The Four Seasons Of Life

Different from Western paintings such as realistic paintings and abstract paintings, Chinese brush paintings, aiming at creating images between likeness and unlikeness, are done by changes of lines through various techniques of brush and ink. And in order to present certain images in a Chinese brush painting with freehand style, one has to firstly communicate with all things of creation through his soul and to feel the “true image” of objects with hearts. After that, one has to at one go draw out the bones of objects while still keep their original spirits. Meanwhile, one has to have excellent techniques of brush and ink, to intermingle techniques of painting with those of calligraphy and to follow the rule of “spirit resonance and life movement”. That way, one can extract vivid images from superficial images so as to make a typical work of brush-and-ink art in perfect harmony with one’s inner feelings. And this is what the freehand style of Chinese brush paintings can achieve. The author of this thesis produces Seasons of life painting series because of the departure of author’s mother. Hereupon the fragility of life and the helplessness in confronting death have stuck with the author: the torch of life extinguishes like a withering leaf that falls to the roots of its own tree; life is beautiful like spring flowers and death like autumn leaves; death is a result of returning to nature the creator. And this process from birth to death is under the control of the great Tao and is as natural as the cycle of seasons. Just as Chuang Tzu said in his The Adjustment of Controversies that “heaven, earth, and I were produced together, and all things and I are one”, Chinese ancients believe that man is an integral part of nature and people should regard life and death as unimportant. So in this painting series, a small figure is mingled with flowers and leaves to show that all lives, grass or tree, are in one. And these plants follow the rule of cycles of lives from bloom to doom silently. Such kind of cycle is presented to express the birth, existing, decay and death of men and every other being. Everything in nature has life and spirits. Men and plants are transforming and cycling to each other continuously. And all these feelings and views can only be expressed by painting fantastic and innocent images of human bodies and others with brush and ink. To sow in spring, to develop in summer, to harvest in autumn and to store in winter are all together a sacred rite of life. And to create proper images in Seasons of Life series, several research points have to be explored: the best way to express images by brush and ink, techniques of applying brush and ink, appropriate forms of images, new ways of showing figures and plants with ink together vividly and seamlessly. As to the form of expression, paintings should make breakthrough in both time and space. And the figure in the painting is neither a man of exact date nor a man with certain identity. Taking consideration into the fact that everything changes rapidly in this society, setting a man like this is more suitable to such kind of background. What the painter wants to express is a kind of common aspiration that has never changed since ancient times – the aspiration for harmony between men and nature and love for life, for every being on earth. The series also directs towards a goal that one should be vacant and without self-assertion, be placid and indifferent and then he can agree with the virtue of Heaven. Moreover, this series delivers concerns and worries about human living conditions and aims at creating a space with tenderness and tranquility so as to comfort puny souls in this space.