10
QUEENS WEEKLY, MARCH 24, 2019
11 Two Books by Fan Zeng
Introduce Chinese Art and Wisdom to English Readers
QUEENS WEEKLY, MARCH 24, 2019
A Brief Biography of Fan Zeng
By Wenxin Li
Born in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, Fan
Zeng is a widely respected master of Chinese
painting and calligraphy, a renowned
scholar of Chinese classics, and a poet. He
holds numerous distinguished positions,
including President of Chinese Painting
Research Institute. In 2008, he was awarded
a “Citizen’s Star” gold medal in France,
and in 2009, he was named “Special Advisor
for Cultural Diversity” by UNESCO.
Mr. Fan is the author of some 150 books,
including The Poems of a Dignified Gentleman,
On the Art of Chinese Painting, Laozi
and Zhuang Zi: An Attentive Interpretation,
On Literature, and A Great Tree with
an Enormous Green Crown.
Mr. Fan once wrote the following as a
self-portrait: “While absolutely enamored
with painting, I am also skilled at calligraphy.
Occasionally, I compose poetry and
prose for self-expression. Because I am
fond of reading history, I have acquired
some knowledge about how the world has
changed.”
A celebrated master of painting and calligraphy
both at home and abroad, Fan Zeng is
also the author of some 150 books with about
130 titles that can be found in the collection
of the National Library of China, making
him undoubtedly the man of letters. Two of
his books On the Art of Chinese Painting and
Laozi and Zhuangzi: An Attentive Interpretation
have been translated and published in
English for the first time in the United States.
Born into a family of a long line of distinguished
poets and artists in Chinese history,
Fan Zeng is well versed in Chinese and
Western works of literature, history, and
philosophy from the classics to contemporary
works. With his trained artistic eye
and refined writing, he takes us on an enlightening
journey to the study of Chinese
painting through the book On the Art of
Chinese Painting. Any person fascinated by
the beauty of Chinese classical art will find
a new approach in Fan Zeng’s book. He tells
us “we must experience the colors, sounds,
smells, tastes, body, and consciousness of
the Chinese nation though the eyes, ears,
nose, tongue, touch, and methodology.” For
him the important thing is not the subject
but how you paint it. Therefore, Fan Zeng
directs our attention to the state of mind in
which an artist achieves genuine art of lasting
and rhythmic vitality.
His second book published in English,
Laozi and Zhuangzi: An Attentive Interpretation,
can be read as a companion book to
the first one. It is composed of his thoughts
and reflections from years of reading Chinese
classics, offering an intimate access
to the mind of an extraordinary and independent
thinker. He focuses on aspects that
scholars in the past have not explored in
depth or else have avoided, as he sheds new
light on the original meanings of Laozi’s
and Zhuangzi’s theories as well as their differences.
“Achieving everything without doing anything”
is the quintessential proposition of
Laozi. “The Tao emulates nature”: Laozi
proposes a state of having an “utterly empty
mind with a super tranquil consciousness,”
and says we should “embrace simplicity and
plainness and seek freedom from selfishness
and desire,” (Laozi, Dao De Jing, chapter
19). Fan Zeng’s profound love for Laozi
shines through every page. For this sage,
Fan writes: “Laozi had looked up into the
vast sky and looked down at all the living
things on earth in search of the origin of the
universe. He had witnessed the vicissitudes
of life, all the ups and downs, and understood
deeply the evolution of all the living
things in the world.”
Zhuangzi took Laozi’s position and developed
it further, giving us the concept
of “heavenly unity.” The universe, he says,
is the unity of all things, in that, “human”,
a small universe all unto itself, is one part
of the universe. “Zhuangzi had decidedly
turned his back on all human arts, including
painting, music, rituals that had been
artistically enhanced, and the so-called
clever oratory,” Fan Zeng informs us. According
to Zhuangzi, “Heaven and earth
exhibit great beauty, yet say nothing of it;
the four seasons have their explicit laws,
yet make no mention of them; all things
have their principles of growth, yet offer
no explanation of them.” This statement
seemingly stands in opposition to the art,
but a close reading of Zhuangzi’s theory
demonstrates and illustrates the true nature
of art. Fan Zeng describes Zhuangzi’s
writing as “a rapid splash-ink, scholar
painting, whose exquisite technique is
so captivating that it overwhelms your
senses. Therefore, without your knowing,
you are snared by Zhuangzi’s magnificent
philosophical thought even while you are
admiring its splendor.”
For Fan Zeng, poetry and painting are
one and the same. In both books, he
draws on classical poets like Li Bai, Su
Dongpo, and others to reveal the nature
and essence of Chinese aesthetics. He
writes about the paintings of Bada Shanren
(1626-1705), Shi Tao (1642-1707),
and his beloved teacher Li Kuchan (1898-
1983) to show us the “absence of craft,”
the plain, simple, and nature-embracing
“innocent awkwardness” which is regarded
by Chinese artists as the highest standard
in artistic taste. A subtle and casual
style in brushwork is at once powerful
and yet simple, giving an impression that
the brushstroke is done effortlessly. It is a
style that results from a complete union
of mind and nature.
The strength of Chinese art lies in the embodiment
of genuine natural beauty. One
implicit example is, as Fan Zeng illustrates
in his books, Chinese calligraphy. Its eternal
quality takes its origin in the spirit of
“emulating nature.” Chinese calligraphy is
an art that expresses directly and faithfully
the thoughts and emotions of the artists.
Fan Zeng writes: “We might as well
regard calligraphic art as an abstract and
simple condensation and chronicle of all
the natural phenomena, a profound encoding
of all the natural laws, a mysterious
embodiment of nature in beautiful
dots and strokes, and a magical furnace
that melts all the living things, the varying
shades of light, and the fluctuating speeds
of movements.”
Translated lucidly and elegantly, Fan Zeng’s
books make Chinese ancient wisdom
accessible to the English-speaking world.
And this publication is especially timely,
as these books once again remind us of
the beauty and power of the relationship
between man and nature. This is the foundation
of what it means to be an artist,
not only in ancient China but even more
in today’s world. “Return to nature,” the
core of Chinese ancient wisdom, often escapes
notice in the onrush of modern life.
Fan Zeng predicts that world art in the
21st century will be marked by a spiritual
return to nature. And Chinese classical
painting will be an indispensable driving
force in that endeavor.
Through decades of painting, writing,
and lecturing, Fan Zeng has been a leading
voice in advocating the principle of
“returning to the classics and returning to
nature.” As a Special Advisor for Cultural
Diversity, his lectures at UNESCO’s headquarters
focused on this principle. His
aesthetic motto “poetry as soul and calligraphy
as bone” has brought him awards
for his artistic achievement both in China
and abroad. For me, these books are inspiring
and informative. They have helped
me go back to the Chinese cultural roots
and re-read the classics. It’s inspirational in
my practice as an artist and writer.
Note:
Laozi, born 601 BC, also rendered as Lao Tzu
and Tao-Tze, was an ancient Chinese philosopher,
author of Dao De Jing, (Tao Te Ching).
Zhuangzi, 369 BC – 286 BC, also rendered as
Chuang Tzu, was an influential philosopher.
by Joanne Wang
Laozi and Zhuangzi:
An Attentive Interpretation
By Fan Zeng
Translated by Wenxin Li
Four Seasons Press, 2018
269 pp. $49.99
On the Art of Chinese Painting
By Fan Zeng
Translated by Wenxin Li
Four Seasons Press, 2017
166 pp. $49.99
Chinese painting of Mark Twin’s portrait
by Fan Zeng