Mi Li

Brush-pen and ink painting： Inhabit in the poetry

The life root of the post-70s and post-80s once were lost in the sea and the waves in the journey from the plaza to the strange place. Nowadays， standing in the bustling downtown street with bewildering neon lights， they sink into the desolation and fear for no reason in this place they once lived， passed and stared… In the reality， “the ownership” is like drifting sand that may lie in your palm but never will be held for long. It is a kind of animal satisfaction that is unreliable when it comes and unhesitating when it leaves. People can get their happy endings when pursuing natural disposition and beauty. Therefore， the self that “l(fā)oss balance” in the fission may float at will in the world of illusion and reality， and of hope and memory. Here， they can chase each other wantonly， show their happiness and sadness indulgently and experience the infinite richness of the perceptual life.

With brush-pen and ink paintings as the finger to point the moon and the boat to cross the river， the post-70s and post-80s artists climb upward to the kindness. The sublime highbrow view and sharp edges of the social criticism fade away from the works of this generation gradually. They hold their brush-pens not for changing the world or rescuing the people or disclosing of thinking attitude. They pick pearls in the sea of human civilization and do not have to consider too much of the relation with the western art history as their predecessors. Their eyes linger on the paintings and the brush-pen and ink； they surpass the cultural boundaries and ideology and truly return to the noumenon of art. In the face of a piece of silk， they are sober and pure. They focus on brush-pen and ink painting creation. They refuse to eulogize blindly or to imagine abstractly and they try to describe their lives， thoughts and feelings sternly. They create a crystal and clear new situation outside of the romantic and stately grandiose narration.

Without the appeal for utility， this realm is rather comfortable. Willfully wandering in the traditional brush-pen and ink paintings， they release themselves unrestrainedly； they pay no attention to the temporary gain or loss； they refuse to attach to sentences selection； and they create with an unbridled attitude only to integrate with the nature. Behind this kind of creation， we can see the effective and powerful artistic purport beyond this “solemn” manner. It creates new representative space for the creation of Chinese brush-pen and ink paintings in the new era and brings numerous possibilities.

The coming of poetry to the heart is in silence. Just like the snowflakes falling from the heaven in night， it can change the universe and the self. In the morning， the sky， the earth and the heart are all in white. The post-70s and post-80s find a fairyland outside the bustling earthliness. In this place， people live in elsewhere with aloofness， elegance， punctiliousness and affectionateness.

They are prudent to the intervention in the modern new life and popular culture. By playing traditional music， the sensitive hearts will break through the encirclement of self-survival to look on the world coldly with independent thinking and sober and rational mind. With hurry expression and disorderly steps， they shuttle forth and back in the crowd and seize their affection to classic China. There are small bridges over the flowing stream， beautiful flowers， delicate foods and oil lamps in the “hometown”. A stick of incense， a cup of tea and a stalk of lotus are the memory of refined scholars on the history， their longing for the pastoral life and their conversion to the spirit of maintaining the true-plain nature of human. They may be great at Confucianism or familiar with Taoism or devoted to Zen and meditation， and therefore， they， depending on their respect for the classics， sublimate their views on Chinese traditional esthetics and make their paintings clean， transparent and agree with the ancient philosophy. Their works can break through the shackle of the samvrti-satya and bring people with one moment of detachment. These arts can create a beautiful encounter of sprits for the viewers who once experienced a bustling city.

They are detached from the vulgar world and obsessed with the temperament. In the face of the pale and tired souls in the mechanical reproduction era， they cannot resist their longing for a free and unfettered world. “In addition to the daily necessities， I also need a bit of play and pleasure beyond utility. Only with these would life be more fun. I watch the setting sun， the autumn river， the flowers； I listen to the raindrops and smell their fragrance. I drink not for thirst alone but for pleasure， and eat pastries for satisfaction and not mere hunger. All of these are indispensable to life though to some they are just some “useless” decorations. The fancier the better if one were to ask me.” （The Tea Pastries of Peking， Zhou Zuoren） Those words can bring hope to people with distressed life. After the 1990s， with the fast development of material civilization， people strived increasingly for delicate and leisure life. The casual words of Zhou Zuoren， Lin Yutang and Eileen Chang were “dug” out again and became very popular. The birds， flowers and living things presented in works of art became much plumper. To those post-70s and post-80s artists growing in this environment， the meanings of brush-pen and ink paintings and the fun of painting had become their inner persistence. The passing of temperament， interest and thought is closer to the heart than the roar of spears and horses. It recalls the meanings of life and the lost self， just like an inside-out blooming water lily that smile with eyebrows.

Along the river， one side is running for reality and the other side is flowing for dream. The brush-pen and ink paintings dwell in poetry are boats in the river to deliver the sprits to travel again and again. Living in elsewhere， the creation of the post-70s and post-80s artists is never a debilitated escape from the reality. All the illusions and imaginations are sourced from the pain and hope in deep heart. They never hold a slogan or a flag， but they can present interconnected idealism in the poetic imagination. They make the regret in reality up with brush-pen and ink paintings and create a wonderful space for their souls to rest and for the spirit to gallop through old artistic conception， vigorous moment and even ridiculous sleep talking. This is the way they talk to the world.