IAC Art Talks Series 2 Lecture 5: The Inner World of Chinese Classical Painting by Dr Richard Wu (Catch up Online)
This Art Talk was held on Wednesday 31 July 2024.
Abstract
Chinese classical painting, especially the xieyi (writing mind) genre, has for over a millennium provided physical representation of Chinese philosophies and healing. In this richly illustrated webinar, Dr Wu delves into the introspections embedded within this ancient art form, drawing parallels with western psychotherapy. From examples of historical masterpieces, he elucidates xieyi’s evocative principles, such as “following Nature”, “between like and unlike lies true likeness”, and “brush ends, and mind continues”.
The webinar showcases the in-depth narratives of societal and personal traumas many xieyi masters experienced, and their transformative healing achieved through painting, incorporating Nature’s tangible metaphors and energy-tone.
As a practitioner of Chinese classical ink painting, Dr Wu has over the decades endeavoured to find contemporary expression of xieyi movements of the Song dynasty and Zen art. Drawing from his own paintings, Dr Wu also discusses the challenges of disconnection and alienation individuals now face in the 21st Century, and thus the value of continuity with our art and cultural legacies.
About the Speaker
Dr Richard Wu is a practising psychiatrist in Sydney and a Chinese ink painter. His research interests include the commonalities between principles of Chinese xieyi (writing mind) painting, creativity, and western psychotherapy. Dr Wu has published and presented extensively on this topic at psychotherapy forums including World Congress of Psychotherapy, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, and International Federation of Psychotherapists.
He has also presented topics on xieyi painting at international and Australian art forums including the Central Academy of Fine Art, (Beijing), the University of Sydney, the National Art School (Sydney), and Art Gallery of NSW.
Dr Wu is himself an artist of contemporary Chinese ink painting, and his work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions at venues including the Art Gallery of NSW (Dobell Prize finalist), Art Asia Expo (Beijing), Art Space 204 (Melbourne), and TWT Art Centre (Sydney).
