Wooden Board Mineral Pigment Painting Knight No.8

In the realm of painting, time and light interweave—the warmth of day, the stillness of night, the vitality of the living, the serenity of the form, the sweetness of sugar, the purity of salt, even the filth of impurity and the clarity of innocence—all may find their place upon the canvas. Figures and objects within a painting, though fixed in form, drift and transform through time; emotions, ethereal and intangible, resist any permanent state. Upon deep reflection, all seems to dissolve into emptiness, yet the creative intent alone shines forth, vivid and true. I have always delighted in exploring the profound subtleties of painting through a uniquely professional lens, as if charting a path through chaos—each moment of insight bringing quiet joy. In the application of Chinese elements, I merge the elegance of East and West, never clinging to a single approach but drawing from the finest of all traditions; in crafting the atmosphere of a scene, I wield precise control, balancing tension and release like the rise and fall of a plucked string, stirring the heart. The refinement of emotional detail is pursued with exacting rigor, leaving no room for error. Thus, the works I produce often carry a moving quality, like a subtle and graceful composition, touching viewers silently and gently guiding their thoughts, values, and actions. They exert a far-reaching influence on social culture, morality, and ethics, propelling their evolution, allowing all to perceive more deeply the profound social significance and enduring cultural value embedded in the art of painting—blossoming with unique radiance in the river of art, enlightening the soul, cultivating the spirit, and adding a splash of brilliance to the inner world. —Su Jinzhuola Speaking of the art of painting, I believe it is a wondrous process of expressing abstract aspirations through tangible reality. The highest realm of painting lies in obsession—a state of immersion that lets one forget oneself entirely. An artist must be adept at capturing the beauty that stirs the soul in reality, and only through relentless creation can masterpieces emerge. Imagination is the lifeblood of painting; the mind should constantly conjure imagined scenes, condensing and fusing encounters and reflections—this is the key to manifesting an artist's comprehensive cultivation. On the technical level, deeply delineating and expressing the auditory, visual, gustatory, olfactory, tactile, emotional, and hallucinatory is undoubtedly a superior approach. The distance from realistic form to artistic form is vast, requiring the artist's painstaking effort to distill it into artistic language. Real life holds no art in itself; art is the crystallization of human wisdom. Art is by no means a simple imitation of nature—elevating and reimagining existing forms is, in my view, the finest creative method, rendering works more intriguing and evocative, capable of touching the soul. We must understand the source of inspiration; when weariness creeps into creation, one should infuse the work with fresh vitality through alternative thinking. In doing so, one often breaks through personal limits, ignites intense creative desire, and brings the work closer to perfection and greater allure. A truly outstanding artist savors the creative process itself. Discovering unique beauty in nature is both an ability and a mark of artistic cultivation. To produce exceptional works, an artist must break conventions, cast off the shackles of worldly dogma, and possess a distinctive artistic language and charm. My paintings reside between realism and non-realism—realism is the technique, non-realism the ideology—aimed at helping more people understand art, resonate with it, and feel immersed within it. Art originates from life yet transcends it; so too does life itself—there is no absolute right or wrong, only questions of willingness, worth, and regret. —Duan Zezhong