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SHANSHAN JIANG
Drawing living forms to mirror human connections and ethics. Shanshan Jiang
Artistic creation is an honest expression, a profound empathy for nature and the environment, and an immersive experience. It is not merely a replication or imitation of nature, but a return to the sensations of the heart, depicting spiritual totems through the artist's perception. Light, space, spirit, and touch are divine inspirations bestowed upon the artist. When these sensations are conveyed through the hand and heart onto the canvas, the soul seems to be just within reach.
This feeling is akin to the scene described by Andrew Wyeth: "It was a hot summer in August. I awoke from the dryness and walked to the window, pushing it open about six inches. Standing there gazing outside, for a moment, I felt as if the curtain had been drifting there for years. God knows how long it had been gently swaying. The embroidered birds on the curtain moved, and suddenly, I began to shiver." These indescribable sensations of time and space are precisely the inspirations for artistic development. Artists do not create by following the programmed paths of art history or by speaking through learned artistic languages; rather, they feel with their hearts, capturing the tremors and melding their spirits into the entire creative process.
In my work, I retain to the greatest extent the "serendipity" that arises from the intermingling of brush and ink. In the chaos, it is unclear what is right and what is wrong. Perhaps it starts wrong and ends wrong. However, this process provides a sense of fluency in creation, a manifestation of essence, and a melting of the inner self. It is an art that possesses human qualities.
In my artistic exploration, I shift my perspective to beings that coexist with humans in the same spatial dimension, such as cats. Cats, closely living with humans, have thoughts, emotions, and languages, and are imbued with numerous meanings by humans. I strive to break the conventional human viewpoint of looking down on cats, capturing the state of spiritual communication between humans and cats, where humans are not merely humans, cats are not merely cats, cats resemble humans, and humans resemble cats. This spiritual communion reflects deep empathy and resonance in artistic expression, enhancing the perception of nature and the environment.
Connecting art with the authentic existence of its era is one of the most challenging aspects of artistic creation. This connection demands that art resonate with the thoughts, emotions, and those ineffable, elusive feelings—what might be called the spiritual essence—of its time. It's akin to the communication between a cat and a human within their shared environment, and how humans, in turn, interpret this interaction through their perspective. The primal and profound emotional power depicted in prehistoric art, with its raw and grand portrayal of the human spirit, for me, distills the essence of painting. I am on a quest to discover in this era the artistic depictions that carry a strong sense of personality and emotion.
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