Haiwang Li's Oil paintings analysis

Yuejin Zou

 

For many Chinese oil painters, the most perplexing problems in art is you have to keep the language in the western oil painting and the flavor of feeling . but it is not enough. A sense of Chinese culture and sense of identity is equally important . In all fairness, this is a dilemma. From the history of the development of Chinese oil paintings, because of the importance of cultural identity. The oil painters offer a wide range of the solution to this problem, one is to use oil painting to paint traditional Chinese painting depicting themes such as birds, flowers and landscapes. In this solution, there are two different ways : One scheme is using oil paintings to paint Chinese paintings, picture gives the impression that as the landscape and traditional Chinese painting; the other one is different, Although it is still the subject of the painting landscapes or flowers, but artists respect the language features of oil painting , they hope to find a meeting point between cultures in the traditional Chinese and Western painting in this way.  Haiwang Li is belong to the latter. But in my view, he made many attempts in this area beyond our predecessors, it is mainly seen in the following aspects : First, in the area of contemporary Chinese painting, oil painting mainly localized to the natural landscape. Haiwang chose the lotus such a theme with very traditional Chinese culture means ; Second, although the picture is Lotus , But he described lotus not from the point of view of traditional flower-bird arts , but from the perspective of the landscape. Haiwang named the "the sounds of nature" indicated his point of the existence of a lotus in nature. so in the " the sounds of nature " series, the lotus in the traditional meaning of flower-bird paintings, such as "outer dirty; inner purity" the symbol and personification of the trend were digested.

 

Since Haiwang is painted flowers from the perspective of landscape, so he pay more attention in the role of time ,Season and climate in his work. opposite view with "Lotus pond moonlight"  : only some dry and Wilt Lotus in the pond, which forming a strong correlation with the sky full of sunset rosy clouds reflected in the pond ; Growing flowers like the rosy cloud that has given us a profound unlimited space. In " the sounds of nature " Series , the painting was painted with completely burning red sky and excitedly pond water is one of integration, not only to express a particular time, but interdependent relationship between sky and earth. It is worth noting that the works, Haiwang Li used a small pond reflects the beauty and noble nature of the aesthetic features,  apparently related to the use of traditional Chinese garden, "Small reflected great " creative ways. Haiwang Li's works that is not to reflected the "great" with "small" Deliberately,  but artist's keen observation of nature and the experience. This sort of integration and expression of space, the integration of all things artistic,  almost throughout the " the sounds of nature " series . This is also depicted in another landscape works dusk Lotus pond , Haiwang Li not only reflected the magnificent sky in the lotus pond. He also described the image of sun in the water close to the center, golden yellow sun and black leaves creates a picture of the traditional Chinese landscape painting : impressionistic painting. To some extent, Li created the " the sounds of nature " series of works of art realm. it transcend the flower-bird drawing and even surpassed the scope of Western painting as the natural scenic limitations. in fact,it coincided more with the spirit of traditional Chinese landscape. I think Haiwang regarded the land of the lotus and itself; He abandoned the details of lotus and focused on the object-oriented structure and only organic color contrast (such as the use of a lot of black); He considered only Light color with the seasons and the geometric structure of the landscape. It's different from the only source style and the natural tendency of Impressionism . It has more spirits with the traditional Chinese culture and the aesthetic value. Of course, Li is very clear that the series of works he is painting the oil " the sounds of nature ", rather than ink, so In " the sounds of nature " the series,  it is purely out of Li's oil language still permeated the aesthetic charm.

 

Finally, I would also like to take this opportunity to mention the creation of his Several female body works, also has a unique artistic features. In these works, great women body, along similar expressions, in the form of space, Li constantly study shows the possibility of reconciling differences between the East and the West and made on the basis of artistic achievement