作品信息
艺术家：水松石山房主人
作品名：内丹修道者之五奇石：石中内蕴
质 地：设色纸本
尺 寸：137×68cm
编 号：0524
估 价：120000~150000
成交价：HKD 141,600
水松石山房主人 内丹修道者之五奇石：石中内蕴 匡时香港2017秋季拍卖会 现当代书画专场 作品号：0524 2017-10-02 15:00
「妙境」之中 形意之变
文人画于当世之「清高深稳」
中国画史上泛指的文人之画早由两晋南北朝时已有，至唐代有后世所名“士流之画”，直至宋，如 苏轼、文同、米芾、杨无咎等诸家或写竹画梅，或写山水云烟，为明清近人呼“文人画”，因而有“文人画兴起于宋代”之论于世。至元代，文人画兴盛，画坛由是发生显着变化，元代亦成为一个历史转折时期：绘画与书法、文学发生了更紧密的联系，书法文学艺术促进了绘画艺术的发展与拓宽。
苏轼曾言：“观士人画，如阅天下马，取其意气所到”，苏轼将“观世人画”与“阅天下马”并提或出自唐代杜甫所赞“九马争神骏，清高气深稳”。另有金朝元好问言：“所贵于君子者三，曰气，曰量，曰品。有所充谓之气，有所受谓之量，气与量备，材行不与存焉。本乎材行气量而绝出乎材行气量之上之谓品，品之所在，不风岸而峻，不表襟而着，不名位而重，不耆艾而尊，是故天地之美器”。私以为“清高深稳”的“气、量、品”正是文人画的要髓之所在，而这亦是水松石山房主人对文人精神之理解：文人精神，不只体现在媒材物质，更应指创作过程中所展现的智慧和升华。智慧既生，精神显现，画者则能自由选择，题材无所不能，媒材无所不善，艺术创作也将应运而生 ，这一理念亦贯穿其创作始终，在其作品中，不论是创作内容，或是对物象的捕捉及表现手法，以“清高深稳”状之，洽然。
因缘际会 奇途奇景
水松石山房主人生于1943年，为英国人，然醉心于中国文化，专注于中国艺术品收藏逾四十载，是载誉全球的收藏家、品鉴家。机缘巧合，二十年前在其动笔为其藏品制作小像过程中开启了创作之旅。一如他的藏品，古拙清雅，内蕴神秀，令人叹为观止一般，他的书画作品亦是清雅苍劲，气度不凡。
他常以文玩奇石入画，或绘明秀山水，笔法缜密，韵致风雅；其作位置经营、题识文字、用印与留白深谙传统文人格调，然其对于设色，纹理与质地的探索又另立新标。因袭传统中国古风的同时，又显露西方理性的哲思与美学，阐释了他独特文化背景下对于中国文化的智识与凝思。
艺术之本质，在于变革思维、转换意识。艺术，以崭新创意阐释生活经验，是世间最成熟和灵动的表达语言之一。艺术家的任务即在转换意识，升华意念，从平凡至于崇高，故云之若“形意之变”。水松石山房主人
以「物」写「物外」 影「幻化」之一瞬
在欣赏水松石山房主人画作之时，常会感慨时代的伟大，在文化融汇的当下，才能有这般的艺术家与艺术。通今古，贯中西，讲述独特视角下的东方与西方的交汇，造形与写意的转换，冥想与意念的升华。他的画作常以“物”入画，然而在这些或写石杖，或状山水的作品中，却常可见到“祥龙”、“罗汉”、盘桓的“古树”或“野径”，甚至是奇异怪状的“云”等等各种物象。于是乎，所具之象变得动态而有张力，仿佛捕捉到了神物幻化时的一瞬，可谓造奇境于观者眼前，引人入胜，将观者代入另一个幻境之中，其间怪石神兽，异人神山，好不奇妙！艺术家在具象与抽象间寻得一方天地，在形意转换之中参悟与修行。
是次专场我们有幸搜集三件水松石主人表现不同题材的作品，分别写奇石，奇杖及幻境风景，非常全面地展现主人的哲思与理念，及其针对不同题材多面的创作手法。
富于哲思的题识 另辟蹊径的书写
观主人画作时，我们常于画面题识的字里行间，读到他探求与感悟人生的经历：或是一段参访奇石的奇妙旅程，或是他在冥想中隐居于仙山的曼妙时光，抑或是于历史畅游时的一段轶事，或者是其把玩古物时突然于修道的共鸣等等。在创作的过程中历经精神的转变，主人认为艺术恰恰就是一种修炼以悟道的最有效途径，“连接起现实与另一感知领域；越投入于艺术创作之中，对大千世界万事万物的感知更深，感悟更多，就愈能有效而迅速地感受到自身精神意志由此而来的变化，思维进入全新境界、层次。”
水松石山房主人独特的艺术语言的一个重要组成即为其系统开创编纂了一套完整的以传统书法笔法书写英语的书写系统，这无异于给当代书法的发展另辟蹊径，不同于徐冰的解构再重组，主人是将书法的笔法应用于以英文为文本的书写之中，写到尽兴处透出草书的狂放与恣肆，这种特有的韵致，令人过目不忘，赞叹传统艺术在时代与文化的碰撞下尽可以让传统如此地新奇而意外。
1.《形意之变 — 水松石山房主人》，钟嘉贤编，艺元空间及梵志艺术与教育基金会出版，2016年10月，页57
2.《形意之变 — 水松石山房主人》，钟嘉贤编，艺元空间及梵志艺术与教育基金会出版，2016年10月，页11
3.《形意之变 — 水松石山房主人》，钟嘉贤编，艺元空间及梵志艺术与教育基金会出版，2016年10月，页36
4.主人常采用的龙纹纸，有着自带天然的特殊纹路肌理
应物相形、留白与用印的艺术
当我们观赏中国书画艺术之时，有两条线在引领我们的欣赏与辨识：“诗书画印”、及“六法”。从唐玄宗赞郑虔诗书画三绝后，这诗书画三字便常联在一起论，至元代，随着文人画的兴盛，印也加入了诗、书、画的行列。诗书画印的结合，把几种艺术融为一体，相互辉映，既丰富画面内容，又扩大画面境界，给人以更多的审美享受，这也成为中国传统书画的精粹所在。而南齐谢赫于六法中提出气韵生动、骨法用笔、应物象形、随类赋彩、经营位置、传移摹写更是中国绘画作品的重要美学准则。
在之前我们探寻了水松石山房主人的题识文字、书法及用笔、以及入画的哲思与理念，而其位置经营、应物相形以及用印的考究亦是值得我们加以探讨之处。主人创作时在吸墨纸上涂抹多层墨色，墨色一渗透散化，纸纹4墨晕有机形成了抽象灵动然富肌理变化的纹路与质感，这恰恰与大自然中风霜雪雨侵蚀木石山体的过程及其类似。再由染墨的画面中寻找最具美感的山石等的形状，仿佛这些形态本身就在墨色之中，只是借由主人之手被释放出来，这又恰似米开朗基罗的名言：“在大理石中，我看见天使，于是我不断雕凿，请天使显露出来。”在主人的画作中，我们总能轻松感受到其位置经营的和谐，总是给人平衡与通透的感觉，画面主体与题识文字、印文的选用及钤印的位置总是相得益彰，深谙传统文人之格调。主人用印多达六十余枚，印文除却名号斋馆外或诙谐，或哲思，小小四方天地，往往窥得其处世哲学与情之所钟。
TRANSMUTATIONS IN A SUBLIME TRANSCENDENTAL REALM
A REPRESENTATIVE OF “PURENESS， SUBLIMITY， THOROUGHNESS AND BALANCING” OF THE CONTEMPORARY LITERATI PAINTING
In the history of the Chinese painting art， literati’s paintings’ emergence could be early dated to the Jin （晋） Dynasty， when it came to Tang Dynasty， there was so-call “Shi Liu Zhi Hua （士流之画）”， which means the painting of the gentry class. Till Song Dynasty， the genre of the bamboo， plum blossoms and the steamy landscape had been prevailingly adopted by literati， among which the most famous ones are Su Shi， Wen Tong， Mi Fu， Yang Wujiu etc. Such genre later was generally perceived and categorized as “wenrenhua （literati painting）”， thus there’s perspective as “the genre of literati painting emerged in the Song Dynasty and vigorously developed since then”. When it comes to the Yuan Dynasty， the trend of the literati painting prevails all the other style and leaded to significant change in artistic circle of that time， which generated the Yuan Dynasty into a momentous transition period of times in the art history of China， during which the interaction between the painting art， the calligraphy art and the literature had been closely related， the calligraphy art and the literature had broadened the aesthetic scope and development of the painting art.
The well-known Song Dynasty literati Su Shi once stated that：” to admire a literati’s painting， is just like to judge a horse， the one with the most charming temperament and disposition excels”. Su Shi compared the “literati panting admiring” to the “horse judging” may should be tracked back to the famous Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu’s poem：” Among the nine extraordinary steeds， the one with the characteristic of pureness， sublimity， thoroughness and balancing will exceed the peers to be the supernatural one”. And a literati of the Jin （金） Dynasty named Yuan Haowen proposed that：” The qualities that make a noble man noble are his elegancy， generosity， and virtuousness. When both one’s temperament is elegant and his or her generosity is voluntary， his or her talents and deeds become insignificant. If one can duteously follow his or her talents to perform， be faithful to his temperament and willingness， and furthermore always trying to transcend oneself， that is virtuousness. When a mountains doesn’t show cliffy to flat river banks， when an official doesn’t seek privilege through displaying the front of his or her garment， when a aristocrat The well-known Song Dynasty literati Su Shi once stated that：” to admire a literati’s painting， is just like to judge a horse， the one with the most charming temperament and disposition excels”. Su Shi compared the “literati panting admiring” to the “horse judging” may should be tracked back to the famous Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu’s poem：” Among the nine extraordinary steeds， the one with the characteristic of pureness， sublimity， thoroughness and balancing will exceed the peers to be the supernatural one”. And a literati of the Jin （金） Dynasty named Yuan Haowen proposed that：” The qualities that make a noble man noble are his elegancy， generosity， and virtuousness. When both one’s temperament is elegant and his or her generosity is voluntary， his or her talents and deeds become insignificant. If one can duteously follow his or her talents to perform， be faithful to his temperament and willingness， and furthermore always trying to transcend oneself， that is virtuousness. When a mountains doesn’t show cliffy to flat river banks， when an official doesn’t seek privilege through displaying the front of his or her garment， when a aristocrat doesn’t establish power base on his or her name or ranking， when a veteran doesn’t require others’ respect for his or her seniority， the virtuousness is fostered.” To sum up the essence of the literati painting is the characteristic of pureness， sublimity， thoroughness and balancing； is the elegant temperament， voluntary generosity and spontaneous virtuousness， and this is exactly the Master of the Water， Pine and Stone Retreat’s perspective on the spirit of literati： “a definition of the literati spirit， therefore， should be sought beyond the physical works of art it informs. It is defined by the level of wisdom it carries. That then informs a flexible， and changeable choice of genre and medium which， in turn， gives rise to a physical work of art.”1 From the motif orientation， the capturing of the object and the technique of expression， this theory has been practiced and proved during his artistic creation journey. To describe his extraordinary work by “Pureness， Sublimity， Thoroughness and Balancing” is more than suitable.
PREDESTINED JOURNEY， FORTUITOUS ENCOUNTERS
As an influential and reputable British collector， the Master of the Water， Pine and Stone Retreat （b. 1943） held a deep fascination with the Chinese culture and has devoted himself to the Chinese antique and art crafts connoisseurship and collecting for over forty years. Just like being predestined， he started to paint ‘portraits’ and depictions for objects from his collection. These ink paintings are just like the origin objects — quaint yet elegant， connotative and unique. Some motifs are frequently depicted in his paintings： scholar’s objects， stones and landscape； these paintings have distinguished themselves from other contemporary ink art by master’s delicate ink and brush technique， elegant and unstrained artistic style， balancing composition （the location of objects， inscriptions， seals and blank space） logic， besides those traditional criteria， also refreshing and creative colouring， vivid and imaginary texture-grain imitation. Such artistic style not only continues the classical Chinese literati tradition， but makes breakthrough on the contemporary literati culture lineage by adopting Western philosophic and aesthetic opinions as well.
The fundamental role of art is the evolution of consciousness – art， defined as any creative response to experience， is one of our most sophisticated and flexile languages for exploring and expressing an infinite range of meaning from the banal to the profound and from the precise to the undefinable. The artist， therefore， is involved in the transmutation of consciousness： raising it constantly from lower to higher levels. The Master of the Water， Pine and Stone Retreat2
FROM FINITE TO INFINITE， A CAPTURE OF THE TRANSMUTATION
When admiring the art of the Master of the Water， Pine and Stone Retreat， one will be amazed not only by the art itself， but the present times we are at， when the culture integration at the greatest extent. The paintings by Master have aptly presented the blending of the ancient and the present， the Chinese and the Western， which depict and express Chinese-Western cultural integration， depictive-freehand style switching， and meditation-consciousness evolution. In the rock， stick or fantastic landscape， one can always catch images of dragons， lohans， ancient trees， lingering paths， or even clouds in grotesque shapes. Therefore when one looks into the object， it becomes dynamic and tensional. It seems like the depiction of the object is a capture of the instant of a supernatural being’s transformation， which forges a sublime realm in front of the audience， between the representational and the abstract. And in that realm， artist himself practices to achieving the enlightenment of transmutation.
In this sale， we’re fortunate enough to be consigned with three extraordinary pieces of the Master’s， which are featured in different motifs： a stone in an exquisite shape， a marvelous sceptre and a fantastic landscape， which comprehensively present the artistic ideology and versatile techniques of the Master.
SOPHISTICATED INSCRIPTION IN INGENIOUS STYLE CALLIGRAPHY
From the Master’s inscriptions on the paintings， one can resonate with his perception and enlightenment experience through his elaboration on his searching-out journey of a strange stone， or his delightful reclusion in an imagined gorge， or an anecdote he encountered in another dynasty， or an unexpected consciousness cross his mind when appreciating an object. To Master， the transcendence of the enlightened state while performing art is the most effective way to evolving one’s consciousness， “art is an incredibly efficient conduit， a channel between one realm of perception and another， our most efficient channel with art defined as any creative response to experience， so the more one can become involved in the arts， the more likely one is to efficiently evolve consciousness.”3
Just like the Chinese calligraphy in cursive script， Master’s calligraphy reveals an unrestrained elegancy， in this style， is no longer significant in legibility but rather in artistry. The style is so unique and distinctive that makes audience marvel at the unexpected cultural integration and inspiring artistic fusional development.
SUITABILITY TO TYPE， ARTS OF THE SEAL PLACING AND SPACING
The admiration and appreciation of the Chinese paintings are widely guided by two criteria： one， the integration of poetry， calligraphy， painting， and seal； two， Six Principles of Chinese Painting. Previously we’ve explore Master’s inscription， calligraphy， ink and brush techniques and ideology on the motif， yet his capacity of the division and placing of the components， ability of the application of the suitability to different objects，his thoughts and selection of seals on different themes are all worth our pondering.
Master infiltrate the absorbent paper The dragon cloud patterned paper is frequently adopted by the Master for its appealing natural grain texture with layers of ink and colour to result in a nearly abstract， textual image from which you discover a form. The infiltration is almost like the impact of nature， wind and rain and frost， shaping and texturing the natural rock. He grasps the hint from the ink-infiltrated surface and sort out a form of beauty just like these hidden form enticing him to discover and release out. It is similar to how Michelangelo described once “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”
In Master’s art， one can always feel surrounded by the balancing between the division of the space and the placing of the components. Following the traditional literati culture， his painting’s main object， inscription， the seals selection and location are
complement with each other. The over sixty seals adopted by Master are inspiring and humorously profound， some of the small squares are carved with his courtesy names， studio names， some reflects his ideologies and life philosophy.
1.Gladys Chung ed.， TRANSMUTATIONS – The Master of the Water Pine and Stone Retreat， Yi Yuan Space and the Fanzhi Foundation for Art and Education， October 2016， P57
2.Gladys Chung ed.， TRANSMUTATIONS – The Master of the Water Pine and Stone Retreat， Yi Yuan Space and the Fanzhi Foundation for Art and Education， October 2016， P11
3.Gladys Chung ed.， TRANSMUTATIONS – The Master of the Water Pine and Stone Retreat， Yi Yuan Space and the Fanzhi Foundation for Art and Education， October 2016， P40
文人画于当世之「清高深稳」
中国画史上泛指的文人之画早由两晋南北朝时已有，至唐代有后世所名“士流之画”，直至宋，如 苏轼、文同、米芾、杨无咎等诸家或写竹画梅，或写山水云烟，为明清近人呼“文人画”，因而有“文人画兴起于宋代”之论于世。至元代，文人画兴盛，画坛由是发生显着变化，元代亦成为一个历史转折时期：绘画与书法、文学发生了更紧密的联系，书法文学艺术促进了绘画艺术的发展与拓宽。
苏轼曾言：“观士人画，如阅天下马，取其意气所到”，苏轼将“观世人画”与“阅天下马”并提或出自唐代杜甫所赞“九马争神骏，清高气深稳”。另有金朝元好问言：“所贵于君子者三，曰气，曰量，曰品。有所充谓之气，有所受谓之量，气与量备，材行不与存焉。本乎材行气量而绝出乎材行气量之上之谓品，品之所在，不风岸而峻，不表襟而着，不名位而重，不耆艾而尊，是故天地之美器”。私以为“清高深稳”的“气、量、品”正是文人画的要髓之所在，而这亦是水松石山房主人对文人精神之理解：文人精神，不只体现在媒材物质，更应指创作过程中所展现的智慧和升华。智慧既生，精神显现，画者则能自由选择，题材无所不能，媒材无所不善，艺术创作也将应运而生 ，这一理念亦贯穿其创作始终，在其作品中，不论是创作内容，或是对物象的捕捉及表现手法，以“清高深稳”状之，洽然。
因缘际会 奇途奇景
水松石山房主人生于1943年，为英国人，然醉心于中国文化，专注于中国艺术品收藏逾四十载，是载誉全球的收藏家、品鉴家。机缘巧合，二十年前在其动笔为其藏品制作小像过程中开启了创作之旅。一如他的藏品，古拙清雅，内蕴神秀，令人叹为观止一般，他的书画作品亦是清雅苍劲，气度不凡。
他常以文玩奇石入画，或绘明秀山水，笔法缜密，韵致风雅；其作位置经营、题识文字、用印与留白深谙传统文人格调，然其对于设色，纹理与质地的探索又另立新标。因袭传统中国古风的同时，又显露西方理性的哲思与美学，阐释了他独特文化背景下对于中国文化的智识与凝思。
艺术之本质，在于变革思维、转换意识。艺术，以崭新创意阐释生活经验，是世间最成熟和灵动的表达语言之一。艺术家的任务即在转换意识，升华意念，从平凡至于崇高，故云之若“形意之变”。水松石山房主人
以「物」写「物外」 影「幻化」之一瞬
在欣赏水松石山房主人画作之时，常会感慨时代的伟大，在文化融汇的当下，才能有这般的艺术家与艺术。通今古，贯中西，讲述独特视角下的东方与西方的交汇，造形与写意的转换，冥想与意念的升华。他的画作常以“物”入画，然而在这些或写石杖，或状山水的作品中，却常可见到“祥龙”、“罗汉”、盘桓的“古树”或“野径”，甚至是奇异怪状的“云”等等各种物象。于是乎，所具之象变得动态而有张力，仿佛捕捉到了神物幻化时的一瞬，可谓造奇境于观者眼前，引人入胜，将观者代入另一个幻境之中，其间怪石神兽，异人神山，好不奇妙！艺术家在具象与抽象间寻得一方天地，在形意转换之中参悟与修行。
是次专场我们有幸搜集三件水松石主人表现不同题材的作品，分别写奇石，奇杖及幻境风景，非常全面地展现主人的哲思与理念，及其针对不同题材多面的创作手法。
富于哲思的题识 另辟蹊径的书写
观主人画作时，我们常于画面题识的字里行间，读到他探求与感悟人生的经历：或是一段参访奇石的奇妙旅程，或是他在冥想中隐居于仙山的曼妙时光，抑或是于历史畅游时的一段轶事，或者是其把玩古物时突然于修道的共鸣等等。在创作的过程中历经精神的转变，主人认为艺术恰恰就是一种修炼以悟道的最有效途径，“连接起现实与另一感知领域；越投入于艺术创作之中，对大千世界万事万物的感知更深，感悟更多，就愈能有效而迅速地感受到自身精神意志由此而来的变化，思维进入全新境界、层次。”
水松石山房主人独特的艺术语言的一个重要组成即为其系统开创编纂了一套完整的以传统书法笔法书写英语的书写系统，这无异于给当代书法的发展另辟蹊径，不同于徐冰的解构再重组，主人是将书法的笔法应用于以英文为文本的书写之中，写到尽兴处透出草书的狂放与恣肆，这种特有的韵致，令人过目不忘，赞叹传统艺术在时代与文化的碰撞下尽可以让传统如此地新奇而意外。
1.《形意之变 — 水松石山房主人》，钟嘉贤编，艺元空间及梵志艺术与教育基金会出版，2016年10月，页57
2.《形意之变 — 水松石山房主人》，钟嘉贤编，艺元空间及梵志艺术与教育基金会出版，2016年10月，页11
3.《形意之变 — 水松石山房主人》，钟嘉贤编，艺元空间及梵志艺术与教育基金会出版，2016年10月，页36
4.主人常采用的龙纹纸，有着自带天然的特殊纹路肌理
应物相形、留白与用印的艺术
当我们观赏中国书画艺术之时，有两条线在引领我们的欣赏与辨识：“诗书画印”、及“六法”。从唐玄宗赞郑虔诗书画三绝后，这诗书画三字便常联在一起论，至元代，随着文人画的兴盛，印也加入了诗、书、画的行列。诗书画印的结合，把几种艺术融为一体，相互辉映，既丰富画面内容，又扩大画面境界，给人以更多的审美享受，这也成为中国传统书画的精粹所在。而南齐谢赫于六法中提出气韵生动、骨法用笔、应物象形、随类赋彩、经营位置、传移摹写更是中国绘画作品的重要美学准则。
在之前我们探寻了水松石山房主人的题识文字、书法及用笔、以及入画的哲思与理念，而其位置经营、应物相形以及用印的考究亦是值得我们加以探讨之处。主人创作时在吸墨纸上涂抹多层墨色，墨色一渗透散化，纸纹4墨晕有机形成了抽象灵动然富肌理变化的纹路与质感，这恰恰与大自然中风霜雪雨侵蚀木石山体的过程及其类似。再由染墨的画面中寻找最具美感的山石等的形状，仿佛这些形态本身就在墨色之中，只是借由主人之手被释放出来，这又恰似米开朗基罗的名言：“在大理石中，我看见天使，于是我不断雕凿，请天使显露出来。”在主人的画作中，我们总能轻松感受到其位置经营的和谐，总是给人平衡与通透的感觉，画面主体与题识文字、印文的选用及钤印的位置总是相得益彰，深谙传统文人之格调。主人用印多达六十余枚，印文除却名号斋馆外或诙谐，或哲思，小小四方天地，往往窥得其处世哲学与情之所钟。
TRANSMUTATIONS IN A SUBLIME TRANSCENDENTAL REALM
A REPRESENTATIVE OF “PURENESS， SUBLIMITY， THOROUGHNESS AND BALANCING” OF THE CONTEMPORARY LITERATI PAINTING
In the history of the Chinese painting art， literati’s paintings’ emergence could be early dated to the Jin （晋） Dynasty， when it came to Tang Dynasty， there was so-call “Shi Liu Zhi Hua （士流之画）”， which means the painting of the gentry class. Till Song Dynasty， the genre of the bamboo， plum blossoms and the steamy landscape had been prevailingly adopted by literati， among which the most famous ones are Su Shi， Wen Tong， Mi Fu， Yang Wujiu etc. Such genre later was generally perceived and categorized as “wenrenhua （literati painting）”， thus there’s perspective as “the genre of literati painting emerged in the Song Dynasty and vigorously developed since then”. When it comes to the Yuan Dynasty， the trend of the literati painting prevails all the other style and leaded to significant change in artistic circle of that time， which generated the Yuan Dynasty into a momentous transition period of times in the art history of China， during which the interaction between the painting art， the calligraphy art and the literature had been closely related， the calligraphy art and the literature had broadened the aesthetic scope and development of the painting art.
The well-known Song Dynasty literati Su Shi once stated that：” to admire a literati’s painting， is just like to judge a horse， the one with the most charming temperament and disposition excels”. Su Shi compared the “literati panting admiring” to the “horse judging” may should be tracked back to the famous Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu’s poem：” Among the nine extraordinary steeds， the one with the characteristic of pureness， sublimity， thoroughness and balancing will exceed the peers to be the supernatural one”. And a literati of the Jin （金） Dynasty named Yuan Haowen proposed that：” The qualities that make a noble man noble are his elegancy， generosity， and virtuousness. When both one’s temperament is elegant and his or her generosity is voluntary， his or her talents and deeds become insignificant. If one can duteously follow his or her talents to perform， be faithful to his temperament and willingness， and furthermore always trying to transcend oneself， that is virtuousness. When a mountains doesn’t show cliffy to flat river banks， when an official doesn’t seek privilege through displaying the front of his or her garment， when a aristocrat The well-known Song Dynasty literati Su Shi once stated that：” to admire a literati’s painting， is just like to judge a horse， the one with the most charming temperament and disposition excels”. Su Shi compared the “literati panting admiring” to the “horse judging” may should be tracked back to the famous Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu’s poem：” Among the nine extraordinary steeds， the one with the characteristic of pureness， sublimity， thoroughness and balancing will exceed the peers to be the supernatural one”. And a literati of the Jin （金） Dynasty named Yuan Haowen proposed that：” The qualities that make a noble man noble are his elegancy， generosity， and virtuousness. When both one’s temperament is elegant and his or her generosity is voluntary， his or her talents and deeds become insignificant. If one can duteously follow his or her talents to perform， be faithful to his temperament and willingness， and furthermore always trying to transcend oneself， that is virtuousness. When a mountains doesn’t show cliffy to flat river banks， when an official doesn’t seek privilege through displaying the front of his or her garment， when a aristocrat doesn’t establish power base on his or her name or ranking， when a veteran doesn’t require others’ respect for his or her seniority， the virtuousness is fostered.” To sum up the essence of the literati painting is the characteristic of pureness， sublimity， thoroughness and balancing； is the elegant temperament， voluntary generosity and spontaneous virtuousness， and this is exactly the Master of the Water， Pine and Stone Retreat’s perspective on the spirit of literati： “a definition of the literati spirit， therefore， should be sought beyond the physical works of art it informs. It is defined by the level of wisdom it carries. That then informs a flexible， and changeable choice of genre and medium which， in turn， gives rise to a physical work of art.”1 From the motif orientation， the capturing of the object and the technique of expression， this theory has been practiced and proved during his artistic creation journey. To describe his extraordinary work by “Pureness， Sublimity， Thoroughness and Balancing” is more than suitable.
PREDESTINED JOURNEY， FORTUITOUS ENCOUNTERS
As an influential and reputable British collector， the Master of the Water， Pine and Stone Retreat （b. 1943） held a deep fascination with the Chinese culture and has devoted himself to the Chinese antique and art crafts connoisseurship and collecting for over forty years. Just like being predestined， he started to paint ‘portraits’ and depictions for objects from his collection. These ink paintings are just like the origin objects — quaint yet elegant， connotative and unique. Some motifs are frequently depicted in his paintings： scholar’s objects， stones and landscape； these paintings have distinguished themselves from other contemporary ink art by master’s delicate ink and brush technique， elegant and unstrained artistic style， balancing composition （the location of objects， inscriptions， seals and blank space） logic， besides those traditional criteria， also refreshing and creative colouring， vivid and imaginary texture-grain imitation. Such artistic style not only continues the classical Chinese literati tradition， but makes breakthrough on the contemporary literati culture lineage by adopting Western philosophic and aesthetic opinions as well.
The fundamental role of art is the evolution of consciousness – art， defined as any creative response to experience， is one of our most sophisticated and flexile languages for exploring and expressing an infinite range of meaning from the banal to the profound and from the precise to the undefinable. The artist， therefore， is involved in the transmutation of consciousness： raising it constantly from lower to higher levels. The Master of the Water， Pine and Stone Retreat2
FROM FINITE TO INFINITE， A CAPTURE OF THE TRANSMUTATION
When admiring the art of the Master of the Water， Pine and Stone Retreat， one will be amazed not only by the art itself， but the present times we are at， when the culture integration at the greatest extent. The paintings by Master have aptly presented the blending of the ancient and the present， the Chinese and the Western， which depict and express Chinese-Western cultural integration， depictive-freehand style switching， and meditation-consciousness evolution. In the rock， stick or fantastic landscape， one can always catch images of dragons， lohans， ancient trees， lingering paths， or even clouds in grotesque shapes. Therefore when one looks into the object， it becomes dynamic and tensional. It seems like the depiction of the object is a capture of the instant of a supernatural being’s transformation， which forges a sublime realm in front of the audience， between the representational and the abstract. And in that realm， artist himself practices to achieving the enlightenment of transmutation.
In this sale， we’re fortunate enough to be consigned with three extraordinary pieces of the Master’s， which are featured in different motifs： a stone in an exquisite shape， a marvelous sceptre and a fantastic landscape， which comprehensively present the artistic ideology and versatile techniques of the Master.
SOPHISTICATED INSCRIPTION IN INGENIOUS STYLE CALLIGRAPHY
From the Master’s inscriptions on the paintings， one can resonate with his perception and enlightenment experience through his elaboration on his searching-out journey of a strange stone， or his delightful reclusion in an imagined gorge， or an anecdote he encountered in another dynasty， or an unexpected consciousness cross his mind when appreciating an object. To Master， the transcendence of the enlightened state while performing art is the most effective way to evolving one’s consciousness， “art is an incredibly efficient conduit， a channel between one realm of perception and another， our most efficient channel with art defined as any creative response to experience， so the more one can become involved in the arts， the more likely one is to efficiently evolve consciousness.”3
Just like the Chinese calligraphy in cursive script， Master’s calligraphy reveals an unrestrained elegancy， in this style， is no longer significant in legibility but rather in artistry. The style is so unique and distinctive that makes audience marvel at the unexpected cultural integration and inspiring artistic fusional development.
SUITABILITY TO TYPE， ARTS OF THE SEAL PLACING AND SPACING
The admiration and appreciation of the Chinese paintings are widely guided by two criteria： one， the integration of poetry， calligraphy， painting， and seal； two， Six Principles of Chinese Painting. Previously we’ve explore Master’s inscription， calligraphy， ink and brush techniques and ideology on the motif， yet his capacity of the division and placing of the components， ability of the application of the suitability to different objects，his thoughts and selection of seals on different themes are all worth our pondering.
Master infiltrate the absorbent paper The dragon cloud patterned paper is frequently adopted by the Master for its appealing natural grain texture with layers of ink and colour to result in a nearly abstract， textual image from which you discover a form. The infiltration is almost like the impact of nature， wind and rain and frost， shaping and texturing the natural rock. He grasps the hint from the ink-infiltrated surface and sort out a form of beauty just like these hidden form enticing him to discover and release out. It is similar to how Michelangelo described once “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”
In Master’s art， one can always feel surrounded by the balancing between the division of the space and the placing of the components. Following the traditional literati culture， his painting’s main object， inscription， the seals selection and location are
complement with each other. The over sixty seals adopted by Master are inspiring and humorously profound， some of the small squares are carved with his courtesy names， studio names， some reflects his ideologies and life philosophy.
1.Gladys Chung ed.， TRANSMUTATIONS – The Master of the Water Pine and Stone Retreat， Yi Yuan Space and the Fanzhi Foundation for Art and Education， October 2016， P57
2.Gladys Chung ed.， TRANSMUTATIONS – The Master of the Water Pine and Stone Retreat， Yi Yuan Space and the Fanzhi Foundation for Art and Education， October 2016， P11
3.Gladys Chung ed.， TRANSMUTATIONS – The Master of the Water Pine and Stone Retreat， Yi Yuan Space and the Fanzhi Foundation for Art and Education， October 2016， P40
