The Rhythm of Thoughts: Abstract Paintings from the Orient

By Qibang An

This book briefly introduced painting history. More importantly, through fully and delightfully brushwork, the book illustrates more than 100 pieces of Mr. Qibang An's work, the outstanding representation of modern Chinese abstract painting school. Through philosophical thinking on Mr. An's pictures, it seeks for the warmth of thought, the meaning of life, the social attribute, and the value of art.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781796093698

Qibang An

Zu Jin. Born in 1956 in Changwu, Shaanxi. Member of Beijing Calligrapher Association, member of Beijing Artists Association, member of Calligrapher’s Association of the Central State Organs, member of Artists’ Association of the Central State Organs, honorary vice chairman of American Asian Artists Association. 2006--Winner of the Excellence Award of the 2nd Annual Chinese Farmers Painting and calligraphy Exhibition. 2017-- Winner of the Gold Metal of ArtExpo New York. 2017 to 2018-- Six of his works including Song of Spring and Struggles in the Wind were twice selected by the French Artists' Union and exhibited at the Louvre. 2018--His work of Starlight and Quiet Night were collected by the Organizing Committee of CCTV’s Potry, Calligraphy and Painting Show’s Spring Festival Gala. 2017 to 2018--His works Lotus Pond in Autumn and Morning of Grassland were invited to exhibit in the 153th and 154th Commemorate anniversary of Qi Baishi, at Rongbao Hall, Liulichang, Beijing July 2017-- Four of his works including Morning of Grassland were invited to participate in the Cultural Heritage Exhibition of Yanhuang Art Museum, Chinese Ink Painting Academy. March 2018--His work Baptism participated in the First Annual Hawaii International Painting and Calligraphy Exhibition and won the gold medal. His Calligraphy were collected by the Hawaii Government. April 2018-- His work of Soul Sublimation was exhibited in Vientiane, Laos. January 2019--His work After the Rain auctioned at the charity banquet of the Overseas Chinese Charity Foundation of China, the deal price was RMB 400,000. April 2019-- His work of Wilderness participated in Celebrities’ Work Exhibition in Antalya, Turkey, and won the Golden Lily award. April 2019-- His work Golden Autumn was sold at Hong Kong Overseas Chinese Charity Auction, for RMB 580,000. August 2019-- His work Red River Bank and Afterglow were collected by members of the British royal family. September 2019-- His work Sculpture of Icy River won the gold medal in Japan and was collected by the Kanto Art Museum.

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Copyright © 2020 by Qibang An. 810072

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Paintings by: Qibang An

Written by: Jingyuan Hu

Layout design by: Leo Feng

Translation by: Susan Cui

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

ISBN: 978-1-7960-9370-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7960-9371-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-7960-9369-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020905047

Rev. date: 05/04/2020

FOREWORD

Abstraction is a painting expression in contrast to realism that existed in human art since ancient times.

Abstraction is to definitely but briefly present the artist’s conceptual thinking of visual elements such as points, lines, shapes, and more, through objective logic and subjective emotions. Abstraction breaks the naturalist school’s realistic painting attitude of comprehensively imitating nature. It abandons naturalistic space elements, body images, material images, comparative perspective, and other painting elements, and expresses the artist’s feelings through lines and colors. Of course, no matter how abstractive, we cannot fundamentally sever our relationship with nature. There are two types of abstract painting: cold abstract and warm abstract. Cold abstraction is objective, logical thinking that tends to have a structured organization and an orderly artistic expression, representative painters are Mondrian and Barnett Newman; warm abstraction is the sensitive touch that focuses on the emotional expression and communicates with the viewer through subjective rendering as a visual language, representative painters include Kandinsky and Pollock. To summarize, most of the outstanding abstract painters are Westerners. In our impression, figurative paintings dominate Oriental paintings.

Today, we recommend an Asian man who has traveled a long way in abstract painting. The melody of thought he created with color and lines has subverted our traditional understanding of Oriental painters. He persists in conveying his knowledge and thinking of nature to readers in his way, and he is Qibang An, a farmer origin. Qibang An is a very talented person. His unique approach to creation and the appearance of his works have attracted people’s attention and focus. He is an artist who seeks to break the routine in painting creation. From his creative ideas to aesthetics, from theme selection to expression, which all come from his inner feelings and life experiences. He is eclectic, full of passion, and conveys his exceptional understanding of the objective world. Thus, Qibang An obtained artistic practice that is quite worthy of recognition and appreciation. There is no set drawing law, but things have common sense. Common physics sense is interesting because of its infinite change. Draw by pen, it is wonderful. This quote from the ancient book Painting Theory of Jingju best describes Qibang An’s paintings.

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PREFACE

I have always loved painting since I was young. When I was a child, China experienced a particular historical period. My life and the society were in deep turmoil. I could only feel inner peace and serenity when I paint. As a result, I was once obsessed with painting and could not extricate myself. I’d visited famous teachers around the world. What makes me most fortunate and most moved is that every teacher who has taught me has a good impression on me and is willing to teach me everything they know. This made me more and more determined that I must hone my painting skills to the extreme, to repay my teachers’ love for me. I am now over sixty; I can still recall many things when I studied painting. Perhaps teachers favored me because they liked my concentration when I learn and paint.

In the early days, I studied Chinese ink landscape painting. I could feel the imposing momentum when I stood in front my teacher’s landscape painting, I was astonished. Later, I came into contact with realistic painting. Unlike freehand landscape painting, the delicateness of realistic paintings took me to another world. Afterward, as China gradually developed, I learned Western oil paintings. Oil paintings also has realism and freehand, but the mind-set is totally different from Chinese paintings. In Chinese ink arts, lines are often used to portray objects, but oil paintings often use colors to connect instead of lines. The three-dimensional sense and perspective emphasized in oil paintings are also diminished by Chinese paintings. However, I was bewildered because of my extensive knowledge. At that time, others see me as highly skilled. Regardless of painting schools, Oriental ink or Western oil painting, all styles seemed to come in handy to me, but I fell into deep distress. I switch between various styles, but what is my own style? Every style seems inexhaustible in expressing the thoughts and emotions I indeed to express. In the confusion, I searched a long time for a way out. At that time, my experiences told me that I need to settle myself down, release myself from imitating various schools of styles, change to study the logics behind these schools and movements—the reasons of their formation, driving forces, the historical and social background. In this way, I could understand the actual thoughts and souls of the founders of the painting schools. With the understanding, I would know what I should do. So I studied the world’s history of art and finally found my direction—abstract painting. I choose abstract painting mainly for two reasons. First, from an objective point of view, considering the development trend of history, I think that abstract painting is closer to the soul of art. In terms of artistic appearance, figurative painting is limited by its presence in expressing thoughts and emotions, only abstract paintings can meet the needs of expressing more complex thoughts and feelings. Second, I think that my