Ma Qin Zhong (Art critic in Mainland China)

　　Shi Hu is an Oriental artist. Lines and colours are the core visual components in his paintings, which differ distinctively in substance and form from Western art. In the creation of visual images, he places the individual and the local in the context of contemporary visual culture, giving form to the potential and realities of the ever-evolving aesthetics of contemporary Oriental art. For this reason, I will view the aesthetic quality of Shi Hu’s art, and the practical significance of the “Oriental style” in thelarger context of international trends in the visual arts.

 

1. Materials and the Art of Chinese Ink Paintings: A Way Forward

　　Shi Hu has a singular passion for Chinese ink paintings and Chinese culture. Even in his African sketches, which caused a sensation in the 1980’s, the lines were bursting with the spirit of the Oriental style, which is to say they were straightforward, intuitive and powerful.

　　It is precisely here that we find the more intriguing question: when the lines in Chinese ink paintings no longer focus on their own linearity, when they are no longer immersed in the intricacies of dot, line, form, and texture, will these lines be subject to the kinds of interrogation posed by contemporary visual arts? To what degree can the line continue to
depict vitality and visual tension?

　　This is exactly the question that Shi Hu posed to himself in changing from Chinese ink paintings to mixed media.

　　Given its long history, the traditional Chinese style — with its emphasis on brush and ink techniques — has already created a broad spectrum of aesthetic models. Most artists dream of creating their own style. Yet in order to leave one’s footprints on the pathways of art, one must first betray history. I believe this is why Shi Hu chose to explore the possibilities of using different materials in his work.

　　A single aesthetic form may use several different material foundations, while, conversely, different aesthetic forms may draw upon the same materials; this is even truer in situations in which one is trying to carve out a new aesthetic space. Without hesitation, Shi Hu gave up using the techniques of Chinese ink paintings that he had been using for more than twenty years. He began a series of unique experiments, first using brush and ink on paper, and then applying colour. The purpose was to use differently textured materials to expand and more effectively extend the cultural substance of Chinese ink painting.

　　Indeed, Shi Hu’s use of and emphasis on colour differs fundamentally both from the existing Chinese tradition of coloured ink paintings and from Western oil painting. This is the basic path upon which Shi Hu has embarked: introducing different materials so as to expand the contemporary aesthetics of Chinese art.

　　Naturally, this process involves a complicated and critical theoretical problem. Shi Hu’s art can be classified neither as Chinese ink painting nor as oil painting. His lines are the lines of the Chinese ink painting tradition, full of life, dynamism, rhythm and tension; the line is the source of feeling and spirit in each painting. He uses vibrant colours, raising the visual experience to new heights; the texture of the image has the power and thickness of ancient Chinese frescoes, and brims with the vitality of Chinese culture. If it were not for Shi Hu’s experiments, it is difficult to imagine how this vitality could be expressed so powerfully.

　　There are many ways in which traditional Chinese art can be made contemporary; the introduction of new materials is one of the most important of these.

 

2. Distance from Tradition / Return to the Origins

　　Shi Hu’s art is the embodiment of conflict. His love of Chinese art is perhaps unrivalled, but he is an artist with a rebellious spirit. Once he has identified his artistic objective, he discards all traditional rules. His artistic practice embodies the duality of distancing himself from tradition while returning to the origins.

　　Chinese people are accustomed to thinking of tradition as a fixed thing, something to be followed. In fact, the vitality of tradition lies in the different modes of its transmission through successive generations of artists. Some artists choose to develop it, moving i t forward step by step; others experiment, and, by taking risks, making leaps, and adventuring into the wilderness, blindly and ignorantly attempt to make tradition rise anew from its own ashes.

　　Shi Hu is neither the first nor the second　kind of artist. Both tendencies are　evident in his works. Distancing himself　from tradition, he encounters profound　loneliness and melancholy—the sadness　and uncertainty of an exile. He needs an　origin that can console his soul with the　tenderness of a homecoming.
　　When we analyse the visual images of Shi Hu, we find a wide range of cultural resources—such as the earthy passion of African woodcarvings, the use of cubist and expressionist techniques, and the unmistakably oriental aesthetics of line from Chinese ink painting. The most important thing, however, is the sense of opposition, resonance, and coexistence inherent to the dualistic desire to move away from tradition and to return to the source. It is precisely this sense of the conditions its own existence and its historicity that lends a profound historical feeling to Shi Hu’s works.

　　 I would now like to expand our perspective somewhat, and take up the question of the relationship between this sense of existence and the meaning of Shi Hu’s works.

　　In the field of two-dimensional painting, the three most influential Chinese artists living abroad are Ding Shaoguang, Chen Yifei and Shi Hu. In terms of market value, staying power, and the benefits that have derived from this staying power, Ding Shaoguang and Chen Yifei have undeniably been the more successful. But in truth, the images of Chen Yifei have very little to do with contemporary existence. He borrows his use of light and shadow from European classicism, while for his subject matter he relies upon the exotic appeal that Oriental women have among his Western audiences. Ding Shaoguang does nothing more than promote commodified craft objects to Westerners who are in search of touristy souvenirs of China’s ethnic minorities. The biggest weakness of the work of these two artists is that, in terms of technique and of aesthetics, it does not take as its immediate context the conditions of its existence.

　　It is different with Shi Hu; he discards the standard formulae of painting and　composition in favour of directly　experiencing life in order to rediscover the primal creative force of art. Human culture did not develop according to the plans of wise old men, much less according to the directions of skilful politicians. Human culture has developed as a result of humanity’s self-conscious, wilful effort; and this effort is constantly, stubbornly attempting to evade the control of humanity’s conscious will. It is this process of exploration that fuels the future dawn of humanity. The existential experience of maintaining distance from tradition while returning to the origins lend Shi Hu’s art and aesthetics this kind of historical power.

 

3. Life, Intuition and the ‘Oriental Style’

　　Shi Hu is an intuitive painter. His lifestyle is a reflection of his painting style— straightforward, natural, free-flowing, powerful and unrestrained, passionate and full of exuberant vitality.

　　He is listening to his inner voice.

　　His passionate aspirations for his art enable his paintings to project the originality, profundity, richness and colour of life—qualities that are hard to find in this consumer age.

　　I know that Shi Hu is the kind of artist who cannot contradict his own will. If his art is successful on the market, it is because the market has chosen him, not because he has actively sought selfpromotion. If Shi Hu’s academic studies have borne fruit, it is not because he has purposely planned it that way. His works tell us: his is an inspiration that originates in the blood, heart and spirit; it is irresistible. His hands and eyes are simply slaves to this energy.

　　From this perspective, Shi Hu is a most self-centred aesthetic painter. This is not to say that he does not have historical resources of imagery to draw on, or that he lacks direction during his creative process. Rather, it is precisely this that is the most precious and enlightening thing about Shi Hu: he listens and responds to the call of the ‘Oriental love’ that flows in his veins, and harnesses it in his work. After studying mainstream African and Western arts, Shi Hu felt deeply that Chinese art comes closest to the origins of life, and has the most cultural feeling. Shi Hu has attempted to establish a contemporary starting point for Oriental art, and through his experimentation with material and painting techniques, he has provided a form for the expression of a contemporary Oriental style. He has eliminated his vast resource of placespecific images, and instead allows his living instincts to animate the lines and the play of colour. He thereby expresses an Oriental spirit that is entirely contemporary with the times.

　　What we have here is not the disintegration and re-integration of cubism; it is not the venting of one individual’s pent-up feelings; nor is it a showcase of the conditions and customs of a nation. Rather, it is the movement of life itself that has been temporalized; it is the integration of feelings and instinct. What is known in the West as “Oriental intuition” is fully realized in Shi Hu’s works.

 

4. Questions Posed by Shi Hu’s Art

　　Although Shi Hu’s paintings are wellknown and command substantial prices on the international art market, the academic questions raised by his work have not been seriously addressed. The contemporary transformation of Chinese ink painting is now a complicated question in the art world. The significance of Shi Hu’s work as a rich “case” for studying such questions can be seen in many aspects of his work, including the question of the relationship between materials and Chinese ink painting, between materials and new forms of painting, and so on.

　　From my perspective, there are three key theoretical challenges:

　　1.The indirect use of image resources The vast majority of Shi Hu’s imagery derives from Chinese folk art, but he uses these images in an indirect manner; and through his materials, this visual tension is heightened.

　　Theoretical debate is useless here: the key is to examine the aesthetic quality of this newly developed art that is based on the indirect use of imagery. We cannot underestimate Shi Hu’s contribution in this regard.

　　2. The substitution of brush techniques and tools
　　In Chinese art, the brush is an important index for aesthetic technique. When Shi Hu uses his own specially made brush to eliminate tradition, he simultaneously
introduces different visual content into the work. This is interesting and deserves
further discussion.

　　From my viewpoint, the question of whether or not this substitution should or should not be made is meaningless. One must look at the difficulty of the technique and the depth and breadth of the aesthetic space thus created. This gives rise to another question—that of direct and indirect resources in the contemporary transformation of Chinese ink painting. Clearly, Shi Hu has taken revolutionary steps to indirectly fulfil the aesthetic spirit of Chinese ink painting.

　　3.The Oriental visual style as a “way out” for Chinese art. The globalisation of art is, in truth, a question of cultural rights. The “Oriental style” roots cultural perspectives and artistic creation in local soil, and searches for the “growth gene” of contemporary culture in the realities of one’s own experiences and the traditions of one’s own culture.

　　Shi Hu’s art makes substantial contributions in all these respects.