Covering and Uncovering: Time and Space in the Art of Chi Chia-Hwa
Wang Pin-Hwa
"Any patient reader will, without great difficulty, come to realize that there is conscious structure hidden within my works. Finally, I would like to say that I believe we are rapidly approaching an era of rational and conscious structure. When we reach it artists will proudly declare their works complete". - Wassily Kandinsky "Concerning the Spiritual in Art" (footnote 1)
At the beginning of the 20th century, the "father" of abstract painting, Wassily Kandinsky, faced the challenge of an artistic legacy that portrayed reality and represented nature as the sole object of art. Through his probing of non-representational artistic language, art was able to conduct an exchange with its audience through simple lines, colors and shapes. In this way, the artist was able to present a subtle representation of a complex world through forceful control of form, directly conveying an "inner voice" speaking to the heart and mind of an audience. Today, almost one hundred years later and in the face of huge changes in the modern world, the pure form used by abstract artists still remains an artistic language the public finds hard to accept in capitalist societies. Nevertheless, in the direct but disassociated, complex but subtle world of abstract language to which abstract art belongs, it reveals the inner reality of the modern world through symbolism. Its influence knows no bounds its allusions completely revealed in a single abstract painting.
The abstract paintings of Chi Chia-Hwa contain a multiplicity of overlapping time and space. The vacillations and ruptures of modern life, time and space without landmarks, the emotional memory of individual life, all squeezed into the artist's paintings.
It is easy for an audience viewing the geometric short lines, brush strokes and tranquil space of Chi Chia-Hwa's paintings to take them as the main language and style of the work he is currently producing. However, this is only the beginning point in a journey of understanding, the "first world" the artist guides his audience into. His 1998 solo exhibition "Memory of a Winter", made up as it was of his major works in the period 1996-1998, serves as a beginning to this "first world" and the infinite universe that lies behind it.
In this exhibition Chi Chia-Hwa's youthful elegance and talent seems quiet and subdued. We have no way of knowing why this is. The 1996 piece, "Memory of a Winter", has a light yellow tone, its clear and delicate brush strokes convey a space that is warm yet empty. On one occasion it is shallow, on another there appear hard-edged geometric squares, whilst there seems to be a stamp to the left of the space. Together with the light yellow background, some of the slight yet hard postures create a time and space that is uncertain and flowing. This then turns into an unclear, tranquil antagonistic relationship, seemingly defining indeterminate time and space. The artistic language used by Chi in this period begins with this sort of "covering".
Small squares cover a whole world in the 1996 piece "Space", followed the same year by "The Vortex" and "Untitled". Both use different shades of white, placed indiscriminately in the picture as if spinning round. Indeed, the geometric nature of the upper level and the ordered short lines, cover the multiple space of the background. The artist seems to be saying to his audience leave uncertainty and complexity to the background world.
However, in 1996 there was still the rich and exciting piece "Fire and Ice". In the multi-layered red thick background, the white presents the contrast of geometric short lines. The tension between these displays a solemn force so that the whole work reveals the magnificence of unspeakable pain. Perhaps it comes from the redness that resembles internal organs. After the "repeated harmony and parallelism" of aesthetic form, the most extreme and modern abstract language expresses a sentiment that approaches religion.
The artist's works in this period are almost all covered with warm, simple, geometric small lines. The great whiteness of his works in 1996 and 1997 certainly brought to mind the sort of feelings one has on encountering winter frost - "a place so out of the way as to be bereft of life" (footnote 2). Following on from this, the moistness of the rain in the 1997 piece "Neverending Rain" clearly flows into the music of the 1998 piece "Dancing with Music" . Flying squares fill the air, dancing in the rhythm of the water.
In his 1998 solo exhibition Chi Chia-Hwa displayed a simpler rhythmic style, begging the question why an artist who received modern schooling in the west and lived overseas for a dozen years or so would make such a change?
Determining the world through action- abstract consciousness in art
Seeds that strive towards the abstract and non material exist in practically all concrete expression of form. They consciously or unconsciously obey the idea of Socrates - know yourself" (footnote 3).
The artist's education in art and architecture was been evident in the rich appearance of his creative work from the very beginning. He began his journey experimenting with drawing and flowing lines. These grew into character drawing, still life sketches and the use of flowing line language. Sometimes the pictures were divided in two by a central line, conducting a dialogue through the hot and cold texture of his oil paintings. In the experimentation of his earlier work, the audience witnessed Chi Chia-Hwa building a foundation for his work with lines, color, brush strokes and space. At the same time, it was also self evident that Chi was conducting what amounted to a survey or examination of the possibilities of painting on the basis of rational cognizance.
Clearly there are major differences in Chi Chia-Hwa's works before 1996 and those from 1996 to his solo exhibition in 1998. The former overflow with a youthful playfulness and chaos. In 1996 his work suddenly cooled down, replaced with more placid, sober pictures. The size of the difference between these two periods seems to indicate a "shock" of some kind. Did the artist to some extent adopt a new attitude, begin to look at things differently and thereby change his painting style ? On the one hand, an attempt to simplify and purify the painting language employed is evident in his choice of geometric brush strokes, whilst on the other he directs every element of his painting towards a calmer more serene inner self. Perhaps this covering language and frosty emotion comes from within the artist and is part of a dialogue with life itself, a depiction of the shock that results when insignificant subjectivity is willing to face the threat of a more powerful foe.
Perhaps the reason Chi Chia-Hwa's oil paintings have been stylistically minimalist since 1996 is that he has begun to view painting from a more disassociated perspective, and to face life more directly. Chi has introduced much western abstract and simplified modern language into his work, whilst approximating the clear poetic context and rhythm of Tang poetry . The former can be seen in the rational way Chi Chia-Hwa approaches his art, the second unavoidably comes from the way he deals with real experiences. Chi left home to go live in a completely different culture when he was still young. The experience of rupture and differentiation gained from living in a different culture created a sequence of life time and space that completely broke from normal restrictions. This struggle allowed Chi Chia-Hwa, through his rational approach, to unconsciously and ingeniously integrate the originally separate disparate elements within himself.
The key to important elements in abstract art is their ability to directly reveal. Although Chi Chia-Hwa's painting language has been somewhat restricted or filtered by the artist's reason, between the emotional brushstrokes and atmosphere the audience still senses his respect for life and expectation of mystery - life should have its own unique meaning, even if that is shown to be brutal. It is sometimes the fate of artists to use their powers of perception as a channel for portraying the shared condition of man. Applying various "meaningful" basic elements the artist depicts complex and deep feelings, as the overall appearance of the painting incorporates the passing of time and space and imagination. Like music abstract painting speaks directly to us through emotions awareness. The audience experiences it on an emotional level, though it may not understand the reality of the work's narrative.
In his work, as the result of "covering", there is always "revelation".
The works Chi continued to produce after his 1998 solo exhibition continued to revolve around the painting language of small geometric lines. However, the dialogue between the layers of these short lines and the background world became richer, and more diverse, almost more intense. For example here was a great increase in the number of scrape marks in the "first world" of some of the works, revealing the world within. ("Simplicity/Complexity", 1998, "Time Recaptured", 1999). Some works showed an increase in the number of color elements used ("Jungle City", "Puzzled", 1999). In still other pieces square lines replaced the earlier short lines, creating in the works the visual effect of displacement ("Insistence", 1999). Alternatively, different meanings were accorded the white cover.
Generally speaking Chi Chia-Hwa's work in 1998, 1999 and 2000, though based on the same creative pulse showed signs of experimental diversity. Subjects and content became more complex and their relationship with the real world became more random and variable. The wrinkling effect or covering brushstrokes increased and the relationship between layers became more complex. As a result it is easy for the audience to see how in these three years the artist approach to painting and the subjects addressed gradually shifted from a disassociated world to a condition corresponding to that of the real world.
In a post traditional order the challenge and layered complexity of contemporary culture in our hearts and minds in real situations is much greater than in traditional society. At the very beginnings of modern society, Kandinsky observed: "If the individual doe not struggle tirelessly, he or she collapses spiritually and morally. In this problematic condition human talent (in the biblical sense) becomes the root of trouble - It is in this difficult reality that art searches for content" (footnote 4).
Sometimes the power to transcend reason borrows the disassociated view, occasionally it learns from dialogue up close, but understanding only comes gradually.
If an artist raises questions in his work, the art always responds honestly to him. On the surface Chi Chia-Hwa's work "Slippery Slope" (1999) shows white covering red, but the gray scale white is still unable to hide the other spectrum of cold colors under the red. This area of subtlety means that between the gray scale red and white of the painting there remains a rich sense of layers, visual distortion and uncertainty. In fact, the red covered by the white also offers of motion as part of that visual distortion. This gives the short lines pointing in the same direction a sense of flowing rich with rhythm. His multi-layered red adopts an unclear posture in displaying the irrepressible flow of life. The tension that shows through the cover is unnamed yet carefree and content.
A larger piece from the same year, "Passing By", once again strengthens the artist's aforementioned use of language. He uses horizontal lines that cut straight across the painting, as if rapidly sweeping across the painting. The white cover creates layers of gray/blue and red. When looking at the painting the audience is led into uncertainty and unofficial allusions to time by the "violence" of the surface white. It is as if an unwelcome rainstorm fills the space before one's eyes, though the treatment of the picture is neither anger of conflict, but a sense of grief and distress at the fading away of time. The flow of the picture and emotions of the water also appear in some of the artists other work, though in different forms. As a result more than half his works from this period a transparent quality that very few oil paintings do. In turn the application of many methods of transparency often creates for his work a time and space that is independent and unreal.
The work "Great Expectation" takes as its background the changes in tone of green. The foreground is full of red cross shapes made from hard brushstrokes, but because the artist ingeniously controls the mix of color, once again the audience face a visual distortion that gives the sense of a geometric picture in motion. The upper part of the painting, an unknown place somewhere in the distance is like a vortex, with the red crosses seemingly flying towards it. The mechanical geometric form of elements can also be surprisingly transformed into a painting with a sense of life. The nature of this sort of language is amazing, though it the apparently rough and hard brushstrokes allude to the restriction of an unspeakable inner emotion and sense of humor.
On the other hand, the piece "Fly Away" highlights another way of leaving. In this work we see short red lines, freely arranged and a picture full of scrapes, between which is revealed an inner layer of altogether more complex colors. Whether it is the bottom to top sense of movement of the red or it is the craziness of the scrapes themselves, they both give the work a strong sense of freedom. Indeed the free brushstrokes already form a strong tension of weeds in open country, whilst simultaneously bordering on the emotional experience of the artist's earlier work. The language experimentation that Chi Chia-Hwa toyed with in this period after much searching turns full circle returning to a point of self integration.
The geometric language of the works in this period has been organized and expanded of its own accord. The artist has searched for and experimented in an attempt to understand better the relationship between himself and these linear depictions. The audience can see that some of these built up paintings come from an inner emotional world as testified to by reason, some stem from segments from the real world. Others still conduct dialogue with the cosmos and spiritual creation. Those viewing the painting should be surprised that abstract art can be so true in re-producing the reality and voices of the artist's own inner world.
From second hand data and an interview with the artist it is clear that Chi Chia-Hwa's decision to become an artist was strongly influenced by his father who was both an art lover and collector. During his childhood artists often visited the family home and as a result he came into contact with a wide range of art from very young; Chinese, Taiwanese and a variety of modernist paintings. This effectively created a cultural space full of artistic emotion. This combination of memory and imagination is just visible in the photographs Chi took on a trip to Mainland China. Chi chose a small frame size of (7.62 x 10.16 cm) for that series of black and white photographs, but allowed the line of vision to follow his heart, cutting to the distant bright and clear distance, in classical Chinese scenery. Chi Chia-Hwa suggests that China has changed, but in fact it is not so much the place that has changed as artistic thought is much less constrained than it was. By a small picture format for the photographs they become as parts of a private collection, and as such this way of thinking strengthens the sense of distance in time and space and the focus of memory.
In 1996 another series of works were also shown in an extension of this private collection format. Chi used disorganized, cutting, lines to begin with, releasing an unconscious tension in the lines but also gradually approximating to an eastern relationship between line and color, developing a space of flowing lines and ribbed layers. At the same time, the parts of the painting left blank allowed this approach to construct a painting world full of atmosphere and light. This work Chi Chia-Hwa also restricted in size (10.16 x 12.7cm). The artist had painted more than one thousand pieces in one year. I have seen only 50 of the smaller and more exquisite works. This series of works are finished in a colored ink and pencil texture. Whether in terms of the calligraphic nature of the lines, or the rhythm of the ink color, or the freehand brushwork atmosphere all are different from the style employed in the artist's earlier work, seemingly responding to an eastern lightness and vigor.
If we compare this series of pieces with oil painting work then we can see that Chi Chia-Hwa is extremely careful with his own excessively complete visual language. He always seeks to establish position by describing the immediate and the uncertain. The artist has himself said that the whole point of painting is to discover a completely new world in painting. If action determines the world then perhaps it is a valuable way of finding one's feet in the boundlessness of modern culture.
- From Wassily Kandinsky "Corcerning the Spiritual in Art" , translated by Lu Peng, Tan Ching Publishing Co., Ltd.
- From the Tarng Poet Liao Tsung-yuan (773-819) "Snow on the River" The full stanza reads: "Wrapped in winter clothes, sat in a boat fishing, in a place so out of the way as to be bereft of life, the cold winter snow falls on the river"
- op cit note 1
- op cit note 1
覆蓋以及顯露 － 紀嘉華藝術的時空通道
文 / 王品驊
實際上，我的作品裡潛藏著有意識的結構，耐心的讀者將無困難的理解到。最後我要說，在我看來，我們正迅速接近有理性和有意識的構圖的時代，到了那時，畫家將自豪的宣稱他的作品是構成的。 —「論藝術裡的精神」，﹝俄﹞康丁斯基 (註1)
20世紀初抽象畫之父康丁斯基(Wassily Kandinsky)所面對的挑戰，是來自於以描寫現實、再現自然為唯一藝術目的的藝術承襲。經由他深刻的對於非具象藝術語言的探討，藝術得以透過單純的線條、色彩、形式本身即能與人交流，直接經由藝術家強有力的形式掌握，而完成一種對於複雜世界的微妙表現，傳達一種通透人心的「內在聲響」。今日，近乎一個世紀，抽象繪畫在面對當代世界的鉅變中，藝術家所運用的純粹形式，雖然尚未成為資本社會中的大眾所易於接受的藝術語言，然而在抽象藝術所承載的直接而抽離、複雜而微妙的抽象性語言世界中，它開啟了整個當代世界以象徵性語言「再現」內在真實的局面，其影響卻是無遠弗屆，其端倪仍舊在一幅抽象繪畫中能夠完全彰顯。
紀嘉華的抽象繪畫中，隱藏著多重的時空交疊。當代生活的游移斷裂和無座標時空，個人生命的情感記憶和理性對話，全都壓縮在四方的畫幅之內。
觀者很容易以紀嘉華近年作品中的幾何性短線筆觸和靜謐空間，作為他現階段創作的主要語言和風格意態。然而，這僅只是認識之旅的起點，是藝術家為觀者所引導的第一個世界。1998年的個展─「一個冬天的記憶」，收錄了他1996年至1998年的重要作品，可以作為如此一個「第一個世界」以及背後的無限世界之開展痕跡。
紀嘉華的年輕風華在這次的個展中，顯得十分寧靜和沉潛。我們暫且無法知道背後的因素。題為「一個冬天的記憶」的1996年作品，畫面上以鵝黃的色調，清晰細緻的筆觸傳達著一個溫潤而空靈的空間，一個淺淺一次、再次浮現的硬邊幾何長方格，在空間的左側，彷彿加上一個戳記，有些輕微卻強硬的姿態和背景鵝黃所創造的不確定、流動空氣的時空，凝結成為一種不明顯的、安靜地對峙關係，並且彷彿為不確定時空定了位，藝術家的這階段藝術語言，是從這樣的「覆蓋」開始的。
小小的方格能夠覆蓋住一整個世界(1996年作品「空間」)，接著是同年的「漩渦」、「無題」，皆以白色顏料的不同色階，在畫面錯落著、旋轉著，乃至以最上層的幾何性、序列性短線，蓋住背後的多重空間。畫家以此向觀者作了簡明的交代，不確定和複雜就留在背後的世界罷。作品似乎如是說。
但是1996年仍舊出現一件饒富興味之作「火與冰」，在多層的大紅所收納的厚實背景上，白色皴擦出幾何性的短線痕跡，在彼此的重重摩擦中，顯現著一種莊嚴的力量，使得整幅作品竟透露著一種難言之痛的華麗璀璨。也許是源自藏紅般的臟腑，經由審美形式上的「和聲重複、排比」，最極限、現代性的抽象語言，卻表達了一種近乎宗教性的情感。
藝術家在這個階段的作品，幾乎都是以溫和的、簡約的幾何短線所覆蓋，由於1996、1997作品的大量白色，確實呼應著霜冬般的情緒─千山鳥飛絕，萬徑人縱滅 (註2)。接著1997年「下著不停的雨」，雨水潤濕、流動了1998年的作品，鮮明的帶來了「隨著音樂起舞」的音樂性。翻飛的方格，在充滿空氣、水分的律動中飛舞。
1998年的這次個展，以五言絕句般的精簡風格突現，對於一位經受西方現代學院教育、負笈國外十數年的遊子而言，意涵何在？
以行動決定世界-藝術中的抽象意識
「向抽象和非物質努力的種子，幾乎存在於每一種具體表現的形式裡。它們有意或無意地在服從蘇格拉底的思想-了解你自己。」 (註3)
受過藝術與建築的現代學院教育，從他最初的手邊創作之豐富面貌可以窺探。他曾經從素描、流動線條的嘗試著手，人物素描、景物速寫、或以流動性的線條語言開展，或者以中線切割畫面為二，做著油彩冷熱質感的討論；觀者在其早期作品各種嘗試中除了看到嘉華在各種線條、色彩、筆觸、空間等元素的築基之外，同時以理性的思考進行繪畫探測和檢驗的創作態度，也不言而喻。
但是很明顯的，1996年以前的作品和1996年至1998年間個展的作品極為不同，前者洋溢著一種年輕心靈的奔放及混亂的力量，在1996年時，突然冷卻下來，代之以一種沉靜、冷眼靜觀的畫面，由於前後的差異之大，彷彿顯現出人類心靈的一種「震驚」般的痕跡。是否作者在某種情境之下，以一種新的態度，重新面對事物、重新面對繪畫，並且在幾何性筆觸的選擇上，透露著一方面單純化、純粹化繪畫語言的企圖，一方面則希望將點點滴滴的繪畫行動，導向內心的沉潛和冷靜。也許，覆蓋性的語言和霜雪般的心緒，即是來自於藝術家內心和生命本身的對話，渺小的主觀意願面對強大對象威脅的震驚經驗的描繪。
也許，嘉華1996年以來的油畫作品，風格的極限性，重要因素來自於畫家以抽離化的態度面對繪畫、面對生活。一方面將西方抽象化、極簡化的的現代性語言納入創作，一方面在極至的明亮和冷酷間，逼近了唐代五言絕句般的清澈詩境。前者導因於嘉華採取理性的態度面對創作，後者則無法迴避地，來自於面對現實的體驗。嘉華從少年即離鄉背井的游移至全然不同的文化環境，不同文化的斷裂和差異，在重疊貼入的方式下直接轉換，造就了生命的時間空間序列，完全不受限於特定脈絡的侷限，在層層覆蓋性的生命情境間掙扎，讓他在理性的面對態度中，竟不自覺而巧妙地結合了內在原本各有脈絡的養分。
抽象藝術的要素，在於一種直接的揭示能力。在嘉華的繪畫語言裡，雖然已被屬於藝術家的理性所制約、過濾，但是觀者仍舊在感性的筆觸和氛圍間，感受到他對於生命的崇敬和神秘期待─生命應有其自身的意義，即使祂顯露殘酷性。藝術家，有時在命運的籠罩下，以其敏銳的感性能力成為某種人類共通處境的描繪者。運用著各種「有意味」的基本元素，直接描繪複雜而深沉的感知，畫面所浮現的總體，包含著時間軸上的時間空間歷程及想像中的各種意識。抽象繪畫如同音樂，直接以感性的語體說話，觀者獲得情感經驗，卻不必了解任何關於作品的敘述性現實。
因而在他的作品中，總是因為「覆蓋」反而「揭露」。
1998年個展之後所持續進行的作品，以幾何性短線為主軸的繪畫語言仍接續著，但是在短線層次和背後世界之間的對話，變得豐富、多向，彷彿激烈了起來，例如有的作品在第一個世界中增加了許多「刮痕」，刮出了底層的世界(作品1998「簡易/複雜」、1999「捕捉回的時光」)；有些作品的色彩元素增加了(作品1999「叢林城市」、「惑」)；也有作品以方格線替代了短線語法，使得畫面產生某種錯覺性視覺效果的可能(作品1999「堅持」)；或者是在白色覆蓋的語法上，又增加了不同的意涵。
總體而言，1998年、1999年、2000年的作品，在同樣的語言脈絡上，衍生出多元的嘗試、主體內容變得複雜、和現實世界的關係開始錯落多變。從畫面的皴擦或覆蓋的筆觸變多，層次關係變得複雜，觀者十分易於感受到這三年間作者的繪畫心緒和所面對的課題已逐漸從一個抽離性的世界回到和現實世界持續對應的狀態。
後傳統秩序下的當代文化，在現實情境中對於人類心靈的挑戰，層次複雜得遠大於傳統社會，邁入現代社會之初，康丁斯基即已說「如果一個人不與下沉做不疲倦的奮爭，那麼他在精神上和道德上便會垮下去。在這種困難的境遇裡，人的才能(也是聖經意義上的)就成了一個禍根──藝術在艱難的現實裡尋求內容…。」 (註4)
理性超拔的力量，有時借助抽離的靜觀，有時得在短兵相接中對話學習，必須逐漸洞穿。
藝術家在作品中，如果提出了疑問，藝術總會忠實的回應他。嘉華1999年的作品「濕滑的斜坡」，表面上是以白色覆蓋住紅色，但是在灰階的白色中，仍掩藏不住在紅色之下的其他寒色系色彩，這個細微之處，造就了畫面在灰階的紅白之間，仍有豐富的層次感以及視覺上的錯視、不確定，被白色所覆蓋的紅色，事實上也閃動著錯視中的動態經驗，使得朝向同一方向運動的短線，整體有如富有韻律感般的流動著，多層次的紅色以一種非顯性的姿態，彰顯掩抑不住的生命流動力量，那從覆蓋下所透出的張力，無以命名，卻也悠然自得。
同年另一件較大的作品「經過」，再次加強了藝術家前述語言的運用。他以全畫面的橫線，帶有速度感的「掠過」畫面，白色覆蓋創造了灰藍和紅色的豐富層次，觀者在面對畫面時，會因為表層白色的「暴力」而落入一種不確定、非正式的時空暗示，彷彿一場不受人歡迎的大雨鮮明磅的在眼前上演，不過畫面的處理卻不是憤怒或衝突，而是一種在時間中淡然流逝的哀傷。畫面的流動性和水分的情緒，也在其他的作品中，以不同的方式出現，使得他這階段的作品多半具有一種油畫作品較少見的透明特質，多種透明性的手法運用，常常能為他的畫面創造出獨立、非現實性的時空。
作品「殷切的期望」，畫面上以灰階變化的綠色為背景，前方充滿筆觸生硬的紅色十字，由於藝術家巧妙掌握的色彩階調，觀者在畫前再度因為錯視，產生一種幾何畫面的運動感，畫的上方─遠方的未知之處，有如漩渦，紅色十字幾乎是向著漩渦逐一飛去。機械幾何的元素形式，竟能轉換為有生命感的畫面構成，這種語言的性質十分奇妙，卻假藉著一種仿若稚拙生硬的筆觸，透露著其內在難言的情感制約和幽默感。
作品「飛離而去」，則展現了另一種飛離的方式。在這件作品中，出現了紅色短線的自由序列和充滿畫面的刮痕，在刮痕間顯露著顏色更為複雜的底層，無論是紅色由下而上的運動感，或是刮痕的狂亂痕跡，都帶來這件作品充分的自由，自由筆觸已能構築出一種原野野草橫生的厚實張力，同時與作者早期作品的情感經驗接壤，這階段的語言嘗試，已在多重語彙特質的自我循環中，回到自身的統合。
幾何性的語法在這幾年間的作品中自行編織著、衍繹著，藝術家透過搜尋、嘗試，想了解這些線性刻畫和自己的關係。觀者可以看到，那些構成性的畫面，有的來自內在的各種感性、理性辯證，有的來自現實世界的片段，有的與宇宙、精神造物對話，觀畫者應當驚奇於抽象藝術是能夠如此忠實的再現著藝術家的內在真實、內在聲響。
從資料和訪談中得知，嘉華走上藝術之路，有著喜愛且收藏藝術的父親影響薰陶的背景。少年時家中常有藝術人士造訪、各種作品的欣賞品評，中國、台灣各種近現代書畫創作的接觸，積澱出一個富有情性的文化空間。這種融合記憶和想像的文化素養，藉著嘉華在大陸旅行時所進行的攝影之作，略有所見；那一系列的黑白攝影，他採取小畫面的框取限制 (7.62 x 11.43 cm)，卻讓視線隨著手中方寸天地，穿梭到遙遠的風格明淨、悠遠通透的大陸古典景物的情境之中。此境已非，嘉華說現在的大陸風土已變遷，其實不是物遷境移，而是藝術的遊思從無繫絆，總可以在不斷的創造中恍然若現。這個靈思，因為嘉華以仿若私藏物的小畫面形式，加強了時空的去遠和記憶凝視之感。
1996另有系列作品，也是私藏物件般的形式延展。他以紊亂、穿梭、流瀉式的線條起始，一方面釋放無意識般奔放線條的張力，一方面漸漸以較近於東方性線條與色面關係的脈絡，發展出流動線條與多層次皴染的空間，畫面中留白的間隙，使得這種語言建構出一種飽含空氣、透光的畫面世界，這樣的作品，嘉華還曾經自設以小幅畫面的限制 (12.7 x 10.16 cm)，在一年間畫了千餘幅，筆者所見的部分，僅其中五十件小而精采的傑作。這系列作品，以彩墨、鉛筆的材質進行，無論在線條的書寫性語體、或墨色韻染、或寫意性氛圍的構造上，都與先前油畫作品發展的語體脈絡不同，反而應和著一種東方性的明亮活潑。
如果以此系列之作，和油畫作品對應，將發現嘉華謹慎於本身已過度完整的視覺語言，總是重新從描繪當下和不確定中，開始定位。嘉華曾說，繪畫的重點，在於繪畫中開啟了一個新的世界。以行動決定世界，可能是置身當代文化汪洋中一種可貴的立足方式。
註1 出自「論藝術裡的精神」, ﹝俄﹞康丁斯基(Wassily Kandinsky)著, 呂澎譯, 丹青圖書有限公司
註2 出自唐朝詩人柳宗元(773-819)詩作「江雪」，全詩為「千山鳥飛絕，萬徑人蹤滅。孤舟蓑笠翁，獨釣寒江雪。」
註3 同註1
註4 同註1