Selected speeches by art critics at the symposium on Spatial Calligraphy: Exhibition of Liu Yonggang’s Sculptures and Paintings

　　Feb. 14, 2007

　　Participants:
　　Mr. Deng Pingxiang: Vice Chairperson of Hunan Artists Association, famous critic of fine arts
　　Ms. Xu Hong: vice director of the academic division of NAMOC, famous critic of fine arts
　　Mr. Shui Tianzhong: fellow of China Arts Academy, former director of Research Institute of Fine Arts, renowned critic of fine arts
　　Dr. Yin Shuangxi: Executive Editor in Chief of Journal of Fine Arts, famous critic
　　Dr. Guo Xiaochuan: fellow of China Arts Academy, famous critic of fine arts
　　Mr. Lü Pintian: Editor in Chief of Art Observation, fellow of China Arts Academy, famous critic
　　Mr. Wu Hong: art critic, Editor in Chief of www.artron.net
　　Ms. Tao Yongbai: fellow of China Arts Academy, famous art critic
　　Mr. Wang Duanting: fellow of China Arts Academy, famous critic; specialty: western arts
　　Dr. Gao Ling: art critic
　　Mr. Feng Boyi: famous sponsor of exhibitions, art critic

　　Host: Jia Fangzhou, famous art critic
　　We may discuss Liu Yonggang’s works created in response to artistic changes among contemporary Chinese artists and on the basis of his own cultural background.
The second topic to discuss is Chinese hieroglyphic characters as the artist’s starting point.

　　Deng Pingxiang, vice chairperson of Hunan Artists Association, famous critic of fine arts
　　The abstractness of Liu’s works in terms of painting and script depends on his sensitivity to form, a lively imagination of form, and the passion for form. Those determined that he could do a good job, which is proven by the exhibition.
　　I prefer those of his works with a heavy use of the black color. His works are nearly perfect, because they have a background of honesty. I find those dominated by the black color are perfect; there are hardly any obvious inadequacies in them. The path Liu chose was a bit different from other painters. I think it has certain creativity and individuality.

　　Xu Hong, vice director of Academic Division of NAMOC, famous critic of fine arts
　　Mr. Liu Yonggang extracted ‘image’ and ‘meaning’ from characters. Those are what he extracted from the traditional signs. If ‘image’ and ‘meaning’ are to be conveyed in painting instead of written language, they must be given shapes and dimensions. Shapes are his ‘Embrace of Love’, which show the relationship between full individuals or beings. A complete shape has all the features of art.
　　He used the combination of the forces of space and size to express complete and rich meanings and spatial imaginations. When we see his works, we think about their rich meanings; through the forms we sense the meanings and appreciate their aesthetic features.
　　I find his paintings and characters great works. He is among the few artists that can make Chinese calligraphy really impressive worldwide. He opened up new spaces and possibilities for us.

　　Shui Tianzhong, fellow of China Arts Academy, former president of Fine Arts Academy, famous critic of fine arts
　　This exhibition shows a different Liu Yonggang from the person I knew. He has acquired broader vision and his ideas have developed. I’m so glad about his creative achievements.
　　In my opinion, the use of Chinese characters as the formal resource of modern plastic art has only started. There is a long way to go.
　　In this regard Xu Bing has worldwide influence. His use of Chinese characters concentrates on their extension as cultural signs.
　　Some painters in China, such as Li Xiangqun, are also incorporating calligraphy into paintings. He introduced the rhythm of the running hand style into abstract paintings. He surpasses his predecessors in Taiwan in the use of colors, the cultural atmosphere of his works, and the understanding of the cultural meaning of Chinese characters.
　　A couple of days ago the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) held the exhibition of works by Tian Wei, an American Chinese painter. Like those Taiwan painters, he uses Chinese characters as a decorative element. 
　　But Liu is different from them. He grasped the basic composition of Chinese characters. The composition inspires visual and spiritual associations. That is a formal feature that is closest to the origin and essence of Chinese characters, and is worth paying attention to and studying. What is called gufa, or forcefulness of strokes—in calligraphic theory it is interpreted as ‘life, death and integrity’—is not the aesthetic effect, but the composition of characters.
If Liu’s sculptures are placed in different surroundings, they will produce different atmospheres and effects. For instance they may be put in ruins, on a desert, on a spoiled pasture in Inner Mongolia, or in a place with lush grass, flowers and flowing water. The effects and associations will be different. The change of surroundings will cause different associations and feelings.
Yin Shuangxi, executive editor in chief of Journal of Fine Arts, famous critic
I remember the art museum once held an exhibition of calligraphic sculptures by some artist, but those seemed to be the in the running hand style. They looked rather strange and unorthodox. I find Liu Yonggang’s works exciting; they are like some kind of eye-opener. I think his works need more discussion.
　　I suppose it is his artistic cultivation and vision that make the difference. He goes beyond what is common and vulgar, and the result was something interesting.
　　He saw something new and visual in the structure of characters. That was the point of view of a visual artist, not that of a calligrapher, and that was something valuable.
　　Some middle-aged artists have stayed abroad for more than 10 years, but they remain Chinese at heart. They had already been well versed in Chinese culture when they went abroad. Over the years they absorbed and digested a lot, and they came back with something that shows worldwide horizon, instead of simple imitation. There is something western, but there is also something that belonged to what had been the mainstream fine arts since 1949. There were indeed fundamental changes. That may be a signal that contemporary Chinese art will really grow on this land and out of this tradition. We must pay special attention to these artists; I mean real attention, not superficial concern.
The arrangement of his works in the hall, the black-white composition that looks like a military formation, is in fact a sort of device. It means that they have seen many exhibitions abroad, and unconsciously combine different media. That is not confined to sculptures and paintings.
Several blocks of black jade are well polished, and look neat and pleasant.

　　Guo Xiaochuan, fellow of China Arts Academy, famous critic of fine arts
　　I find that Liu Yonggang’s works have two aesthetic styles. The paintings are more passionate, while the sculptures are more solemn and mellow.
　　Mr. Liu’s works always convey the concern for the ultimate meaning of life. They are macroscopic expressions of his concern for the fundamental questions about human life. His earlier works such as Cross and his current paintings on the easel express a passion that is full of vitality. I find them excellent.
　　The use and modification of Chinese characters as a carrier of meaning still conveys an important concern for life, with ‘love’ as the core. I think he is successful in expressing a special emotion and interpretation. The use of characters as a carrier and the modification of it indicate his unique interpretation of them. What Liu did in this respect is special, and shows a distinct style.
Mr. Liu’s creation and exploration deserve unreserved praise. In terms of creation based on characters, he expressed the theme by means of modifying them and using hefty stones or other materials. His visual modification of materials is ingenious. His characters are changeable, and not simply hieroglyphic. That can be felt right inside them.

　　Lü Pintian, Editor in Chief of Art Observation, fellow of China Arts Academy, famous critic
　　In my opinion, Liu Yonggang’s art reflects an academically significant state.
　　Today we see the contradiction between the sculpture and the painting. The sculpture is static, quiet, device-like and three-dimensional, while the painting is dynamic and passionate, full of tension and momentum. They are in contradiction.
　　We may examine them separately. The mainstay of Liu’s sculptures is obviously shapes and signs of the written language. His incorporation of some methods of stereoscopic composition turns two-dimensional shapes into three-dimensional ones. This, plus changes and treatments in a three-dimensional space, put the characters on their feet.
　　Liu has masterly control of the paintings, which appear so dynamic and full of an overwhelming passion. The strokes are so forceful that I could feel the surging vitality of the prairie. And the colors, red, green and black, accentuate its broadness and profundity.
　　His paintings contain small things in contrast, things that can be told apart. His large paintings have the images of written signs as the theme, with a background to set them off. The small ones are a bit like sculptures. Written signs are directly used as formal structures, which are filled with textures, strokes and colors. So his paintings fall into two categories. All these are academically significant.

　　Wu Hong, art critic, Editor in Chief of www.artron.net
Liu Yonggang’s three-dimensional works are not to be regarded simply as sculptures, particularly with respect to their compositions and the way to achieve the effect of their exhibition.
I find Embrace of Love is actually the embrace of Chinese and western culture, or the collision between them.
　　I’m inclined to considering his works something conceptual. His paintings and three-dimensional works are mutually complementary. The experience of writing is very important for Chinese characters. But that is something about their nature, and is fit to be conveyed in paintings. When creating three-dimensional works, he filtered out the cultural qualities of characters, leaving material, spatial qualities only.

　　Tao Yongbai, fellow of China Arts Academy, famous art critic
When I saw Chinese characters stand so imposing, I was suddenly reminded what people of my generation used to say—‘the Chinese people have stood up’.
His paintings are abstract, but I can still feel his particular style. The strong colors—black, red, white and green, reminded me of the Mongolian prairie. His strokes are bold and passionate. Those were unique to him.
　　I see that Liu Yonggang is devoted to art. He’s not like some painters in China, who have sort of degenerated by the lack of pressure and their comfortable life. There used to be abstract painters in the country, but they made little progress; some even retrograded. One needs to have a deep understanding of others in the context of world culture before he understands himself. Liu’s paintings indicate a cultural return, and the return of the heart. He was greatly impressed by the vastness, profundity and power of the desert and the prairie. That was the reason why he transcended the limits of himself and surpassed others.
　　In my opinion, Liu is the first artist to make written-language-based sculptures in the true sense of the term. The creation of such a number of works has something to do with his experiences abroad. Germans are particular about materials, and they are always trying new ones. That always arouses interest in materials. I think he must have learned a lot in that regard.
The choice of the written language as the subject matter was a wise one. Liu used calligraphy as the subject matter and used sculptures to broaden our mind. That is a promising way.

　　Wang Duanting, fellow of China Arts Academy, famous critic; specialty: western arts
　　When I saw Liu Yonggang’s large sculptures outside the art museum, my first impressions were ‘standing characters, walking persons’, and ‘hieroglyphic characters, symbolic meanings’. I’ve heard experts discussing the interpretation of his works from different angles, for instance, love, and the meaning of love in the title Embrace of Love. Mr. Wu Hong said they were about the embrace, collision and exchange between Chinese and western cultures, and Ms. Tao Yongbai thought of Chinese people standing up. All these could be part of the meaning of Liu’s sculptures.
It was in this exhibition that I saw for the first time that the written language could be turned into sculptures. That was special. He turned two-dimensional characters into three-dimensional structures. You may regard his works as sculptures or as devices. His works are powerful, and that we can all feel.

　　Gao Ling, art critic
　　In calligraphy the important things are ‘flow’, ‘power’ and ‘writing experience’. But in Liu 　Yonggang’s sculptures, he left out the two-dimensional ‘experience’ and turned to three　dimensions.
　　In my opinion, Liu is actually trying to make the structure of Chinese characters three-dimensional.

　　Feng Boyi, famous sponsor of exhibitions, art critic
Personally I believe that Liu Yonggang’s works represent his more than ten years of experience, or understanding, or perception of the theme of Love, which he expressed by means of traditional Chinese cultural resources and signs. His works indicate study of the structures or forms of the characters. In fact, he found something to link their images with love. That was his approach.