WILD INK

I have lived by the belief in wild passion and obsession throughout my creative life. "Wild" is commonly understood as "irrational", or outside of normal boundaries; if one becomes wild, it means losing one's original ideology and living by principles that depart from those of ordinary people. Artistic creation needs to be wild, for if it were dictated by rationality, it could fall into the deep valleys and dead-end alleys of doctrines.

At a gathering of critics and artists in Paris, in the spring of 1998, there was a scholar who studied the writing systems of different countries around the world. He wondered if I had ever devoted myself to the pursuit of water and ink paintings. That brought back memories from around 1974 or 75, when Wang Ji-qian, a venerable painter and collector, repeatedly encouraged me to create works in water and ink. For he saw my work as "wild", as spontaneous and not following any rules. As far back as during my time at Normal University (1965-68), Professor Huang Jun-bi, who taught me, had often guided me towards water and ink figure paintings. I was then absorbed by western painting, and nothing came of his urging.

Mr. Wang Ji-qian once told me that there is an inexpressible mystery hidden in water and ink; that got me thinking often about the genre. I started making water and ink paintings in earnest in 1997, but something seemed always to be lacking and I stopped altogether for a few years. After another few years of experimenting, in 2012 I came to the sudden realization that I could channel the explosive energy which had always guided my artistic creation to water and ink paintings, a brand new field for me. This finally helped me to overcome the reins that had been holding me back in the past. In the spring of 2014, Ms. Lilin Hsu of the XUE XUE FOUNDATION gave me an oversized paint brush as a gift. I tried it out, and it helped me to approach the wild ink style that I had hoped to achieve.

In the world of Chinese art, there are too many great ink and water painters to list, but their interactions with nature were limited to what they could see with their own eyes. Now we are more fortunate. With modern aircraft and remote-controlled drones that can swoop into valleys, forests, rock cliffs, thorn bushes and tall grass, every corner that man could not reach or see before is suddenly revealed to me. Like a bird, eagle or monkey, I can venture deep into the mountains and take in the secret havens, experiencing nature's grandeur with much more intimacy and poignancy, enriching my creative world.

Shih Tao and Chang Dai-chien each began a tradition in the world of water and ink. Master Dai-chien was the first painter to work with the help of a camera, whereas for myself, video recording devices and helicopters opened the door for me to go in search of the energy of mountains and ridges. I thank scientists for their help in terms of mechanical devices and Ms. Hsu for the oversized paintbrush she brought all the way back from Korea. These are what have enabled me to concoct this feast of wild ink.


— A-SUN WU