A Preface Before the Exhibition

At this moment, I am more interested in why he paints.

I first knew Huang Liang 4 years ago when he was around to graduate from the Oil Painting Department of LuXun Academy of Fine Arts in Shenyang. Then he moved to The Third Studio for preparing his graduating paintings in which, Huang Liang’s artistic style could be regarded as the phase to explore his language and to state his current status. Among these plenty exercises and creations, most of them share the same features of The Third Studio (which was greatly influenced by Wang Xinwei and leaded by Gong Lilong, Li Dafang and Qin Qi. It possessed the background focused on discussing the essence of “paintings” via their probing the structure of neo-painting.) It was predictable for Huang Linag’s paintings to reflect the surroundings, however accompanying with it, the distinct sense of suffocation and mental toughness still were released from each of his stocks. He painted by the brushes of deep and heavy colors as if being imperatively knocking the door of life and detailed inquiring. Then it recalled me Fyodor Dostoevsky’s persistent pursuit even with blood, whenever he crushes the wall in front of the truth which may not exist at all.

So let’s talk about him. In 1982, Huang Liang was born in a Korean family in Fushun City, Liaoning Province, whose background couldn’t be more ordinary in the great era when the whole country tremendously transformed. As easy as a loach swimming in soft mud, Huang Liang didn’t feel any alienation with civilization, especially，his growth went forward together with the changes of surroundings. Yet the enlightenment always results from an incident, in his case, the trigger moment, more like fate’s black-humor, was the disaster that happened when he was 17, supposedly the best time in life. Somehow the misdiagnosis of lung cancer forced Huang Liang to start a two-year-long treatment which killed all of his hopes, meanwhile distorted completely his future. All of a sudden, the misery damaged his fire of life which was burning brightly. After these two years sided with Death’s shadow, the mistake was to force the locked gates of destiny. 

I believe the sort of injury that happened to his sensitive mind had projected the darkest shade, where it was hardly illuminated and then became the source generating his smothering yet tough temperament. From time to time, we also talked about this painful experience. I once tried to help him to get rid of the nightmare by an art exhibition which was expected to conclude his gloom. In 2009, the show, coming from his own idea, Settle the Life, eventually it showed how naive I was to believe that it could be relieved and then proved I was completely wrong. The joke of fate had taken roots on a living body and then transferred into a giant wave lashing and chasing the ultimate meaning of life, which has lasted for long time，maybe we can trace back when first human being appeared. In religion and philosophy, it seems an end of the pursuit. However for an individual, the unclear final answer is always as unpredictable as fate’s trick. 

What is art? The definitions are mostly too limited to refer. In the end, the reason why art can always draw people’s great interests may result from an instinctual desire for the truth. By art, could be the cane that help us to find the path, human beings are moving towards the final truth.

Some people always put emphasis on the subjects and technical issues. However the spiritual contents combined motives and encounters, as the fundamental of art, are supposed to be above subject and technique.Huang Liang doesn’t constructs his paintings with socially artistic symbols, on the contrary, he depicts his true feelings and questions uncertain truth by concrete figures and stocks which lead the way to the soul and individual verify.“Where does the painting head?” It is not a clever question. Beauty happens in every corner accompanying with an aesthetic mind. When you are stepping on a road to unknown, people are required to courage and also a commitment where exactly the spirituality is located.

At the first glaze, the vocabulary of Huang Liang’s paintings is not trendy at all. What’s the point for others that he represent a sign of life again and again in an old-fashioned tone? However is it necessary for art to be meaningful? People are used to look for inner meaning in order to satisfy their desires of fulfillment but somehow what you are not provided is exactly what you may further get, isn’t it?

As restrained and even stiff as his paintings are, they seem to be affected by El Greco, the mid-age Mystic Spanish painter. Yet among his classical rendering method, firmly thick touching and dull tones, tough wills as well as sparkle insights still hide behind. A slightly figurative shifting transforms distinct language structure; the meanings out of words are flashing afar. Huang Liang’s insistence may be foolish; moreover, his honesty could be outdated but do they really worth for nothing?

Ultimate and divinity, Ontology and faith, civilization and savagery, society and individual, markets and smells, drawing and the release of bio-energy, excitement and gloom, beauty and female, face and time (fashion), clothing and class, knowledge and death, stem and truth, geometry and cognition, feelings and figures, nature and experience, text and image, drawing and drawing, exaggeration and fact, a piece of cloth and a piece of cloth! Difference, judgment and the truth! Newly wedding and exhibitions, football and painting, convention and abnormality, inertia and vigilance, accident and inevitability, all and nothing, right and wrong, beyond yes and no, painting and life, success and reality, finding and confirmation, tongue and teeth, food and feces, grape and wine, unknown and unknown!   All and all, it is impossible for us to get completely from his paintings.