墨非墨：李振明創作集

18 Lily, Taiwan False Solomonseal, Taiwan Fairybells, Taiwan Ladybell, Amitostigma alpestre, and Taiwan Pleione. These eight paintings are delicately made by the painter through the dyeing of the ink. The combination of the documentary words and the special space layout endows the painting of the nature with the perfect artistic performance. III. Eco-centrism Besides the innovation of the skills and composition, Lee’s choice of the topics is also different from the traditional ink painting. The aesthetics of the paintings comes from the artistic treatment of the form. At the same time, the contents carry the meanings. Therefore, only the organic combination of both of them can bring not only life but also soul to the paintings. The form and the content depend on each other like the organic relation between the peel and the pulp. Generally, the development of the creation first comes from “imitation,” which is the training for the similarity in shape. Second is the “representation” of transformation and reconstruction, which shows the painter’s control over certain topic. However, a good piece of work still requires “expression,” which will exhibit an individual’s unique personality and creation. Lee’s paintings are with the strong personal style and unique expression. Lee has a special feeling for the land of Taiwan, where he was born and brought up. His generation experienced the stage of economic take-off and rapid industrial development in Taiwan, during which the business-oriented materialism took the lead. He has a deep feeling about the environmental damage as result of the industrial development at the sacrifice of the environment. He travels around Taiwan to draw sketches, record the natural ecology, and cares about the land ethics. He goes to the mountains and seashores. From visiting the indigenous tribes on the east coast to observing the birds on the island of Penghu, he walks into the native land and persists with deep feelings. Art comes from life. Therefore, by reflecting on the development of the traditional ink painting, he realizes that the landscape in the traditional painting is different in essence from the local natural landscape, custom, and people in Taiwan. If following the traditional topics, the paintings will lose connection with the local life. Furthermore, the paintings without the on-site feelings will not be able to catch the point. Hence, he adopts the nature and ecology of Taiwan as the creative topics to express an “ecologically correct” attitude. After years, the changes in topics enable him to walk from the human-centered thinking toward the broader eco-centered thinking. The relationship between man and nature can be found in as early as the theories of Laozi and Zhuangzi. As Laozi’s Dao De Jing said, “People have always marveled at the enduring heaven and earth. The reason why heaven and earth can last long is that everything in the world depends on and lives together with each other and therefore lives forever. Thus, a wise man treats others, descendants, and the environment as the life unity. When encountering any crisis, he gives no thought to personal safety in dealing with the crisis; therefore, he survives with all the life unity. Isn’t this because he is selfless? In this way, he keeps himself safe and sound.” He claims that reducing the manmade intervention will keep life endless and sustainable. In “Knowledge Wanders North,” Zhaung Zi also said, “The great beauty of heaven and earth is beyond description. The circulation of four seasons is with a regular pattern, which can’t be judged. The changes of everything are with the existing rules, which can’t be argued. A sage explores the great beauty of heaven and earth and realizes the principles of the growth of everything. Therefore, a ‘perfect man’ follows the nature without doing anything, and a ‘great saint’ won’t take action at will. This is the deep and delicate observation of heaven and earth.” He proposes the concept of “no-self.” Only when man is not placed at the center can the value of the existence of everything be restored. In his legendary work, A Sand County Almanac and Other Writings, the western famous father of ecological ethics, Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) proposes a warning, expecting people to be able to learn to “think like mountains.” People tend to be self-centered when looking at the nature. With the myth that man will surely conquer nature, they play the role of a conqueror to exploit the nature our survival depends on, cause the nature’s counterattack, and become the victims themselves. Leopold expects everyone to get rid of the man-centered thinking and take the broader and deeper angle to think about the natural ecological coexisting with us. He suggests making the nature the center. People have to think like a large mountain which has experienced billions of years about the coexistence and balance between nature and man. In his paintings, Lee reflects on the turnaround of the ecological center and makes art a type of resistance. The soft criticism is to arouse everyone’s attention to ecology. Few of his paintings feature figures. Most of the topics are the natural species and plants like flowers, birds, woods, stone, fish, and crabs he cares about. A series of bird paintings named “Spring Tree on a Rock,” “Spring Grass on a Rock,” “Rising,” “Standing,” “Look Far,” “Blue Magpie Standing High,” “Mallards,” “Overseeing the Sea,” “Grey-faced Buzzard,” “Snuggling Spot-Billed Ducks,” and “Resting Red” are also with the same ecological concern. By learning the wisdom of “thinking like mountains,” Lee paints the stone, flowers, woods, resident birds, and migratory birds of Taiwan, bringing us the sustainable development thinking of biological diversity as well as the ecological awakening of natural harmony and coexistence. IV. The Life State of Aesthetics Lee’s ecological ink painting also unveils the relationship between aesthetics and life. Besides the pursuit for the style aesthetics, the art creation will surely touch on the establishment of life meaning and value. The traditional western aesthetics, with Aquinas as the representative, emphasizes integritas, consonantia, and claritas. Generally, it pursues a beauty of style for examination. However, the oriental aesthetics emphasizes the art’s inspiration and perception on life.