A True Large Xieyi Painter: Lao Jia

2016-11-04 13:50:51来源：作者：Chen Chuanxi

The past two thousand years of Chinese horse painting were marked by four major transformations. The first was during the Han dynasty, with the Han portraits as an example; representation of horses was concise and simple, sometimes only painting a general movement, but always vivid and evocative. The second was the Tang dynasty, with the work of Cao Ba and Han Gan as representatives, outlining the horse's form with thin lines, applying light ink, and finally color. Although the work of this period was careful and neat, it was also expansive and majestic. In general, horse painting of the Five Dynasties, Yuan, Ming and Qing continued this tradition. During this period, although the accomplishments of Yuan Dynasty painter Zhao Ziyang, Zhao Yong father and son, and Ren Fa were notable, but the amount of change was not substantial, sometimes not even changing at all. The third change was that of Xu Beihong. Xu Beihong painted horses in the large xieyi style, relying upon the techniques of Western painting to thoroughly understand horse bone structure and anatomy. His painting of the horse was accurate, and his use of brushstroke was natural. After Xu Beihong, the majority of painters painting horses studied his work. Although several slightly improved upon his technique, the majority could not surpass his accomplishments. The forth great transformation of horse painting is Lao Jia's work. Horse painting of the Han dynasty, Tang dynasty, and that of Xu Beihong all used lines, color, and ink to represent the horse's form, and were all representationally correct. To a certain level, horse painting of the past has employed brush and ink in the service of form, choosing to harness these tools to represent the horse, or at the very least to use brush and ink within the domain of horse's form. Lao Jia, on the contrary, has departed from this tradition, choosing to not employ brush and ink in the service of representing the horse, but rather employing representation in the service of brush and ink. His brush and ink is an elevation of philosophy, spirituality, and aesthetic concept. I have once said that his painting is an expression of force, an exertion of power. Swiping and brushing thick ink, dancing wildly, the savageness of his brushstrokes and potent, masculine energy of his work echo throughout the ages, a true rarity in our times. This type of painting is called true large xieyi.

Viewing Lao Jia's paintings is like watching a level-ten hurricane, like watching a volcano erupt, possessing the electric power of thunder and lightening, the power of the abyss. This is precisely the type of spirit our age needs.

I have advocated such masculine expansiveness and righteous energy for many years; Lao Jia's work is a model of such painting.

I have written extensively on Lao Jia's work. In this essay, I would like to discuss certain causes behind the formation of his practice.

It has been said that "anger creates poets" because when one has a sense of injustice and discontent with the world, poetry is a way to express such a feeling—"call out when met with inequality." When one's soul has issues to express, people to remember, and tears to cry, then one's poems are often powerful. Painters are also like this. The study of painting often has to do with one's master. When one studies a certain master or a certain technique, one's brush and ink resembles the object of such study. However, the style of successful painters is a reflection of one's individual personality and spiritual state.

The literati painting of the Yangtze River Delta, like that of successful official Dong Qichang, is one of satisfaction and success, of leisure and elegance. Thus, works under their brush necessarily is light, restrained, and soft. However, the painting of Xu Wei, a literati unsuccessful in mandarin politics, is necessarily fierce, fast, and tumultuous like a windy blizzard.

Lao Jia is from Zunhua, a town in Hebei province. The ancients proclaimed that "the passionate scholars of Yan and Zhao produce great tragic poetry," and Zunhua is located in the ancient region of Yan and Zhao. Previously Lao Jia lived on painting gongbi New Year's paintings and storybooks. This was not the choice of his spirit, and work of this nature was not a representation of his personality.

Lao Jia likes expansive energy, bright and righteous masculinity; he needs to exert his strong force. He uses burned ink to paint large xieyi. He experiments repeatedly, and has finally succeeded. The more he paints, the more interesting his work becomes. He does not paint, but rather expresses emotion. There is one point of which he is not conscious, which is what Freud calls the subconscious. Over many years, the repressed energy of being a talented person in a lowly position has finally burst forward. The longer such energy is ignored, the stronger it must burst forward; the longer such energy is repressed, the larger it must explode out. Thus, the great shock and awe-inspiring force that his painting possesses is in fact the exertion of force, the bursting forth of power; this is true art.

Precisely because his work is true art, is possesses masculine energy and righteous force. Thus, it was quickly appreciated by those who truly understand painting both in China and abroad. Lao Jia has had solo exhibitions all around the world, and gained great success: his Korean collectors have printed a large catalog for him, with its Korean language preface stating that Lao Jia is the greatest contemporary horse painter, surpassing even XuBeihong.

Domestically, many horse painters study Lao Jia; some directly imitate him, and some make slight modifications. In general, his painting has caused great influence both in China and abroad, becoming a landmark achievement in the history of horse painting.

Domestically, many horse painters study Lao Jia; some directly imitate him, and some make slight modifications. In general, his painting has caused great influence both in China and abroad, and marks a landmark achievement in the history of horse painting.