Synopses & Reviews
Gao Xingjian's introduction to his sumptuous collection of watercolour art is a strongly worded manifesto, a rallying cry for a return to the art of painting.The art world needs, he claims, to rediscover the simplicity, beauty and clarity of the brushstroke. Focusing on 'conceptual games' and ideology he envisages bringing about the death of art, closing down the limitless possibilities of expression that painting reveals. His manifesto targets those artists whose high concept 'art' brings them infamy but does not produce inspirational art to be enjoyed by all.
It is a persuasive argument on its own terms but set alongside his simple but timeless and completely stunning, classic watercolours, the effect is intensified. Intricate in their detail, haunting in tone, universal in scope, Gao's paintings alone are justification for why we need to look again at the power of a painting and reject the trends obsessing the contemporary art world.
Synopsis
""Painting starts where words fail or are inadequate in expressing what one wants to express." -- Gao Xingjian, "Harvard University Gazette
Synopsis
"Painting starts where words fail or are inadequate in expressing what one wants to express." -- Gao Xingjian, Harvard University GazetteIn December 2000, Gao Xingjian became the first Chinese-language writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. In addition to having produced an impressive body of work in several genres -- fiction, plays, and essays -- this prolific artist has also distinguished himself as a painter.
A collection of more than a hundred paintings, Return to Painting was first published in France for a major exhibition of his work in Avignon. The paintings -- India ink on rice paper -- span the artist's career from the 1960s until the present day. This book also includes an important essay by Gao, who is considered an artistic innovator in his native China, both in the visual arts and in literature.
About the Author
Gao Xingjian (whose name is pronounced gow shing-jen) is the first Chinese recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in 1940 in Jiangxi province in eastern China, he has lived in France since 1987. Gao Xingjian is an artistic innovator, in both the visual arts and literature. He is that rare multitalented artist who excels as novelist, playwright, essayist, director, and painter. In addition to Soul Mountain and One Man's Bible, a book of his plays, The Other Shore, and a volume of his paintings, Return to Painting, have been published in the United States.