True Affection, Soundness, Simplicity, Purity--- Read Lin Zhiqiang’s Ink Wash Figure Painting

Article by Weng Zhenxin

26 years ago, Lin Zhiqiang, who was still a student of Fujian Normal University, emerged in the 2nd National Youth Art Exhibition with his ink wash painting Two Herding Men. The famous art theorist Mr. Cai Ruohong specially mentioned this painting in his 8 O’clock in the Morning and gave it high praise, “depiction of the cowshed-like life during the 10 years’civil conflict is to praise the virtues of the ‘guilty people’ in the cowshed; this is a slap in the face of the rebel and proposes incontestable evidences for ‘guilty people are innocent’. ” At that time, Lin was only 21 years old. After graduation from the university, he never slacks off in his ink figure painting.

Lin Zhiqiang’s ink wash figure paintings present the tenacious vitality of realistic style with true affection, soundness, simplicity and purity.

As his maiden work, Two Herding Men carries the time imprint of hurting scar art and the southern style of ink wash painting. His Immortal Memory ---Feb. 7,1923 interprets the unyielding struggles of tortured people in old days from the perspective of modern people. In the painting, Lin Qiangqian, Shi Yang and other ordinary workers look very calm but conceal explosive powers. Standing in front of the painting, you can’t fail to feel the burning emotion of the painter coming directly into your face like a heat wave. Anger makes out poets. True affections and emotions are the yeast of art creation. Lin Zhiqiang is an ardent man who keeps the strong conscience  and consciousness  of suffering of an artist. In today’s art circle, there is an intense tendency of “individualization, lack of the sense of historical mission and social responsibility. Many serious figure paintings are twisted by commercialization.  Under such circumstances, Lin Zhiqiang sets the orientation of art creation in concerns of the spiritual and living conditions of human beings and shows more humanistic care.

Lin is greatly attracted by the green forests attributed to years of life in mountainous areas. He is intensely aware of the urgency of environment protection. Confronting that barren land, he can feel the heavy burden it bears and how much it suffers. Green Dream of the Red Soil is the very outcome of his emotional expression. Others such as Century Suffering, Flying Youth and Windless Days are also refractions of the painter’s mind.

Sitting Posture No.3 tells an old man who have experienced many vicissitudes of life with non-proficient brush ink language. A Lady Awaiting The Train expresses the painter’s understanding of a young lady’s appearance and inner heart with an easy and elegant painting style.  Lin Zhiqiang is keen on realistic depiction of the figure’s facial expressions and emotional conditions.

Lin Zhiqiang loves reading and pays much attention to improvement of his own knowledge structure. He believes the artistic conception, temperament and taste are the highest realm of Chinese painting and his persistent pursuit all his life as well. He has accumulated a plenty of life and art experience all through his years till now, and he will continue to endeavor to improve his spiritual realm and persist in art creation. Thus, we believe he can bring us more good works.