the source of imagery will be inexhaustible. During the epidemic, I have been trying to keep the state of being a traditional painter. Specifically, it is to maintain the original state of painting to present my feelings for life and painting itself. Perhaps as my age increases, I find more fun in painting and stick to the pursuit of perfection. It’s about returning to the initial state of men for painting and the faith. We should slow down and concentrate, to carefully experience the goodness around us, see the twilight and feel the change of seasons with our heart. There are many wonders for us to meditate and experience. With this in mind, your creation will carry more content, and the work will withstand careful appreciation.