Artist Zhang Lichen makes flexible use of ink and water in painting

At the start of 2024, the Art Museum of the Calligraphy and Painting Channel unveiled its third prestigious New Year exhibition, spotlighting the renowned contemporary art master Zhang Lichen, drawing crowds of art enthusiasts to view over a hundred of his works on display from January 1 to 15.

Zhang is a student of the influential Chinese painting master Pan Tianshou from the 20th century and excels in the realms of freehand bird-and-flower paintings and finger-painting techniques. He believes that the evolution of Chinese painting rests in its deep-rooted traditions.

Since his youth, Zhang Lichen has been captivated by the beauty of the natural world. For him, observing natural phenomena is just as crucial as painting them on paper. "I grew up by the shores of Lake Weishan in Jiangsu Province, catching fish and shrimp, or picking lotus pods and chasing dragonflies. I would observe the reeds, bulrushes, cattails, and lotus flowers, as well as the various species of fish. It was during these times that my sense of imagery began to develop. I've always been keenly observant of the vivid images in everyday life," Zhang recalled.

During his time in high school, Zhang started his artistic journey under the guidance of his art teacher Li Xuehong. Li encouraged his students to practice the techniques from the "Jieziyuan Painting Manual," a classic Chinese artbook on ancient painting theories and skills. This provided a solid basis for Zhang's mastery of ink and brush.

One of the paintings he completed at that time shows the opening of a railway in the mountains of Sichuan in the 1950s. The landscape painting titled "Railway Opened in Sichuan Mountains" helped Zhang Lichen gain admission to the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts, now known as the China Academy of Art. There, he met the most influential teacher of his life – Pan Tianshou.

Zhang Lichen's style was deeply shaped by Pan Tianshou's insights into Chinese painting. During his years in college, Zhang not only sought to emulate his teacher but also devoted much of his time to studying Pan's distinctive finger-painting techniques. "Finger-painting is a distinctive feature of Chinese art. One uses both the nail and the flesh of the finger to paint. Different parts of the finger offer varying levels of softness and hardness, making the process challenging. Lines drawn with fingers tend to appear coarse, diminishing their finesse. So, mastering this technique requires striking a balance between boldness and precision," said Zhang.

He added: "Mr. Pan's guidance had a decisive impact on us throughout our lives. He believed that to excel in Chinese painting, one must first understand its fundamental characteristics. The language of Chinese painting is ink and brush, appearing as dots, lines, and colors. However, its deeper essence lies in Chinese philosophy."

Over the years, Zhang has delved deep into the ink and brush structures of Chinese painting, aiming to elucidate its profound essence to students of art. "Many find the brushwork and ink usage in Chinese ink paintings enigmatic since the ink strokes are not objectively represented. What one perceives with the eye can be vastly different from what appears in the paintings. How to transform perception into art? It's rooted in traditional Chinese philosophy, specifically symbolism and semantics. How is this transformation achieved? Through the structure of brush and ink. Chinese painting emphasizes the ink, lines, and monochromatic tones. I've dissected and laid bare the intricacies of Chinese ink painting's brush and ink structure for learners to see," Zhang explained.

Pan Gongkai, former president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and China Academy of Art, has a good understanding of Zhang Lichen's painting style – much like how Zhang meticulously analyzes the works of his mentor, Pan Tianshou. "His art is inherited from Pan Tianshou, a 20th-century master who significantly advanced the understanding of the strokes and composition in Chinese paintings. Mr. Zhang Lichen has analyzed almost all of the representative works of Pan Tianshou. Through this practice, he has developed his own style, closely inheriting from Pan Tianshou but also forming his own system," said Pan.

Zhang Lichen's own style is vividly reflected in how he paints his favorite lotus flowers and bamboo. "Mr. Zhang Lichen employs a splash-ink technique in depicting these three lotus leaves, creating a clustered structure, and then connects them with bold ink lines. Thus, the composition combines the clustered structure with the linear ink structure. The clustered form boasts the expansive brushstrokes of splashed ink, and the dense ink lines give the painting a robust and vigorous quality, embodying the strength, resilience and magnanimity of the brushwork. Such compositional prowess epitomizes what we refer to as the mastery of brushstrokes and ink, as well as the painting composition," said Pan Gongkai, as he commented on a lotus flower painting created by Zhang.

During the 1990s, Queen Sonja of Norway paid a visit to China. She was captivated by Zhang's art at first sight. "She got very excited and noticed how Chinese painting emphasizes the use of white space. I explained to her that these spaces play a significant role in the painting and are not just blank spots. They help elevate a painting's ambiance. She greatly appreciated the presentation style of Chinese painting," said Zhang.

Besides lotuses, Zhang Lichen's bamboo paintings stand out, impressing with their unique vitality. As Zhang Lichen follows the path of traditional freehand brushwork, he's occasionally thrilled by the innovative techniques he stumbles upon. Zhang once visited a bamboo forest on Mount Yuquan in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, where he encountered a rare source of inspiration.

"When I was painting, a sudden downpour caught me off guard. The rain came down fast and furiously. After a short while, sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting a brilliant glow upon the drenched bamboo forest. I was shocked at that moment, unsure of how to capture the scene. I felt overwhelmed by the challenge and couldn't bring it to life on paper," Zhang recalled. To capture the luminous quality of the sunlight on the wet bamboo leaves, Zhang Lichen spent nearly a year pondering how to approach it. Finally, he drew inspiration from ancient artworks featuring bamboo rendered in vermilion hues. He decided to combine the techniques of ink bamboo with vermilion bamboo.

"I dipped my brush into some ink, and then gently touched the brush to clear away the water, lifting it up swiftly, moving it as if it were dancing. Dip, flick, dip, flick – the tip of the brush was devoid of ink, but the upper part was still dense with ink. Then I dipped the brush into some vermilion to have two colors retained on the bristles: one red and the other black," said Zhang.

Now in his eighties, Zhang Lichen remains deeply committed to both creating art and imparting knowledge about his craft to future generations. His art classes are open to students of all ages and backgrounds. For thousands of years, Chinese painting has been evolving through its enduring heritage. For Zhang, being able to glean the essence of Chinese painting from his ancestors is an immense privilege. He believes that if he can perpetuate these traditions and, simultaneously, help the world to see the subtleties of Chinese painting and the oriental philosophy it encapsulates, then he is fulfilling the mission of his era.