Award-winning ink brush paintings like these are part of the 2006 International Asian Sumi-E Painting Contest and Touring Exhibition. This selection of artwork makes its United States premiere Oct. 11 - Nov. 8, 2007, at the Finlandia University Gallery of the Finnish American Heritage Center, Hancock. (Photo courtesy Finlandia University)HANCOCK -- A four-week exhibition of selected works from the 2006 International Asian Sumi-E Painting Contest and Touring Exhibition is featured Oct. 11 through Nov. 8, 2007, at the Finlandia University Gallery of the Finnish American Heritage Center, Hancock. This selection of the award-winning artwork is making its United States premiere at Finlandia.
An opening reception will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, 2007, in the Gallery.
The international juried artworks by Chinese brushwork artists from Japan, Taiwan and the United States were selected from more than 5,000 entries. The exhibit has also appeared at the Kyoto, Japan, Municipal Museum of Art; the Osaka, Japan, Museum of Art; and the Zen-Mountain Institute of Taichung, Taiwan.
Yueh-mei Cheng, Finlandia associate professor of studio arts and director of the International Federation of Asian Culture and Art, traveled to Japan and Taiwan in spring 2006 to serve on the jury selection committee for the 2006 Contest and Touring Exhibition.
"The purpose of the Sumi-E contest and exhibition is to promote art education and foster a sense of beauty through the exhibition of the ink brush paintings of artists from Japan, Taiwan and the United States," Cheng says.
Cheng adds that the International Federation of Asian Culture and Art, the sponsor of the painting contest, aims to advance international cultural exchange and help to build a better and more harmonious global community.
Sumi-E is roughly translated as "watercolor and ink painting." Cheng explains that simplicity and economy of brush strokes are its most outstanding characteristics. She notes that the art of brush painting aims to depict the spirit, rather than the semblance, of an object.
Cheng says she is pleased with the current increase in trans-national multicultural exchange, and she notes a significant increase in the number of people exploring ink painting worldwide.
"Many of my Western students have shown great enthusiasm in learning traditional ink painting," says Cheng. "Their artwork gives us a fresh look into the depth of this art form. I believe ink painting holds great potential to become a new international style. We are experiencing an exciting experimental period in ink painting development right now."
The process of ink painting has developed over thousands of years, deriving its unique character from oriental art. It is a process of observation and meditation, not an imitation or copy of nature, writes Mr. Hong-Ju Li, president of The Federation of Asian Culture and Art, in the preface of a previous Sumi-E Contest and Exhibition catalog.
"Painting starts with a blank sheet of paper. Lines, shapes and colors are added to the blank space. Gradually an image emerges and viewers can visually appreciate it," he explains. "From nothing to a vivid image is a process of creation. Before any image gets created, artists take in all sorts of messages from their surroundings. Their senses get stimulated and their inner worlds get enriched. With vibrant colors, intricate lines and various shapes, they create different images to convey their ideas and feelings."
Cheng further describes the Sumi-E brush painting process, "The artist cultivates and contemplates with vitality and feeling until the object and subject become inseparable and the images flow out of one’s self effortlessly. Painter and media, mind and material, subjective and objective are interacting and penetrating. The inner impetus grows so strong that the images are self-occurring and flow out of the tip of the brush. During this transforming process in the painter's heart, an ink painting comes into being."
Reflecting on the transformative nature of ink painting for both painter and painting, Cheng notes, "Persistently carrying on the pursuit with enthusiasm from heart and soul, detached from the limited and conditional world, the heart is lifted and soaring. Thus, the technique and skill become the unique language of the artist. Reflecting vivid inner visions and personal life experiences, the painting becomes a journey of seeking happiness, self-discovery, and spiritual sublimation. Through constant self-refining and struggling, the painting acquires a happy life, and so does the painter."
The 2006 International Asian Sumi-E Painting Contest and Touring Exhibition is sponsored by Finlandia University, The Federation of Japan NPO Asian Culture and Art, The Federation of Taiwan Asian Culture and Art, The Federation of Hong Kong Asian Culture and Art and The Federation of American Asian Culture and Art.
The Finlandia University Gallery is in the Finnish American Heritage Center, 435 Quincy Street, Hancock. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m., or by appointment. Please call 487-7500 for more information.
No comments:
Post a Comment