Zao Wou-Ki, Creativity and Taoism Thought

Zao Wou-Ki the late acclaimed Chinese-French painter merged the art of calligraphy with impressionism merging the Eastern and Western fine arts. I recently read his obituary and it made me think about the artistic process and creativity. I wanted to use his life as a starting point for an exploration of art and Taoist thought particularly about the fact that his second wife suffered from deep depression and committed suicide.

These different themes all intersect in Zao’s life. As a child he was trained in calligraphy an art form strongly influenced by Taoist philosophy and when he came to Paris in 1948 (before the Communist Revolution) he went with his wife to Paris where he settled on the same block in Montparnasse where Othon Friesz a noted painter within the Fauvist movement was holding classes.

The tragedy of depression fell over his life when his wife Zhu Ying, a Chinese movie star of great beauty became a critically acclaimed sculptor who committed suicide at the pinnacle of her success. This must have had a strong influence on the emotional content of his paintings

Zao’s work was similar in style to the abstract impressionists who greatly influenced his ideas when he visited New York City and he stated that Matisse, Cezanne and Picasso were also highly influential upon his style. Interestingly when reading about his painting style there is great emphasis on Western influences but little about his Chinese roots especially Taoist thought. In China calligraphy generally focused on the correct drawing of Chinese characters and the ability to do so was an essential element of Chinese culture as was Taoist thought thus it is impossible to completely separate calligraphy from core elements in Taoism.

One of the core elements of Taoist thought in relation to Chinese calligraphy and the French Impressionists is the role of intuition. This is addressed by Chuang Tsu a great Taoist Sage who told a story to demonstrate the link between creativity and intuition, said and I paraphrase.

Once a carpenter was making a wheel for a cart in a courtyard on the palace grounds. Looking up he noticed a powerful Duke reading in a nearby hall. Laying down his tool he walked up to the Duke and asked. ‘May I ask what your Royal Highness is reading?’ The Duke replied ‘I am reading the works of the great masters and Sages. The carpenter inquired, ‘Are those Sages living?’ ‘No,’ replied the Duke, ‘they died long ago.’ The carpenter inquiring even more asked the Duke, ‘If they are dead then the words you are reading is merely the chaff left over by the ancients.’ The Duke becoming increasingly annoyed looked firmly at the carpenter and replied, ‘I am reading, and you are annoying me. What does a wheel-maker know about books or knowledge? I find your questions offensive. You’d better explain yourself. If you can defend your remark, I’ll let you go, and if not, I’ll have you killed.’

Without fear the carpenter replied. ‘Let me tell you about the work of a carpenter. When I make the spokes too tight, they won’t fit into the wheel, and when I make them too loose, the wheel falls off. I have to make them a perfect fit. I have the skill in my hands and judge the fit with my intuition. There is an element in the process that cannot be described in words. I cannot teach this intuitive element to my own son, nor can he learn it from me. Here I am at the age of seventy, a living master of the art of making wheels. The ancient masters died long ago and that something, which they could not communicate or describe, died with them. Therefore, what Your Majesty is reading is the chaff of the ancients.’

Now Zao is gone and in the same manner as the ancient master his art can be seen as well as the chaff of the ancients. He has taken his genius with him but we get to experience the masterful chaff on canvas.

Source by Lewis Harrison

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