An Infinite Way of Viewing within a Finite Space
Born in Shanghai 1948 on the eve of a modern China, Li Huayi from a young age has been immersed in an open atmosphere of multiculturalism. Both Eastern and Western art have inspired his vivid cultural imagination and grand vision. In early 1980s, the artist pursued further studies in San Francisco. Always at the forefront of art and culture, Li was committed to developing a highly distinctive artistic vocabulary based on his own cultural roots, and he was dedicated to finding new possibilities from Chinese ink painting tradition. After the new millennium, Li Huayi embarked on two innovative series, Multiple Screen Installations and Works on Gilded Screens, which constructed 3D installations from two-dimensional paintings. This was a breakthrough of traditional Chinese ink painting, moving beyond limitations of medium and visual effects and taking ink painting into the modern and contemporary art domain. In autumn 2019, Replica Shoes ’s presented Li Huayi’s In the Spirit of the Big Dipper from the Golden Gilded Screen series. The work sold above the high estimate, realizing 5.94 million HKD, a new world record for the artist, reflecting the market’s keen interest in his works. In the upcoming evening sale, Replica Shoes ’s is proud to present Lying on Snow (Lot 1028), an installation piece from the Multiple Screen Installations series. The present lot is one of eight works from this series since 2006. It is a large-format, pioneering work from an early exploration stage of this series, as well as an original sketch and inspiration blueprint of the artist’s creative process. With its appearance in the upcoming sale, Li Huayi is set to reaffirm his new leading position in Asian art.
In Chinese painting, the treatment of space is guided by the principle of “three distances.” In the Multiple Screen Installations series, Li Huayi carved an alternative interpretation on the understanding of space. He combined the juxtaposition of images and space in real life, displaying a 3D perspective alternative to traditions. In the present work, the artist placed the central screen as an independent scroll at the front of the painting, drawing out another independent spatial unit within the visual space formed by the entire painting, forming an absolute focus for the visual entry point. The artist spoke of his concepts for the Multiple Screen Installations series: “Unlike the multiple screens in the past, I try to bring the picture closer, not just in terms of perspective, but also in the treatment of the ‘three distances’ using spatial relations.” Three layers of meaning – images, actual landscape and media – lies behind Li Huayi’s multiple screens. Not only is it a visual extension of a boundless projection of images and a limited space, but also a reimagines the way we observe art.
Nostalgic and Contemporary: A Literati Spirit
Li Huayi’s awareness and approach to art are intimately connected the modern and contemporary world, reaching widely into a range of different aesthetic disciplines. In addition to a reverence for Central European classical painting, he also studied photography and video creation. Consequently, his narrative approach of referencing classics, artistic concept and expression of nature are truly superb. In the present work, whether it is the cliff edges or seas of clouds, hints of classical imagery of Northern Song dynasty landscape paintings are ever perceptible. Misty clouds and accurately depicted mountain peaks and forests mingle to create a breath-taking presence, forming a cinematic visual presentation. The silhouettes of pine trees were taken from the wind-weathered trees that grow on the cliffs of Northern California coastline. Every detail in the painting reveals the natural expression of the artist’s personal wisdom and reflection on life. Simultaneously, the large area of “leaving white” in the painting creates a cultural symbol beyond spatial relations. It displays a temperament and state of mind unhindered by worldly ambition, expressing a sense of t.mes lessness and a literati freedom unspoiled by commercial mentalities.
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《臥雪》：開啟有限空間內的無限觀看方式
李華弌出身於新中國成立前夕的上海，自幼沐浴在多國文化交織的開放氛圍中，六歲從師海派國畫王季眉學習傳統書畫，又隨旅法先驅張充仁瞭解西方美術，兼得東、西藝術之啟蒙，激勵藝術家在藝術創作的道路上時刻保持生動的文化想像與宏大的藝術格局。八〇年代初,藝術家遠赴美國舊金山深造，身處西方美術與文化的最前沿，李華弌反而認清有辨識度的藝術語彙應以自身民族文化為根基，堅持以水墨為媒材開闢新可能，他的作品中，可觀得唐人之豐沃、北宋之丘壑、南宋之峭削，亦可體悟導西方光影強化手法及抽象表現主義之章法。千禧年後，李華弌先後開啟「重屏裝置」與「金屏風」系列之全新探索，以平面繪畫構建三維立體裝置，從媒材與視覺效果上突破水墨手法之局限性，徹底將傳統水墨帶入現、當代藝術的範疇。蘇富比2019年秋拍呈獻的「金屏風」系列《北斗之虛》以近六百萬港元之高價創寫全球拍賣紀錄，足見市場之高度認同，是次晚拍有幸徵得藝術家「重屏裝置」系列佳作《臥雪》（拍品編號1028），是藝術家2006年至今創作的8組重屏作品之一，亦是此系列探索初期里程碑式的大尺幅開山之作，更是藝術家珍貴的創作原稿及靈感藍圖，如今亮相拍場，勢必再次見證其領航亞洲藝術之新局面。
中國畫中對於空間關係的處理講究「三遠」（高遠、深遠、平遠），李華弌在探索重屏裝置的過程中，亦從空間的認知上另闢解讀繪畫的思路，他結合畫面與現實的空間並置，展現有別於傳統的三維空間透視關係。「重屏」這一概念最早可見於中國傳統繪畫中「屏風入畫」之構圖，早在五代時期，南唐畫院翰林待詔周文矩所繪之《重屏會棋圖》（北京故宮博物院典藏），即以屏風中繪畫（文人休憩山水圖）和屏風外繪畫（文人下棋圖）構建雙重畫中畫之格局，被視為「重屏」構圖之首創。畫中，藝術家將位於正中的一屏以獨立捲軸的方式置於畫前，在整幅畫形成的圖像空間中牽引出另一個獨立的空間單元，形成視線切入的絕對焦點。對於「重屏裝置」系列的構思，藝術家曾言：「中國畫的『三遠 』讓我想到老子在《道德經》裡談到的『明道若昧,進道若退,夷道若纇』，不同於以往的重屏，我的作品將畫面拉近，不只是透視，也在用關係處理『三遠』。」李華弌的重屏，兼具圖像、實景與媒介三重含義，不僅是無窮無盡的圖像映射，與有限空間的視覺延伸，更是一種觀看方式的重啟。
戀古懷今，淡泊恆遠
李華弌緊密貼合現今世界對藝術的認知及取向，廣泛涉足不同的美學範疇，除對中歐古典繪畫的崇尚之外，對攝影及影像創作的研究亦有涉獵，因而作品引經據典的敘事方式、構思和表現自然的實踐能力皆堪稱翹楚。《臥雪》中，不論是懸崖峭壁，還是山巔雲海，皆可窺見北宋山水典型意象之影；朦朧雲霧遊走於精細刻畫的山峰和樹木叢中，大氣磅礴，形成一種觀影式的視覺呈現；細觀青松之輪廓，可發現其並非出自古畫，而是取材於加州北部海岸生長於懸崖上常年受風侵襲的樹木，可見畫中的一垣一木皆源自李華弌豐沛的智慧及生活感悟的自然流露。同時，畫中大範圍的「留白」，形成一種超越空間關係的文化符號，在精神維度上彰顯了藝術家淡泊的人格和心境，呈現出一種不受時間所撼動的恆遠，以及不受商業精神所沾染的文人般自得。
「畫畫就像一個人上山一樣，站到某個位置才會有高點，但到了山頂要回人間，回來再看看，和上去的時候完全兩回事，我希望能夠走到這一步。」
藝術家在蘇州博物館的展覽現場，於重屏作品《臥雪》前如是說。