12[1].罗奇的人物肖像画：抓神的古意

 

On the one hand, Luo Qi’s paintings seem to be portraits, while sometimes he concentrates to express head portraits, the paintings are truly portraits with oil painting language that is full of moldability to convey western meaning. However, while he converts touches to affection and places figure to the background full of Chinese traditional ancient meaning, his paintings become paintings of figure or gesture in Chinese traditional meaning, from which constitute a kind of new image taste.

 

Chinese traditional figure painting is different from western portrait in strict meaning: the latter one is originated from a portraiture tradition with icon expressed emotion from the painter, mainly concentrates on expressing head portrait of figure, and has a function of record which is expressed obviously on self-portrait, and the scene or background isn’t important any more. As French modern philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy said that portrait establishes expression logic of resemblance-recall-looking selfhood(ressemblance-rappel-regard-soi) to touch intangible selfhood of other. The others are always absent, and self pursue is pointed to an intimacy that is more intrinsic than selfhood of the painter. It’s just such a game of mystery self-affection and self-absence attracting painters to draw self-portrait or portrait. However, for our cultural tradition that never stresses individual recognition and never pays attention to individual expression, the painters focus on expressing some sentimentalized mood and affective rhyme of figure. These are paintings of figure or gesture, but not only the head portraits. Of course, since late Qing Dynasty, the painters begin to portray head, but the expression of character is not outstanding, either approximately similar resemblances with categorization, or paintings of figure or gesture dressing with clothes--sometimes, line expression of clothes pleat is more important and vivid than the expression of figure, of course, this is formed after the line becomes leading language, or ideal figures with honorable temperament, or Buddhist figures…

 

Here, in virtue of Luo Qi’s works, we note that paintings of figure or gesture in Chinese cultural tradition are established on three important meanings and placed in an intrinsic conversion.

 

 

1.1. Chinese painting of figure is closely linked to the concept of resemblance and non-resemblance of Chinese arts in general meaning, thus it is not portrait in western meaning with exact individual denotation recording meaning as photo. Resemblance and non-resemblance pursue a breath-image and appearance expression of figure, even though it is portraiture, but not painted realistically. It only softens contour of figure by painting color and fluid ink, only expresses some character and some type the figure represented. For example, Zhou Fang’s portraits of ladies, the charming appearance and soft and plump gestures of these ladies are similar generally, and he does not sedulously express the individual difference of the figure’s expression, so we have to carefully observe partial details on pleated clothes, and then we can note the difference. Another example, Yan Liti’s Thirteen Portraits for Emperors, although he tries to achieve so-called advisory effect by separating theirs different destiny as much as possible, these thirteen portraits for emperor still leave similar feeling for us. Although Yan Liti tries to express different characters from shape of eyes, position of mouth, and beard, etc., there still have very alike family similarity as a whole. This is so-called emperor’s climate.

 

1.2. Therefore, the after-portraits for emperor are basically copies from one mold. This does not mean that these emperors are from one consanguineous family, but means that the portraits for emperor are bound to be such images under this precondition. In addition, types of facial makeup and metoposcopy in culture of Chinese drama fix the characters--only typical character, but not individual character. From this sense, the paintings express image effect by portraiture in the way of meditation at the beginning. Chinese culture is affected by Buddhist paintings. Pictographic characteristic of Chinese culture and learning of The Book of Changes cognition mode of image-numerology have been expression of images indeed which have function of declaration and propagation of images and do not pursue the cognition of individual uniqueness. Among the modern painters, we know that Xu Beihong’s conversion of line form is mainly expressed on the contour and from quality of the image, sometimes also expressed on consistency between lines and skeleton of figure, and he adds changes of light and shadow, namely, he blends model of portrait into ink to achieve realistic painting. But he does not bring profound change. From this sense, Xu Beihong is the same as Lin Fengmian, they are trying to introduce essence of western paintings to Chinese ink. Although Xu Beihong’s Chinese painting skill and calligraphy are better than those of Lin Fengmian, Lin Fengmian’s expression on figure’s mood is more unique. The paintings of figure or gesture and paintings of horse in impressionistic style created by Xu Beihong are drawn by lines and colored layer by layer. This is also revolution of traditional ink paintings. The difference between the two painters is only reflected that Xu Beihong takes Chinese traditional lines drawing and adds realistic model, while Lin Fengmian takes western modern arts even more. For example, Lin Fengmian’s portraits of ladies, the lines, contours, and gestures are imitated from Modigliani.

 

1.3. However, for our times, the problem lies in that: since individual has revived, modernity needs individual to inherit self responsibility, needs respect to individual uniqueness, and needs to be distinguished, but at the same time, we couldn’t express according to western individual self cognition and realistic portraiture. This is the reason why Chinese realistic paintings in 20^th century from Soviet-form nearly have no contribution to ontology language of painting, what’s more, just play a strengthening visual effect as photo record and color filling, but not convert figure’s intrinsic destiny and timeliness and nearly no intrinsic spirituality. Therefore, paradox on paintings of figure or gesture or portraits becomes clear. How to convert some kind of non-resemblance and some type while not evading individual uniqueness? But for standardizing instance and typical case, that creation is what creation is because it brings exceptive examples, but not only instance or typical case.

 

1.4. As example of uniqueness, every individual is obviously not the model of so-called typical figure misread by aesthetics of literature and art in 20^th century of China. The model form of such typical figure is displacement caused by repeating analogy on traditional typical expression and western general special relationship. The western generality develops the useful individual, discards the useless individual, but we don’t develop individual at all, or our culture has different individual. The individual is still not unique singularity. For instance, individual description on Xuege described by pseudonym of Zhu Da, a famous painter of late Ming Dynasty, Chen Hongshou’s self-portraits, as well as Zheng Banqiao’s works on bamboo with meaning of Chinese character of ge and ren, etc., they all have presented mark of uniqueness. While typical figure image expression only plays a role of example, guide, and propaganda in ethical and moral sense, but not conversion of art of ontology.

 

1.5. In addition, what is more important is that our culture expresses figures through gestures and places figures in a scene and scene with relative symbolical object; the figures are not static, this likes fixed western realistic painting in model sense. Of course, the western portraits have typicality, but the typicality is only expressed on images of gods or Jesus of his own, this also implicates that Jesus is a unique individual. In China, there also has a unique the only one under heaven signature and portrait of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty. Chinese culture stresses on motility and fluidity of figure state. For example, Painting of Han Xizai’s Evening Banquet, there has rich and exact head description on Han Xizai. Details of face are portrayed exactly and exquisitely, but the figure is also placed in movable series scenes to express some stories. For another example, brick engraving paintings of The Seven Virtuous of Bamboo and Rong Qiqi, the expression of figures’ different gestures is far exceeding the portraiture of facial expression; such collective portraits have strong ideal-type pursue and are affected by generalized literary images. The key difference of figure gesture (that is, discovery of figure of etiquette culture) in our cultural tradition from the west lies in colorful expression on body gestures. Confucianism places body in a formalized and zigzag hierarchical order, but the arts break such hierarchy and stresses fluidity. This is so-called lingering influence of former worthies. While Taoist school places body in potential vigor of nature which can generate highly hidden feeling such as many paintings of profound scholar and paintings of anchoritism. Up to Yuan Dynasty, figures are disappeared from the paintings. As the saying, good painting should put emphasis on temperament, expression, and gesture. And the expression on gesture becomes the core of paintings of figure.

 

1.6. Imaginative expression on artistic verve and climate in Chinese culture is different from the western analysis and explain on chaos by color and model, any culture is pregnant from chaos. The arts should keep in a state of chaos so as to keep vitality of life. The western culture, either Greece or Christianity, expresses metaphysics of light, while Chinese culture holds dense breath. How to form climate or image of climate and express the potential vigor of objects become basic direction of Chinese arts (of course, we should avoid essentialist summarization), thus it requires to keep vitality and change of the artistic verve. The cloud and mist on the painting, as well as stone moved with the cloud are lingered by a vivid circumstance, even clear and powerful lines are showing changes in moving twists and turns.

 

1.7. We watch Luo Qi’s paintings from this point of view: the early portraits called Diner’s 101 Ways to Eat that express table manner have concentrated on figures’ gestures--table manners. We can see that a young man and others are eating or gnawing one apple, during this period, they immerse in eating. It seems that they harmonize with the apple, and the apple seems to eat people. These paintings express table manner or image of eating. Viewing from these images of eating, we may associate ourselves that we all like this, simultaneously, the table manners in the paintings are what we are, and we eat like that.

 

His latter paintings are portraits of his friends. His paintings are very similar with his friends, but it seems that he attempts to close to non-resemblance. How does he soften such rigid resemblance? Generally, he fuzzes contour by brush and makes a harmonization of contour and background tone by running brush.

 

We also see that Luo Qi’s confronted the cracked timeliness in current times. The table manner is also a funny appearance of individual who indulges in consumption. The individual can only present itself by harmonizing with object.

 

Luo Qi’s flollowing genius painting Searching, as a painting reflecting a young artist’ s talent and sharp grandness-to-be, has original mold of all his later works. From this painting we see that: a young man who seems to have high myopia is stooping and taking off his glasses to search for something. His left hand holds his gliding glasses, and his right hand fingers outspread as if he wants to catch someting. The figure shows a little awkward. This is the simplest gesture in daily life, but Luo Qi takes grey white as keynote and harmonizes the two color as one. At the same time, Luo Qi constructs figure’s clothes and muscle with bright and powerful calligraphy, which seems blocks of light spots harminized in one. The shaking luster looks like waved ruffles. The metallike luster and light spot like impacting each other and seem to send out a sound of bang. A crude but sharp sound brought by metallike rays of light floats on the image, and there has a primitive and simple noise. This is the primitive state of life. The painter seizes the moment and moulds an image as sculpture at this condensed moment. What is the man who closes to himself searching for ? Is he sreaching for lost thing? But he seems to take his glasses off, thus the searching seems to be impossible, and it seems that only in blind moment we can find, this moment becomes fancy and absurd. In blind we can see the image clearly, this works of Luo Qi seizes the nature of contemplation, maybe, this deternmines the intrinsic motion and contradiction of his later paintings of figure or gesture. How to find visual space between watching and observing, between visible and invisible, between closer watching and watching at a distance has been a starting point to explore painting space for Luo Qi.

 

 

2.1. Of course, Chinese traditional paintings of figure or gesture are not only typed presentation, but also are conveying spirit. These paintings do not pay any attention to figure’s facial expression. Gu Kaizhi’s vivid story tells us that Chinese traditional paintings of figure or gesture still pays attention to figure’s facial expression. However, on the other hand, we also see that the vivid portraiture and adding beard, moustache, and whiskers on face relating to Gu Kaizhi focus on expression of bear and eyes, but not mean vivid. What does the vividness look like? Essence, energy, and spirit are inner sublime quality of a person and are inner characteristics; through adding the painter’s mind the painting is so-called essence is the harmonization of body and spirit.

 

2.2. In the aspect of traditional relationship between body and spirit, here we stress the importance of spirit. From possessing body and spirit to expressing spirit by body, and even to conveying spirit or expressing body by spirit, are mainly realized through the rhythm of line itself. Figure’s gesture should be modeled by painting language of lines which is a conversion of figure body by using ontic painting language, namely, figure gesture is modeled with rhythm of lines, but not the contrary. The figure gesture does not only express externality of the figure, but also achieves correspondence with figure’s inner spirit through ontic language of art (that is, expression means by art itself) and color-form-line, and so on. Or it can be said the art language arouses more self-representability.

 

2.3. Moreover, it can achieve mutual integration in form. This does not mean resemblance in exterior form such as realistic limitations, the body is fat or thin, the appearance is beautiful or ugly, as well as his status; but means perceptual form or perceptual logics brought by painting language itself. From this aspect, this needs to catch the vital existence of the individual, namely, to hold the intrinsic vital temperament and motion of the figure, and to grasp the self-awareness of the individual selfhood and possible selfhood image modeling (what kind of people does he want to be? What is his intrinsic ideal?); from other aspect, the painter should express his realization on the figure by a sensory language of the art itself (the language is a purified form and a purified color, and so on), what the painter expressed is not the original form to be described, but is sensory elements the painter felt from figure and also different from the figure. This needs to convert the objective to be described and the painter’s realization to sensory language of painting. What shows is a painting language with different sense and different form. There must be a self-image in the individual that he may not make clear, for example, Essays and Criticism in Wei and Jin Dynasties, as well as review on the figures, Gu Kaizhi daringly places Ziyi in gullies, what he wants to grasp is the figure’s temperament, namely, intrinsic moral character accumulated by consistent habits, that is the intrinsic selfhood of the figure, is a hidden appearance at the back of face; at the same time, the painter also should integrate with the body gesture. For a female, we can clearly feel an inexpressible lingering charm from her gesture. The painter should also convert the essence and spirit to painting language, which requires that the painter should have his own understanding on the painting and his superior painting skills.

 

2.4. At this level, what the painting expresses is the form of intrinsic affective rhyme and quality of the figure. The spirit of Chinese art lies in searching for affective rhyme but not sense, nor external content and form, and should convert to express the inner form of the intrinsic affective rhyme of the figure; of course, this may be similar with the objective to be described, but now what we want to express is the inner emotion but not the external form. At present, Chinese realistic paintings only portray external body form and cultural symbolic value, those figures have no self realization indeed, or it can be said that those paintings do not face the impossible predicament of self realization under the modern pressure, do not express difficulty of self realization, and do not express the embarrassment and hardness of self realization. Therefore, the paintings do not express the inner struggle and pain of the soul, only have external skills, but have no spirituality.

 

2.5. Therefore, it requires that the painter uses his own language and skills to express the inner affective rhyme and effort and difficult of self realization. Chinese traditional paintings express figures’ inner emotion by floating lines, thus, although our culture has match and formatting illustration of the five elements and the five emotions, the painters have broke these fixed classification and analogy, but place emotion in running gestures. For instance, lines of paintings of figure and gesture in Tang Dynasty, Li Gonglin’s line drawing paintings of figure or gesture in Song Dynasty, Liang Kai’s paintings of figure or gesture in freehand brushwork, and Chen Hongshou’s Shui Hu Ye Zi in Ming Dynasty, the line expression of all of these paintings are very multivariate and vivid. That Chinese traditional painting select line to express but not color and model as the western paintings is because Chinese traditional paintings are affected by calligraphy and water fluidity. Of course, this is closely linked to way of affection on pliability and fluidity of water. Therefore, the expression of latter paintings of figure and gesture converts to ink and wash realism, which not only reserves the line rhythm of Tang Dynasty’s paintings of figure or gesture, but also has vivid self body language of ink and wash realism, thus, Chinese traditional painting language becomes more exact. Traditional line drawing seems to relate to paintings of figure or gesture at the beginning, and there are more than ten kinds of line drawings. And it also relates to the expression of folds. In fact, this brushwork is not to portray figure’s facial expression, but portrays together with figure’s clothes, especially figure’s gesture in motion. The so-called strips in Wu's work being blown in wind and bone method of Chinese painting are trying to search for a common form of vital rhythm, exceed limitation of body and material, and return to the expressive rhythm of pure form. Artistic form of expression of Chinese culture is condensed to line fluidity, which is not only abstract of figure’s stature, but also is expression of fluidity of material of writing brush in painting itself. These two elements have been unified in form.

 

2.6. While the west expresses in guang, namely, strengthens color by comparison of light and shade, or expresses deformation of head halo, or restore figure’s spirit to intrinsic rational light, or focuses on expressive force and materialized sense of the color itself in modern painting, in any case, the western paintings achieve consistency of intrinsic form in expression of guang and integrate inner rhythm of affective and rhythm of artistic painting language. On the contrary, the appearance in Chinese culture conceals intrinsic halo disturbance of life, although it does not stress brightness of light, there is inner artistic verve.

 

2.7. Luo Qi’s portraits consciously return to the realism of traditional paintings of figure or gesture. The tones of his paintings are simple and elegant, this is a softened elegant, which is not expressed by hard and thick western paint, but by simple, elegant, and hidden brushwork.

 

For example, in the Painting of Standing in Spring Breeze, he expresses an image of a modern girl by a form of general affection with bright, clear, and beautiful sense to convey modern female’s inner and implicit quality. Such bright and beautiful affection is modeled and formed by elegant halo disturbance but not constructed by simple colors. Therefore, Luo Qi harmonizes sense of light and artistic verve by his own way.

 

On expressing figure’s contour and posture, he draws lessons from ancient lines but not directly embezzles. He converts color blocks or hazy brushwork to lines flexibly, thus his paintings have ancient feeling tone. His paintings of figure or gesture have lingering charm of ancient people who do not look like modern people. This because that he tries to draw modern people’s intrinsic cultural quality and feeling tone based on returning modern people to cultural image sedimentary deposits, especially the background of the paintings of figure or gesture have ancient poetic glamour. There is full of ancient feeling in his recalling interest on drawing natural landscape, this is the inner conversation between Chen Hongshou and him.

 

For instance, the works of Moon-face Girl, we see that a modern southern urban girl has a bright and beautiful face, her clothes is drew by large color blocks and by one brush sometimes in rotary and flexible way. Meanwhile, there are different rotary directions among the color blocks. And just the rotary touch activates the vivid painting.

 

Luo Qi perfectly conveys traditional line drawing. The understanding on essence of Chen Hongshou’s paintings of figure or gesture lies in holding spirit’s running artistic verve in lines, and changing lines by artistic verve; conveying lines to color blocks when oil paintings are not treated by traditional lines, but these color blocks must be vivid, because either square or round lines, either three or four short and long lines separated from each other are reflected spirit and quality of figure’s intrinsic mood. Luo Qi remains his former unique finger-shape color blocks which have become more classical lingering charm by now.

 

Furthermore, Luo Qi consciously faces the current urgently and dysphoric mood by far vision. Such recall closing to intrinsic gradient vision brings a quiet artistic conception, which is hard to be done in current times. On drawing background of paintings of figure or gesture, he returns to the simple and unadorned painting form of wall or landscape paintings in Wei and Jin Dynasties, he brushes gradient shape of water and hills by hazy brushwork. What’s more is implication as abstract brushwork, which brings a profound sense. He perfectly recalls ancient three-far way of seeing. This is different from close seeing of the western portraits (this requires to see clearly and know realistic way of seeing), it is gradient way that requires us to retreat in the painting, and thus, the paintings generate distance remote with ancient artistic conception.

 

 

3.1. The principle of art should keep fluid charm all along; form of art should keep vivid momentum all along. As portraits, how to give a running rhythm to the image not only expresses in form of sense but also in making further return of the form, namely, this is returning to element of life, not only is formalization of affective rhyme and feeling, but also is form of life existing happiness and pain. In west, culture arouses probability of pleasant sensation of life itself in suffering and passive experience, while in China, culture searches a blandness in searching comfort and pleasure. Therefore, it requires to exceed skills of painting and to return to timing affection of life. The self experience of an individual timeliness originates from affection of self tension of individual life; timeliness is form of tension of life; the more tension it has, the more expression the individual form shows. Shanshui paintings in Chinese traditional culture gain the tension through comparison between the method of showing the shades and texture of rocks and mountains by light ink strokes and stay white. In the aspect of life experience, this is to touch the intrinsic tension of life, which is passively touched by temporality of life or devouring sense, thus, the intrinsic tension of life can be expressed. The portraits of the western painters and modern arts have a profound excavation in this perspective.

 

3.2. How to express the form of life touching on intangible thing and reflecting as timeliness? In Chinese tradition it expresses as surreptitious observation or variation. Surreptitious observation is originated from Wang Wei’s image survey to pursue form may refers to surreptitious observation and Su Shi’s spirit conveyance and portraiture are the same; if you want to understand a person’s disposition, you should survey surreptitiously among people reasonably. Surreptitious observation and confidential survey does not only mean surreptitious survey, but also should express implication to life, that is, the insinuation to intangible thing and inexpressive thing. This is to touch the individual nature (nature means individual natural instincts and fatality), which can only point implicitly, but can not show directly. In Chinese traditional culture, this is the expression of quality for life conception and nature conception such as image taste expression of vigor strength and grace of figure, as well as quiet peacefulness and quiet coldness of landscape.

 

3.3. The expressive force of lines should keep fluid artistic verve all along to vivify the artistic verve. Here, it does not only mean spirit of the figure, but means the whole gesture of the figure, and does not only mean the gesture of the figure, but means the figure’s body or physical body, as well as the whole living world of the physical body placed. The figure’s whole life world is placed in a dynamic state, this is because that he wants to construct a relationship between the body and the world, and he wants to be a world where the physical body and objects breathe together. This is a touch for intangible thing and is a touch for boundary of life itself.

 

3.4. Due to the intangible, the affection can not be achieved unless the selfhood becomes other. This needs to change selfhood to other; this is trying to set up relationship with other. If we want to meet other in the selfhood, we must make selfhood become other while answering other. The change concept and generation concept in Chinese culture are to convey selfhood to other. We can see another quite unique and mystery portrait from traditional painting of figure or gesture, this is the expression for Buddhist image and relates to Dunhuang wall paintings. And we see a peculiar tradition of painting of figure or gesture from Guan Xiu to Ding Yunpeng and Wu Bin in late Ming Dynasty, and to Chen Hongshou between Ming and Qing Dynasties. From Chen Hongshou’s Buddhist portraits, for example, No Dharma Can Be Said of Album of Complex Paintings · Buddhist Image, we see a shaman is urgently asking for directions, the lower hem of his gown is turned up, and his wavy hair, skin texture, clothes, and skin texture of the arms, etc., are all scrolled due to his urgent and intrinsic dysphoria; his whole life is completely embodied pure running lines as gas texture, and cloud virtual texture or cloud gas texture; his whole body or his whole life is scrolled by his asking force, which can not cease; on the contrary, the old shaman who is asked for directions sits on the rock with a quite peace appearance, the folds of his gown are not obvious but broad. The two figures forms sharp contrast. Here, the shaman asking way has been the other one, and even is not people any more, but is a stream of dysphoric air mass. From Wu Bin’s works, we can also see that folds of clothes, surrounding hills and stones, face texture, and seat mat, etc., are all scrolled by running lines. Overall, it seems to be infinitely changed from one line as Shi Tao called one line painting. This is the infinite rhythm of line itself and it seems that the whole world is constructed by the one line. What runs on the picture is not only the form of line, but is rhythm of life itself embodied by the line; this is not only the ceaselessly embodiment of life principle, but also is embodiment of variation itself, the principle of life, and endlessness of life, and is peculiar embodiment of individual life principle in some instant moment. While Chen Hongshou grasps such instant moment.

 

3.5. Therefore, Chinese traditional paintings of figure or gesture are not only expressed by the figure, but also can be expressed by nature objects to make metaphor, for example, plum blossom, bamboo, and old tree, etc., all can be used for expressing the relationship of a gentleman with the wide nature and universe. That is intrinsic resonance of life, and also is life itself becoming other and being good-fellowship with nature.

 

3.6. In west, from Rembrandt’s portraits, we see that he draws himself to be a smiling philosopher and St. Paul who believes that soul never dies in his late ages. It is obviously Rembrandt’s own portrait, but is marked as other. This is a strange inner fold. The painter wants us to see the invisible inner image of soul. This is desire for everlasting life, a transcendence of limited life when facing pains, another affection of timeliness, and silence intimation of pains, happiness and exceeding the happiness of life itself.

 

3.7. From head portraits of Luo Qi’s latest works named Sleepy Men, we see that some ancient figures as Buddhist arhats, it seems that life is still in chaos and is not revived, and is in a soft mood, but it seems that it is impossible to be in ignorant state. While Luo Qi’s latest series works called Honey, let me take you to that extensive and wide water and Honey, let me take you to see puddles of water, nearly half of the four-meter vertical painting stay white, which gives a tremendous imaginary space. Figures’ gestures are modeled by refined color blocks; the space among the color blocks has exquisite changes of colors and luster and has a desire for distant location and some ideal world; the paintings still remain profound concept of traditional culture. And the cute animals in the paintings imply an ideal natural landscape world and a quaint and profound emotional appeal. Thus, we can see a drag force of timeliness for the future, and there is a surreptitious thought of the time by the artist.