Finding Zen in the art of Chinese ink

 

(Voiceover)

00:02 Zen, a concept that to many is both profound and complex, has now become a rather popular word. Famous contemporary Chinese ink painter Tian Xutong has his own unique expression of the word's interpretation. Tian interprets the concept of Zen through brush and ink, vividly manifesting the aura of Zen in a few simple strokes.

 

(Interview)

Tian Xutong - Associate Professor, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

00:27 "I've always believed, when judging a painting, seventy percent lies in the painting itself, while the other thirty percent is in how people appreciate it. Sometimes, however, it is the other way around. It also depends on what the painter tries to convey."

 

00:40 "Actually, to many people, the reason why they like a certain painting is because they resonate with the painting and find in it an expression of themselves, which to painters is always a big pleasure, too. So I think once a painting no longer belongs to the painter, whether it is on exhibition or collected by others, there is no need for the painter to explain his own art, because with a really good piece of art, different people will find different stories through their different interpretations."

 

(Voiceover)

01:12 In Tian Xutong's opinion, Zen is not a belief or a religion, nor is it a panacea for our endless needs. Instead, it is a state of mind, a great wisdom as clear as water. It is our life, our work, our natural environment, it is simply something that cannot be simpler.

 

(Interview)

Tian Xutong - Associate Professor, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

01:32 "Zen is actually a lifestyle. It is neither a religion nor a belief, even if sometimes what it expresses feels as such. It is still just more about the way of life. There is a short story about Zen. It is about a little monk and his master. The little monk is sent to clean the garden. After he thinks everything is cleaned up, the master tells him it's far from good enough. So he has to start over and sweep the floor once again, and afterwards, the master still says no. The little monk doesn't give up, he splashes water on the floor, and wipes the stairs carefully with a rag. But in the end, his master is still not satisfied with his work. Of course, the little monk gets really frustrated, wondering what it is that makes his master still disappointed. Then the master approaches and shakes a nearby tree, its leaves falling onto the floor. The master explains, "This is real cleanliness, it is not a goal to be achieved, but a way to embrace what is natural."

 

(Voiceover)

02:38 In Tian Xutong's Zen series of paintings, the protagonist is often a little monk who closes his eyes and listens to the world. Sometimes he stands by a lotus, or sits on a mountain, or smiles at a flower, or meditates in the galaxy. Tian brings his own life experience and appreciation of ink art to his paintings. Through clear symbolism, the complexity of Zen is clarified in a simple way so that people can obtain a sense of reverence and perfection and reach a state of tranquility and remoteness.

 

(Interview)

Tian Xutong - Associate Professor, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

03:12 "The most interesting aspect is to use a simple symbol to convey richer meaning. But it is quite difficult, too, because any small variation is noticeable. It took me years to eventually decide on this symbol and, over time, people have been gradually accepting it, which makes it possible for me to express my own understanding of Zen. Such a small thing can convey meaning to people and bear witness to the communication between a painter and a viewer. Actually this little monk had different images before, sometimes standing, sometimes sitting, sometimes just a side face of him, in fact it was quite changeable, but gradually I decided on this one, and since it's fixed, I have found some subtle changes more interesting.

 

(Voiceover)

03:59 Tian Xutong often says it is easy to paint from dark to light color, while it is hard to paint from light to colorless. The same applies to enjoying a cup of tea: it is easy to taste the difference between strong and plain flavor, but hard to taste the difference between plain and flavorless. It is the experience of the creative process that Tian really focuses on; he never conjures Zen out of nothing, or deliberately expresses his own personal take on Zen. This also applies to drinking a cup of tea: some people drink it to quench thirst, some to relax, and others to relish something deep and rich. In the same way that tea can be more than just tea, it is high time that it's realized the same nature is true of Zen.

 

(Interview)

Tian Xutong - Associate Professor, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

04:48 “Many people tend to so eagerly want results that they sometimes lose sight of the process. So, people become very hasty when they do things, making it all messy and utilitarian until they gradually lose touch with so many emotions and feelings. The so-called process of drinking tea, from strong to plain, from plain to flavorless, is, in fact, to be experienced as a slow process, because only when we slow down can we learn to appreciate and understand. I always say, if you stare long enough at the sun you can even count the beams of light. The extent to which you can slow down is a state of mind. Slowing down is an aspect of life, not the purpose of it. Just ;oke in tasting the tea again, the teat itself is nothing more than simply leaves soaked in boiled water, giving out an aroma. Whether the leaves are good or not is not the point, but it’s in how you enjoy it. It has more to do with what you think and do while drinking the tea. How you learn about the quality of the tea is actually the same way in which to approach your life. It is a life experience, also an expression of art”.

 

(Voiceover)

05:37 Removing the utilitarianism of reality and appreciating the beauty of process is where the charm of life lies. Tian Xuton highly respects the art masters of the Chinese Song Dynasty and has found lots of inspiration in their "subtraction lifestyle."

 

(Interview)

Tian Xutong - Associate Professor, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

05:51 "Subtraction is a process of changing material needs into spiritual senses. The more subtraction you do, the better, because complexity distracts our minds, pushes us to misunderstand and make things more complex. I guess subtraction is the real intention of Zen. It is a process that we all need to go through, whether we're painters or writers, artists or ordinary people. There is a saying, “To be Buddha at an old age”. It means, when we grow old, we demand less substance  but will suddenly find life richer and more interesting."

 

(Voiceover)

6:25 A stroke of Zen on a piece of paper may seem simple, but it represents Tian Xutong's constant process of trial and error over two decades. Tian has now collected his Zen artwork into books with well-compiled chapters; they have been on tour domestically and overseas. Tian has also worked on combining his Zen paintings with Buddhism and music, with the intention of bringing the philosophy of Chinese Zen to every corner of the world.