PRIMORDIAL LINE

I - I- KUAN-CHIH

ALL EMBRACING ONENESS

SHI TAO  Late 17th C Chinese painter

Shi Tao is one of my favorite Chinese painters.  He was an individualist in character and in his style of painting.  I'am  aways  inspired by  looking at his paintings and his writings. I was reading some of them two days ago and again realized how important his words were for me and for the artists of today. I would like to share some of his thoughts with you.  The following are a few of his quotes:

        " Primordial line  is the basis of all things and the root of a myriad phenomena : it  encompasses the infinity of creation.

         Painting of oneness:  my Tao is that of an all embracing oneness.

          If the world only knows the ruler and compass, but not the principles of rotation of heaven and earth, then Heaven and Earth will tie people up with methods and people will bind themselves by becoming servants to method."

  I see this happening to us today.  Many artists concentrate on method and concept with out meaning  and content.  Much art for me today is "clever" and with out depth and meaning.  shocking or clever with material and images that impact us with no relevance for enriching our lives. Shallow and clever, shocking and a blast to the eyes and brain with out taking us deeper.

" Shi- Tao saw himself at he center of a holistic universe  which was the origin of himself and the world, the past and the present. 

     POEM:   BEATING DRUMS WITH A CYPRESS WOOD STICK,

                   OR WRITING CALLIGRAPHY WITH A SHEEP HAIR BRUSH,

                   WHAT MATTERS MOST IS THE SATISFACTION OF THE MOMENT,

                   AND NEVER MIND SUCCESS OR FAILURE IN THE EYES OF POSTERITY,

                   BUT UNLESS THE PAINTER HAS THE HAND THAT CAN KILL AND BREAK THROUGH  

                            

                   PASSES,   HOW DARE ONE PLAY WITH A PAINTING BRUSH.

Wow what character, Courage, endurance , and  integrity.  Something to live up to!!

He also talks about " cultivating the right state of mind while painting. and the last is  

"I depend neither on mountains, nor on water, neither on brush nor ink, neither on present, nor on any ancient sages--- I depend only on what  I am able to nourish and draw upon myself.

WARI  ANDEAN EXHIBITION 

A good friend and I went to this exhibition in Cleveland , The Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio.

We arrive in the center of Cleveland and our hotel the Glidden House.  We were surprised by all the interesting contemporary architecture  that surrounded us and that we could walk to with in a few blocks of our hotel.  The Art Museum has just opened their now wing and restaurant which is in the new spacious atrium.  For me the show was superb and the lecture that we attended that night by Susan Bergh was interesting.  As you can see above the pottery  was exceptional. Shown here  is a chicha vessel ( sacred drink, native corn beer) from which people would be served during feasting rituals.

The textiles were to die for and sometimes they did!  Here is one of the main deities woven in an abstracted manner he Staff God.

The next day I went back to the exhibition alone. Just to sit and absorb all that was there. As I looked at this textile and its' abstraction of the Staff God I felt that this one in particular was about transformation.  From my Shamanic experiences in Peru I felt that this  textile was about moving from one state of being to another.  It was not just an aesthetic choice of the weaver but could be read  on one level as the movement from one reality to another.  As this was a common practice among shamans of all cultures. Not only could this be read on the level of depicting the deity but could be read on many different complex levels and I even thought that each small design unit could carry a meaning or a reenforcing  meaning , a deeper meaning of the deity and its place in the culture.

I hope that who ever reads this can go to this exhibition it well worth the trip and opens new thoughts on the little known Wari culture of ancient Peru.