Time Out Beijing - By Felicia Schwartz
When describing much of contemporary Chinese art, words such as “bold”, “powerful”, “assertive” and often “antagonistic” come into mind. 32 year old painter Li Xin’s work seems to exist in a gentler, more poetic world, taking much of its inspiration from nature and devoid of any social commentary.
Having grown up in Shanbei, a 400 year old Ming period village in Shaanxi, about 800 km far from the province’s capital Xian, Li Xin’s childhood memories are of the view out of his home’s garden onto the Yellow river peacefully flowing by, topped off by grey and blue layers of distant mountains and clouds merging one into another.
Li Xin’s father was a doctor hailing from Guangdong, sent to this remote region during the cultural revolution, accompanied by his mother, a pharmacist. The couple discovered a peaceful, sleepy country side, practically untouched by the upheaval of history. Li Xin remembers while growing up seeing old men who still sported the Qing era’s pig tail, much vilified and abolished elsewhere.
While his later life brought him into the big city - first to Xian Yang, a medium sized town close to Xi An, then to Beijing where he graduated from the Central Academy of Art and Design, and finally to Paris, where he currently lives and works, Li Xin’s childhood impressions remain very strong, fashioning his imagination and creativity and very much evident in his work.
Yet when asked about his influences, Li Xin cites Chinese calligraphy as the single strongest one. While taking his subject matter from nature, Li’ style is a constant search for simplicity and abstraction. He is fascinated by the horizontal line, quoting a saying by Lao Zi that puts the Chinese horizontal “one” trait at the center of the universe as the original source of everything else, which all springs forth from it.
The visual result of Li’s work is a uniquely fresh mix of traditional elements, such as the usage of ink colors and rice paper, and an obvious eastern sensibility in the painting, with very modern, western influenced abstraction. Li Xin mentions Western influences soaked up in Paris, such as Cezanne’s views of mount Saint Victoire, an early attempt at abstracting nature, to present day abstract painters showing in Paris.
When asked about his experience as a Chinese painter living in France, Li Xin remains pensive. It seems like being away from China in a relatively isolated environment (exile being too strong of a word) only served to reinforce the creative link with China, he says. Confronted with the modern reality of Beijing, he finds the ambient hustle and bustle almost too much to concentrate on his painting. Not to mention that his career has been taking off nicely in Europe with recent shows in Paris, Strasbourg and an upcoming show planned in Switzerland. However he does hope to come back more often and maintain a strong link with his native country. Besides, Li Xin smiles, one still finds the best quality rice paper and ink in China.
Time Out Beijing, DEC issue
By Felicia Schwartz
Having grown up in Shanbei, a 400 year old Ming period village in Shaanxi, about 800 km far from the province’s capital Xian, Li Xin’s childhood memories are of the view out of his home’s garden onto the Yellow river peacefully flowing by, topped off by grey and blue layers of distant mountains and clouds merging one into another.
Li Xin’s father was a doctor hailing from Guangdong, sent to this remote region during the cultural revolution, accompanied by his mother, a pharmacist. The couple discovered a peaceful, sleepy country side, practically untouched by the upheaval of history. Li Xin remembers while growing up seeing old men who still sported the Qing era’s pig tail, much vilified and abolished elsewhere.
While his later life brought him into the big city - first to Xian Yang, a medium sized town close to Xi An, then to Beijing where he graduated from the Central Academy of Art and Design, and finally to Paris, where he currently lives and works, Li Xin’s childhood impressions remain very strong, fashioning his imagination and creativity and very much evident in his work.
Yet when asked about his influences, Li Xin cites Chinese calligraphy as the single strongest one. While taking his subject matter from nature, Li’ style is a constant search for simplicity and abstraction. He is fascinated by the horizontal line, quoting a saying by Lao Zi that puts the Chinese horizontal “one” trait at the center of the universe as the original source of everything else, which all springs forth from it.
The visual result of Li’s work is a uniquely fresh mix of traditional elements, such as the usage of ink colors and rice paper, and an obvious eastern sensibility in the painting, with very modern, western influenced abstraction. Li Xin mentions Western influences soaked up in Paris, such as Cezanne’s views of mount Saint Victoire, an early attempt at abstracting nature, to present day abstract painters showing in Paris.
When asked about his experience as a Chinese painter living in France, Li Xin remains pensive. It seems like being away from China in a relatively isolated environment (exile being too strong of a word) only served to reinforce the creative link with China, he says. Confronted with the modern reality of Beijing, he finds the ambient hustle and bustle almost too much to concentrate on his painting. Not to mention that his career has been taking off nicely in Europe with recent shows in Paris, Strasbourg and an upcoming show planned in Switzerland. However he does hope to come back more often and maintain a strong link with his native country. Besides, Li Xin smiles, one still finds the best quality rice paper and ink in China.
Time Out Beijing, DEC issue
By Felicia Schwartz