painting BM-2020-3012.1

Period:Unknown Production date:2007
Materials:paper
Technique:painted

Dimensions:Height: 179.70 centimetres Width: 48.40 centimetres

Description:
Painting, ink on paper, unmounted hanging scroll format, densely painted with abstract forms that resemble a landscape or the cosmos.
IMG


Comments:Jizi (1941-2015; birth name Wang Yunshan) began painting in the late 1950s and during the Cultural Revolution made portraits of Chairman Mao. In the 1980s, Jizi, like many artists at the time, questioned the future of Chinese painting and the creative possibilities of brush and ink. This led him to explore what he called the ‘Dao of Ink Landscapes’, referencing the philosophies of Laozi and Zhuangzi, and to emphasise the spirituality of Chinese landscape painting. He used layered ink, multiple optical effects and a free assemblage of different forms in an attempt to capture the continuous transformation of natural phenomena such as water and clouds. His works have been described as ‘macroscopic’ as they strive to express the mysteries of the primordial universe.