CHEN RUO BING

“A good painting always gives you something new each time you look at it”

Talk with Lao Fu

LAO FU: What are the similarities between you and other participating artists in this exhibition?

CHEN: I tend to think more about the differences between us. Most works by my fellow artists in China require a great deal of time, care and craftsmanship. Some of the artists even consider the process of painting a part of their work. To me, the final product is more important than the process.

LAO FU: OKay, stop here, we not throw you out of the exhibition!

CHEN: (laughs) I usually use 2 primary colors in one painting and explore the effect produced by their interaction. To me, the use of 2 Colors can be rather complex and it can lead to many possibilities. Experiencing the process is not my ultimate goal of painting. 

LAO FU: From my perspective, what you just said reveals some similarities between you and the other artists. Like you, some artists use 2 colors and refer to the tradition saying that two many colors make one blind. I think that you prefer simplicity in form as well. Maybe you could tell us more about your techniques.

CHEN: Generally, I don’t use any white pigment to prepare the ground. Instead, I use transparent, water-soluble materials to treat the canvas because I don’t want to hide the original texture of the fabric. Also, this allows a small amount of pigment to go into the fabric. This methode is very important because it gives my painting a sense of depth. Then I can add more layers to complete the work. I paint in a rather spontaneous way; I use ready-made pigments or mix colors based on my moods and feelings. But I have had a preference for a certain palette in certain phases of my career. More than 10 years ago, I used mainly greyish, subdued tones. For example, I would use dark red rather than bright red. Gradually my colors became brighter. You can easily see the palette changing from one phase to another.

I use one or more layers to prepare the ground. I make changes until I am happy with it. If there are multiple layers, you will see a few earlier ones on the edges. They do not just provide the background for the painting; they are actually part of the painting. After I finish the ground, I will choose a color, which can interact nicely with the color of the ground. They are complementary and interdependent. If they do not go well with each other, I will try somthing else until the perfect combination appears. This intuitive process is critical;  it is like waiting for the muses to come. I may get it right in a single process. But sometimes, it takes a while and I have to try it again and again. Sometimes, even after completing a painting, I might repaint it. I can’t tell you the average amount of time it takes to create one piece.

LAO FU: I don’t think there are many layers in the works I have seen though. At least, I can’t find that many layers on the edges.

CHEN: Generally I don’t gut many layers on the background. But viewers can find the contrast between areas with more layers and fewer layers in my work. This contrast in thickness can make the viewing experience interesting and pleasurable.

LAO FU: Do you know beforehand what color, shape, size and composition you will use?

CHEN: Although there might be some variations, the basic shapes and forms I use are rather consistent over a period of time. I can use them for a few months or even years. I don’t think that there is a direct connection between my use of color and use of form.

LAO FU: This seems to be a very rational decision. If you feel the need to paint rounded shapes during a cerain period of time, you will do it. The exhibition I am curating is named „Chinese Abstract Slow Art“. This title has 2 layers of meaning. First, all the participating artists work in a slow pace, with great craftmanship and care. Second, you could compare the art and culture in Chinese society today to fast food, which is all about fast production and consumption. The portion grows bigger, but the quality is lower. Many Chinese artists have questioned issues such as; „Are we on the right track? Shall we slow down?“ After being in Germany for 18 years, do you share their concerns?

CHEN: I understand why my fellow artists in China have these concerns, but the current social and or political conditions don’t have to directly impact an artist’s work.

LAO FU: What do you think of my observation that your painting is Chinese in form and technique, but your coloration is more or less under Western influences?

CHEN: We all follow our own path in life. Our experiences naturally shape who we are. My paintings naturally reflect my spiritual journeys in China and Germany. I don’t think I can change these aspects.

Your observation of my use of color is quite accurate; My coloration is not very „Chinese“. In ancient China, colors were often given moral meanings. Certain colors were disregarded or simply avoided. In Imperial China, the use of brush and ink, and the construction of form in traditional painting were considered to be of greater importance than coloration. People began to gain a better understanding of color when new concepts and techniques were introduced from Europe, and later from the former Soviet Union. People also saw the different approaches to coloration between China and the outside world.

Traditionelly, the Chinese often looked at colors in isolation. Combinations such as bright red flowers and bright green leaves could make a painting appear less subtle or harmonious in color. European painters tended to place a greater emphasis on color coordination. For example, they would think carefully about that would happen when a particular warm red meets a particular warm green. Western painters have a highly personal approach to painting. They consider each color combination unique. Chinese painters of the 20th century faced a big  challenge: How to use color? In the mid-1950s Socialist Realism with a formulaic and ideologybased approach to color was introduced from the former Soviet Union. What these painters learned was not the color tradition associated with the Renaissance. I think there is a big gap in their training. Of course, in order to understand the secret of color, we need to not only receive certain training, but also experience the visual feast in an intuitive way. I am quite interested in ancient Chinese art objects and artifacts created prior to the Tang Dynasty. Some of the forms in my paintings are based on my study of these objects. When I first arrived in Germany, I did not understand why I was drawn to certain paintings. At that time I just did not know the secret of color.

LAO FU: Are you saying that since you have obtained a greater knowledge of Chinese ancient art, your own artistic output has become more Chinese?

CHEN: I am not sure about that. I am just looking for my own artistic language. But whether it is Chinese or not, I am not care so much.

LAO FU: What do you make first, the background or the shape „on top“?

CHEN: Let’s take this painting with red and green as an example. I prepared the green ground before I chose a shape and then painted it in red over the green background. Then I thought about how to make it 3-dimentional. I use these colored surfaces to define a dimentional shape in my work.

LAO FU: It seems to me that the use of color in your work is very harmonious and sometimes highly sensitive. Do you think a Chinese person perceives it differently than a Western viewer? 

CHEN: It is hard to say. Whether the viewer likes it or not completely depends on his or her intuitive response to my work. Of course, I can imagine that the viewer may discovery that I have made certain conscious decisions and expressed my ideas and feelings in specific ways.

LAO FU: In Europe, as well as in China, the pace of living and working is fast. One of the meanings of the term „slow“ that I talk about relates to socio-economical conditions. But that might not be the case in your work. How do you see this? Are you looking to create calmness in your painting?

CHEN: I approach „slow art“ more from the viewer’s point of view. If you take your time to look, you can actively and deeply engage with the artwork. In this slow process, you will discover more and more nuances, variations in the work. A good painting always gives you something new each time you look at it.

LAO FU: How long does it take you to complete one painting?

CHEN: It may be half an hour or 2 months. Usually I work on multiple paintings simultaneously. So I don’t keep track of how much time I spend on each piece. I don’t really care much about the amount of time I use; it has nothing to do with the artistic value of my work.

LAO FU: Many of the artists we interviewed in Beijing and Shanghai admire Mondrian or Rothko. Both of them are Western artists. Do you admire other artists? Are there any specific reasons why you choose abstract painting rather than figurative painting?

CHEN: I would say that my work is non-figurative. Whether it is abstract or not, I am not that concerned. I am more internsted in the contents created through the arrangement of formal elements in the painting. Certain combinations of planes can create an Illusion of depth. I think that form and space are inherently linked. Many of my works deal with 3-dimentional forms in space. I like Mondrian’s work, especially what he created in his later period. The K20 in Düsseldorf, holds a study for „Broadway Boogie Woogie“, which was put together with tape. I find it fascinating. A few simple lines in this work convey a immediate sense of motion and life.