Chen Jiu(b.1957) i) Insects Awaken ii) The Summer Solstice ink on paper executed in 2011 each: 136x70 cm (53 1/2 x 27 1/2 in)
Laozi, a Chinese ancient philosopher, said that “the greatest virtue is like water, which is advantageous to everything but not fighting for anything.” Through the study of the praise of water in The Book of Odes to the observation of water under today’s micro technology as well as the conservation of water resource and the environment, Chen Jiu turns his thoughts toward water into the diversification of 24 Solar Terms. The artist explained, “…With a brush on my hand, I gaze at the gurgling water from a distance. I want to preserve the grace of the flowing water with 24 Solar Terms: endless and boundless, the light skims over the water by chance. I aim to depict the special states of water with my interlacing brushstrokes”. The graceful style of water is being turned into abstract language with brush and ink.
Chen Jiu has made some reinvention in the ink experiment. Insects Awaken and The Summer Solstice are two works that beautifully articulate the result of such reinvention - Chen Jiu mixes the glue into the ink and makes rendering of dots and blocks on the painting paper. Instead of using traditional skill of ink collision, he skillfully controls and aesthetically brings out the characteristic of the glue to compose a unique broader ink outline using patches of ink dots of different sizes. The special layer is strong and clear, and the structure is ordered even though the stacking looks seemingly random. The horizontal arrangement of The Summer Solstice is comprised of strokes of smooth curves which are closely packed to represent the exuberant flow of water in mid-summer. The ink flow between the lines creates a natural emptiness that signifies the shining reflection over the waves; Insects Awaken renders the instant moment of water jumping out of the surface with dots and thin blocks. This is a work which exemplifies the drizzles in spring and the awakening of the nature in February of the lunar calendar. Each stroke depicts the form of water. His works are not simply an expression of line or ideology. It is in fact a perception of the true physical status of water that goes between abstraction and reality. Depicting different states of water, these two works fully present Chen’s meticulous skills towards the characteristic of the ink and his unique interpretation of water.