The Life of Peace in Jumping-Interpretation of the Ink Painting Creation by Lee, Shiu-Chu

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It has been long believe that the Chinese ink painting has been mostly influenced by Laozi’s and Zhuanzi’s philosophy. The statement that the way of the Tao is the being what it is claim that Tao is beauty. The essence of Tao is nature. Zhuanzi believes that the growth and shape of all the beings are the way of nature. Nature is a sheer beauty. Nature does not distinguish between good and bad things, and between beauty and ugliness. There are so many infinitesimal lives in every corner of the world who stand bravely facing adversity and witnessing the greatness of life. According to Laozi, being originates from vacuity and motion originates from stillness. Stillness and motion do not stand at the opposite end of the spectrum. There is no absolute stillness and no sbsolute motion. Motion is embedded in stillness and the other way around. They can further interact with each other. My creative inspiration is deeply rooted in the vigor of life embedded in stillness, also echoing with the great strength of life. Various elements such as life style, consciousness, culture medium, and art evolution have hence been incorporated into the ink painting of Taiwan, which has thus developed a particular style for contemporary Taiwanese ink painting with more unique painting skills diverse inputs, thus making the ink painting more vivid and attractive. This study consists of four sequences: adversity, non-choice, farming, and spring. Inputs of these works are taken from farm vegetables, withered twigs found in the woods. And even grass on the country road. Through careful composition and the use of water and ink, these works try to tell true stories of life. They also echo Natural Aesthetics of Laozi’s and Zhuanzi’s philosophy in that inside stillness lies the vitality of life. With this study, I take these four sequences as a starting point, hopefully, for further creative works in the future.