In her latest artistic endeavor, Kang Chunhui extends the boundaries of her practice by revisiting a familiar pictorial theme: the Fuchun Mountains. This time, she openly references the influential handscroll of Huang Gongwang, transforming it in a gesture that challenges conventions within the Chinese pictorial tradition. In China, there exists an inherently interpretive tradition where referencing classical poetry or texts holds significant cultural and social currency. Kang Chunhui's approach is deeply empathetic: she seeks to understand what Huang Gongwang envisioned at 80 years old, when he executed his painting, believing that literati painting reflects the places they yearned for in the afterlife. She perceives a longing for an idealized place beyond this life's reach, prompting her to personally visit the Fuchun Mountains on 31 March, 2024. Following in the tradition of Dong Qichang, the late Ming Dynasty Chinese art theorist, calligrapher, and painter (1555-1636), who championed firsthand experience of the landscape; he suggested that artists journey to the locations of ancient masterworks (carrying either the original or travel-sized copies) not merely to directly engage with nature, but to gain deeper insight into the mindset and inspiration of the old masters. Walking around the entire Fuchun River and exploring the landscapes around Hangzhou and Wuxi, she seeks to capture the essence of the misty, rainy spring depicted in Huang Gongwang's painting: "Sensing my surroundings deeply, it's as if every element in that place imparts its own unique essence onto me. Whether it's the rain and mist, the morning and evening light, or anything else, each contributes to this shared feeling."(1) Starting from an interest in Huang Gongwang's feelings, Kang Chunhui eventually finds her deep fascination in depicting nature lies in her intimate and emotional connection with it, rather than solely paying homage to past masters. She describes this connection as a form of homage, not to the masters of the past, but to nature itself.
In her typical creative process, characterized by swift execution following extensive conceptualization, Kang Chunhui dedicates an entire month upon returning to her Beijing studio to translate her embodied experience onto a specially hand-made paper scroll measuring 33x750 cm. The stunning outcome, "The Hidden Protagonist: Mount Fuchun," compositionally follows the most relevant structural outlines of the inspirational painting, creating a floral portrayal of the natural world. Just as a skilled calligrapher feels the brush's elasticity and contemplates the interplay between ink and water upon the first stroke, Kang adeptly captures the essence of the landscape across four seasons with her syncretic technique blending meticulous detail and freehand style. Kang employs red monochromatic peach blossom flowers as potent symbols, integrating solid masses and trees into voluminous petals with brilliant red pistil-like dots, highlighting specific reference details. Here and there, figures such as a man on a boat or a flock of ducks are depicted as luminous shadows on the untouched pictorial surface, graciously blending with the scene while leaving a minimal imprint, yet evoking vivid traces of their formal presence. The intense brightness of light in certain areas of the composition is so pronounced that it results in parts of the surface remaining completely untouched, a deliberate effect achieved through the use of the liu bai technique.(2) In contrast to tradition, certain portions of the landscape depict the water or sky unconventionally, deviating from leaving them blank. The artist attributes this approach to her aerial perspective from an airplane flying over the depicted area. This perspective enables her to observe phenomena such as the reflection of light from clouds or water surfaces, a perspective unknown to ancient painters.
Natural forms, especially rocks, hold a central significance in Chinese traditional landscape depictions, a concept that resonates both historically and in modern contexts. Rocks and mountains, being solid forms, are integral to this portrayal. Thanks to her cunfa technique, the artist is able to create a three-dimensional character that, if on the one hand is able to transpose the tridimensional character of the depicted subject on the other, thanks to her floral transmutations, adeptly capture tactile sensations of surfaces, rendering forms that exude unbroken fluidity. In her Fuchunshan rendition, Kang Chunhui's exploration of plains and folds, serves as a metaphor for contemplating broader concepts such as time and space.
Starting with a vivid depiction of budding peach blossoms, the scene exudes nature's dynamic energy, flowing spontaneously through the landscape with varying movements and intensities that echo the terrain's contours, water flow, and seasonal changes. As the peach blossoms reach their final season, they reappear on the opposite edge of the scroll, creating a deliberate continuity. When the two edges of the handscroll are brought together, the entire landscape forms a unified composition. All things go back to their roots. All things flourish and return to their root. The cycle is complete.
(1). Kang Chunhui in an interview with the author in his Beijing studio, 27 April, 2024.
(2). Liu bai (留白) is a term in Chinese art that refers to leaving blank space deliberately in a painting. It is a technique used to create balance, harmony, and emphasis within the composition. By strategically leaving areas of the paper or canvas untouched by paint or ink, artists can create contrast, draw attention to specific elements, and convey a sense of depth or openness in the artwork.
