Title: Valley of the Heart No 5Artist: Wucius Wong (Wang Wuxie)
Date: 1999
Medium: Ink and colors on paper
Dimensions: 35.25 in H, 35.25 in W
I chose this piece because I was at first struck by the bold green color, but after a closer look, the scene and inscription are delicately wrought in a traditional Chinese style. I like how this painting fuses traditional and contemporary art together to create such a dynamic and thoughtful piece.
http://67.52.109.59:8080/emuseum/view/objects/asitem/2066/1279/title-asc/designation-asc?t%3Astate%3Aflow=3635ec40-742b-4cbc-b752-d9a584df5097
1. Raw
2. Natural
3. Gem-Like
4. Monochrome
5. Weathered
6. Subtle
7. Introspective
8. Bold
9. Jagged
10. Aged
11. Sophisticated
12. Solitary
13. Still
14. Vibrant
15. Faded
Wucius Wong (or Wang Wuxie) has created a piece that is a modern interpretation of traditional Chinese art. The main aspects of this piece - the mountain landscape with an accompanying inscription - are seen through an olive-toned wash with an acid stained effect and seen thgouh computer generated faceted planes. Is this piece a commentary on traditional versus contemporary art and mindsets? Is the green symbolic of renewal, or is the effect of the paint hinting toward aging and the pst fading into shadows? The landscape seems to be barren, with raw and jagged rocks along with bare trees, but there is still life and movement though the flowing mountain streams and waterfalls. While the green does fade to darness at the adges, this gives the center of the piece a subtle glow, almost like the sun peeking through the clouds on an overcast day. What did Wucius Wong mean to portray through this image? Is this a picture of a melding of two styles or is this a battle between them?
Wucius Wong studied both Western and Chinese style painting in Hong Kong. Here we see him fusing those two styles together to create an image that is attention grabbing and thoughtful. Is he trying to link the past to the present or is he illustrating the feud of trying to mesh the two together?
I love that Wucius Wong put chinese writting on top of the painting, I think that their form of writting is art in itself. I just wish I knew the translation. I hope in the future I can read in this blog what it stands for. Then I can make a more intelligent critic of the piece. Also I agree with you about the interpretation of traditional chinese art. It has aspects of the traditional landscape but it feels a lot creepier!
ReplyDeleteThe artist’s inscription on this painting reads: My heart flies somewhere far away to distant lands. My feelings exist beyond time. All of my thoughts dissolve into mountain peaks and valleys. This allows travel within nature. Why do you need to ask if there are actual emotions moving you? You are already there. Why in the color green does a chilly feeling strike? What happens in the past is past, it cannot be seen anymore. Your feelings go beyond happiness and sadness, you can reach the level of permanent order. All troubles and worries will be gone.
ReplyDeleteFifth in the Valley of the Heart series. Painted by Wang Wuxie in Hong Kong in 1999.
Does this affect how you view the piece? After I read this, I found the piece more deep and somewhat mysterious. I just kept thinking more and more about this piece and the inscription after I saw this. It really pulls a person in.
Sarah- Your idea of the old and new styles of painting competing with one another is intriguing. I understand how someone could draw that conclusion, but when I look at the piece you selected I see harmony and the synthesis of hundreds of years of painting in China. The landscape elements appear to me as monumental rock formations, which is the old style of painting. The black gestural lines which form rocky outcroppings and other areas of definition call to mind the American abstract expressionists of the 50s such a s Jackson Pollack which speaks new ways and of the world at large wielding its influence on the once insular China. The writing that spreads across the entirety of the piece once again brings the mind back to a more traditional ideal of Chinese ink painting. The seals and inscriptions that told of a hand scroll's or wall scroll's former ownership, and to some extent pedigree is an unmistakable nod to the artist's cultural heritage.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting piece. The stone in the mountainside appears faceted. The mountain feels very much like it has been constructed, rather than organic or gestural. It does not feel like monumental Chinese landscapes. It feels we are viewing the mountain from a very sharp angle. I also like the way that the artist used the text block over the sky to make it appear that it might be part of the mountain as well.
ReplyDeleteI really like this piece. It has a very historical Chinese art feel with the subject matter and the way the perspective is contradictory and different in different spots. What really struck me when I first saw this piece was how much it looks like a pattern. This could almost pass for graphic design work as much as it is a painting. Add that with the use of a grid and the use of Chinese characters and this piece can be interpreted in a whole new perspective. At first glance it makes sense as a painting, but the longer I look at it the more I can see things like the grid.
ReplyDelete