Ink, Water, Paper: Yang Jiechang’s Balance of Tradition and Innovation
Fig 1. Close of Massacre (1982) by Yang Jiechang
Photo courtesy of Yang Jiechang (2015)
"From then until now I have always considered Massacre (1982) the moment when I became a true artist because it represented my thinking, resistance and free expression" - Yang Jiechang, Ink Studio
Massacre (1982)
Against the cruel backdrop of the Cultural Revolution—a political movement that effectively silenced Chinese artists and transformed the fabric of Chinese art tradition—emerged an artist who challenged professors and critics alike with his bold inkwork and controversial subject matter. This artist is none other than Yang Jiechang, a renowned figure known for his developments in Contemporary Chinese art most pointedly in calligraphy and ink painting. Yang was among the first batch of students graduating post-Cultural Revolution from the Guangzhou Academy of Arts, having served as a Red Guard previously a notorious group known for their part in the Cultural Revolution as counterparts to Maoist ideology. Describing the professors’ high hopes for the group as well as their own excitement Yang states that they were “eager to show our alternative mindset” after the cultural resurgence of the previous decade. Massacre (1982) is Yang’s graduation work from the Academy, featuring a number of decapitated heads painted expressively in ink. This piece, although initially rejected for submission as a solo work, was pivotal in the establishment of Yang’s identity as a “true artist”, representing his “thinking, resistance and free expression”. In the time and space context of its creation post-Cultural Revolution, Massacre marked a departure from traditional Chinese art conventions upheld during the Maoist regime, where art served as mere propaganda for the Chinese Communist Party devoid of individual creative authority. Alongside this, Massacre was also important in changing the direction of the Chinese art tradition, in acknowledging traditional Chinese art conventions while simultaneously transforming them.
In an interview conducted by Ink-Studio in light of Yang’s participation in their 2015 exhibition Ink and Body, Yang describes his intention to paint the heads as “expressionless, conceptual” subjects, preserving them in their state of death on the canvas; expressing his belief of death to be an “eternal” cycle. This sense of emotion and intentionality that Yang displays towards the subject can be traced back to the Chinese art foundations where the physical act of artmaking is inextricably intertwined with emotion – further enhanced by Yang’s choice to utilise ink as his primary medium in Massacre. In traditional Chinese calligraphy and art, ink and water have historically been fundamental components to create expressive works due to its flexibility allowing the artist to easily shape and mould the form of the work, employing techniques such as dyeing, rubbing and colour changes. Unlike Western art which commonly places viewer perception over artist expression, the associated value of Chinese art is dependent on how well the artists emotional experience translates to physical form, the perception of emotion if you will. Creation is linked to the soul, as artists seek to “capture the spirit rather than the form and aims to express genuine emotion from the heart”. In considering this, evaluating the physical form of art offers an intimate glimpse into the soul of the artist. This is further reaffirmed by Yang Jiechang himself as he states: “I paint not only to present the mediums nuances but to express my anger and my love”, paying homage to the sensitivity of the medium and his Chinese heritage. Unlike the ‘plain and innocent’ style of traditional Chinese ink painting, Massacre is heavy, violent and expressive with Yang’s handling of the medium enhancing the vulgarity of the subject projecting anger and frustration towards Chinese censorship. Whilst Massacre as an ink painting is still an example of ‘high art’ with ‘high aesthetic value’ it formally marks a departure from the polished artworks of the previous decade from the Cultural Revolution as well as diverts from the historical style of Chinese ink painting completely.
In the 2021 exhibition Ink City, curated by Katherine Don and Tobias Berger, Massacre was featured alongside the works of 18 other artists. Ink City is a tribute to the Asian ink tradition exploring its historical and contemporary progression – tracing its development into a socially-charged medium where artists are able to explore Western-Asian issues in an ever-evolving contemporary world Massacre alongside Sun Xun’s Shock of Time (2006) were placed in the exhibition as examples of collective memory in the Maoist regime and dissonance between the accepted art tradition and foretold events. Debuted in Hong Kong’s art and culture district, Tai Kwun, this location effectively set Ink City at the intersection between East and West, not only as a practical but symbolic choice in signifying the cultural transformation of the 20th and 21st century.
“Jiechang still can connect to basic parts of his culture and identity, that being, water, Chinese ink and paper”- Martina Koeppel Yang
Crying Landscape (2002) & Black and White Mustard Seed Garden (Tale of the 11th Day Series (2009-2014)
Fig 2. Crying Landscape (2002)
Photo courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2021)
Another example of Yang Jiechang's work that displays similar thematic and stylistic elements is Crying Landscape (2002). This piece, like Massacre, is a social and political commentary, utilising traditional Chinese ink techniques taught to Jiechang in his traditional training to depict a range of iconic Asian and Western images, such as the Parliament Houses, an oil refinery, the Yangzi Gorges dam, the Pentagon, and New York. The artwork holds an accompanying soundscape featuring Yang's screams layered over Johann Strauss II’s The Blue Danube, which aid to further intensify the juxtaposition between wealth and destruction. It is with this combination of tangible and intangible elements that Yang comments on censorship in the contemporary world with what is apparent on a surface-level and what is hidden. Yang combines techniques and pigments from the Tang, Song, and Yuan Dynasties, with the overarching style reminiscent of the Han Dynasty Gongbi painting technique. Gongbi paintings traditionally depict glamorous palaces and delicate flowers as does Crying Landscape with its delicate and elegant style and quality. Yang however subverts this in the panel featuring the Pentagon as well as with the soundscape, juxtaposing these beautiful forms with disturbing events. As Yang notes, "Artists today should not be restricted to traditional dreamscapes; reality is more dreamlike than the actual dream itself". This underscores his artistic philosophy, in pushing the boundaries of traditional art forms to address contemporary and “real” issues.
Similarly, Black and White Mustard Seed Garden (Tale of the 11th Day Series) (2009-2014) reflects Yang's reinterpretation of Chinese art conventions in utilising a classical model of a traditional Chinese landscape painting with animals and humans alike partaking in sexual intercourse. Through use of panorama and large-scale installation, Jiechang suggests an eternal landscape, one that is trapped within that creative space. The notion of escapism and sublimity within the Chinese landscape is one that has historically been recorded by Chinese literati with Taoist and Confucian ideals. As said by scholar Etienne Balazs,
“They longed to escape from the miseries of a dangerous and uncertain life into the joys of nature, where everything is spontaneous, unspoiled and untrammelled. This renunciation, this turning away from a life filled with crime and abominations, was initially a political gesture”- Balazs
Fig 3. Detail of Black and White Mustard Seed Garden (11th Day Series) (2009-2011)
Photo courtesy of Inkstudio (2015)
When viewing this work, viewers are initially left feeling morally conflicted, as the style of the work presents it unassuming to those who don’t look closer. Through Yang asserting the landscape as an unrestricted paradise, viewers are then left to wonder and question the possibility of such a utopia where the contemporary issues of war and tragedy alongside boundaries asserted between predator and prey are non-existent. In a generation where Black and White Mustard Seed Garden was created in midst of conflict and crisis, Yang makes an assertion on the state of the contemporary world and urges for peace and harmony as shown in the landscape. In conclusion, Yang Jiechang has undeniably carved out a distinct space within the contemporary tradition of Chinese ink painting. By infusing classical techniques with themes of violence, grief, and spirituality, as seen in works such as Massacre (1989), Crying Landscape (2002), and Black and White Mustard Seed Garden (11th Day Series) (2009-2011), Yang transforms traditional ink painting into a medium for modern expression. His works move beyond aesthetic beauty to explore the depths of human emotion and existential reflection, challenging the boundaries of ink painting while maintaining a profound respect for its cultural roots. Through Jiechang’s innovative approach, he not only revitalizes traditional Chinese ink painting but also expands its narrative capacity, ensuring its relevance in the contemporary art scene.
References
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———. "This Is Still Landscape Painting." Randian. 2017. https://youtu.be/NO4Eqhe6pm4?si=NHwYPVe2kMhYZc9W.
———. "Yang Jiechang Discusses His Work in "Ink Art: Past as Present in Contemporary China"." By Xin Wang. The Met. 2014. https://youtu.be/NO4Eqhe6pm4?si=c9DtVyPZ4EhpNdeI.
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