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In the ninth month of the Lunar Calendar, we had great pleasure in organising the ‘mmortal Lotus’, a painting exhibition dedicated to the lotus, which features the work of Master Jao Tsung-I as a tribute on his 90th birthday. Macao, with the lotus as its regional emblem, is indeed a suitable place to host such exhibition.
Ever since Zhou Dun Yi’s article ‘Love of Lotus’, numerous writers and artists have adopted the same theme in their work. Master Jao’s lotus work conveys a style of solidity and yet great momentum, whereas others would normally opt for delicacy and beauty in their work. The liberal and masterful use of different styles, such as the ‘boneless’ style (coloured strokes without contour lines), plain line-drawing, ‘double hook’, gold-and-azure, light ochre, ink splashes, reduced brushwork and the like have been passed down from Chen Chun (1484 – 1544), Xu Wei (1521 – 1593), Yun Shou Ping (1633 – 1690), Hua Yan (1682 – 1756), Li Shan (1686 – 1762), Wu Chang Shuo (1844 – 1927) and Qi Bai Shi (1863 – 1957). The variety of work seems to be a metaphor of Buddha’s inherent and extraordinary 32 major signs of a great man and 80 secondary characteristics, embodying the four virtues of the ‘dharma’realm – eternity, bliss, self-control and purity. From the sense of calm exuding from Master Jao’s work, his peaceful heart is evident.
Jao’s academic spectrum is indeed extensive and includes various schools of thought. However, his academic talents are not solely restricted to scriptures and literatures studied by scholars in the past. Some of the most prominent examples of his academic pursuits include oracle bone inscriptions, ‘Chu Ci’ poems and Dunhuang studies to name a few, while poetry, literature, calligraphy and painting are all well within Master Jao’s range of interests.
His paintings appear causal but are, in fact, ingenious, and the variations can be so wide that one would think there were numerous artists. Master Jao’s brilliance resembles an everlasting spring, with all his talents blossoming. With his profound knowledge, which is never limited to one aspect and corresponds with his academic pursuits, we wonder who in his line of artistry nowadays can ever compare to him.
People respect Master Jao, and thus honour his masterpieces, but the excellence of his art alone, deserves admiration. At one time Mi Fei (1051 – 1107) commented that even the heroic deeds of the five kings from the Tang Dynasty – which had gone on to become a story and topic for chit chat – would be outlasted by Xie Ji’s (649 – 713) paintings. We hereby understand that paintings, which are in fact great achievements, can be passed down from generation to generation. Thus, Master Jao’s name will always be synonymous with perfection, and his brilliance in calligraphy and painting will be seen by generations to come over the next millennium. We perceive that Master Jao’s incandescence will last for an eternity. With this exhibition, we have gathered together some of his finest work with the lotus as a tribute on his birthday, and for the pleasure of the admiring public. This exhibition space is filled with the atmosphere of celebration and we are truly joyful on his 90th birthday and echo the blessings passed on by our fellow countrymen. Master Jao, by means of his inspirational brush, has pleased us all and we hope to join together again to celebrate his 100th birthday.
The Master’s surname is Jao, and he has the given names of Tsung-I, also known as Gu An and Xuan Tang. According to ancient Chinese texts, ‘I’ means to nurture; ‘Gu’ represents stability, certainty and concentration while ‘Xuan’ represents choice. Master Jao nurtures and realises his aspirations through calligraphy and painting, and thus he can enjoy longevity – may we hereby also wish for the same.
Chan Hou Seng
Curator of Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy of the Macao Museum of Art
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