Artists revels in exploring ancient themes
Print Edition
RECLUSIVE ink-wash painter Wang Ying is a throwback to a bygone era.
The 39-year-old Shanghai native keeps a low profile in the art community, so low key that she rarely gives exhibitions, refuses to sell her paintings and doesn’t use the Internet.
Although her paintings of ancient figures and old landscapes have been compared to works created in the Song (960-1279) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties, she denies they are copies of ancient masterpieces. “All the things you see come from my imagination,” she says. “Perhaps I live in the wrong era. I ought to have been born much earlier.”
Wang’s interest with ancient themes has been a source of playful jokes among friends and other artists. Some have suggested she uses rice paper and the colors of the old days.
“Trust me,” Wang says. “I simply use rice paper, silk, color powder and brushes readily available in the market. Perhaps it is not because of old materials, but an old mind that makes my paintings appear very old.”
She distinguishes herself from other ink-wash artists by painting on silk. She uses color powders mixed with mineral elements to render a more profound visual impact. It takes up to 2 months to create 1 silk painting.
“It demands patience similar to Zen practice, to outline layers and layers of hues on the silk,” says the Fine Arts College of Shanghai University graduate. “It’s not good for my eyes. The sight in my left eye has dropped to 0.1.”
Xu Mingsong, a local art critic, says few artists are willing to avoid the trappings of modern life to pursue their passion.
“Not many artists have the wherewithal to hide themselves from public sight and focus on their art. Her paintings show the high aesthetic taste of Oriental culture,” Xu comments.
Wang remains modest about her talent, which is why she has never had a solo exhibition in town. “They are still not good enough,” she says. “I think I still have a few years to ripen my style. It is my hope to display 100 of my silk paintings at an exhibition one day. Now I have finished only 30.”
Some art dealers and collectors have enquired about buying her paintings but Wang has always declined the offers.
“Maybe this sounds silly, but I want to bury them with me when I die,” she says. “I don’t feel comfortable cashing them in for money and fame.”
Aside from painting, Wang has developed a love for Kunqu Opera. Her interest in this old art form, she says, started when a friend invited her to a performance several years ago.
“It’s so elegant and classical, including everything like lines, the music and the movements,” she says.
She takes a Kunqu Opera class every week and is proud that she is pretty talented. The artist also believes Kunqu Opera has had a good impact on her paintings.
“The influence of Kunqu is unwittingly obvious in my paintings,” she says. “I have a better understanding of the rhythm and movement of the figures.”
Wang also has an interesting perspective on Western art, which she gained while studying at the Fine Arts College of Shanghai University.
“The arrangement of Western art focuses on certain fleeting moments through a certain angle,” she says. “For me, it is much more two dimensional. However, the composition of Oriental art is more three dimensional. I feel like I can wander in a circle. I can see the mountains and rivers and ‘walk’ around them. In my eyes, this is much more free. I can imagine a world that I have never lived in, yet feel so close to it.”
As for being a recluse, Wang says she doesn’t really think about it. She simply just does what she loves.
“I like painting very much,” she says. “Everyday I spend several hours painting. Many friends ask me whether I am bored with such a lifestyle. No, not a single moment! I am doing what I enjoy.”
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