Hsiao Chin (b.1935)
Il Silenzio(Painted in 2013)
Acrylic and mixed media on canvas
120 × 150 cm. 47 1/4 × 59 in.
Signed in English and Chinese, titled in Italian, and dated on the reverse
A Transcendent View of All Things
Hsiao Chin's Way to Enlightenment

"My creation has always been rooted in the 'tradition of artistic and philosophical thoughts', thus pursuing the realm of 'unity of universe and human'; although most of it originated in the Taoist ideology, the methods used may vary, but the principle is the same.

To interpret my personal art, please let me introduce my own creative connotation in this way: 'Taking the wisdom of Chinese culture as the foundation and quote the way of gradual and self-inspection expressions of Western culture, then walking toward the infinity, also continue to explore the eternal feeling of innocence and let my artistic career continue growing'."

――Hsiao Chin

Born in Shanghai in 1935, trained by his Taiwanese mentor Li Zhongsheng and studied in Spain, Hsiao Chin has a rich and avant-garde artistic experience. As early as 1955, he formed the Eastern Painting Society with his classmates. In 1961, he launched the Punto International Art Movement in Milan, which received widespread acclaim in Europe. The term "Punto" in this movement is derived from the Italian word "punto", which is used to convey philosophical ideas by placing more emphasis on the connotation and spirituality of the artwork than on the form. Using the symbol of the "punto" as the starting point for his work, Hsiao Chin's work embodies the thought of "meditation" and "introspection". The artist's mature work Il Silencio, completed in 2013, is a masterful representation of the "stillness" in the Punto International Art Movement, representing the culmination of his consistent pursuit of "stillness" across fifty years in both Eastern philosophy and Western aesthetics.

Cosmic Images: the Energy of Life in Ponto

In Il Silencio, the momentum and energy between movement and stillness are fully expressed dually. In the painting, dots, lines and surfaces are superimposed and contrasted at different levels to reveal this space's static and dynamic atmosphere. The large expanse of dark blue forms a tranquil and endless milky way. It is mysterious, deep and unknown, seemingly calm. Still, in the curves, there is a hidden expansion that explores the infinite power of nature. On the right, the green colouring in equal widths like meteors, bringing out a slow-flowing visual sensation. Two swaying red and purple comets painted at the bottom with burning afterglow colours penetrate into the vertical and horizontal space, shining brightly in the sky. In the midst of all this, countless tiny dots are gathering, sometimes coalescing as if the sun, moon and stars were on their way, sometimes dispersing, drifting beyond the limits.

Through these tiny dots, Hsiao Chin used a quiet mind to contemplate and create a rich sense of movement in the stillness of the painting. Through the visual language of art, he explored the pictorial expression of words and philosophies. The dots in the painting are both the starting and ending points. They are a convergence of energy and a change of momentum. Pointing to the beginning of stillness but also towards endlessness.

"One requires tranquillity to reach one's far-reaching goal," the work is based on "stillness", exploring the spirituality of the East and the spiritual benchmark of modernism. "The state of vacancy should be brought to the utmost degree, and that of stillness guarded with unwearying vigour", it is the way of Hsiao Chin's art to be everlasting because of the flow of all things.

蕭勤 (b.1935)
靜(二〇一三年作)
壓克力彩 複合媒材 畫布
120 × 150 cm. 47 1/4 × 59 in.
款識
Hsiao勤 Il Silenzio 2013(畫背)

復觀萬物以超然
蕭勤的致遠之道

「我的創作一直以來根植『藝術與哲學思考的傳統』，進而追求『天人合一』的境界；雖然大部分起源於道家思想，但可變化萬千卻不離其宗。若要詮釋我個人的藝術，且容我如此導引：『以中國文化的智慧為根本，及引用西方文化漸進及自我省思的表現方式而走向無限；並維持探討永恆的赤子之心，讓自我的藝術生命不斷地持續成長。』 」

――蕭勤

在二十世紀華人藝術史的篇章中，開拓戰後東西交流絲路、多次引領現代藝潮的蕭勤，無疑佔據著極為重要的一席。1935年生於上海、在台灣拜李仲生門下、留學西班牙的他，藝術經歷豐富而前衛。早在1955年，便與同窗好友霍剛、夏陽、李元佳等人共同組建華人首個抽象藝術團體「東方畫會」，將前衛精神與東方文化精髓納入現代主義，奠基自身的創作核心。而在1961年，他與義大利藝術家卡爾代拉拉（Antonio Calderara）等在米蘭發起「龐圖國際藝術運動」在歐洲等地獲得廣泛迴響。此運動的「龐圖」一詞由義大利語「點（Punto）」音譯而來，在形式之上，更重視創作內涵和精神意蘊，以傳遞哲思。蕭勤將東方抽象性的覺知作為創作原點，以「點」的象徵符號，深刻蘊含「靜觀」、「內省」的思想體悟，以宇宙星雲般的象徵符號，形塑冥想的精神性體悟。

此件完成於2013年的《靜》，正是蕭勤對龐圖運動藝術核心――「靜觀」思想的精粹呈現。作為藝術家的成熟之作，《靜》代表他在東方哲學與西方美學中探索、轉化及蛻變的高度成果，跨越五十年，始終如一地追求著「守靜篤之心，復觀萬物超然」，由藝術與哲學的雙重思考，源源不斷地傳遞精神和能量的深切體悟。

宇宙之象，龐圖之點的生命能量

「致虛極，守靜篤。萬物並作，吾以觀復。夫物芸芸，各復歸其根。歸根曰靜，是謂復命。」

――老子《道德經》

中國哲學中對靜與動的辯證探討由來已久，先秦謂「動靜有常」，是為相對，兩漢論「動起於靜，復歸於靜」，靜故為永恆之意，而宋明理學則講求「動靜合一、互為其根」，以兩者相互作用的發展關係作出闡述。而之於蕭勤，靜觀萬物之理，得筆下動之形象，歸於其內覺之思，是為其藝術思想的核心。於是在此件《靜》中，動與靜間的氣勢與能量，得到完滿的雙重展現。畫中，點、線、面以不同層次的疊加和對比，展現出此方空間的動靜氣息：大片深藍構建寧靜無垠的廣邈銀河，神秘、深邃、未知，看似平靜，卻在曲張有度的弧形中，隱現擴張之勢，探索自然力量的無限之境。其右，綠彩如流星般以道道等寬的流線肌理，帶出緩慢流動的視覺感受，兩道搖曳飛馳的紅紫彗星，在底部共構燃燒的餘暉之色，深入空間的縱橫，在天河中明滅閃耀。而在這種種萬象中，無數細點正斑斕集結，時而凝聚，仿佛日月星辰道行期間，時而散逸，飄搖於大限之外。透過這細密的龐圖之點，蕭勤以靜篤之心作出觀想，於靜止的畫面中，產生動的豐富感知，更藉由藝術的視覺語言，勘探文字哲思的圖像式表達。而畫中之點，既是起點，亦是終點，是能量的匯聚，又具備動勢的變化，既指向靜觀之始，亦走向無止無盡。

「非寧靜無以致遠」，作品以「靜」為本，勘探著東方的精神性和現代主義的精神標桿，謂「致虛極，守靜篤」，心靜，故生動，因萬物流轉，方得永恆之道，奔放而永存，靜觀萬物而自得所在，正是蕭勤藝術的致遠之道。