The Versatile Master Artist

”To advance further, one must work on both aspects, theoretical and practical. Combining both is the key to balance.”

During a video call, Professor Lin Tao stroked his beard, wagging a finger as he imparted this advice.

Art is a very personalized discipline.

In theory,

the difficulties each painter faces are different.

The barriers that restrict a painter from advancing to the next level also vary from person to person.

The breakthrough path suitable for one painter might not work for another. Outsiders’ advice can be as futile as carving a boat to find a sword.

In such times, the advantage of having a mentor-level elder around to consult becomes significantly apparent.

Lin Tao himself went through this stage.

His fellow students, those carefully selected from the top talents at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, mostly experienced this phase as well.

Though he couldn’t instantly dispel Gu Weijing’s ”karmic obstacles” with a few words, he could offer feasible advice based on fifty years of painting experience, using a comprehensive approach to observe, analyze, and inquire.

[Theoretical] and [Practical].

Seemingly vague words with no apparent value.

But never underestimate the value of this phrase; countless teachers within the Dongxia Painting Association start with several tens of thousands for a piece of painting, and during the New Year, they bring costly gifts to respectfully consult Professor Lin Tao.

They seek their own or their juniors’ advancement with Professor Lin’s guidance.

Chinese Painting and calligraphy, mastery is passed down via a few true words, while false teachings span endless volumes.

Charlatans can deceive you with endless, meaningless rhetoric.

Masters like Lin Tao can pinpoint the essence in a few light words, worth more than gold.

Gu Weijing, as one of the younger generation, even with exceptional talent, at this age is just a sapling. Far from reaching the stage of establishing his own sect or forming his own style.

The sapling won’t grow big, most likely because the roots aren’t deep enough.

A young painter’s inability to break through the bottleneck often stems from insufficient accumulation.

The so-called theoretical aspect for art practitioners is reading, the practical aspect is painting.

How to read, how to paint.

Therein lies great importance.

Professor Lin Tao didn’t choose any textbooks on painting details; the technical aspects of art he usually teaches are sufficient.

In his mind,

What Gu Weijing lacks most isn’t painting experience, but traditional cultural literacy.

Though this child’s ancestors were court painters,

having migrated to Southeast Asia for too long, his childhood lacked the cultural immersion from literary families like Elder Cao or Junior Sister Tang Ning.

Gu Weijing, learning painting from his grandfather since childhood, mostly learned ”skills” rather than ”principles.”

Eastern art, compared to Western aesthetics, is distinguished by the depiction conveying not only patterns but also the artist’s character and spirit.

So he specifically chose ”National Treasure Record of Rise and Fall” by Mr. Yang Renkai and ”Heavenly Rain Flowing Fragrance” by Mr. Li Linchan, the former vice president of the Taipei Palace Museum in Dongxia Treasure Dao.

These two are relatively obscure painting books.

The former summarizes numerous anecdotes of Dongxia national treasures and stories of protecting wandering relics during the war, making for an exhilarating and poignant read, both heartbreaking and joyous.

The latter systematically outlines Huaxia’s historical artistic lineage, encompassing painting, calligraphy, ceramics, architecture, sculpture, and views on life and death, among others.

Professor Lin Tao requested that Gu Weijing read these two books every day.

Reading need not be deep comprehension, but should involve repetitive viewing. Not confined to dissecting specific Chapters but rather focusing on the overall atmosphere of the book.

Gradually, the essence and spirit conveyed between the lines of written ink should be absorbed into the heart.

Years ago, when Mr. Cao Xuan taught Lin Tao and his fellow disciples painting, he repeatedly emphasized that only when an Eastern painter understands the responsibility of artistic inheritance, and the sentiment and elegance contained in each renowned predecessor’s work rooted in 5,000 years of cultural sedimentation—

Can they achieve divine strokes, enduring through catastrophes.

One must paint while reading.

The elder instructed Gu Weijing to continue copying Junior Sister Tang Ning’s ”Hundred Flowers Painting,” but not necessarily the entire piece.

Skip other flowers and focus only on wisteria.

In Eastern traditional culture, the most dignified is the peony’s ”wealth through blooming,” followed by the wisteria known as ”purple air comes from the East.”

Depicting wisteria requires less elaborate splendor than peonies, and the process of expressing the concept with the brush is simpler than portraying the four gentlemen of classic flowers with profound aesthetic implications: plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum.

Yet it can intricately connect and relate to cultural heritage.

Li Bai once lauded the wisteria’s grace with the verse: ”Wisteria climbs the cloud tree, graceful in spring. Hidden among dense leaves, songbirds sing, fragrant winds linger among beauties.”

Emperor Qianlong was particularly fond of wisteria, penning numerous verses on the subject throughout his life, though mostly limited in skill.

More importantly,

A cluster of wisteria blossoms, each flower like a butterfly, peduncles akin to trays, stems resembling orchids.

In the painting process, using medium-sized calligraphy for vines, small calligraphy for petals, and the smallest brush for vein detailing in leaves.