HIDED LIGHT

Woody Allen said he was so surprised when he saw the articles written by critics about himself and his movies at the first time, and he thought it was about Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci. In order not to surprise Liu Wentao, I try to make this comment simple, and he is also a simple person.

His pictures are products without theme, content and implication, but its painting process is extremely complicated and makes you collapse.

“Are you boring?

No.

Never Bored?

Never.”

I am so perplexed about this dialogue, and I am surprised and admire of his clam and confirmed attitude.

Life is short but also long. We have to go through the boring time, face the silly things. But most of us consume our life in helpless. It would be better if everyone could find fun in his work. However, how many people can really enjoy the lonely, monotonous, endless work?

This is an anxious world, people are anxious to be famous and earn money, anxious to find shortcuts and eager to show off themselves. Liu Wentao likes a cattle comes across the time tunnel from Mid-century monastery. However, he didn’t remember the origins of his personal life, just remember his habits- drudgery.

He doesn’t care how much time he would spend to achieve the remote achievement, he believes hard-work, careful revise and slowly work could make delicate works. He seems to be innate with responsibility. He believes work is serious and hard and we need to finish it through our great effort. Diligence makes him enriched, meanwhile, gives him a mysterious feeling of happiness.

The content of his works is simple, but solemn in temperament and similar to Minimalism. They do not show off the subjective ideas of the author and do not give any introduction to the audience. Differently, the works of Minimalism seems nimble, but there is a dignified classic mysterious flavor in his works. Because the painting process is “too much”, much more than one’ nerve can afford. This makes him apart and cannot be clarified.

We should say that form is more than meaning. That is the charm of abstract art. Actually, everyone has his own mind, and shoemaker’s life philosophy may not less than artist. Too much emphasis on narration or ideological meaning brings nothing to artist. All successful artists have extraordinary technology which is a original “form” not refers to “Ancestral skills”.

In Liu Wentao’s works, there is no imitation about the things existed in the reality completely, meanwhile, no reference about the content or images belong to nature or history. The audience is given the right to make the explanation, and their emotion, self cultivation and mood will determine finally when they see the picture. In addition, for this change in the out style on the frame, makes his works out of plane visual effects. You’ll see a different picture effect and sometimes that is totally different in the light. Thousands of lines in the picture, not disordered. They can vanish or appear together when needed. I think the author looks forward to life and social orders behind the boring works.

Works are rational on the surface, but the reality is on the contrary. His pictures are without rigorous planning or calculation, even he can not restore by himself. You’ll see a dizzying mysterious ripples and gloss when you see it closely before the picture. Since 2008, as for his new works, he always paints metallic colors on the canvas first, and paint lines on it until the metallic luster almost vanished……Liu Wentao cherishes the word as gold. He never expresses the intense sentiment, like a night window almost sealed by wood. However, hided light will be extraordinary when it appears in a while. Life is a mystery, beyond Life on the surface. Such as Rhine, this is bland at first glance, and then becomes fresher and fresher to you, ultimately captivating, meanwhile sparkling a metallic luster like a blade. That kind of bright is similar to the only similarity between Buddhist and Poet-None to speak.

Visual Game

The works on these papers, material is ordinary pencil. Drawn with rulers is pencil lines definitely, not our habitual and fashionable symbol. On the one hand, this is the personal freedom of artist; on the other hand, this is an adventure. Fortunately, great artists do not worry about these issues too much. They put themselves into the game; they have their own cadence, rhythm and order.

These two works looks the same, but one has real crease, the crease on another is drawn. Visual game such like “Guessing” always appears in Liu Wentao’s works. For example, you may think that is a crease formed by Three-dimensional canvas, but when you get close, you will find that is Three-dimensional feelings painted through hand.

The virtual reality like this is similar to internet games. Many people are addicted in these games. Because it’s far away from the reality. Meanwhile, there is no real pain, chaos and punishment in the game world. Games can be exciting, also can be boring, but all of these depend on players.

Painter uses one paper to draw the real light perception and crease’s sharp edges of another paper. But this paper doesn’t have injury, and it is perfect like a jade, the defects only on the surface. It is the mirror of another paper. Both of them have the same content, but not exit in the reality.

Extended Space

Most of canvas in Liu Wentao’s works are irregular frames which are similar to a genre called Shaped canvas appeared in Western Minimalism Art. He doesn’t use the traditional Quartet-type frame and it goes more extremely in structure. The surface characteristic of his works is three-dimensional, likes a sculpture or basso-relievo. Some works like naughty eidolons, they do not want to stay in a place with conventions also without legal constrains. They climb to the corner and extend to the other side of the space.

In the work seemed rational, the humor and emotion of the artist are included. This kind of information is transmitted a little, just like a notification, no explanation.

His works are far away from fabrication and lyric, avoid complicated mind and destroy illusions. Time passes away from pencil lines, and finally forms an abstract clock solidified on the wall. Artist uses visual language likes wordless book to find the antidote to treat modern trivial and boring life. He exits from the reality, and takes away the usual aesthetic meanings.

Self and Passion

“A picture lives by heart consonance, expanding and awaking in the eyes and feelings of the observer. It dies similarly. It is therefore a risky and pitiless act to send it out into the world.”

──Mark Rothko(1903─1970)

Rothko is Liu Wentao’s favorite artist. Different to other artists, Liu Wentao knows that “One should keep away from the master who you like.”

Although their works are different in form and content, they are similar in temperature. Just give them a glance, you will find the works are static and stagnant. But if you look carefully, you will see that is far from the fact. They are dynamic. They can go up-down, breathe and have sensitive vibrating details. The inner side light is mysterious and fierce, and it bring you into the deep, chaos and bright place. Let you far away from dazzling contemporary art and chaos blinded society.

Liu Wentao’s works, whether screen or frame, need a patient and long product process. No matter what the final result is, the artist can not determine. It looks like an adventure full of passion; culminations will appears when the canvas and picture frames integrate together. However, they are not rough, but have perfect classic flavor as well as pure soul. We can see a full tranquil world in an E-Matrix consisted of lines.