These days, an artist needs to be extremely strong and steadfast to stick to painting as their primary form of artistic output. Dwelling in a small city away from the hustle and bustle of Beijing and Shanghai and using light as the essential medium to work with, Kang Haitao is undoubtedly such an artist. In this foreword, I would like to share my view and understanding of Haitao, which might slightly differ from that of art critics.<\/p>\n
I have been deeply impressed by his Nightscape<\/em> series: using light as the essential medium and traversing the boundary between the figurative and the abstract, these works have perfectly combined Western composition with Eastern xieyi (\u5199\u610f) [literally means \u2018sketching one\u2019s thoughts\u2019, referring to a freehand brush technique that emphasises the spiritual aspect of painting]. Portraying the environment of the artist\u2019s childhood and youth, such as alleys, campuses or valleys under the night sky, the series emanates a familiar and intimate feeling while also carrying a strange and fantastic undertone.<\/p>\n Kang Haitao\u2019s colour technique is similar to that of \u2018blazing\u2019 in the Chinese tradition of gongbi<\/em> [a brush technique that delimits details very precisely, usually considered the opposite of xieyi]. At the same time, he paints like a xieyi master, with ease and style, in an almost monochromatic palette and a few minimalist lines to reduce all superfluities. Kang Haitao has thus created a world filled with poetical images that are obscure and distant, empty yet transcendental, profound as well as isolated. Sometimes, an artist\u2019s complex and mysterious inner world can be very difficult for an outsider to understand. Kang Haitao depicts such an idealised nightscape obviously not for representation, nor simply for exploring painting techniques, but to body forth that lonely soul of himself \u2018walking in the night\u2019. With compositions that are simple and peaceful, tones that are moderate and tender, and a style that is sublime and far-reaching, these works have not only voiced the artist\u2019s own solitary and secluded mind but also given expression to the independent and steadfast spiritual pursuit of the current generation of Chinese literati.<\/p>\n