Shin-tao's art commenced with absolute denial of preferences for dignity and imitation. He asserted to learn neither sages' law nor old masters'. Shin-tao together with Chang-zi (莊子), in the chinese art history, will be the last one who denied sag...
Shin-tao's art commenced with absolute denial of preferences for dignity and imitation. He asserted to learn neither sages' law nor old masters'. Shin-tao together with Chang-zi (莊子), in the chinese art history, will be the last one who denied sages and insisted an absolute freedom in spirit. Shin-tao stressed on "No method is method; this stands for the genuine method(無法而法 乃爲至法)". "No method", here, is established with emphasis on creativity based on spiritual liberalism.
Paintings in China has been belived to originate from Fuxi(伏犧), Changxie(창힐). Zhange Yan-Yuan remarked in his 「Xu Hua Yuan Lin(敍畵源流)」that writing and painting have same origin and hieroglyphs is the origin of paintings.
Shih-tao is belived to have set up his unique position by drawing 「Yi Hua Lun(一畵論)」on the ground of 「道生一」in Taoist thought, and finding origin of paintings in 「一畵論」.
This is not only total denial of dignity preference that has governed chinese painting and chinese culture but also independent philosophical study on the essence of paintings. Shih-tao's strong desire-he only believed in his hands and eyes-and inexhaustible passion made it possible to have developed his doctrine on art theory.