East and West 1
Nepal: "Amitahba with Acolytes", (cf. #6).
Paris-Match: "Lunar Jeep"

In The "Soul of China", Amaury de Riencort shows that the principal psychological characteristic of the Chinese has been their relationship with the earth. Their overriding need was to adapt their energy to the normal rhythm of nature.

For centuries Taoist sages sought to understand the universe by intuitive experience. Softly beckoning along a mystical path of individual self-fulfillment, they sought a perfect harmonization of man and nature. The Chinese saw the earth as a closed and limited universe. Space and time had their ends. History is an eternal starting over, not a continuous development of existence tending to superior forms of life or expression.

Oriental civilization - through its many contemplative paths: Taoism, Buddhism, Zen - became a civilization of high spiritual insights which tended to revolve about themselves. Each person had to rediscover for himself. Occidental civilization never postulated a closed universe or revolving history. The typical Western mind goes in straight lines. We build on what has been achieved. We are pragmatic, scientific, material.

Chen uses the American landing on the moon to symbolize this highest achievement of Western materialism. In the black sky above the moon he has placed a symbol of the high spiritual achievement of the East, Gautama Buddha. The symbols and civilizations are equal. Chen pleads for the best of both worlds, coming together as a part of a universal synthesis.

In his massive floating circle, Chen has taken the Buddha itself from Nepal. The surrounding background is from Japan. He has adapted and changed colors freely. Heaven is pure yang, and a yang element for exorcising evil is red. Anything red is lucky. Red Buddha. Red circle of holy fire. The Buddha sits on the traditional lotus, whose eight petals (only seven showing here) represent eight noble truths. There is a marvelous circular expression throughout the painting: the target stripes around the figure, the circle around Buddha's head, the oval jewels, the circles in the checkerboard in Buddha's garment, the half-buried wheels of the lunar jeep.

In Chinese folklore there is a novel about a T'ang dynasty monk who traveled west to India to study Buddhism. He was accompanied by three disciples: a monkey, a white horse, and a pig. The monkey was a fabulous creature who could change himself into 72 forms - into smoke, a fly, a tiger, anything. One day he was boasting to Buddha. "I can fly away so fast I can escape from anything." To prove it, he flew away abruptly and engraved his name in a rock on Five Finger Mountain. But Buddha said to him: "Here is your signature on my palm. It doesn't matter that you can fly - you are in my power." No matter what human beings develop in technology, we are still in God's hands. (by Lawrance Jeppson)

East and West 2
Japan: Peacock (Kujaku-myoo), vertical small scroll, Heian period (791-1155) first half of 12th century. One of the Japanese national treasures, National Museum of Tokyo.
Time: Photograph of Dancer-choreographer Merce Cunningham.
Robert Rauschenberg: Retroactive, oil and silkscreen on canvas. Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford.

In Chen's iconographical analysis of cultural symbols, the cross represents the post-Renaissance West. In part this is the cross of the crucifixion: a symbol of man's grace to transcend any limits of time and space. Even more it is the cross of analytical geometry: mathematics, statistics, technology. From a zero point, achievement is cumulative.

Technology constantly expands by one new block being laid upon another, like courses of brick. Symbol of the East is the circle - its recycling, its closed, escape-proof universe, its ambiguity. There is a deviousness to thought. Neither the sage nor the merchant goes directly to the point. There is no mathematical basis for philosophy and no zero point.

Numbers are not a 1 + 1 + 1... series, but magical symbols.
Chen says the East - represented here by a Japanese Buddha - will always seek its inward self; the West - the grid, the astronaut, the dancer - will go outside and fly and jump. One culture is enclosed; the other races with all its engines whining. The Peacock-King Buddha is a protector of law and represents a God of goodwill who can halt natural calamities in their tracks.

The Buddha representation abounds with symbols. The four arms demonstrate the multiple powers of deity. an object is held in each hand: a lotus flower, orange, red pomegranate, and atomic molecule. The pomegranate is an emblem of fertility. The atom suggests innumerable chemistry books. It is also a reminder of the Atomium of the Brussels World's Fair of 1958 and the Fair's theme of human universality.

The horizontal wavelike line, which is essential to the composition, represents electric-like spiritual power. Chen has liberally adapted the figure to his own esthetic purposes.

Originally there was a peacock figure underfoot, and this has been suppressed. The five white geometric shapes at the circumference and hub of the circle are intended to break up the static repose of the Buddha and send the wheel spinning. The body has been changed from gold to blue, the blue, violet, and small amounts of yellow and red being Japanese colors. Mount Fuji, of course, is a revered Japanese icon. It stands at the beginning of heaven and earth, its symmetrical cone suggesting esthetic purity. The other peak is Jade Mountain from Chen's native Formosa. (by Lawrance Jeppson)

Creative Minds

Since the introduction of Buddhism into China during the Tang Dynasty, the religious speculation of India has been greatly integrated into Chinese thinking, especially into the Taoist philosophy. Through ages, it flowered in the mixing Taoist-Buddhist folk worshiping in Taiwan where we find this illustration of Reincarnation depicting images of the "Ten Worlds" from heaven to hell.

For the Christians, the Universe is created by God and Man is mad in the image of Him. The famous "Creation" by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel in Rome is its best illustration. Here we notice the separation of Man from God, as well as their connection, is manifested by the two "Hands"-Man is independent yet related to God. In the Buddhist teaching, the Universe is but the creation of Mind, so is the "human world". Illusion is reality, reality, illusion; illusion and reality are the two faces of one thing. Life is but a reincarnation without end so is the suffering, except an escape through enlightenment and good conduct to become Buddha.

One day Chen was attracted by an illustration of the "Ten Worlds" painted on the wall of a Taoist temple in Taiwan. Chen adapted it in this painting with his free interpretation of color and form. Chen put it under the two Hands by Michelangelo, treating them in Pointillism of a volcanic explosion.

The synthesis here seems to say that even though Man is himself created, yet he creates the culture which is the reflection of his Mind. Heaven or hell, good or evil, peace or war, harmony or conflict depends on our choice and mind-setting. Do you agree with me? (T. F. Chen)

Picasso Versus Chinese
Depending upon the time of his life, there was a Blue Picasso and a Pink Picasso and a Cubist Picasso-and some would say lots of others.

Robert Capa, one of America's best-known news and photo-story photographers caught Picasso playing with his infant son. Chen admires the photo and has used it several times. In this instance he has entered the game with the Picassos in the guise of a Chinese opera figure.

Chen's title suggests a contest, but even so there will be no winners or losers-just a good time for all.

Bright expanses of color, including the green background, add strongly to the play drama. (by Lawrance Jeppson)

One of the evident manifestation in so-called "Western Modern Art" is its integration of different esthetic sources out of Western culture. Japanese Ukiyo-e has been an inspiration to Impressionism while African art, to Cubism. Some European avant-gardes referred to Oceanian, Arabic, and Russian folk arts which resulted in the formation of Expressionism, Surrealism, and Abstract art. Matisse is regarded as the most Orient-oriented artist after his development toward Fauvism, though his influence was actually come from Islamic culture. Many artists in Japan, Taiwan, and Mainland China find in Matisse's art some characteristics so familiar to their tradition: the flat-colored treatment and the black contour, lines with eloquent expression. The bold black dots and lines in some of Matisse's sketches and paintings of later period are so powerful and expressive that we may compare them to Chinese and Japanese calligraphy in frenze-cursive handwriting.

Yet the Oriental artists are mostly fond of Matisse's colors and coloration. One may say that Matisse released the Occidental three-dimensional painting to two-dimensional flat art, though we may trace back its three-dimensional origin and observation. The process of simplification in one hand and the intention to create a new "reality" out of colors from the tubes and not to depict meticulously the real objects, no matter figure, landscape or fruits etc., let Matisse to establish his personal style and expression which in some of his works are quite akin to the Oriental taste in general. This is why Matisse becomes so popular in the East and his influence as well as encouragement to the Asian artists are enormous.

In this "East-West Coloratura", Dr. T. F. Chen purposely integrated Matisse's "The Roumanian Blouse" into an assemblage of Chinese folklore. In such kind of art, prime colors are put directly on the surface and they are suggestive instead of descriptive while contours are black lines in description. Its composition used to be decorative and content, conventional, following a tradition of social education and religious teaching.

As an art form, the Chinese folk art distinguishes itself by strong coloration, flat and even, harmonious or contrast, and particular stylization, rich in variety. These two characteristics are parallel, in some aspect, to Matisse's developed personal expression. This is why T. F. Chen can unite Matisse with some sort of Chinese art.

In this new "East-West Coloratura", instead of the ziczac pattern on the Roumanian blouse, Chen put an imaginary bouquet on the lady's hand and beneath them a plate of fruits a la Matisse. Amid the folklore assemblage there are two immortals "Ho" and "Hop" on the left and the "Eight Immortals" (some not appeared here) on the right hand side, both from Taoist mythology. In China flower and fruit patterns and dragon-phoenix designs are richly varied through development of thousand years. Here in this painting, it seems that Matisse's lady feel quite at home in such a Chinese ambiance.

Indeed, T. F. Chen had made a series of artworks inspired by Oriental folk art in Paris just before he launched his signature-style of Neo-Iconography which combined East and West, past and present, tradition and modern into an aspect of post-modern manifestation. (by T. F. and Julie Chen)