Artists

According to what I have learned from history books, officials in favor of westernization (or the so-called Western Admirers) have always been criticized for their alleged collaboration with western powers, in the crushing out of the Taiping Uprising and the signing of treaties that betrayed the public interest of one’s own country, for example. However, this view no longer prevails now. In fact, as China is better becoming a modern society, the views of those in favor of westernization have been rediscovered and the letters home by Tseng Kuo-fan are now widely circulated. The CCTV program “Infants” probes into the impact on Chinese modernization resulting from the adolescents being sent by Li Hong-zhang to study overseas in the U.S in the late 19th Century.  The problems faced by our ancient and distinguished culture against the tide of modernization are not merely problems for those in favor of westernization, but they are also problems faced by all of us - the contemporary Chinese. It is for the same reason that the images of the people of those times come into my mind.

 The faces and gazes of the people from that particular era bear a particular kind of energy. On the face of the young Tang Shao-yi, we see the image of a young China too. During the signing of the Boxer Protocol (Final Protocol for the Settlement of the Disturbances of 1900), the paradoxical contrast of anger and nobility is shown on the face of Li Hon-zhang and Yi Kuang. On the face of Wen Bing-zhong, a student studying in the U.S (also uncle of Soong Mei Ling), one senses his profound respect for Chinese tradition and his thorough knowledge of western cultures. On the tranquil face of Cao Jia-xiang, one sees the unique manner of a Chinese who have been immersed in western cultures. These people are our ancestors who have been guiding us on the path of modernization - I use my brush to depict their images. Viewers are led to have direct contact with the gaze, disposition, way of thinking, as well as historical deeds of these particular people from a particular time in history.

My upbringing in the education of painting skills is entirely that of a western world. I can name all the great masters of western painting, reflecting the growing importance of western cultures in contemporary China. However, I have never lived in the West before. My behaviours and ways of thinking are absolutely Chinese.  This is perhaps the embodiment of the concept of “Chinese Knowledge as the theory, and western knowledge as the practice“ advocated by Zhang Zhi-dong. I hold the same reverence and adoration for Rembrandt, Chardin and Caravaggio as that of our Dong Yuan, Li Tang and Ma Yuan. By using the techniques of oil painting, I want to express a touch of the scholarly grace of the Chinese people. This disposition of scholarly grace is invigorating to me, yet it refrains me from acting heedlessly. This is exactly why I am fond of these images and want to share them with my viewers.

I have also created a series of pastel paintings about the Cultural Revolution. Thirty years have gone by since then, and the event has now been transformed from a political concept to a cultural concept. People who grew up during the Cultural Revolution have become the nostalgic middle-aged by now. They remember neither slogans nor campaigns from those days, and only traces of those days and scenes of life remain in their memories, especially for those born in the late 1960s - they missed the boiling public sentiment at the height of the Cultural Revolution. What they have to remember is the residue of the 10-year torment. People’s passion for politics has been worn out and they are passively forced to follow certain formats. All their behaviors seem to be stylized acts, similar to that of performing arts. The moving twin oars recorded our fairy-tale childhood days at Lake Kunming; the arduous battle reflected the spirit of the fable of “Foolish Old Man Removed Two High Mountains”; working in the field where Chairman Mao worked before made the concept of “working” even more sacred; the colorful banners outside the Workers’ Stadium welcomed friends from Asia, Africa and Latin America; the rejoicing crowd on the square; the fluttering streamers; air filled with the strong smell of flames and the deafening sounds of the gongs and drums. All these sounded so familiar to us, yet we could no longer tell what exactly that particular celebration was for…

No one is able to transcend above his / her own time. Nor is one able to surpass one’s own cultural background - it defines our limitation. Nevertheless, I am very willing to look closely into my own cultural background and experience those past times in search of scenes that are worthy of depiction. I hope my works are able to draw sympathy from viewers, and at the same time viewers are able to share the fun of it.

Li You Song
July 2005