Publicity-shy landscape artist finds inspiration in tradition
Print Edition
WITHOUT a mobile phone or a name card, it can be hard to get in touch with Xiao Haichun, a man whom many see as the country’s foremost landscape painter.
These days, the Shanghai artist is also considered something of a recluse, spending much of his time either working in his 1,500-square-meter studio or traveling to mountainous areas looking for inspiration.
But with a major retrospective of his works set to open today at the National Museum of China in Beijing, the public may soon get a rare opportunity to meet this mysterious artist. This also marks the museum’s first solo exhibition from a Shanghai ink-wash painter.
Among the nearly 100 of Xiao’s works that will be on view, the highlight is an awe-inspiring landscape on rice paper measuring 20 meters by 6 meters. The work itself depicts mountains, flowing mists and forests tinged with red, rust and gold leaves.
While such large paintings may daunt most artists, Xiao is aided by a hydraulic lift set up in his studio. A more important tool may be his knowledge of the brush painting masters who proceeded him.
“There is no secret,” says the 71-year-old of his technique. “I copied many masterpieces by our ancestors to find the ‘treasure’ inside.”
“Material civilization invades our living space and though we live in the city, we are eager to return to nature, wandering among trees, rivers and mountains,” Xiao says.
“Sometimes I envy our ancestors. They were so close to nature and free to pick up their brush to depict whatever stretched in front of their eyes.”
Born in 1964 in east China’s Jiangxi Province, Xiao graduated from Shanghai Arts and Crafts College in 1964 where he studied carvings and drawing. From there, he embarked on a career as a jade carver. In 1988, Xiao was named as a Master of Arts and Crafts, the highest artistic award in China at that time.
While some artists might rest out their days on such a laurel, Xiao veered in a completely new direction as he chased his love of traditional ink painting.
Xiao had been an admirer of Chinese ink painting from an early age, despite his work as a carver. Yet his passion was rekindled after seeing an exhibition of original “Four Wang” paintings.
The “Four Wang” style rose to mainstream prominence during the early years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Named after four imperial artists, all surnamed Wang, this style advocated the imitation of ancient paintings in terms of composition, color and concept.
“I was so taken by these original paintings ... that I decided to throw myself back into the tradition,” he recalls.
For Xiao, the shift has paid off.
His achievements with rice paper and ink have so overshadowed his jade carvings that few today remember the earlier phase of his career.
“Don’t consider tradition as a counter to creativity,” Xiao says. “Once you thoroughly absorb tradition, inspiration comes naturally.”
Many of Xiao’s works now on display in Beijing illustrate the painters’ focus on rocks and trees.
“Rocks and trees are the basic elements in landscapes. I spend most of my time trying to paint them as perfectly as I can,” he says, and endeavor which he described as a form of self-cultivation.
More broadly though, the beauty of mountains, forests and rivers is an abiding theme in traditional Chinese ink paintings, representing the Zen spirit.
Xiao conjures mountains and rivers not realistically but with bold splashes of ink that suggest blurred outlines of objects both familiar and distant.
Many critics say that Xiao’s paintings are imbued with the classical sensibilities of the Chinese literati, an ancient class of scholars and artists. Xiao himself believes that such sensibilities are rarely found in most contemporary paintings and require many years of focus to develop.
“Frankly speaking, the spirit of the Chinese literati needs to be nurtured day by day throughout one’s life,” he says.
Xiao never married. He lives in a world created by the natural environment around him. In his large garden, he appreciates the seasonal changes reflected in flowers, plants and grasses. He often listens to the birds chirping in the morning and watches fish swimming in a pond in the afternoon.
“I keep distance from the outside world,” he explains, while acknowledging that he still keeps a small circle of friends. “I prefer such a lifestyle and try to lead a life similar to my ancestors, maybe that’s why you might see something different in my works.”
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