Ink art is a hot topic now, marked by numerous thematical exhibition of its kind. The reasons are twofold. Grandiosely, it is to advance the Chinese traditional cultures and for the sake of cultural confidence. Hidden behind are the investors driven by potential business interests. Many of them profit from the chaos. I would not repeat as I have discussed the chaos in another essay. I just want to point it out that in no case could we sacrifice art or artistic inquiry for other purposes. Especially for the artists, the greed would always end up with great costs. Thus I appreciate artists who focus on their works without looking around, who are steady and self-confident. In contrast, the opportunists would put efforts in anything but not their artistic practice, only to gain greater vanity. But even the greatest vanity would lose to death. 

Now it’s time to come back to Li Xinfeng, a painter born in Shandong province. It’s not long since I first met him. So my knowledge of him is limited only based on our previous conversations. I am impressed by his persistence and passion for painting. I must say that he belongs to the scarce type of painters who has a belief in painting. While not all who are devoted to painting turn out great painters. According to Yuan Mei, it requires the effort, talent, courage and knowledge to be a good poet. Among them, the talent comes first which has been validated by art history. Xinfeng has talent. His passion and persistence are controlled by his introversion and indirectness, thus producing a power that is sensible but untraceable. I once talked to him about the current ink art hot. He said that though every artist is disturbed by different factors at different phases, the key is to keep a complete and self-sufficient inner world. His answer is related to his profession as a teacher, the same as me who has been teaching for years. As an old teacher, his art is more or less shaped by his teaching experiences in terms of the concept, technique and expression. According to my own experience, the class is like a net, or a small world. I do not know whether the small world influences Xinfeng positively or negatively. But I daresay it is necessary to resist pressures and troubles from the small world.

Xinfeng is a typical contemporary ink artist who experiments on alternative materials and creates new visual languages. Two things are important to achieve this goal. It is to combine the expressive style of western art with the interest in ink and stroke which is the key spirit of traditional Chinese impressionistic ink art, with an emphasize of the vividness, layer and freshness of the image. Thus the artists would exhaust everything in their endeavor to make a break through. The reason of their choices bases on the value attributed to creativity, which used to and continues to be a flag put up by the painters. That is one of the reasons why the painter becomes an undeserved name. Xinfeng has fully realized the significance of creativity, but he alerts being void and fashionable. If an artist only follows the trend, he would soon end up against his original intention. When I first saw Xinfeng’s artworks, it surprised me to see the achievements of a painter from Shandong province, a place far from the center of the ink art. All on his own, Xinfeng has a very high standard even he bases his art practices only on his own understanding and judgment. He refuses to repeat an established style or to follow the popular way of painting like graffiti. It’s a pleasure that he proceeds on his way with determination.

I feel a necessity to discuss the content of Xinfeng’s art. Just like in literary critiques, one must use concept, narration and rhetoric in his analysis. The composition, form and stroke are employed to evaluate a painting. Xinfeng is devoted to painting for years. He has established a methodology after exploring the composition, design, form, stroke and color of painting. In his artworks, the images seem to be free,  formless and messy, one could still senses his rationality. That is to say, his image is delicate and carefully planned, that his reason is guarding responsibly and censuring his behaviors all the time.  Sometimes the reason is too powerful that it weakens the spirit and vividness of art, leaving only rigid forms and empty concepts. But here I must emphasize that Xinfeng is different when compared with most rational painters. Xinfeng follows his nature that is well-balanced with reason and sentiment. When he expresses himself, his art always presents in balance. Xinfeng’s passion is usually presented against a calm presentation, while his cool head is reflected in a passionate expression. Looking at his artworks, I could imagine the artist’s eyes focusing on the canvas trying to take control. In Xinfeng’s words, generations of genius artists have fully explored the field of ink art. The only possibility leaving for him is to pursue a unique individual style. Even a possibility is sufficient for an ink artist to go far, just like what a flat country means for a horse.

Yes, a personal style is important. If we review successful artists case by case, a personal style always comes first among other factors. But in addition, I would say any piece of good artwork is attributed to three factors. The first factor is uniqueness. That is to say a painter could be recognized at first sight of his artworks without reading the caption. The second factor is challenge. Even a simple image must have its challenge of some sort. It could be the technique, production or concept. The third factor is to what extent the art piece is finished. If we take the example of an athlete, any unfinished action would fail his performance regardless of how excellent the rest parts are. I have seen many others who fail in this field. But Xinfeng through his endeavor and talent has proved what makes a good artist. It is not where he lives but whether he has kept a complete and self-sufficient inner world. An individual always has conflicts with the community and society. No border or center would last forever. Art practice should be dynamic, so is the artist. That is what Xinfeng teaches us.——Academic Guidance Li Xiaoshan