Poetic Journey: A Reading of Jason Chi's Recent Works
Lin, Chuan-Chu

ONE
When Jason Chi first returned to Taiwan from the U.S., I went to two of his solo exhibitions at Eslite Gallery and was deeply impressed by his works. Just like most outstanding artists, Chi did not spend much time commenting on his own works. In general, we never had any in-depth discussion on the subject of creative work. I finally had the opportunity to step into his studio fifteen years later, to witness his creative process, finished and unfinished works, while listening to him talking about the origination of his creative work, artists he admires, and the relation of his travels and life experiences to his creative work. However, as an abstract painting does not require interpretation in counterpoint, nor does it need to be confined within a particular subject or rigidly adhere to an ornate style, between Chi's paintings and his discourse on creative work, there is a sense of freedom, which enables the viewer to reorganize their perception, make associative connections and integrate them into a unique reflection upon the works according to their own aesthetic experiences, cultural background and sensibilities. This type of freedom in annotation and interpretation is the true essence of arts. Without question, through this path of understanding, one will pass through the dense fog and see the light, the glistening lake and the dual images of reflection and reality, and one will eventually transcend revelation and thinking-this is a journey of discovery and poeticality.

TWO
The aesthetic of an abstract painting is inexpressible and the process of its creation inconceivable. However, almost everyone knows and recognize that appreciating an abstract painting is just like reading a poem or listening to a piece of music; or to use the art of Chinese calligraphy-the appreciation of which is closer to our topic here-as an example, appreciating an abstract painting is similar to viewing a piece of cursive script, whose written characters are either difficult or unnecessary to identify. At first, we read the content of the text, understand the topic, admire the technics, inspect the writing style and structure, then we savor the thickness, length, wetness, shades, speed, movements and turnings, upward strokes and pauses, smudges and flying white effects, and finally, we enter the relationship and space constructed out of the above mentioned aesthetic conditions: we first enter the space of form itself, but the most wondrous aesthetic experience lies in that when the viewer enters the space of form, he also enters the spiritual space composed of the work's sentiments, ambience and grace; in this space, the form is the content itself (every brush, every stroke and each color represents the subject), the content is the form (the meaning of each subject is transformed into tangible strokes, colors, forms and symbols on paper); within this space, the artist reaches a high level of congruence with his art work: the artist is the art work itself, the artist's feelings, emotions, energy, awareness and intellect are the feelings, emotions, energy, awareness and intellect conveyed in the art work, and we can say that each work is namely a sculpture of the artist, inadvertently made solid within the seemingly endless linear time.

Three
There is this ancient Chinese saying: "Peach and plum are silent, yet a trail is formed underneath the trees." I like the message conveyed in this allusion: silently, footsteps form a trail under the peach and plum trees. The message is beautiful, reserved and poetic, it describes that there are people that come to pick the fruits of peach and plum, but they are not seen. In it there exists a fact, there is a phenomenon happening and some kind of truth being sensed, but no word is written about them nor testimony given. Thinking back, the messages I received from Chi's works throughout the years and their sustaining power are exactly so. Some abstract painters are obsessed with texture, causing the production and material aspects to overwhelm the spiritual aspect of their work; some are obsessed with concepts and in turn have repressed their expressiveness and receptivity; and some others are obsessed with rationality, and the poetic quality is sacrificed in the creative process; on the other hand, Chi belongs to a different category, his abstract paintings possess almost all of the above merits, yet never once has Chi fallen into the pitfalls of constructing the material texture and padding out his work with concepts. His works are moderatistic and rich-his handiwork and brushwork transform thoughts and experiences into a force in perception and a presentation of the artist's character and mastery, which is the same as the spiritual aspect of pen and ink that I have perceived from the most classic works in Chinese paintings.

FOUR
Heaven and earth move back and forth, the shining calm of rivers and the sea.¹ A poem, a musical composition, a piece of calligraphy, a flash of epiphany, a near-nirvana clarity without thoughts and sentiments. A split second that is not the past nor the future, even a fraction of which is difficult to preserve in the present. It exists universally in our collective aesthetic experience but is often excluded from our daily life reality. It contains universality and commonality, yet like a personal secret, it is challenging to decipher and then promises the pleasure of cracking the code. However, without a question, this shared experience in aesthetics has accompanied humanity through the history of abstract art that has only been one-century-old. To both the artist and the viewer, it is a new adventure, initiative and wonder, yet it also reaffirms the most primitive, innovative, incorporeal and meditative abstract force that is within all of us.

FIVE
Chi's keywords: texture, spirituality, light, sense of time, positive energy, sense of speed, music and dance, balance, perfection, absolute, internal, open.

SIX
Chi says: "An artist should create works as a gesture of salute to the masters at least once during his lifetime." I absolutely agree. Mark Rothko, one of Chi's favorite artists, once said: "A painting is not about an experience. It is an experience.² He also said: "I'm not interested in the relationship of color or form or anything else. I'm interested only in expressing basic human emotions."³ And: "Intuition is the height of rationality. Not opposed. Intuition is the opposite of formation. Of dead knowledge."⁴ I also absolutely agree.

SEVEN
If you ask Chi how to start creating an abstract painting, he would reply: "Begin with 'being open.'" Everything from life experiences, scenes from memory, thought provoking objects, to his recent trip to Antarctica can become the artist's sketch or "form of origination," it is, nonetheless, nothing but a "form of origination." Opening up the curtain of this starting point, what unfolds before us is a boundless landscape as well as an infinite universe; it is rich in curved and straight lines, it contains horizontal and vertical energies, passionate brushworks and moments of a calm gaze, in it there are unlimited colors available, but at the same time it is also an empty and traceless disposition. You need a completely open mind to take it in. I think this is the most advanced and challenging level of creative work, but also the most sacred; here, the gradual progress in practice turns into a moment of enlightenment, the trivial is stripped off from the crucial, just so that one can discover his most intrinsic self and initial thought. Within this realm, the artist's state of mind is sensitive and fragile like the tip of a new sprout, and at the same time he also resembles a sovereign that is in command of all living things. Who, then, decided to go against common sense and paint the impression of the light as a stream of yellow light on a vertical axis? Who sentimentally left traces of mineral green on top of the simple ground color, on both sides of the stream of light? The breathing-like, rhythmic traces-are they a display of the sovereign's absolute power in observation, thought, determination and execution, or are they rather a natural, selfless and empathic instant in the new sprout's developing process?

EIGHT
Openness is beautiful. There is no the-only-answer in openness. Openness is not chaos. Openness is a philosophical proposition. Openness is an essence that allows life to appear in its true form. Openness is "it was always there, ever before I realized."⁵

NINE
Despite his calm, rational and disciplined appearance, Chi's works are filled with impromptu and quick-wittedness. The semi-representationalistic figures of flowers, leaves, knots and oxalis that are abundant in his 2005 solo exhibition "95014" have vanished, the unconstrained writings on paper no longer appear in his works during recent years, but the forms and brushworks in paintings such as "Jazz Line" and "Soul / Rhythm" still reveal his ardent love for body movement, music and living. During our conversation, when I suddenly became aware that Chi has always been a highly skilled salsa dancer, and he also has been a DJ at salsa parties, I went back to review a series of paintings under the title of "A Moment of Tranquility," and came this shocking realization: the scraped scarlet, emerald green and the distinctively layered texture are both the joyful scenes of cheerful crowd and lively music, as well as the true savor extracted from life experiences. In the center of each of these paintings, there is a line that does not seem to belong in there yet at the same time seems like a self-portrait. This line is the overtones hidden beneath the subject, it appears diverse and colorful in the image of tranquility and inactivity, particularly calm in the bustling and ebullient atmosphere, and extraordinarily allowing within the metaphors of pain and struggles. These paintings remind me of my experience years ago listening to a Spanish artist singing flamenco in Beijing. I was deeply moved by the power of the artistry, and it dawned on me that the essence of these songs lies not in the passion and boldness but in the vicissitude; its greatness lies not in the presentation of a blossoming flower, but the artist's incessant pursuit of beauty after having witnessed, time and again, the flower being in bud, its blossoming and the eventual fading.

notes

1. Verses written in 767 AD by poet Du Fu, the original of which are "Heaven and earth moved back and forth, following her motions…And ended like the shining calm of rivers and the sea…," describing his emotions stirred by watching Lady Gongsun's pupil performing sword dancing, the beautiful visual experience and other mental associations. The preface of the poem also mentions Zhang Xu (658-747), the most well-known calligrapher of wild cursive script in Tang Dynasty, and the enlightenment he reached in his early years through watching Lady Gongsun performing sword dancing.
2. Dorothy Seiberling, "Mark Rothko", LIFE magazine, November 16, 1959, 52
3. Selden Rodman, Conversations with Artists, (New York : Devin-Adair Co, 1957), 93
4. James E. B. Breslin, Mark Rothko: A Biography, (University Of Chicago Press, 1993), 330
5. See Tang Xianzu's (1550-1616) Preface of Peony Pavilion.

 

 

詩意旅程：讀紀嘉華近作

文 / 林銓居

壹
紀嘉華從美國返回台灣之初，我在誠品畫廊看過他的兩次個展，對他的作品留下了深刻印象。如同許多優秀的藝術家，紀嘉華沒有多費唇舌解說他自己的作品，具體的說，我們從未就創作深談。事隔十五年後，我終於有機會踏入他的畫室，親眼看到他創作的過程、已完和未完的作品，並聽到他談起創作的發想，他所景仰的藝術家，旅行、生活經驗與創作的關係。但如同一張抽象畫是無需對位法的解釋，也無需牢套在一個特定題旨或一種刻意雕琢的技術一般，紀嘉華的畫與他關於創作的言說之間，存在著一種自由的關係，由此觀者可以重組、聯想、整合，並與觀者自身的審美經驗、文化特質乃至性情感受取得獨一無二的相互映照。這種註解與解讀的自由乃是藝術的真諦。但毫無疑問，穿過這條解讀的道路，將穿越迷霧、看見靈光、如鏡面的湖水、倒映與真實的雙重影像，將穿越啟示與思考，這是一趟發現與詩意的旅程。

貳
抽象畫的審美是不可言傳的，它的過程是不可思議的。但幾乎是眾所週知、所認同的，抽象畫的審美如閱讀一首詩、如聆聽一段音樂，或以更加接近我們審美經驗的書法藝術來說，抽象畫的審美如同觀看一張字義難以辨識或字義無須辨識的草書。正是這樣，一開始我們會閱讀書法所寫的內容，了解作品的題目，欣賞它的技術，檢視它的筆法和結構，欣賞它的粗細、長短、乾濕、濃淡、遲速、使轉、提頓、暈染與飛白，最後進入了經由上述這些審美條件所營造出來的關係與空間：一開始是作品形式本身的空間，但最美妙的審美經驗是，在進入形式空間的剎那，觀者同時進入了作品的感情、氣氛與神韻所組成的精神空間；在這個空間裡，形式即是內容(每一筆一畫一色都代表了題旨)，內容即形式(每一題旨的意指，都具體被轉化成畫面的筆畫、色彩、造型與符號)；在這個空間裡，藝術家與作品形成了高度的一致性：藝術家即作品本身，藝術家的感受、情緒、能量、覺知、智識即作品所傳達的感受、情緒、能量、覺知、智識，而每一件作品亦即藝術家在看似永無止境的線性時間中被偶然凝固的雕像。

叁
古人說，桃李無言，下自成蹊。我喜歡這個典故所散發出來的訊息：桃李樹下被無聲無息的走出一條路痕。這訊息是美的、含蓄的、詩意的，它說明有人來摘取桃李的果子，但未被看見。其中有一種事實存在著、一種現象發生著、一種真理被感受到，但不立文字、沒有證辭。我回想多年來紀嘉華作品給我的訊息與其中的持續力便是這樣。有些抽象畫家著迷於肌理，造成了製作性與媒材物質性壓倒了精神性；有些畫家著迷於觀念性，因而減低了表現性與感受力；有些畫家著迷於理性，因而失去了詩意；相對來說，紀嘉華是另一種藝術家，他的抽象畫幾乎具足了以上諸多優點而不曾失陷在媒材肌理的營造與觀念的堆砌。他是中庸而豐富的，他的手工與筆觸，將思維與經驗轉化成一種感性力量、一種藝術家性格與修養的呈現，與我從中國最經典的繪畫中理解到的筆墨的精神性無異。

肆
天地之低昂，江海凝清光^(註一)。一首詩，一段樂曲，一篇書法，一瞥靈光，一次接近神啟的淨空、無想與感受。一段既不是過去也不是未來，甚至現在片刻都難以留存的剎那。它普遍的存在我們的審美經驗中，又經常被排除在現實生活之外。它帶著普遍性與共通性，但又像個人私有的秘密般存在著解讀的難度與伴隨著解讀而來的樂趣。但毫無疑問的，這種審美的共同經驗伴隨著人們走過僅有一個世紀之久的抽象藝術。對於創作者與觀賞者而言，它既是新的冒險、創舉與驚奇，同時又再次的印證我們內心最原始、初創、無形、冥想的抽象力量。

伍
紀嘉華的關鍵字：質感，精神性，光線，時間感，正面力量，速度感，音樂舞蹈，平衡，完美，絕對，內在，開放。

陸
紀嘉華說：「向大師致敬的作品，是藝術家一輩子總是要做一次的事。」我完全贊同。
紀嘉華最喜愛的藝術家之一，馬克．羅斯珂說：「作品是經驗本身的一部分，而不是思考經驗的反映。」^註二 他又說：「我不對顏色、形狀或其他元素之間的關係感興趣，我只有興趣表現人類基本的情感。」^(註三) 他又說：「直覺是理性的最高表現。直覺是已死的知識之反面。」^(註四) 我也完全贊同。

柒
如果你問紀嘉華如何開始一張抽象畫？他會說：「從『開放』開始。」生活的經驗、記憶中的場景、引人深思的物件，乃至最近的一趟南極洲之旅，都能成為藝術家的草圖或「起始形式」，但那也僅是「起始形式」而已。揭開這一襲起點之簾幕，展開在眼前的既是無限的風景，也是洪荒的宇宙；它既有豐富的曲線直線、有水平與垂直的能量、有激情的筆觸與平靜凝望的片刻，有無限的色彩可資應用，但同時也是空無一物、不留痕跡的心田：你需要一個完全開放的態度去接納它。我認為這是藝術創作最高處、最艱深也最神聖的界線，漸進式的修行在這裡轉化成頓悟，雜碎與長物剝離，只求望見最本質的自我與最初的一個念頭。在這界線內的領地裡，藝術家的心境既像剛冒出的敏感的易受傷的芽尖，又像統領萬物的王者，那麼是誰決定把光的印象畫成與常識相反的垂直軸線上的一道黃光？是誰抒情的在光的兩側、淺白的底色上留下石綠色的痕跡？那如吐吶、如呼吸一般律動的痕跡，是王者的觀察、思維、決定、執行的絕對力量展現，還是芽尖成長過程中自然的、忘我的、靈犀的一瞬？

捌
開放是美好的。開放是沒有唯一答案的。開放不是一筆糊塗帳。開放是哲學命題。開放是生命得以真實呈現的元素。
開放是「不知所起，一往而深。」^(註五)

玖
在平靜與理性訓練的表面下，紀嘉華的作品是充滿即興與靈動的。二○○五年《95014》個展中充滿花葉、繩結與酢醬草的半具象圖形已經隱匿，紙上作品的書寫揮灑也不復在近年的作品中出現，但〈爵士線條〉與〈靈魂／節奏〉等作品仍然在造型與筆觸上顯現了他對於身體律動、音樂與生命的熱愛。在交談過程中，當我突然意識到紀嘉華一直是一個騷沙舞的高手，且曾經在騷沙舞會裡擔任DJ時，再重看幾件以〈片刻的寧靜〉為名的作品，仍感到心領神會為之一震：那刮擦出來的血紅與翠綠，層次分明的繪畫肌理，既是節奏明快的音樂與熱鬧人群中的激情歡快之場面，也是自生活經驗中粹練出來的真滋味。因此在這三張畫面的正中央，既格格不入的、又自畫像式的擺著一條線，這條線是他隱藏在題旨之下的弦外之音，在平靜與無為的畫面中顯得格外紛紜多姿、在熱鬧與奔放的情緒裡顯得格外冷靜、在痛苦與掙扎的暗喻裡顯得格外包容。

紀嘉華的這些畫讓我想起多年前在北京聆聽一位西班牙藝術家演唱佛朗明戈舞曲的印象。我被藝術的力量打動，我深深覺得這些舞曲的精髓不在熱情奔放，而在它的滄桑，它的偉大與可敬處不在於呈現一朵鮮花的開放，而在呈現藝術家看盡花朵含苞、開放與凋零之後仍不放棄對美的永恆追尋。

註1	詩人杜甫於西元767年寫成的詩句，原句為「……天地為之久低昂，……罷如江海凝清光」，描寫他觀賞公孫大娘的弟子舞劍的感觸與美好的視覺經驗及其聯想。詩中的序文同時提到唐代最著名的狂草書法家張旭(658～747)早年觀看公孫大娘舞劍而得到深刻的啟發。
註2	Dorothy Seiberling, "Mark Rothko", LIFE magazine, November 16, 1959, 52
註3	Selden Rodman, Conversations with Artists, (New York : Devin-Adair Co, 1957), 93
註4	James E. B. Breslin, Mark Rothko: A Biography, (University Of Chicago Press, 1993), 330
註5	語見湯顯祖(1550～1616)《牡丹亭記題詞》。