ICYMI: Masterpieces of Immortal Value ~ The Art's Big Glass Of Wine

Click here to see this email on the web

Friday, October 7th, 2022

Masterpieces of Immortal Value

Share this article:

Chien Chung-Wei, "Moscow at Dusk," watercolor, 2016, 27 x 36 cm

Chien Chung Wei, who was on the Watercolor Live 2022 faculty, shares his inspiring way of pursuing art.

BY CHIEN CHUNG WEI

My only philosophy of art: to accomplish a profound and unique painting.

I am not so much developing a style, but rather constantly exploring and seeking the essence of painting (or of watercolor) and the ways to express the essence more beautifully, more loftily, and with more meaning and value.

I started learning to sketch and paint in watercolor in a studio when I was 17. Since then, I have never asked anyone the question of how to paint this and that or what I should or should not paint.

The funny thing is, once I completed the basic training in painting; I also forgot what it was. It wasn't until recent years did I truly appreciate the way Egon Schiele perceiving beauty is to affirm our awareness of suffering or pain, and really sense the mighty bedrock of shapes, lines and forms in expressionism.

I hope I can make some great paintings to pay a tribute to past masters in art and create some works which I myself regard as marvelous in this life. I've been working toward it and have not yet seen the results. I know it's a tough goal which is difficult to achieve. However, it's the "toughness" that I delight in to push myself forward.

The only thing I adore, being passionate about and having full confidence in is the expressive form of painting in "extracting the beauty and intrigue of form from Nature with various painting media."

I have been enchanted with the magical art form of painting on a plain paper since childhood. With talents and passion, I've been in pursuit of beauty for some 20 years. Now I can feel that I start to see the light…. Therefore, I can feel at ease exploring Nature in the real world, revealing, playing, and extracting shapes to my heart's content. On a watercolor paper or a canvas, I create the ideal, perfect, and intriguing image in my mind. No need to seek out my own style anywhere, because "I" am Style.

The ultimate happiness of a creator often comes from the search for self-fulfillment. Striving to create heart-touching paintings is the true origin and the end. It's just that simple!

Compared with ten plus years ago, now I don't use exquisite strokes and I give up all the special techniques. I choose subjects from daily life, set up a clean composition, and try to get back to the original state of "simple watercolor." I never knew that the past 20 years was just a detour, and it is until now that I am really getting to know what transparent watercolor painting is.

Interestingly, every time I am in the middle of working on a painting, I feel so convinced that I am a rare genius! However, when I finish the work, the defiant and agitated confidence is completely lost because of the flaws that have been gradually accumulated during the painting process. And that is the moment I feel the pain of aiming higher than I can achieve. On the other hand, this is the kind of pain that keeps me constantly improving myself and striving to create masterpieces of immortal value.

Chien Chung-Wei, "Old Town," 2017, watercolor, 37 x 27.5

Whether I can be regarded as a famous master painter or not cannot be only decided by my works; in addition, my unsociable and introverted personality probably makes it even more difficult for me to achieve fame. I just hope that, for the rest of my life, I will accomplish works comparable with those of the Old Masters, and thus I will have no regrets in my life! Yet, for now, I have to confess that I am still far from being a "master."

In fact, I have not yet accomplished many works that I can be genuinely proud of. I am looking forward to attaining that kind of happiness. I do not have much patience or perseverance. I only have a strong passion for painting!

— advertisement —

Chien Chung-Wei, "Seine Blue," 2019, watercolor, 56 x 75 cm

Art is not abstruse at all. I paint what I really want to paint, I do not fool others or myself, and I do not aim too high than I can achieve; I ask myself to widen my horizons and strive for excellence… This is my way of pursuing art.

I have just always been doing what I found very interesting, difficult, meaningful, valuable, and beautiful, and I have been doing it with effort and persistence. I have seen how "good" it is and would like to share it with others. "Virtue never stands alone; it is bound to have neighbors!" I am extremely grateful for all the feedback from these arts-loving teachers, students, and friends.

I just want to speak the truth and paint with sincerity. That's it!

Thank God for making me meet such an amazing painting medium like watercolor! I will definitely make every effort to create immortal masterpieces until I die. This journey of painting has just begun.

Read & share this story online >

— advertisement —

Kelly Kane's Pick of the Week: "Through the Trees"

By Kelly Kane, Editor-in-Chief, Plein Air Magazine

Antonin Passemard, "Through the Trees," 2020, oil, 20 x 28 in., Available from Hagan Fine Art, Plein air

In this series Kelly Kane, Editor-in-Chief of Plein Air Magazine, shares a favorite painting and artist quote from a recent issue.

Kelly Kane's Pick of the Week: "Through the Trees"

"For the most part, I like to finish my plein air paintings completely on location, which means I often paint in multiple sessions, usually five to seven. But I also do some plein air paintings to use in the studio as reference. They're really two different types of work.

"I highly recommend working from memory also. Actually we do a lot of that in plein air without even realizing it. You can see how painters like Bonnard and Vuillard used it and visualize where it can take your own art. Anything that helps you realize your artistic vision is a good thing. The key is to experiment."

— Antonin Passemard ("Plein Air the World Over," June-July 2021)

Read & share this story online >

Read the full article in Plein Air Magazine, June/July 2021, and subscribe at https://www.outdoorpainter.com/subscribe, so you never miss an issue!

— advertisement —