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Step into Professor Cheng-I Wu’s Inky Wonderland

Exploring the infinite flow of time through poetic brushstrokes

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Have you ever imagined green summer banana leaves blanketed in white snow? While such a sight may elude reality, it evokes a poetic romance where the boundaries of time and space dissolve. This is the beauty Cheng-I Wu aspires to evoke through his ink artistry. Each painting becomes a poetic ode to both the everyday and the sublime.

Today, Professor Wu teaches ink painting at the esteemed Taipei National University of the Arts, one of Taiwan’s most revered institutions. His scholarly contributions include several influential volumes on art theory, such as Contemporary Taiwanese Art: Literati Ink Painting. His work, celebrated for its depth and elegance, has graced numerous solo exhibitions and is held in the collections of prestigious art museums.

Classical meets contemporary

In Wu’s ink paintings, we behold a sophisticated reinterpretation of classical Chinese ink art with contemporary sensibilities. His landscapes—mountains and water—are depicted with an unusual three-dimensionality not typically seen in traditional ink painting. Yet, his work faithfully retains the distinctive fluidity and expressiveness characteristic of classical ink brushstrokes.

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Island: The Frontier, inspired by the coastal beauty of Taiwan, where mountains and the sea coexist beneath a full moon. The scene conveys a timeless and ethereal atmosphere.

From ancient times, the highest aspiration in traditional landscape painting has been to unveil the invisible grace that the artist perceives through a deep communion with the natural world. “So,” says Wu, “such an essence cannot be replicated. It is not merely a matter of the refinement of brushwork, but rather a reflection of the artist’s own thoughts. The societal contexts of modern artists have undergone dramatic transformations compared to those of the ancient literati, who were intimately connected with nature to observe its ever-changing nuances. The estrangement of modern life from the natural world makes it challenging to fully grasp and convey such ephemeral beauty.”

How does Wu, as a contemporary artist, navigate this challenge and evoke a transcendent vision of landscape in his work? “From the Five Dynasties (907-979) through the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127), Chinese landscape painting began to embrace a panoramic reconstruction of nature. A prime example is Guo Xi’s Early Spring, one of the most distinguished masterpieces in Taipei’s National Palace Museum. This painting might be the most richly layered landscape I have ever seen, capturing the ever-shifting moisture of the air—perhaps layered in over ten strata, meticulously built up within a single canvas.”

This reimagining of nature returns to the very essence of classical Chinese brushwork—portraying landscapes with a flowing vigor and infusing them with an elusive, otherworldly quality.

In Wu’s artwork, the majestic peaks and boundless seas seem to be his primary wellspring of inspiration, yet they rarely manifest in their exact realism. His mountains, whether seen from afar or up close, appear to float upon the sea or hover in the sky; the distant is not necessarily illusory, and the near is not necessarily concrete. The clouds may drift and swirl like water, while the ocean’s waves might unfold and billow like clouds. Each layer of reimagined scenery encapsulates a frozen moment as perceived by Wu, reflecting the majestic grandeur of nature while also portraying the ebb and flow of his internal landscape.

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Island Reverie: The Music of the Waves depicts a vast, undulating sea, where layers of ink wash and delicate brushstrokes evoke a
graceful rhythm in the deep blue waters. In the distance, the rugged, craggy island seems to echo the sound of waves crashing against the shore, as if carrying the melody of the ocean itself.

Aesthetic resonates with poetry

To Wu, classical ink painting is a sophisticated amalgamation of poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving. It embodies the poetic essence of Eastern aesthetics, transcending the constraints of time and space. Each painting unfolds as a narrative, flowing with an intrinsic sense of poetry.

Order the Magnifissance print edition to read the full story.

This story is from Magnifissance Issue 127

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