Xie Chunchi: Zheng Jyou's Classical Chinese Figure Painting Exhibition (Multiple Pictures)

谢春池：郑季有中国古典人物画展（多图） 大约去年八九月间，季有兄告诉我他要出版一本个人画集，还要办一次个人…

Xie Chunchi: Zheng Jiyou's Classical Chinese Figure Painting Exhibition (multiple pictures) About August or September last year, brother Ji You told me that he was going to publish a personal painting album and hold a personal painting exhibition. This made me unexpectedly happy and said: This is a good thing! Whenever brothers and sisters of educated youth have some literary and artistic achievements, even if a short article of four or five hundred words appears in a newspaper, I am sincerely happy, not to mention that Brother Ji You wants to publish a collection of paintings and hold an exhibition. What a difficult thing it is! I expressed my full support and said that the Xiamen Educated Youth Cultural Activities Organizing Committee and the Xiamen Educated Youth Calligraphy and Painting Salon could host it. He said it was just what he wanted. Brother Ji You also said that he wanted Brother Huawei and I to write a preface. He said that Huawei had agreed. However, I neither declined nor agreed. I was really too busy in those days. Not long after, Brother Ji You gave me the preface by Brother Hua Wei. After reading it, I sincerely expressed that this preface was enough. In the short time, I really can't write a preface for it, and Brother Ji You is very considerate. However, he asked me to write a foreword for his exhibition, and I agreed. In January of this year, on the day of the Calligraphy and Painting Salon for Educated Youth, brother Ji You brought the newly published "Collection of Paintings by Zheng Jiyou" (China Painting and Calligraphy Publishing House) to the salon's colleagues, who were all delighted to congratulate him. I told Brother Ji You that I should finish the preface for the exhibition in the near future. Writing such articles may have true insights or profound impressions, so that they will not be perfunctory and just a matter of entertainment. I have neither of the above. All I have is feelings for every educated youth brother and sister, including brother Ji You. The publication and display of any kind of literary and artistic work is a socialized behavior. Although the work belongs to the author personally, his behavior is connected with the public. So, what will the publication and display of the work bring to society and the public? Perhaps the author does not need to think too much personally, but the reviewer's words cannot be completely personal. Talking from this perspective, what do Ji Youxiong’s paintings bring us? The title of Brother Hua Wei's preface to "Collection of Zheng Jiyou's Paintings" is "People purify themselves by painting", and I think this statement is very true! Brother Hua Wei mostly explains it from Brother Ji You's works on Buddhist themes. His analysis and evaluation are very accurate and can provide some inspiration to readers. I think that if the mind is not somewhat pure, it is impossible to create a Zen state. This is probably recognized by everyone. Therefore, I prefer to talk about the so-called "purity" from Brother Ji You's works on other themes. What does "purity" mean? Dust-free means "pure", right? Human beings themselves are a kind of "dust". If a "dust" person yearns for "purity", he must abandon "dust", and if he abandons "dust", he must abandon "himself", otherwise, he will never be pure! Painting is an expression of "dust". It is extremely difficult to paint "pure" with "dust". If you can get a little "pure", you will be lucky. Brother Ji You spent more than 20 years working hard to achieve this, which was not easy. This has been seen in works with non-Buddhist themes. Ji Youxiong’s non-Buddhist-themed works, what we see are mostly classical themes, either high scholars, heroes, or ladies. For example, "Lanting Repairing the Wise Picture" (multiple paintings) reproduces the grand gathering of literati and scholars in Lanting in those days, which is quite fascinating. For example, "Guan Sheng Dijun" depicts Guan Gong as majestic and brave, especially the floating shirt, which is full of dynamic. "Red Cliff Ode" and "Dongpo Tea Drinking Picture" harmoniously integrate Su Shi and the surrounding mountains and rivers, showing the artistic conception of ancient poetry, which shows Brother Ji You's intentions. The above-mentioned pictures are all more refined and less "dusty", which is related to the fact that the author himself was immersed in the Buddha's mind and then recreated the ancient world. Personally, I like "The Tea Sage" and "The Tea Sage Drinking Tea": in the former, the Tea Sage and the two tea boys are placed in a leisurely state, which is very pleasing to readers; in the latter, the Tea Sage and the two tea boys sit opposite or with their backs, waiting to drink tea, which is full of interest. The composition of the two paintings is simple, without any background or lining. The subject is very prominent and contains more "purity", which corresponds to the fairyland of "seven days in the mountains, hundreds of years in the world". Many friends admired Ji Youxiong's pictures of ladies and praised them highly. In the past twenty years, there have been many Chinese painters who painted beauties, but there were fewer in Xiamen. Brother Ji You should be the more prominent one. Regardless of whether he paints pictures of naked, semi-nude or non-nude ladies, Ji Youxiong pursues a kind of pure beauty. Although he lacks originality, he brings a fresh wind and makes people experience a certain degree of "purity". At this point, we can say that Ji Youxiong's paintings bring us a kind of truth, goodness and beauty that blends divinity and humanity. Regarding Brother Ji You's Buddha statues, I think the most vivid painting from an artistic point of view is the "Eighteen Arhats". The characters are lifelike and the composition is good. The color tone is not the heavy color that the author personally likes, but it makes people feel more harmonious and beautiful. The other painting, "Arhat", also depicts eighteen Arhats. It is rich in color, but gorgeous and not vulgar. The characters in the picture are all interesting, which is quite rare. The two paintings with different styles both express a kind of atmosphere, which is not easy. I have been painting Chinese paintings since elementary school, and I am still very amateur. I can no longer do it more professionally in this life, and I am afraid I cannot even reach the level of Brother Ji You. Therefore, I naturally admire Brother Ji You for his amateurishness and professionalism. It is difficult to paint landscapes, flowers and birds, and even more difficult to paint figures. Therefore, there are very few painters around us, especially amateur painters, who paint figures. In addition, meticulous painting is time-consuming and labor-intensive, so there are even fewer such painters. Brother Ji You is even more valuable. I believe that Brother Ji You’s painting exhibition will bring a good reputation to the Educated Youth Calligraphy and Painting Salon and will also bring a beautiful memory to our lives. The Orchid Pavilion is a symbol of healing, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva with Thousand Arms and Thousand Eyes, Auspicious Celebrations, Successful Years, Zheng Juechen’s Fragrance, Four Seasons Blessings (Dou Fang)