The creation and performance of traditional Chinese paintings focus on perfect harmony between the scenery depicted and the emotions expressed. Therefore, the scenery described in the paintings is an expression of emotions. The ink and wash paintings created by LI Min are exactly the same. The classical dwellings in his homeland he has described are the places where his ancestors have thrived from generation to generation. The mottled old streets, bars, bricks and tiles tell the traces of time in the light and shadows and bear the grief at separation, joy in union, pleasure, anger, sorrow and happiness of neighbors. This is the land and waters that have nurtured and looked after him, and the place where he has carried away into a region of dreams for decades after his emigration to oversea places. When appreciating these works full of homesickness and nostalgia, it seems as if we are facing scrolls of “old pictures”. While we are enchanted by the unique aesthetic feelings, we can also feel the shocking spiritual strength, strong human feelings and profound sense of history derived from ancient traditional Shanxi culture.
The ink and wash painting created by LI Min are expressions of his personal experience and feelings. In terms of artistic language and formal expression, they are extended and evolved from the creative ideas and techniques of oil paintings and watercolor paintings. By integrating the realistic concept and technique of western paintings into the modeling system of traditional Chinese paintings, he explored his distinctive artistic language and formative style. He weakens the writing and expressive features, intensifies the descriptive and shaping features in his ink and washing paintings and introduces the shadow and spatial perspective into the painting. The rigorous shape, deep portrayal and rich connotations express his unique aesthetic feelings with strong artistic appeal.
Exhibition Info
Location: Taiyuan Art Museum, Shanxi, China
Time: Sept 28, 2018 to Oct 8, 2018
Reception: Sept 28, 2018 10:00 am