Ten Year’s Peaceful Dreams
--Xiang Chengxue and his paintings

by Jia Fangzhou

I am very happy to see the new works by Mr Xiang Chengxue. The new art environment and new work arouse his passion to life again, which is best proved by his newly-painted “flower language” series. The so-called “flower language actually is his “heart language”. With the rich flavor, I know it is his proper look. These works bring me back to “Sanduer in October”---the masterpiece of Mr. Xiang, which was showed in the 7^th National Art Exhibition, expressing the beautiful scenery of Xing’anling forest in autumn. The picture is dense, full and hottest, but now, he emphasizes to express his feeling directly with wild style and strong. At that time, he paid much attention to model, space and pastroral sentimentalism of the fore colours.

Mr. Xiang is northern man who has wild appearance and minute heart. He values feelings and longs for hometown. He was born in Wulanhaote of Inner Mongolia in 1954 and a native of Xing’an Meng grasslands. He came back to hometown after graduating from North-east Normal University and led a group of brothers” to found an undertaking which became the backbone of oil painting in Inner Mongolia. In early 1990’s, he went to the sea city of Dalian from grasslands with great hesitation. It didn’t give him any pleasure to live in modern city; however, he was involved in deep lost for leaving hometown. He cannot adapt himself to the new environment and new job, and cannot find the feeling of “home”. In the first several years, he was in great misery because of leaving home. This “home” not only refers to “hometown”, but also the former art area where he produced works of art freely. “Sangbuer in October” became such a distant unforgotten dream that still drew “the Remote Sangduer”. In these years, he spent much time recalling the past times and old acquaintance. He drew a whole series of pictures, some of which were glorious, some miserable and some sorrowful. There were many memories in Sangduer. He didn’t have his old feeling fulfilled until he drew “Coming back to Sangduer”.

We should say that in the recent ten year, it was recalling that mainly accompanied Mr. Xiang. He faced the sea all day, but only several of his works expressed sea. He still focused on the past lives: the snow-covered villages, the forest in winter, the black Halaha river, the old wall full of grief color… it seems that there is something mentioning the sea in “ The Memory of Big Fishing Island”, but a kind of uncomfortable and frightened mood is full of the works. In the whole, his works in this period are all in a suppressing gray color; even the still lives were drawn heavily and bitterly. Although the style of “Coming Back to Zhouzhuang” is much lighter, there is great difference from the poetry painting idea of south cities. Till “flower language”, the hot, strong and warm style comes back to his painting. I was so happy to feel that it is releasing realistically and is the twist of his feeling.

 So far as style is concerned, from “Sangbu’er in October” to “Flower Language”, he not only persists on profoundness, but also changes from restrict to wildness; it is not only a natural result of emotional experience, but also a mature process of his artistic style. And the profoundness and wildness, which have the expressionism color, are the two important aspects of his personality forming and emotional experience. So “style is personality” is right. Style and personality are unified. Artistic style shows one’s personality naturally. When art arrives its pith, as artists in Germany said, is the personality’s art. Yan Zhenqing’s handwriting is as profound as Zhou Bo, so Yan Zhenqing could not be a skittish and shallow person. From Xiangcheng’s artistic style, it is not difficult to get that he doesn’t intent to imitate others, but to be led by his personality on the way to maturity.

                                    Shangyuan Sanjingju Beijing
                                                                               Dec.30 2002

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