Towards the Unknown----Wu Guanzhong’s Artistic Thoughts on Water-Ink Painting (1986-1990)

　　Wu Guanzhong began his water-ink career in 1995 and so far has spent 30-odd years on artistic exploration in this field, among which the five years from 1986 to 1990 when he was between 66 and 70 was the heyday for his water-ink creation. In this period, the aspirations long cherished in his checkered life were given full realization and his passion for and energy in the pursuit of art was released in a free and unprecedented way. In particular, the physical and mental freedom he enjoyed since China’s reform and opening up and the experience he accumulated in his incessant artistic exploration in the former period combine to facilitate the five year period to be the most fruitful and productive, and which finds expression in the number of paintings, painting albums, and exhibitions he has held and the collections of essays which have been published.

　　This period witnessed the publication of his ten painting albums, three essay collections and seven large-scale individual painting exhibitions held in Beijing, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and the United States of America. In particular, Wu Guanzhong’s art exhibitions in San Francisco, Birmingham, Kansas, St. John’s and Detroit ran for as long as one and a half years. His great accomplishments in painting creation, artistic theory and literature stunned the world.

　　In 1991, the French Ministry of Culture awarded Wu Guanzhong “the top honor in culture and arts”. The French cultural minister highly praised Wu Guanzhong in his awarding address, saying “French people come to understand and like China through your works. This honor is awarded to artists who have made creative contribution to culture or French and world arts.”

　　The exhibition of antiques is an informal rule adopted by the British Museum. In 1992, however, the director of the Oriental Antiques department of the British Museum broke the rule and unprecedentedly held a painting exhibition entitled Wu Guanzhong--a twentieth-century Chinese painter. The majority of the paintings exhibited in the exhibition were created in the aforesaid five-year period, such as The Great Wall (1986), A Village of the Altai Mountains (1986), A Mulberry Garden (1981), The Ruins of Gaochang (1987), A Lotus Pond (1983), Households of the South (1987), A Pair of Swallows (1981), A Paradise for Little Birds (1989), Spring Snow (1982) and The Great River Flows East (1985). Souren Melikian, art critic of The International Herald Tribune, wrote in his review: “Staring at Wu Guanzhong’s works, one cannot but admit this Chinese master’s works is the most stunning discovery in modern fine arts circle in recent years.” “The above-mentioned ten paintings alone are sufficient to rivet the status of the 73-year-old Wu Guanzhong as an artistic giant towering in the fine arts circle of the recent half a century. [1]

　　Wu Guanzhong’s success in art proves to the world the true value of the spirit inherent in Chinese traditional culture, the eternal truth leading to a future of inward and outward infinity.

　　Due to the unprecedentedly fierce clash between Chinese and western culture throughout the last century, Chinese artists were endowed with the fate of running the gauntlet of various opportunities and challenges. Mirrored against western culture, many artists who once studied in France like Wu Guanzhong more clearly perceived the merits intrinsic in Chinese culture and western culture and aspired to create Chinese contemporary paintings integrating east with west.

　　As Cai Yuanpei pointed out in 1942 in his preface for Lin Fengmian’s painting exhibition: “Students who studied art in France constitute a substantial proportion of students who studied art abroad, among whom are the prominent figures who, instead of simply copying European works, incorporate European style into Chinese paintings and vice versa. This is a practice European artists have already dabbled at, so isn’t the integration of Chinese paintings with western paintings the responsibility of Chinese artists?” [2]. The integration of Chinese and western arts is already a global cultural phenomenon, integration of Chinese paintings with western paintings is a mission that history endows Chinese artists.

　　As such, how to uphold the spirit inherent in Chinese traditional painting and at the same time absorb western contemporary artistic thought is an eternal topic for the artists who once studied in France. Lin Fengmian blazed the trail for integrating Chinese and western paintings and Wu Guanzhong further expands the trail. This revolution in Chinese water-ink painting was initiated by oil painting artists who once studied in the west for many years and at the same time were heirs to the heritage of Chinese culture. They broke through past modes of inheritance and innovation in Chinese traditional painting, a feat that is unprecedented in the history of Chinese fine art. They were born in a particular era but transcended its limitations, and hence their artistic road was full of wonders and hardships alike.

　　Oriental and occidental arts, in Wu Guanzhong’s eyes, are essentially the same despite their different approaches, which is analogous to mountain climbing from the western side and eastern side of the mountain. Shuttling between oriental and occidental arts, Wu Guanzhong “fostered a profound understanding for both of them and increasingly found an identity between them despite discrepancies between oil color and ink color. Due to a tendency toward generalization and succinctness in oil painting as well as defects ingrained in oil painting that hurdle the expression of various feelings, I employ water-ink in painting creation as well.”[3]

　　In his 30 years’ exploration of the national potential of oil painting, Wu Guanzhong has established his unique painting theory featuring beauty of abstractness and preference for black, white and gray, which laid a solid foundation for his exploration of water-ink paintings. During his ten years’ water-ink creation, his water-ink paintings gradually shook off the shadow of his oil paintings and he eventually embarked on the road to independence and creation. This big leap-forward was realized in the period from 1986 to 1990 when Wu Guanzhong created a large number of Chinese contemporary water-ink paintings pregnant with oriental features that stunned the world.

　　Wu Guanzhong and Lin Fengmian jointly proved that the fusion of Chinese and western paintings, full of infinite vitality, is a correct road to draw on the inheritance and innovation of Chinese traditional paintings. The road forcefully proves Chinese culture boasts infinite space for absorbing and integrating external cultures. The clash between Chinese and western cultures, to Chinese artists erudite in both, will further highlight the infinite vitality in Chinese culture.

　　Wu Guanzhong absorbs foreign cultures daringly, especially the abstract visual rationality typical of western contemporary painting. As regards how to inherit tradition, he instills oriental rhyme into western artistic practice, hence, rather than lose the root and vein of Chinese culture, he further highlights the spirit intrinsic to Chinese traditional culture. He said: “Ego should expand into and gallop freely in the universe to conquer it and obtain freedom to the greatest extent.” [4] Wu Guanzhong extends the spirit that has been inherent in Chinese painting for thousands of years from the angle of integration of Chinese paintings with western paintings and “spiritually communicates with nature alone” to facilitate unity of human beings and nature. This is surprisingly in line with the artistic thought of Chinese traditional mountain-water artists. He esteems Shi Tao as father of contemporary painting and argues that the core of Shi Tao’s Review on Painting is this, that “considering painting derives from personal experience, artists shall create approaches to painting in correspondence with their unique personal experience.” For this purpose, he resorts to approach painting by giving free play to personal experience in the process of learning from nature.

　　The History of Art adopted as the textbook for American universities in 1995 states: “Wu Guanzhong, an artist rising to prominence in the 1980s, is the bellwether of the leading thought of painting practice in the new era China. He has integrated his artistic training in France with Chinese culture and elicits a kind of half-abstract artistic style from Chinese traditional scenic paintings, employing it to depict natural scenery. The approach he often employs to painting features quick outdoor sketch followed by follow-up creation and retouch in his studio based on his feelings and experience. His masterpiece The Pine Soul, which depicts the scenery of Mount Huang, is a good example of scenic painting. The techniques and cohesion evinced in the painting are remindful of the substantially influential movement of abstract expressionism thriving since World War Two. Meanwhile, the painting itself also upholds the status of Chinese ancient mountain-water artists exemplified by Shi Tao. Like every aspect of Chinese society, Chinese art is also exposed to the strong impact of western countries. The question still vexing Chinese artists is whether Chinese art can maintain its traditional properties while absorbing western artistic thought. Scenic painting is still the most popular artistic genre in China. As it has continued for 1000-odd years, Chinese artists are still seeking a spiritual wedding with nature while tapping into western artistic techniques and approaches. They endeavor to foster unity of human being and nature by virtue of their arts.”[5] The western evaluation of Wu Guanzhong clearly explains why his water-ink paintings can find their way to the history of world arts.

　　Philosophy of Rhyme

　　When asked by his students: “can you summarize the best thing in Chinese traditional painting in the most succinct language?” Wu Guanzhong replied without any hesitation: “rhyme”.

　　As regards “rhyme”, Wu Guanzhong explains in his Psychic Monologue: “Criticized repeatedly as I am I still adhere to my manifesto that form-structuring art without stress on form surely strays artistically.” The basic factors of formal beauty include form, color and rhyme. I dilute form and color stressed in western arts through rhyme typical of oriental arts or alternatively the medium of water-ink if necessary. That is why I created a substantial number of water-ink paintings from the middle 1970s. Nationalization of oil painting and modernization of Chinese painting are essentially identical.” [6]

　　Dilution of western form and color through oriental rhyme is the extension and widening of the trail Lin Fengmian and Wu Dayu have blazed for art.

　　“Oriental rhyme”, running through the evolution of Chinese paintings for more than 2000 years, is the soul of Chinese painting. “Western form and color” shall be rightly understood as the rational spirit evinced in the form and color of western arts as well as the strong visual perception deriving therefrom as in architecture. Despite that it is hard for the beauty of meandering fluidness, iambic fluctuation, harmonious rhythm as well as unity with nature intrinsic to oriental rhyme to dilute western form and color. Wu Guanzhong, however, is convinced that they are essentially the same despite their different artistic approaches. “They are identical in essence”, Wu Guanzhong argued.

　　The large-scale Lion Woods he created in the period between 1983 and 1988 is his early painting representing his effort to dilute western form and color through oriental rhyme. This water-ink painting boasts the newest look, the biggest influence and the richest contemporary spirit among his paintings created during that period, in which fluid dots and lines are twisting, meandering and crisscrossing. Wu Guanzhong’s eyes are omnipresent, incorporating into the painting tranquility, rhyme and rhythm in the scene through a chromatic scale of red, green, blue and yellow. Concrete image, abstract image, illusion, stones, trees, pavilions, verandas, small bridges, pools and swimming fish all find their way to his painting, fostering palpation of temperament and rhyme typical of oriental painting.

　　In Chinese traditional culture, rhyme means “harmony and unity”. [7] “Harmony facilitates permanence and permanence facilitates wisdom”. [8] “Release of contained sentiments leads to harmony”. [9] Harmony in rhyme refers to the state of united mixture that boasts eternal properties intrinsic in the cosmos.

　　Oriental rhyme, deriving from the Chinese ancient and traditional cosmic outlook and methodology, is rich in artistic implication, touching almost all aspects of Chinese traditional aesthetics. The trait Wu Guanzhong summarizes as the best in Chinese traditional painting is “rhyme”, which is theoretically profound, far-reaching and hence eternal.

　　Rhyme refers to harmony, eternity, wisdom, unity and truth. “Image” depicted through western form and color, from the perspective of rhyme, approximates “change, variety and termination”. Wu Guanzhong argues: “Form is visible but when it is integrated into the human heart, it becomes invisible and unidentifiable; Rhyme is invisible but it can materialize into concrete images in the human heart, hence it is visible and identifiable. Rhyme is the alternately strong and weak expression of life in a painting.” [10]

　　In Wu Guanzhong’s paintings, we can see the dancing of dense big or small dots as well as the flowing of curvaceous long or short lines. Everything is presented through the abstract rhyme of dots, lines and facets, which Wu Guanzhong defines as “musical composition”. It refers to capture and creation of abstract rhythm and rhyme of life in the process of painting creation. As such, Wu Guanzhong’s paintings, as representative works of the Wu Guanzhong Painting School, are unparalleled and unrivaled in Chinese fine art.

　　For example, the steep and imposing mountain ranges in A Village of the Altai Mountains and The Great Wall created in 1986 and 1988 respectively consist primarily of abstract rhythm and rhyme of dots, lines and facets. Despite discrepancy in thickness of lines and tone of rhyme in their images, oriental rhyme runs through and permeates both of them, hence clearly illustrating the dilution of western form and color through oriental rhyme. The paintings are not stinted or constrained by concrete objects and forms in that each brush stroke is pregnant with the rhyme of fluctuating mountain ranges and each line is expressive of emotions palpating in life. Due to his profound and vivid experience of “vigorous rhyme” inherent in Chinese traditional paintings, Wu Guanzhong taps this energy to create rhyme in the process of painting creation.

　　“Rhyme”, in Wu Guanzhong’s heart, is the soul of painting and impetus for its creation. It is safe to state that Wu Guanzhong has been increasingly daring and free in artistic creation since 1985 because of the merits of “rhyme”-oriented abstract thinking and approaches. He incessantly transcends all beings in nature as well as reality, incorporating intuition, misimpression, illusion, impression and psychic perception as well as concrete image, abstract image and delusive image into his works. Despite his adherence to the artistic proposition of “Kite shall never desert its line”, the “rhyme” evinced in his works approximates pure abstraction, progressively bordering on a “free and untrammeled” artistic conception.

　　Wu Guanzhong often paints the same theme repeatedly, deliberating on it time and time again till it reaches perfection. A Pair of Swallows, Hometown of Lu Xun, Watery Country, The Yellow - Earth Plateau and A Paradise for Little Birds, among others, were painted by him many times, which clearly shows that he is never satisfied with his efforts of artistic exploration. As such, many of his paintings, after repeated research and recreation, end up exceptionally refreshing and soft as if a baby’s face, crystal-like, transparent, lustrous and tender, reminiscent of the unity of sky and earth at the initial stage of Chaos.

　　Verve, the life of painting, has long been pursued by Chinese artists but, given that it is concealed deep in nature artists must first rid themselves of existing prejudice and habits in order to delve deeply into nature and their hearts to approach it.


　　Confronting whatever object, Wu Guanzhong unfailingly lends his heart to the relationship between form, color and rhyme of life in nature under the guidance of his intuition, misimpression and delusion on abstract beauty. Beauty of abstract form, color and rhyme itself is the basic image and content for his painting. He argues that only in this way can painting access its essential connotation--cosmic spirit of rhyme, namely, “rhyme” equals harmony, eternity, wisdom and “truth”. As Li Zhengdao points out, “nature derives law and vice versa, law precedes nature and nature is the materialization of law.” [11]

　　The Ruins of Gaochang, Pines and Rocks of the Lao Mountains and Waterfalls were created in 1987 and 1986 respectively, in which we can obviously find that rhyme dominates over form and color and the limited space for painting is expanded to the greatest extent. Form, color and rhyme contrast and palpate in these paintings that refrain a base depiction of concrete images but foster inflation and contraction of formal and chromatic space dominated by rhyme. Under Wu Guanzhong’s hands, the sky in a scene is minimized, even disappearing into the horizon so that the structure of rhyme in the painting can be maximized. The ideas he fosters for space is abstract and surreal, which are essentially the meditation on and expression of movement of abstract dots, lines and facets dominated by rhyme rather than focal perspectivity typical of western painting or traditional “three-far law” typical of Chinese painting.

　　Cognition and expression through abstract rhyme has become Wu Guanzhong’s experience in and approach to capturing abstract beauty as well as his perceptive mindset and habit. The individuality and commonality of everything in nature, from his perspective, are all incorporated into abstract rhyme. Painting, rather than simply the depiction of individual objects or scenes, is in essence the meditation on and pursuit of life and spirit omnipresent in nature as well as significance of existence of painting itself.

　　His approach to the employment of color is not a traditional embellishment, category-based coloring or form-structuring through color. Rather, it is free interweavement of ink dots and lines and chromatic dots and lines featuring harmony between ink rhyme and chromatic rhyme. In A Village of the Altai Mountains and The Ruins of Gaochang, he breaks through the boundary among different things in nature and leads them to infinity, boundlessness and eternity by virtue of the abstract rhyme of dots, lines and facets. Lines, flying like silks, and dots, dribbling like colorful raindrops, freely find their way into his paintings. Wu Guanzhong distinguished himself from other artists in that he scrapped the stereotyped approach to coloring and brought forth beauty unique to the “Wu Guanzhong painting school”.

　　“Rhyme” has become the instinctive reaction in Wu Guanzhong’s heart. In terms of rhyme, all beings in nature are equal, hence painting themes in essence are identical. Double swallows, farming fields, waterfalls, deserted lotus, old pines, wild grasses, little birds and water country, among others, are all expressive of life palpating in nature and spirit omnipresent in the universe.

　　“The boundless snow-clad mountains, vast oceans, tranquil and unfrequented valleys as well as flowing clouds are all artistic conceptions and atmosphere artists yearn for. Small individuals want to extend into universe and conquer it to obtain maximum freedom, so ‘verve’ is universally appreciated.” [12]

　　“Rhyme”, in Wu Guanzhong’s heart, is the experience of beauty, an approach to observing and perceiving nature, a way of creation and, what is more, a mindset of entering and being fused into the universe. “Rhyme”, inherent in nature and incorporated into human beings, includes rhyme of brush strokes and spiritual rhyme that facilitate the human’s psychical fusion with the universe. “Rhyme” is a medium that facilitates Wu Guanzhong’s access to “law”, freedom and the unknown.

　　The dominance of spiritual rhyme intrinsic in Chinese traditional painting over western form and color has been practiced by Wu Guanzhong for half a century. The fruits borne from his efforts to integrate the abstractness of oriental rhyme with that of western form and color have set a new example for inheritance and innovation of Chinese traditional paintings in terms of artistic theory and creation practice. Wu Guanzhong heralded an unprecedented new look in Chinese water-ink paintings and fostered in Chinese paintings inspiration and visual impact comparable to those of western contemporary paintings, which shall be rightly claimed as Wu Guanzhong’s upholding and carrying forward Chinese traditional paintings.

　　Wu Guanzhong’s practice on integrating Chinese and western painting clearly shows to us: “No national boundary exists in arts.” Eternal arts, be it past or present, Chinese or foreign, transcend national boundaries, time and space. Good artistic works unfailingly comprise eternity and change, which artists devote all their life to fostering in their paintings.

　　Sensibilities of Law

　　Wu Guanzhong is thirsty for artistic sensibilities that unfailingly instill excitement and inspiration. He is artistically so sensitive, delicate, bohemian, romantic, loving and broadminded that even the sensibilities evinced from a grass or a tree will cause an overwhelming wave in his heart. “Burning with fervid passion for art, he cannot control and curb his emotions. His heart is over-laden with passion for art, so without art to release them, it is hard for us to imagine how his life will be.” [13] His passion for art is exceptionally everlasting and concentrated and that is why he is often plagued by insomnia.

　　The fine arts circle always characterizes Wu Guanzhong as a passionate artist tending to “go to extremes” in his artistic views. As an artist, he is indeed passionate in temperament and more often than not he unintentionally makes some unconventional reviews of art, which unavoidably invite grudges and criticism from the Chinese fine arts circle. In fact, however, Wu Guanzhong is a loyal servant to art, respecting art as a sacred mission and he is ready to sacrifice himself for art. Due to the lack of model for him to follow and comrades in terms of his approaches to painting, he cannot but resort to extreme means to release the sensibilities cherished in his heart. His reviews on painting, despite inviting as they do contentions or even grudges, are essentially the expression of his views and impulse for art he has long cherishing in his heart in the process of his life-long artistic exploration.

　　He admits his extremity in artistic views but argues passionately: “No extremity means no art, because art derive from extremity. Art materializes from the outburst of sensibilities that tend to go to extremes. Students, therefore, should be encouraged to seek extremity in art because they cannot be rounded in art. Verisimilitude in painting is not beautiful, hence not much use. Exaggeration is indispensable in that no artistic exaggeration or extremity means no art.” He sings highly of the exaggerated figures created by Modigliani, and the passions burning fervently in Van Gogh’s paintings.

　　He said: “The round face of A’fu, the Wuxi earth figure, the eternity evinced from Henry Moore’s curves and chunks, the rich heaviness exuded from Huns under the Heel of Steeds, the dryness and leanness in Giacometti’s works, the plumpness and fullness in Zhou’s works and the grotesqueness of old lotuses are all intended to express particular artistic conceptions and tastes. The images depicted in artistic works, therefore, are substantially distinctive from the objective targets in terms of external appearance in that they are “transformed” but genuine, giving full expression to artists’ true perception of these targets. [14]

　　Emotions dye everything in nature with color while imagination facilitates inflation and transformation of them. In Great Wall, Wu Guanzhong paints the “snow-clad The Great Wall twisting and meandering atop snow-clad mountain ranges” through the converging and diverging black and white lines to stress its kinetic potential. Despite that the image depicted in the painting does not bear accurate resemblance to the real Great Wall, it lays particular stress on the beauty of the magnificence and splendor evinced from the Great Wall forged from the suffering, sweat and blood of ancient Chinese people. In the painting, the Great Wall roars, twists and meanders against the black-white background like a dragon swimming in the ocean. It is a painting created through exceptional exaggeration, transformation and “going to extremes”. Wu Guanzhong simplifies and turns the Great Wall in to an image with a poets’ romantic language featuring conciseness and the dominance of rhyme over form and color and incorporates emotion into scenery and scenery into emotion alike to give vent to his patriotic sentiments and lofty aspirations for art.

　　Artists, as a rule, tend to be rounded in their pursuit of art and few of them seek extremity in their artistic endeavor. Wu Guanzhong opposes roundedness in painting creation. As such, he never uses photographs as materials for artistic imitation and copying, which he dismisses as insulating the artists’ direct and true experience and perception of nature. He proposes his students to learn from bees and resort to their hearts and eyes to seek “honey and pollen” in life and nature. The weather-beaten Wu Guanzhong leaves his footprints throughout China, seeking, culling and conceiving themes and targets for his paintings, which he defines as “pregnancy”, “ore-dressing” and “honey-extraction”. He rests his eyes on scenes under the guidance of his heart. Rather than be stinted to a specific scene, Wu Guanzhong is panoramic in terms of the visual field, incorporating what his creation needs and then transplanting them onto his canvas. He is comparable to poets who conjure up their poetic conceptions by virtue of association and metaphor. He said: “Artistic creation can be likened to a battle in that a multitude of themes and scenes for it cannot but be scrapped according to artistic needs just like the loss of multitudes of lives in a battle.” “Despite that artists take charge of the selection and rejection of artistic themes and scenes, it is up to artistic needs to have a final say.” The image Wu Guanzhong conjures up in his heart for painting derives from abstract image, concrete image and illusion, hence transcending reality but bearing resemblance to it to some extent. Despite that local features are maintained in his paintings created through this kind of image-making process, the scenery he painted, however, can be identified in them. He argues: “Sketching is primarily intended to paint misimpression”. Artistic misimpression is inspiration for his artistic creation, so he greatly cherishes it.

　　Misimpression in art is the artist’s intuitive reaction in the face of an artistic target. It is artistically the transcendence over manacles and shackles of rationality and incorporation of the artists’ instinct into art in the form of discrepancy from reality. Misimpression provides artists with inspiration and opportunity for the outpouring of their creative capabilities, and hence it is extremely valuable. Wu Guanzhong said: “I paint sketches unfailingly under the guidance of my misimpression of artistic targets” and “Misimpression derives from intuition”. Misimpression fosters ecstasy, freedom, imagination and infatuation in Wu Guanzhong’s arts.

　　Misimpression, in an artistic sense, is the exuding of an artist’s nature, temperament and instinct. It prompts Wu Guanzhong to rid himself of the discrepancy between different objects in nature and ushers him into limpidness and universality. As such, he take pains to illustrate misimpression: “I have been engaged in art for 66 years and painting from life for 60 years, so fully convinced that misimpression is the mother of painting. ‘Misimpression wakes up an artist’s innocence and exhibits his tendency and quality in sentiment. “Painting from life is primarily based on misimpression that is the inspiration for artistic creation.” [15]

　　All artists have to deal with the relationship between objects and themselves in the observation of artistic targets and the expression of them through art. Wu Guanzhong fully taps into the instant of “misimpression” featuring transcendence over distinction between subject and object and catapults himself into hollowness and freedom deriving from the oblivion of objects and himself alike. His soul at that instant is as limpid as water, reflective of the psychical scenery cherished in his heart.

　　A Pair of Swallows, Wu Guanzhong’s masterpiece, clearly illustrates the role misimpression plays in his artistic creation. A postgraduate student under his tutorage recalls the background of its creation: “My mentor and I were walking slowly along the street. The road turned, so we also turned. Suddenly, a long white wall, exceptionally bright and clean against the backdrop of black tiles, appeared on the other side of a river along the road. The door, windows, tile roof and steps of the house extend and contract harmoniously, as simple and clear as changeable and sophisticated, leaving beautiful shadows on the quiet river surface. My mentor was so deeply touched by the beautiful scenery that he blurted out excitedly: “The white patch looks nice, so nice!” Without a word, he held up his sketchbook and sketched the scenery with his black sketch pen, hands trembling due to excitement. He often compares painting to fighting. His expressions then are like those of a fighter, intense and concentrated with blood seething in his body and his spirit and strength at that time were all focused on the pen tip. The water-ink painting A Pair of Swallows, created based on his quick sketch in Ningbo and expressive of the beauty of landscape south of the Yangtze River, was exhibited in Exhibition of Wu Guanzhong’s New Works held in Beihai Gallery in 1981. [16]

　　A Pair of Swallows touched Wu Guanzhong’s postgraduates and his audience alike. The process of the birth of A Pair of Swallows makes us more clearly understand Wu Guanzhong’s “artistic pregnancy” that occurs at the intuitive instant. When he blurted out “The white patch is nice, so nice!” he was acclaiming the abstract “whiteness” that transcends the concrete wall of the house rather than the white wall itself. At that instant, Wu Guanzhong’s soul was totally absorbed in the patch of “white”, which was integrated into Wu Guanzhong as well. This is an instant featuring oblivion of object and subject as well as the exuding of an artist’s inspiration and manifestation of law in the universe.

　　The artist’s expectation is that the instant of misimpression will last as long as possible. If the discrepancy in sense between an artist and a non-artist is to be identified, then it lies in the instant of impression. True artists are all refined through intuition featuring no desire, no solicitude, no rightness and no wrongness to march into innovation and the unknown.

　　A Zen poem says: “When an egret is standing on snow, ordinary people appreciate the egret itself, a wise man appreciates the snow, while a saint appreciates the whiteness.” The poem illustrates observation of nature from three different perspectives that accordingly foster three distinct visual fields and artistic conception in the viewer. Wu Guanzhong’s employment of intuition, misimpression and illusion in artistic creation should be rightly categorized as the artistic conception as defined in “The saint appreciates whiteness” in that he sees infinity and absoluteness in that patch of white. This kind of artistic conception is the typical sentiment evinced in “law” of nature, featuring removal of barriers separating subject and object, transcendence of reality, oblivion of the distinction between human and nature, unity, harmony and universality. This is an approach true artists adopt when observing nature so that eternity can be discovered in the instant.

　　To express the purity and infinity of the “whiteness”, Wu Guanzhong painted threeA Pair of Swallowss in the period from 1981 to 1988 varying in division and flow of space, which clearly illustrates his pursuit of truth and beauty. In the three successively created Double Swallows, the white wall is increasingly elongated and the black tile roof is increasingly flat, even bordering on being removed. Vertical black dots indicating doors along the street are purposefully added so that the rectangular white patch extends to the greatest extent. Wu Guanzhong intended to highlight the white wall, an elegant and serene queen in his eyes, which obviously shows his love and veneration of the “whiteness” he initially spotted.

　　“Misimpression” bears resemblance to “illusory milieu” Zhuang Zi put forward in his Sky and Earth, which artists create to symbolize the essence of life and universe. [17]

　　Despite that “misimpression” is not discussed or, in other words, the word “misimpression” is not used in Chinese painting reviews, the experience emphasized in Shi Tao’s Review on Painting is essentially identical with the “misimpression” Wu Guanzhong attaches importance to. “Reception precedes cognition but reception after cognition is not true reception.” [18] Reaction deriving from instinct and intuition is valuable. This shows that the true experience of an artistic target by artists transcends the known, the rational and the surface of reality. Painting is more the perception of soul and the laws omnipresent in the universe and the establishment of a spiritual home through artistic imagination and fabrication than simply the copying and transplanting of external beauty of nature.

　　“Misimpression” prompts Wu Guanzhong to see Loess Plateau as a crouching tiger, a supine naked woman as a five hundred-li thoroughfare, fallen trees as heroes killed in a battle, villages on the mountainside as a hungry tiger prancing at its prey and black and white villages as waterfalls. Naked woman, trees, mountain villages and houses, in Wu Guanzhong’s eyes, are illusory shades and shadows burning with emotions, having no bearing on their practical functions, specific space and time or concrete form. His heart finds its way to varieties of beings in nature while his spirit transcends all of them, so in his heart, trivial grasses are comparable to imposing and mystic mountains, illusion evolves into reality and sensibility transcends sense.

　　Wu Guanzhong observes everything in nature from different perspectives and finds the extremity of stillness is motion and vice versa. All beings in nature under his brush end up with distinctive forms and find their way to his works pregnant with the profound perception of nature and rich in artistic conception.

　　Wu Guanzhong, endowed with a poets’ sensitive and romantic imagination, is much attached to literature. He defines himself as sprinkling the seeds of literature on the soil of fine arts and pouring forth literature in the form of painting. As such, his art, rather than shake off the manacles and shackles of literature, are all the more infatuated with literature, which, in essence, is in line with Chinese traditional arts that stress the unity of poem and painting. In contemporary China, Wu Guanzhong is not only a noted artist but one of the most famous essayists as well. Literature and painting end up as his two wings when he is flying in the firmament of art.

　　This is not to say Wu Guanzhong is an artist infatuated with literature-themed painting. Rather, it implies that Wu Guanzhong attaches much importance to the quality and artistic implication evinced in literature in his exploration of the formal beauty of painting. He said: “Transmission of sensibilities is the essence of art.” [19] As noted physicist Li Zhengdao points out: “Arts like poetry, painting and music, among others, try to wake up the sentiments latent and existing in human’s consciousness and subconsciousness through innovative approaches. The more valuable the sentiments are, the more resonance the painting arouses and the more expansively the painting covers time, space and society, the more excellent the painting is.” [20]

　　As a scientific giant, Li Zhengdao spots the essence and features of art from the mirror of physics. This is a subtle mindset, a kind of wisdom and a wise man’s instinct to pursue truth intrinsic in the universe. It is not accidental that Wu Guanzhong and Li Zhengdao come together in their advocacy of art and science. Rather, the genuine sentiments deriving from mutual understanding between artists and scientists facilitate the unity of art and science in their pursuit of cosmic emotion.

　　In the artistic field, the Chinese fine arts circle in particular, artists, as a rule, are not inclined to mention science. Wu Guanzhong, however, argues: “Beauty, formal beauty in particular, is scientific and therefore can be analyzed and dissected.” “The scientificness of formal beauty should be adequately expounded in that it is the microscope and scalpel for form-structuring arts.” [21] He is like his French mentor Jean Souverbie who “often expresses beauty and expounds the relationship between art and science by virtue of geometry and balance of force.” He can be likened to Van Gogh in that Van Gogh is in fervent pursuit of chromatic science in the west while Wu Guanzhong elaborates on form-structuring science. As such, Van Gogh’s paintings are splendid and Wu Guanzhong’s paintings are clear and fresh. Wu Guanzhong likes Van Gogh best in that he bears resemblance to him in terms of temperament. Like Van Gogh, he is endowed with the capabilities of pouring out thought and emotion through the two channels of literature and painting, which can be rarely seen among artists. Van Gogh said: “Laborers, ploughed farming fields, sand, ocean and sky, among others, are all significant artistic targets for painting; it is not easy to paint the beauty inherent in them; it is worthwhile for me to devote all my life to excavating and expressing the poetic conceptions intrinsic in them.” [22]

　　Poetry, the soul of literature, is closest to music and fine art. Pursuit, expression and infusion of poetic conception in painting are the happiness Wu Guanzhong and Van Gogh share. Their souls, sensitive, delicate, tolerant and free, perch in the space pregnant with the poetic imagination, which is hard to be expressed by us. They can turn all the complex, ephemeral and volatile beings in nature into eternal existence and exhibit their essence under the guidance of their intuition of and passion for art, which is rightly indebted to their wonderful artistic strength and fervent love for art. Wu Guanzhong said: “Sensibilities are omnipresent in the universe. Discovery of laws in the universe and creation of beauty are unfailingly the impetus to drive scientists and artists to devote themselves to their exploration. People eulogize them as the bearers of a sense of mission, which in effect is the burst or explosion of passion simmering in them.” [23]

　　The outburst of emotion brewing in Wu Guanzhong’s intuition, misimpression and illusion features exaggeration, transformation and imaginary fabrication, which is essentially his behavior of “going to artistic extremes” and the outpouring of affection as well as establishing the relations of universal laws.

　　Chinese traditional Zen culture states: “‘Extremity’ symbolizes discrepancy, rationality and change in nature while ‘rightness’ symbolizes noumenon, equality, absoluteness and what not. [24] From an artistic perspective, “extremity” points to phenomenon, change and flow while “rightness” belongs to noumenon, eternity and permanence. “Seeking artistic extremity” necessitates the free expression of an artists’ temperament through the baring of their bosom and uniting with nature. All beings in nature remain what they are despite the alternation of different seasons as well as life and death. Despite the identity of all beings in nature, artists can create works with distinctive styles and individuality through exhibition of their true nature and temperament. “Extremity” also means diversity in nature, so true artists can only focus on one aspect of nature but cannot be all-inclusive.

　　The reason why Wu Guanzhong’s paintings are well received in the west and harvest resonance and why his paintings are accepted in an increasingly rapid and wide way and become a unique banner in the history of Chinese fine art and world art history alike is that his paintings derive from the outpouring of his true feelings and innocence as well as his mastery of individuality out of the commonality of nature.

　　The history of fine art suggests that any art created out of an artists’ true nature is bound to lead to artistic eternity. Wu Guanzhong’s infatuation with “going to artistic extremes” gives expression to the spirit of “neuomenon” omnipresent in nature. Through “experience” in intuition, misimpression and illusion, Wu Guanzhong breaks the barriers between phenomenon and neuomenon as well as eternity and change so that freedom, harmony and untrammeledness are obtained for arts. Here lies the true value deriving from his pursuit of “artistic extremity”.

　　As such, Wu Guanzhong upholds the “experience” theory initiated by Shi Tao, whom he admires and venerates as the “father of Chinese contemporary art.” He said: “As regards when Chinese contemporary fine art started, I think it started from Shi Tao. Paul Cezanne is honored in the west as the father of contemporary art for his contribution to the discovery of structuring law in the visual field while Shi Tao argued in favor of art derived from “psychical experience”. Although ancient artists also had a theory of “painting under the guidance of intuition”, Shi Tao’s “experience” theory, which integrates Cezanne’s artistic views, is the guideline for contemporary painting creation. Besides, his theory precedes western artistic theory like “intuition theory” and “empathy theory” prevailing in the west. This 17 century Chinese monk should rightly be given the status he deserves in Chinese fine art history, namely, as the father of world contemporary art, in that his artistic theory and practice precedes those of Cezanne by 200 years. [25]

　　Wu Guanzhong’s heartfelt eulogy and veneration of Shi Tao derives from his understanding of and affection for Chinese traditional culture and meanwhile proves his artistic communication with Shi Tao. Shi Tao’s soul touches and enlightens Wu Guanzhong who is then convinced that he, as his follower, will blaze an artistic trail leading to the past and future alike.

　　Wu Guanzhong once said: “Brush and ink, as servants of thought and emotion, belong to artistic technique, which at times are approaches to innovation in art. Shi Tao upholds an artistic approach constrained by no rules as the best approach to art, so he dismissed the artistic format put forward by ancient artists as impeding the development of his art. As a matter of fact, he put forward the theory of “Brush and ink equal zero”. History has proved that the duty of intellectuals is to overthrow artistic prejudice, which should be based on new practice and achievement in art. [26]

　　The limited techniques for and approaches to art can never come to terms with artists’ unlimited reception and imagination, which is more conspicuous for Wu Guanzhong, who is committed to the “modernization of Chinese painting”. With a view to giving expression to the poetic conception and verve omnipresent in nature and giving vent to the strong passion simmering in his heart, he resorts to splashing and sprinkling of chromatic dots as well as the employment of long and continuous lines on canvas. For this purpose, he personally created tools for and approaches to art distinct from those typical of traditional brush and ink, flowing, dribbling, brushing and splashing ink in his paintings. He inherits and carries forward Shi Tao’s approach to art featuring “dense ink dots” and “sparse soft lines” and breaks away from traditional artistic approaches that stint his freedom in artistic creation.

　　These approaches to art can be best exemplified by A Paradise for Little Birds (144×330cm) created in 1989 and themed with a small, uninhabited island located at Guangdong’s Xinhui County. A primitive banyan grows luxuriantly on the island, unfrequented by human beings or animals but bathing in the songs of colorful birds. In 1989, Wu Guanzhong made four paintings themed with paradise of little birds evolving from small to big, realistic depiction to transformation, concrete image to abstract image and misimpression to fantasy. The evolution of the four paintings clearly illustrates how Wu Guanzhong progressively gives full vent to the artistic conception intrinsic in the bird’s paradise through his poetic imagination. The process of creation of an artistic work is the process of how an artist is faithful to his experience and breaks away from various obstacles impeding his march to freedom. The last of the aforesaid four paintings was collected by the British Museum in 1992. The dimness, haziness and dreamlike atmosphere depicted in the painting is in effect the expression of Wu Guanzhong’s frankness, enthusiasm and passion, which can hardly be presented through traditional brush strokes. In particular, he employs techniques of splashing, flowing, dribbling and sprinkling in the 3-odd-metre canvas to foster thick and heavy ink flow distinct from traditional brush strokes so that artistic verve and rhyme are presented in an free way. The illusory scene depicted in Paradise of Little Birds gives full expression to Wu Guanzhong’s eulogy of life, pursuit of freedom and march towards the unknown as well as full integration of his artistic life into a “carefree” state. Not prone to stale and stereotyped artistic norms, Wu Guanzhong shows his longing for and pursuit of freedom in this painting. Wu Guanzhong pours onto canvas whatever is elicited from the instant of intuition, misimpression and illusion, which is the implementation and upholding of Shi Tao’s painting theory of “Reception precedes cognition”.

　　Compare the oil painting of “Zha Shi Lun Bu Si” Wu Guanzhong created in 1961 with the water-ink paintings he created in the 1980s and we can see the cohesion in his artistic career. His painting style is the exhibition and expression of his true feelings. In his paintings, his heart interacts with artistic targets, hence naturally forging out a painting style exclusive to Wu Guanzhong. “Painting style, rather than derive from affectation, naturally materializes in the long process of artistic practice based on the artists’ experience.” [27] “Artistic style is an artist’s back image, hence cannot be seen by himself.” “Style is a tree grown from seedling.” [28] “Artistic style derives from emotions cherished in an artist’s heart”, which facilitates his fusion into the universe to explore the beauty of all beings in universe that incorporate color, form and artistic verve. By virtue of intuition, misimpression and illusion, his sensitivity in art fosters unity and harmony of all beings in nature in his paintings, which in effect is the expression of the universal laws inherent in the universe.

　　Attachment to Art

　　Wu Guanzhong expresses his pity that “I fail to create a painting that can touch an audience to tears during my life” in his autobiography titled I Let Fine Arts Down completed in 2004. As a matter of fact, his works and commitment to art have moved many viewers to tears. This reminds us of Michelangelo, a giant in art, who said at the age of 90: “I got the feeling I’ve just stepped over the threshold to the kingdom of art.” It can be seen that, in the eyes of true artists, art is holy and infinite. They are artistic giants progressively marching towards the unknown. Their spirit, feelings, wisdom and art give full expression to humankind’s unremitting and perseverant pursuit and exploration of the unknown.

　　Science, philosophy and arts consist of answers to the infinite unknown by these great explorers with their limited life, who unceasingly seek truth, beauty and the goodness of the universe in different fields, times and spaces and from different perspectives. Despite that the answers are incessant, there is still much to be answered. The more they know, the more needs to be known, hence their desire to explore the unknown more fervently. As such, the glorious cultural history of humankind is forged out through great efforts by artists, scientists and philosophers.

　　Wu Guanzhong longs to march towards the unknown, “increasingly haggard due to his efforts in art”,[29] to quote his own words, and never satisfied with the known or indulging in material pleasure. He boasts a clear artistic thought comparable to limpid water and courageous innovative spirit. Sensitive and delicate in the observation of nature, he is ready to sacrifice his life for art. Devoted to the perseverant exploration of art, his heart is forever bathed in the beauty of art and happiness deriving from its pursuit.

　　He once cited Anton Mauve’ words: “Artistic products are the summit of mankind’s activities, obtained through mankind’s sufferings, trails and toils as well as frustrations, which are worthwhile.” [30] “Deer sacrifice their lives for angles and shan’t I sacrifice my life for painting?” Wu Guanzhong was quoted as saying in his Psychic Monologue, which is reminiscent of Paul Cezanne, father of contemporary painting, who once pledged to “ sacrifice his life for art”. It can be seen that all true artists boast the noble character of sacrificing their life for art.

　　Wu Guanzhong loves Lu Xun best. He said: “The passenger in Lu Xun’s Wild Grass forever marches to the unknown. When it is approaching dusk, he asks an old man about what lies ahead. The old man tells him that tombs lie ahead. Then the passenger asks the old man once again about what lies ahead of the tombs. The old man this time fails to give him answers. A girl, however, tells the passenger that “there grow multitudes of wild lilies and roses.” [31]

　　Wu Guanzhong tells us through his quotation of Lu Xun’s words that the road to artistic success is full of hardships and sufferings. In the process of exploration of the unknown, mankind boast devoted artistic predecessors and promising followers who march towards the unknown one by one, lonely but glorious, and jointly forge out brilliant art for humankind.

　　When asked by a reporter about his elixir to artistic success, Wu Guanzhong replied: “suffering”.

　　After the completion of each painting, be it a success or what he calls a “defect”, Wu Guanzhong always personally signs on the painting his self-christened penname “Tu”, a Chinese character referring to his physical toil and trail, harbor for his soul as well as his loyalty and attachment to art. The communication between a lonely soul and a solitary Wu Guanzhong forges out his art, witnessing the hardships and sufferings he experiences in the process of creation. The Chinese character “Tu” is defined as white, grass, bitterness and pain and it also refers to a kind of bitter vegetable or the flower of a kind of grass growing in farming fields or mountain valleys. They spread widely, covering the earth with luxuriant whiteness, and become crisp and sweet after frost. The Chinese character “Tu” is metaphorical of Wu Guanzhong’s road to art, full of hardships but boasting artistic brilliance and purity as well.

　　Lost in art, Wu Guanzhong, nicknamed as “surveyor”, left his footprints on every corner and nook of our motherland, sometimes regarded by country people as an “umbrella mender” or even mistaken as a “beggar”. Despite that he is black and skinny, his eyes are burning with passion, bright and perceptive. An artistic pilgrim with a loyal heart, Wu Guanzhong is often called an artistic “stoic” by the fine arts circle.

　　Wu Guanzhong takes nature as his studio and often goes outdoors to paint from life all day long, without eating or drinking and exposing himself to the burning sun. Lost in painting while painting from life, he is called by his fellow artists as a “plant-like artist” painting by virtue of “photosynthesis”. In fact, this is a mental state of infatuation with art typical of many art masters.

　　During the period of cultural and artistic criticism, he said he suffered “pressure comparable to that of three high mountains.” The realistic fine arts circle claiming to safeguard revolutionary culture and art long dismissed Wu Guanzhong as a “formalist holding a capitalist cultural and artistic outlook” and flogged him as “uglifying workers, farmers and soldiers”, which understandably disassociates him from the society of human beings and prompts him closer to nature. It is nature that fosters independence and freedom for his thought and spirit. The artistic thought advocating “beauty of form” and “beauty of abstractness” eventually transcends society and facilitates the unity of art and the universe.

　　When another reporter asks “Why can you stand out as a successful artist among your contemporary fellow artists who also suffered the hardships and miseries as you suffered?” Wu Guanzhong answered: “I do not think I have achieved success in art. If you do think me as having obtained success in art, I can summarize my success in art with six words, namely, “the opportunity sufferings bring to me”.

　　Sufferings are immeasurable abyss to artists with weak wills but, to Wu Guanzhong, they are good opportunities to facilitate the march towards the universe of beauty. Overcoming sufferings insurmountable to ordinary people, he dives deep into nature where he imbibes nutrients necessary for his art. He considers sufferings as ladders leading to the heaven of art and hardships as delivery of new life. He has the instinct and happiness of enduring sufferings as a mother does when delivering a baby and has stepped into a state of mind featuring transcendence of mundane world. “Artists”, Wu Guanzhong said: “are the wild grass growing on the roadside, which, despite being trampled under the walkers’ feet, still pour out luxuriant vitality. Artists are pines growing on the crevice of the rocks on Mount Huang, which, despite of a lack of nutrients, still tower into the sky.” [32] “Sufferings and solitude are the foodstuff of artists”. Artists, as a rule, are equipped with the impulse and passion for pursuit of art but few can be comparable to Wu Guanzhong in terms of devotion, diligence, perseverance, endurance of sufferings, integration of west with east and unity of human beings and nature. Wu Guanzhong is a true servant to art, crazy for and infatuated with artistic beauty and devoting his whole life to art.

　　Wu Guanzhong’s fervent attachment to art fosters the unity of his art and the spirit intrinsic in nature. As a master in art, he plays an exemplary role in the inheritance, carrying forward and upholding of Chinese traditional culture and fathers oriental contemporary art unprecedented in Chinese and foreign fine arts history, hence contributing greatly to the development of Chinese painting and world art alike. Wu Guanzhong and his art are the pride of both Chinese culture and oriental art.

　　His exceptional creative force for art derives from his incessant liberation of himself. His artistic career proves that the contribution an artist makes to art lies in liberation of himself from self, objectivity, the known, reality and utilitarianism and unremitting march towards freedom and the unknown.

　　[1] S. Melikian (British), Artist Who Opens a New Sea Route to China, Searching for an Understanding Mind - Selected Works of Wu Guanzhong in the 1990s, Page 22, Foreign Language Publishing House, 1995 Edition

　　[2] Lang Shaojun, Great Master Who Blends Chinese with The West, Great Master and Famous Chinese Paintings, Lin Fengmian, Page 7, Taiwan Mac Educational Co., Ltd, 1996 Edition

　　[3] Wu Guanzhong, Voice on Painting, Shangdong Pictorial Publishing House, 2004 Edition

　　[4] Wu Guanzhong, About Abstract Beauty, Wu Guanzhong Talk on Arts, New Works Edition, Page 230, Guandong People’s Publishing House, 2000 Edition

　　[5] Marilyn Stokstad, Professor of art history at University of Kansas, Art History, Vol. 2, Prentice Hall、Harry N. Abrams Co, Second Edition, 2002

　　[6] Wu Guanzhong, Monolog of the Soul, Zhu Mo Chun Shan - Prose on painting, Guangxi Fine Arts Publishing House, 2003

　　[7] Zong Fubang, Gu Xun Hui Zuan (Collection of Ancient teaching), Page 2490, The Commercial Press, 2003 Edition

　　[8] Laotse, Taoteching, Chapter 55, quoted from Chen Guying’s Lao Zi with Annotation and Commentary, Zhong Hua Book Company, 1984 Edition

　　[9] Laotse, Taoteching, Chapter 42. Chen Guying explained: “According to Huainantse’s statement on the creation of the universe, there was chaos before earth was first separated from heaven. When the chaos was divided later, light clean vapor floated up and made the heaven, and heavy turbid vapor sank to the bottom and made the earth. This was the beginning of the earth and heaven. Light clean vapor was Yang (positive) vapor while heavy turbid vapor was Yin (negative) vapor. When Yang vapor and Yin vapor started to divide but was not complete yet, vapor in this condition was called Chong vapor. “Chong” was one character of Dao (the way) - modest in quality, coming incessantly, but never full. Such in-complete-divided vapor had similarity with Dao, so it was called Chong vapor, also named Oneness.” See Lao Zi with Annotation and Commentary, Page 234, Zhong Hua Book Company, 1984 Edition

　　[10] Wu Guanzhong, Phenomena of Wu Dayu, Painting with Prose of Wu Guanzhong, Page 426, Guangdong People’s Publishing House, 2000 Edition

　　[11] Li Zhengdao, Inscription for Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

　　[12] Wu Guanzhong, About Abstract Beauty, Wu Guanzhong on Beauty, New Works Edition, Page 230, Guandong People’s Publishing House, 2000 Edition

　　[13] My Teacher Wu Guanzhong, Wen Hui Daily, Hong Kong, October 25, 1981

　　[14] Wu Guanzhong, About Deformation, Painting with Prose of Wu Guanzhong, Page 136, Guandong People’s Publishing House, 2000 Edition

　　[15] Wu Guanzhong, Illusion, Painting with Prose of Wu Guanzhong, Page 134, Guandong People’s Publishing House, 2000 Edition

　　[16] the True, the Good, and the Beautiful, Jiangsu Art Monthly Pictorial, Vol. 9, 1991

　　[17] Zong Baihua, Emerging of Chinese Artistic Conception, a Stroll in Aesthetics, Page 81, Shanghai People’s Press, 1981 Edition

　　[18] Wu Guanzhong, My Reading of Shitao’s Review on Painting, Chapter IV Zun Shou, Page 8, Rong Bao Zhai Publishing House, 1996 Edition

　　[19] Wu Guanzhong, Feeling - the Spirit of Art, the Preface of Retrospect Exhibition of Wu Guanzhong’s Art, Page 12, Shanghai Bookstore Publishing House, 2005 Edition

　　[20] Li Zhengdao, Science and Art, Page 138, Shanghai scientific & Technical Publishers，2000 Edition

　　[21] Wu Guanzhong, Beauty in Form in Painting, Painting with Prose of Wu Guanzhong, Page 118, Guandong People’s Publishing House, 2000 Edition

　　[22] See Dear Theo: The Autobiography of Vincent Van Gogh, Si Chuan People’s Publishing House，1983 Edition

　　[23] Wu Guanzhong, Feeling - the Spirit of Art ), the Preface of Retrospect Exhibition of Wu Guanzhong’s Art, Page 12, Shanghai Bookstore Publishing House, 2005 Edition

　　[24] Wu Yansheng, Artistic Conception of Zen’s Poetry, Page 303, Zhong Hua Book Company, 2001 Edition

　　[25] Wu Guanzhong, Answer to Shitao’s Riddle, Wu Guanzhong on Beauty, New Works Edition, Page 6, Guangdong People’s Publishing House, 2000 Edition

　　[26] Wu Guanzhong, Feeling - the Spirit of Art, the Preface of Retrospect Exhibition of Wu Guanzhong’s Art, Page 12, Shanghai Bookstore Publishing House, 2005 Edition

　　[27] Wu Guanzhong, The Beauty in Form in Painting, Painting with Prose of Wu Guanzhong, Page 117, Guandong People’s Publishing House, 2000 Edition

　　[28] Wu Guanzhong, Think, Wu Guanzhong on Beauty, New Works Edition, Page 266, Guandong People’s Publishing House, 2000 Edition

　　[29] Laotse, Taoteching, Chapter 48, Quoted from Chen Guying’s Lao Zi with Annotation and Commentary, Page 250, Zhong Hua Book Company, 1984 Edition

　　[30] He Yanping, State of the Artist’s Mind, Wu Guanzhong on Beauty, New Works Edition, Page 440，Guandong People’s Publishing House, 2000 Edition

　　[31] Wu Guanzhong, Go To the Unknown, Endless Seeking – The Artistic Career of Wu Guanzhong (Self Preface), Page 10, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Hong Kong, 2002 Edition

　　[32] Wu Guanzhong On Beauty, New Works Edition, Page 42，Guangdong People’s Publishing House, 2000 Edition