My Perspective on Professor Chung Chen Sun
Dr. Cheah Thien Soong, Former Lecturer and Head of Ink Painting Department of Malaysia Institute of Arts, Founding Chairman of Malaysia Cao Tang Men Eastern Arts Society
When the people of the Earth all know beauty as beauty,There arises (the recognition of) ugliness.When the people of the Earth all know the good as good,There arises (the recognition of) evil.
Being and non-being interdependent in growth;Difficult and easy interdependent in completion;Long and short interdependent in contrast;High and low interdependent in position;Tones and voice interdependent in harmony;Front and behind interdependent in company.That is why it will last forever.
---- Lao Tzu
Everything that evolves has its most fundamental factors, tradition, history, and background. In summary, they all arise and evolve from nature. From tradition to innovation, from Chinese ink painting to Nanyang style ink painting.
He is an internationally-acclaimed contemporary artist with extremely high achievements. Using traditional ink painting as the foundation, he has created a strong personal style and style of Nanyang ink painting. This man is none other than my teacher, Mr. Chung Chen Sun.
Meister’s art creation embodies the "Tao" dualism thinking, which has also contributed to the expression of a "metaphysical" aura in his art. When introducing Meister’s artworks, the focus is on artistic achievements and the exploration of artistic thinking.
I. The Beginning
From a young age, Meister has shown outstanding talent in art. It was at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts which served as the cradle for his foundation in Chinese and Western art. The Academy’s principal Mr. Lim Hak Tai’s meticulous spirit in education had influenced Meister greatly, making him devote his whole life to the development of arts education, which led him to establish Malaysia’s first private art school--the Malaysian Institute of Art in 1967-- that aimed to cultivate future local art talents.
To meet the needs of the country and society and to promote the concept of art education, Meister set up the Faculties of Advertising Graphic Design, Interior Design, Industrial Art Design, Fine Art, Music, and off-campus research center, Oriental Art Research Center, libraries, exhibition halls, etc.
Meister is very passionate about the discussion and creation of the art of Chinese ink painting. As early as the 1970s and 1980s, he had the courage to integrate the dots-lines elements method in Western art into traditional ink painting and developed a complete set of new era ink painting teaching methods.
In the 1980s, Meister was invited by Taiwan’s Chinese Culture University(PCCU) to teach there with his self-developed new ink painting method. The key elements are:
(1) Don’t follow the old-school;
(2) Don’t draw on the table, but stand up and draw on an easel;
(3) Position management (similar to composition in Western art terms), create new visual composition methods with the dot, line, and plane.
However, this new teaching method has not been recognized by other relatively conservative and old-school professors in the university. Despite all that, Meister was still able to produce many outstanding with advance thinking students.
Although his teaching career at PCCU was not satisfactory, he would be making friends with many like-minded and visionary artists outside the school, giving birth to the International Contemporary Ink Painting Association (ICIPA) " and serving as the president for ten years, laying the cornerstone for Meister’s reputation and recognition internationally. (Photo 1)
In 1990, I was hired to teach at the Malaysian Institute of Art and assisted Meister in the research and development of Jinshi calligraphy and painting, expanding the ink painting faculty. At the same time, I also came up with the extramural "National Ink Painting Unified Examination Syllabus", which was a three-year program and helped to compile the six levels of teaching modules template for those who passed the sixth level and will be awarded a college diploma.
In 1994, Meister and several directors of the MIA established three " International Modern Design & Art Colleges " in China, which is his lifelong vision in art education and made a huge contribution in it.
Photo 1: In 1982, at the opening ceremony of the 1st ICIPA International Exhibition by the National Museum of History in Taiwan (third from left: Zhong Zhengshan, third from right: Minister of the Council for Cultural Affairs and artist Mr. Chen Chi-lu)
Attended the inauguration ceremony and press conference of the International Modern Design Art College of Yunnan University, China, on April 8, 1994.
The celebration ceremony for the establishment of the International Modern Design Art College of Inner Mongolia Normal University in 1994.
The opening ceremony of the Hunan Yandi Chen Sun International Modern Design Art College in 2000.
I. Creative philosophy’s influence
At that time, Mr. Chen Wen Hsi, who was teaching in Singapore’s Nanyang Academy of Arts with his unique ink painting features - "tangent" (F2), "parabola", etc., had influenced and inspired the young Mr. Chung Chen Sun, specifically the space division of Yin and Yang, using a parabola as a framework for drawing, the creation of the internal and external forms, leading Meister to find his "Twilight Zone" philosophy, showing his profound and strong Yin/Yang, Real/Surreal philosophy,
the present and the past, the interaction of time and space, and the interlaced visual expression techniques, enriching the imagination and way of thinking of his works. These philosophies of serving the present by integrating the past, connecting the dots, and inheritance have deeply inspired the future development of the local ink painting industry.
II. Nanyang ink painting - the evolution of Chung Chen Sun’s "Breaking New Ground" creation.
The progress of Meister's art creations can be divided into the following stages:
(1) In 1957, Meister was hired by Seremban Chung Hua High School as the principal’s secretary art teacher. In order to enhance the art subject, Meister founded the Art Society in the school-- which I was a member of during that time--cultivating many art talents for the school.
(2) Singapore artist Mr. Chen Chong Swee’s Nanyang landscape had inspired Meister to paint his first painting of "Malay Scenery" which used creative elements such as Kampung [Malay villages], coconut trees, banana leaves, fishing village, tin mine, etc., which rendered it with a distinct tropical region feel. (F3).
(3) In the 1970s, Meister created a series of freehand ink paintings for traditional refined scholars. He replaced the fine brushes with large brushes and this change greatly brought out his strong personality and transformed his painting style significantly. He also incorporated the Western points-lines elements method, broke away from the traditional path, and created a new style of Nanyang ink painting. (F4)
(4) The typical Malay figure paintings were made by Meister in the 1970s and 1980s when he was studying into ink paintings, and suddenly on a whim he injected one of the new elements and came up with the new Nanyang drawing style which he called the “Aborigines” and it became yet another major breakthrough in the creation of ink paintings. (F5)
(5) Meister has a knack for drawing tigers. In order to draw a tiger well, he carefully observed and remembered its spiritual characteristics and used curved lines to draw the stripes, which has changed the traditional method of drawing tigers and marked a new chapter. (F6)
(6) From 1990 onwards, Meister has achieved greater heights in his art creation.
F2
F3
F4
F5
F6
Meister has had breakthroughs from the typical figures, Malay figures, Aborigines creations and his later research and development in the “Twilight Zone”. In addition, he managed to integrate the three humanism philosophies of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, making him create new art symbols that transcend time and space, constructing high-levels of semi-abstract, native ink painting figures. So far, he has made great contributions to the research and development of the ink paintings world. His commonly used seal, Zui Xing Zhai or "Drunk & Sober", is Meister‘s "dualism philosophy" to “rushi” (engage in the worldly matters) and “chushi” (detach from the worldly matters), which was a realization from Zheng Banqiao's quote: "It's hard to be smart, yet it's harder to be muddled, and it's even harder to change from being smart to being muddled. Step aside, take a step back and feel at ease in the present moment, and not to expect the good fortunes later."
Meister once said: "When you are drunk, it is very rare to be muddled. When you are sober, all are clear." Therefore, when it comes to trivial things, it seems like you are drunk, making it difficult to be in a muddle. This is his core practice internally; between real and surreal both have their own limits; that is also his unique way of dealing with people. When facing urgent and critical issues, you must be very clear and have a clear mind in executing administrative and official strategies, which is also his Golden Rule. The inscription on his painting: "Forget about the Atomic Bomb Outside the Door, I am a Drunken Immortal", is just what he used to describe his state of being muddled from the outside but sober inside.
The philosophy behind the inscription for his paintings is based on his understandings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in daily life, and some of his works are as follows:
"Make A Dent in the Universe" - writes about his aspiration to leave his mark on the world. (F7)
"Putting Down" - Budai Monk - to let go of everything, is Meister’s pursuit of the Buddhist way of detachment. (F8)
"Better to be right than popular" – It is better to do the right thing than to be popular, it is also an expression of personal authenticity. Putting one’s head in a noose - the fishing old man. (F9)
"Transformation of External Learning from Nature to Internal Life Source - Semi-Abstract Character"-The learnings acquired externally from Nature are being transformed into our own internal strength, the creation of things out of nothing. This is the profound philosophy for an art creator. (F10)
" The unspoken is better than the spoken." - creating outlined symbols, images arise from sheer understanding, feeling the rhythm of the sound, expressing the circulation of Qi, and the beautiful part is all these are experienced outside the painting - The unspoken is better than the spoken. (F11)
F7
F8
F9
F10
F11
"The bitter wife in the boudoir who longs for her husband" - an abstract character – this is a painting which separates across an unique stereographic dimension, forming an unconventional “Twilight Zone” after placing the bitter wife in the boudoir and her longing for the husband in their own perspectives and allowing them to interact with each other. (F12)
" Forget about the Atomic Bomb Outside the Door, I am a Drunken Immortal " - is his Drunk & Sober philosophy. It is about his inner and outer views of the world, ignoring what other people say and proclaiming himself as a Drunken Immortal. (F13)
Art creation is a process in which everything starts from "Non-being" (the things of this world come from Being, and Being (comes) from Non-being), goes through Being, and then returns to "Non-being". Meister called this evolution and presentation of this art creation as “a great form has no contour" and his works in his later years fully embody this state of being. (F14)
Meister's art creation is also deeply influenced by the "moderation of the Doctrine of the Mean", which is based on the theory of "examining two opposite views and being moderate". Apart from art, this philosophy can also be applied in business, politics, and life. This moderation method of his not only makes him a leader in our country but also in the world’s ink painting industry! (F15)
F12
F15
F13
F14
III. Conclusion
"Tao" is ubiquitous, and the source of art creation is also ubiquitous. In Meister's works, we can deeply experience these profound states of the mind such as Taoist’s Study of Nature, Buddhist's Detachment and Inclusiveness, and Confucianist’s Doctrine of the Mean.
Meister, who is 87 years old now, has opened up a new world that is full of love and simplicity. His works render those feelings of an innocent child, happy and carefree, which is absolutely adorable and provide much food for thought! Happy home, happy life-- there is nothing to be said against it that Meister is enjoying life to its fullest.
Therefore, I would like to wish my teacher all the best for his exhibition, and may Meister be blessed with longevity that knows no boundary.