Mr. Lai Zhigang landscape paintings have made certain innovations in the tradition of Chinese landscape painting, especially the Li family’s landscape tradition. His landscape paintings mainly use the "Ji Mo" (accumulation of ink) technique. Mr. Li Keran was also very skilled in this technique, and Lai Zhigang further pushed the "Ji Mo" landscape painting technique to its extreme, maximizing a particular element of traditional Chinese ink painting, which in itself is a form of innovation.

 

From the works exhibited in this exhibition, we can see that his "Ji Mo" technique exhibits extremely rich layers of variation. It’s not simply an accumulation of ink but a variation in the rhythm of black, white, and gray, which he handles very well. His depictions of mountains, clouds, and water are particularly rich, aligning with Xu Beihong's advocacy of "expansiveness and meticulousness." The overall momentum of his paintings is grand, magnificent, and vigorous, while the details are extremely exquisite, a very skillful combination of both. The reason why I say his work provides deep insights for contemporary Chinese landscape painting is that while some current landscape paintings do possess grandeur, they often lack meticulous details and do not reach a state of rich simplicity. Mr. Lai Zhigang choice of a simple black, white, and gray pure ink language expresses his love and reverence for the mountains and rivers of his country, infused with genuine emotions and patriotism. His paintings, whether depicting Huangshan or other cloud-covered mountains, convey his feelings for the homeland. In terms of both technique and emotional expression, Mr. Lai Zhigang "Ji Mo" landscapes offer profound insights for contemporary Chinese landscape painting.

 

Lai Zhigang has developed the "Ji Mo" technique to an extreme level, achieving unique mastery in handling the colors of black, white, and gray. When I first encountered Mr. Lai Zhigang ink paintings a few years ago, the most striking impression was his variation of black, white, and gray, and how his "Ji Mo" technique created a deeply majestic and profound atmosphere. In terms of both technique and mood, his works have made significant advancements in traditional landscape painting.

 

Art theorists are very focused on Lai Zhigang works, his ink art, and the development of contemporary Chinese landscape painting. Experts have highly praised his ink art. His paintings are recognized for their majestic momentum, as well as their sense of sorrow, mystery, and sublimity. His heavy use of ink, gray tone variations, overlapping ink rhythms, integrated brush and ink, and photographic texture are all characteristics of his work. Based on expert reviews, I believe Mr. Lai Zhigang decades of ink art creation have lived up to Zou Peizhu's expectations, as he has consistently adhered to the spirit of inheritance and innovation.

 

Mr. Lai Zhigang large-scale work "Yi Dao" represents the peak of his artistic exploration in the new "Ji Mo" landscape painting. This work is not only large in scale but also grand in momentum. From a technical perspective, he has truly brought the simple artistic language of "Ji Mo" to its peak, embodying the essence of traditional "Ji Mo" techniques. Especially the point, line, and surface techniques of Gong Xian, Huang Binhong, and Li Keran are all present in this painting. On the other hand, he not only absorbed the compositional structures of Song dynasty painters but also pushed beyond the works like Fan Kuan's "Travelers Among Mountains and Streams." In Lai Zhigang paintings, the mountain peaks are sometimes obscured, pushing the whole mountain into the foreground, giving the audience a sense of being on the scene. His "Ji Mo" technique, especially in painting cliffs and mountain slopes, incorporates various brush techniques, creating a very textured effect. His depiction is richer than any previous landscape and stone painting methods. Furthermore, the paintings are both grand and delicate, with each fingernail-sized ink spot being unique, achieving a level that truly embodies Xu Beihong's advocacy of "expansiveness and meticulousness, forming a coherent whole." When Mr. Lai Zhigang commented on Li Keran's works, he noted a sense of sorrow, majesty, and a somber tone in the ink accumulation. I feel that Lai Zhigang works also carry a sense of tragic grandeur and somber tone. Looking at his entire body of work, I am not only amazed by the grandeur of the country's landscapes but also reminded of the nation's destiny, especially the resurgence of China after a century of hardships, which is deeply moving and inspiring. Therefore, I believe Mr. Lai Zhigang works are worthy of serious appreciation and study by contemporary Chinese painters.

 

Mr. Lai Zhigang new "Ji Mo" landscape paintings have pioneered a new style in contemporary Chinese landscape painting. Although derived from tradition, they have achieved the modern transformation of traditional Chinese landscape painting, characterized by two prominent features: simplicity in language and depth in meaning. This simplicity is not mere simplicity but rather a rich simplicity. His "Ji Mo" technique contains layers within the black, with very rich layers. Whether it's the reserved white space or the layout of white areas, especially in depicting clouds and water, where the white contains even whiter and brighter parts, and the black has layers, and the white has highlights. This connects closely with the traditional Chinese philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi's "knowing white, keeping black." Mr. Lai Zhigang chose this simple "Ji Mo" as the base tone of his entire painting, aligning with the spirit of Laozi and Zhuangzi's philosophy. By leveraging "Ji Mo," he has modernized traditional Chinese philosophical thoughts and brought them into the realm of contemporary aesthetics. This profound insight into how to achieve the transformation from tradition to modernity is a valuable contribution to contemporary Chinese landscape painting.

 

Mr. Lai Zhigang has also created many sketching works. These sketches are not just materials for his creative accumulation; through observing the scenery and painting from memory, they maintain a relatively unified tone of "Ji Mo" landscapes. Over the years of sketching, he has formed his individual ink style. His sketching is not mechanical copying of the objective scenery but involves selection and processing, emphasizing the most impressive parts. For example, when depicting the residential buildings of southern Anhui, which is his hometown scenery, he doesn't mechanically represent them but combines them within his ink framework, making people feel not only the natural beauty but also the beauty of the ink itself. This distinguishes his sketching from general photographic sketching. The clouds he painted in his sketches provide important references for his later large-scale landscape paintings. These sketched clouds are trials for future large-scale creations, depicted in various forms, with some having strong textures and others emphasizing the ink's rendering effects. Therefore, his diligent sketching work has laid a solid foundation for his large-scale creations.

 

The lineage of Mr. Lai Zhigang new "Ji Mo" landscape paintings can be traced from Gong Xian to Huang Binhong, Li Keran, Jia Yufu, and then to Lai Zhigang, forming a continuous lineage. Currently, there are not many painters who truly inherit Li Keran's painting ideas and ink techniques, but Mr. Lai Zhigang, as a second-generation disciple of Li Keran, has faithfully practiced Li Keran's painting philosophy and techniques. Li Keran said, "One must delve into tradition with the greatest effort and break out with the greatest courage." Mr. Lai Zhigang has indeed done this, putting considerable effort into traditional Chinese landscape painting, creating a uniquely profound and majestic atmosphere. He has devoted significant effort to the main subject of landscape painting, the mountain rocks, not only inheriting the strong mountain structures of Northern Song paintings but also using layers of "Ji Mo" to make the mountains appear thick and lush. The framework of Northern Song landscape paintings is strong but lacks thickness and a sense of layers, which Lai Zhigang "Ji Mo" technique compensates for. Another brilliant aspect is his use of the "Ji Mo" technique to paint clouds and water. Ancient painters also had some good water paintings, like Ma Yuan's "Water Map," which mainly relied on line structures. Modern examples, such as Lu Yanshao's rivers and gorges, also primarily use lines to convey flowing momentum. Mr. Lai Zhigang clouds and water are painted with "Ji Mo," and many parts are done with light ink, gradually deepening but not too deep, using a misty method to express clouds and water, making them appear ethereal and floating, with a sense of semi-transparency and mistiness. This is something traditional Chinese painting lacks. To put it bluntly, Mr. Lai Zhigang cloud and water painting techniques even surpass those of his teachers. If the clouds were a single color, they couldn't express this thickness and texture. His subtle use of "Ji Mo" can show the so-called three-dimensionality, painting three-dimensional clouds. This integration makes it look very natural, ethereal, and misty, making the mountains appear even more majestic. Using light and virtual elements contrasted with the solid mountains enhances the grandeur of his compositions.

 

I believe Mr. Lai Zhigang valuable contribution lies in his inheritance of Li Keran's artistic philosophy of integrating Chinese and Western art. This integration is not superficial but deeply natural. The light in his white clouds, to highlight the brightness of the white clouds, is backed by dark ink mountains, and the gradual weakening and diffusing of the clouds with light ink highlight the brightness of the clouds. In some of his paintings, the white clouds in the mountains are particularly bright, which is noteworthy. He also paints water and waterfalls, and the backlit contours of trees, all inherited from Li Keran's landscape painting. However, he has enriched them further, with many streams flowing from the mountain tops depicted with an ethereal transparency, incorporating both ink and light, creating a deeply integrated modern aesthetic of grandeur and profoundness. This is a significant feature of Lai Zhigang "Ji Mo" landscape paintings. His new "Ji Mo" landscape paintings have established a new style in contemporary Chinese landscape painting, and the artistic concepts behind this new style offer profound insights for contemporary Chinese landscape painting, particularly in achieving the transformation from tradition to modernity.