C H E N P O Y U A N
陳柏源藝術 Chen Po Yuan
非 雲
Post Cloud
2017-18 Artist Statement
Origins of My Art
It was my last flight from Chennai to Kaohsiung in 2006, ending my five years residence in India. That night the flight forced landed into the typhoon zone which I’ll never forget. The flight broke out of the clouds into troposphere where storm and thunder were. It was when the flash of light from the lightning, these bizarre clouds from above the troposphere came into my sight and inspired me ten years after were I began this series. I integrated my personal aesthetic experiences and skills while picking up the traditional mediums that coincide with clouds.
“Clouds” are very common in painting subjects, but often restricted by concentrating in the main body itself or displaying as a nature existence to the background of landscapes since before. Binary opposition concepts such as depicting clouds or no clouds are also present today according to what point of entry the artist picks. Letting the Chinese “Shansiue” (Chinese ink landscapes) presence in my work series is my point of entry. However, the Chinese-Western combination trend is not my intention, it comes naturally and corresponds to my growth experience and development from childhood. Experienced the living of cross-culture (Chinese, Indian, Thai) makes a mark in my art and also pushed the artist to recognize his own true identity and culture he belongs. Letting things take their own course is my concept of art.
Thread of Thought
Since the times of Giotto, “Clouds” had been an implication and clue to suggest theophany in paintings. Along through the period of Raphael, “Clouds” became an effect that imitated the function in act or drama where characters came out of stage in mist. John Constable started his studies of cloudscapes and the thread moved forward to Turner whom rendered clouds more of an emotional expression. Gradually, “Clouds” broke away from its function as a background in landscape paintings analyzed by Hubert Damisch. In Chinese ink painting, where clouds have their own activities such as reasoning "blank" in landscapes form something that can be related to 'over-there' presence but not seen. Facing “Clouds” today, my attempt is to break away from the Western 19th century landscape paintings and transfer it into overlapping imagery of Chinese Shansiue (Chinese ink paintings that usually construct imagery of mountains, clouds and skies). More often I choose to represent them in videos and projected areas to present a more virtual look of how clouds and the idea of distance which our body can relate to.
Core of My Creation
”Clouds” in Chinese Shansiue paintings are often view as “absent”, which is commonly known as "Leaving White” (an absent or negative space in picture frame but function as a positive or present because it is viewed as “Clouds” in an assumed landscape) where artist applies no ink. This method is quite “Internal displayed” which I think is corresponding to ethnic Chinese personalities. My “Clouds” are often set on a high angle perspective (where I’ve seen on my night flight) and I tried to break away from binary opposition concepts of simply recognizing them as clouds or not. Therefore I apply paints by returning to their essence of true rendering, that can lead to a more potential developments in subjects such as clouds and concepts of traditional oil mediums.
(Written by Po Yuan, CHEN)