Relief woodcarving and its applications in fine furniture making
The meditation moves with the door movements
A potpourri of fantasies that have survived thousands of years
A bridge between China and the West with a spiritual odyssey alongside
     

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Originally for the art program, this website is developed into an online service in bridging China and the West, for it's an endeavour made to touch the deeps of custom thoughts in the two worlds, and in which making equivalence has to be a frequent concern. Read more.

What I mean by ¡®a spiritual odyssey¡¯ is merely my personal account... such as my Chinese studies.

In order to write about the life of drug-addictives, someone indulged himself with becoming one of them for over ten years. This is parabolic: for an Easterner to understand the West, vice versa. It's not essentially a geographical matter; the spirit matters.

 

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Click on above image for an explanatory story and, in it:

One yao t'iao shu nu

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Click on above image for Chinese aesthetic.

 

The woodcarving painting and its background:
Positioned to combine woodcarving with top Chinese paintings in history, the woodcarving painting is another way of expressing the ancient Chinese art. It composes more of painting than of woodcarving, for it holds on to a core thought of an ancient Chinese artist that reflects on the natural world at one moment. One shall know that such a Chinese artist was essentially some spiritual hermit - in his studio in particular - and was particularly Taoist, emphasizing on a natural and simple way of life. When he waved his magic stick, his Chinese brush for the art, he was indeed dancing with his imagination in his meditation, freely, imaginatively, and figuratively; that each such stroke of the brush speaks his sentiments of his spiritual odyssey; much like a saint in spirit, and as a poet in the aesthetics. One cannot really understand it with throwing a glance at it; one shall bury in thought on it, and the longer time the more it will reveal to him.

Li Jihhua (1565-1635) described the spiritual baptism of a great painter (translated by Lin Yutang):


"Huang Tzuchiu often sits the whole day in the company of bamboos, trees, brush-wood and piles of rocks in the wild mountains, and seems to have lost himself in his surroundings, in a manner puzzling to others. Sometimes he goes to the place where the river joins the sea to look at the currents and the waves, and he remains there, oblivious of wind and rain and the howling water-spirits. This is the work of the Great Absent-Minded [name of the painter], and that is why it is surcharged with moods and feelings, ever-changing and wonderful like nature itself."

Ni Yunlin (1301-1374), a great Yuan painter most distinguished for the quality of the freedom in his works said:

My bamboo paintings are intended merely to paint the fugitive spirit in my breast. What do I care whether they are exact or not, whether the leaves are thick or thin, or whether the branches are straight or crooked?" Again, he said:" What I call painting is only a few swiftly-made strokes of the romantic brush, not intended to copy reality, but merely to please myself."

The prototype of the carvingwork and application:

To prototype, and to carve it out: one shall have a solid understanding of the top Chinese paintings, and to put this understanding into some drawings that are some segments of the prototypes of the woodcarving. In the carving process, one shall be determined and meticulous in carrying out the understanding to each last detail of the carving. Afterwards a certain characteristic would take shape out of the carving, which shall pose a style the same as that of the painting.


Air-dried quality wood is required and chosen. The beautiful wood grain and its original color help work out a unique surface of the woodcarving painting, which has been well preserved with fine treatment. The surface is thus silky. In the whole process, there is no stored force inside, no absorption of moisture. So such paintings will remain stable and will not warp and crack.


These paintings can be framed individually, or grouped in any manner you might desire by special order. These works also show themselves very well when incorporated into meditation walls of cut stone and wooden plank, and into some fine cabinet furniture as well. The various works can be produced in any size you might find appropriate, as long as the proportions stay the same.

The important thing about willows is that their branches hang down, for if they did not hang down, they would not be willows. It is important that the branches be long, for otherwise they cannot sway gracefully in the wind. What then would be the use of their hanging down? This tree is a place where the cicadas love to rest, as well as the birds. It is to the credit of this tree that we often hear music in the air and do not feel lonely in summer. Especially is the case with tall willow trees. In short, the planting of trees is not only to please the eye, but also to please the ear as well. The pleasure of the eye is sometimes limited because we are lying down on a bed. On the other hand, the ear can take its pleasure all the time. The most lovely notes of the birds are not heard when we are sitting but when we are lying down. Everyone knows that the birds' songs should be heard at dawn, but do not know why they should be heard at dawn, as people do not think about it. The birds are continually afraid of the shooting gun, and after seven o'clock in the morning, all the people are up, and the birds no longer feel at ease. Once they are on their guard they can never sing wholeheartedly, and even if they sing their song cannot be beautiful.

 

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That is why daytime is not the proper time for listening to the birds. At dawn the people are not up yet, with the exception of a few early risers.Since the birds are then free from worry, naturally they can finish their song at ease. Besides, their tongues have been lying idle for the whole night, and are now itching to try their skill. Consequently, when they sing, they sing with the full gladness of their hearts. Chuangtse was not a fish and could understand the happiness of the fish; Liweng is not a bird and can understand the happiness of the birds. All singing birds should regard me as their bosom friend... There are many points about the planting of trees, but there is one point which is an annoyance to the cultivated. When the tree leaves are too thick they shut out the moonlight, like shutting off a beauty from our view. The trees cannot be held guilty of this, because it is the men who are at fault. If we could spend a thought on this point at the time of planting trees, and allow a corner of the sky to be shown behind them in order to wait for the rising and setting of the moon, we could then receive its benefits both at night and day.

She concerned herself with some reverie in her next incarnation before taking the last breath in this one; and he followed her up, despite the condemnation.

"I have been dreaming lately," she said, ¡°of my parents who have sent a boat to welcome me home. Whenever I closed my eyes, I feel my body is so light, so light like one walking among the clouds. It seems that my spirit has already departed and only my body remains.¡±


¡°This is the effect of your extreme weakness,¡± I said. ¡°If you take some tonic and rest yourself properly, I am sure you will get well.¡±


Then Yun sighed again and said, ¡°If there were the slightest ray of hope, I would not have told you all these things. But now death is approaching and it is high time I spoke my mind. I know you have displeased your parents all on my account; therefore when I die, your parents¡¯ attitude will change round, and you yourself will feel more at ease towards your parents. You know they are already very old, and when I die, you should return to them as soon as possible. If you cannot bring my remains back to the native district for burial, you should temporarily keep my coffin here and then see to its removal afterwards. I hope you will find another one who is both beautiful and good to take my place and serve our parents and bring up my children, and then I shall die content.¡± At this point, she broke down completely and fell to weeping as if her bowels had been cut through.

¡°Even if you should leave me half-way like this,¡± I said, ¡°I shall never marry again. Besides, ¡®it is difficult to be water for one who has seen the great seas, and difficult to be clouds for one who has seen the Yangtze Gorges.¡¯ "

 

"When I die... "

Click on above image for more

 

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