The Wisdom Of The Book Of Changes And Chu Teh-chun Abstract Painting

Chu Teh-Chun is the famous contemporary French Chinese artist. His unique style and free abstract space of oil paintings have been formed by his consistent consideration and creation on the way of art as well as his combination of the research on both eastern and western culture and art. His abstract oil paintings differ from other abstract paintings in its colorful and magnificent abstract painting world featuring in distinctive style and academic depth, as if talking with the universe, the nature and the life with rhythm of the unary chaos world which has not been separated from the primitive world. The philosophy and the wisdom of his abstract oil paintings happen to be in coincidence with depth and width of the principle of"containing the Way of Nature"in the Book of Changes.Created by Pangu, the original chaotic universe, was divided into the heaven and the earth, with Qian for heaven (belongs to Yang), Kun for earth (belongs to Yin). Liangyi (Yin and Yang) was born in the Great Ultimate (the primitive chaotic world); Sixiang (the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter) was born in Liangyi; Bagua (the eight diagrams) was born in Sixiang. There are three volumes of the Book of Changes. Zhou Yi is the volume studied now since Lian Shan Yi and Gui Zang Yi have been lost. As the quintessence of wisdom and culture in heaven and earth gathered by ancient scholars, the Book of Changes was made the top of all the classics as well as the origin of all the principles by ancient rulers. The scholars of generations have been diligently studying it so as to make numerous reports and papers about their understanding. However, from different perspectives, people have immeasurably different feelings and conclusions as for the same sceneries.Nature is predominant. This paper analyzes Chu Teh-Chun's abstract oil paintings in detail from the perspective of the color and nature characters of Bagua in the Book of Changes. His principle of life and wisdom has originated from Chinese ancient culture --- the Book of Changes. His painting works demonstrate deep cultural connotation with spacious pictures and continuously moving and changing brushstrokes and colors. The eight emblematic diagrams (symbolizing heaven, water, sun, thunder, wind, moon, light, mountain and earth) of light and shade, colors and natural characters have been presented in the most proper layout in Chu The-Chun's paintings in their own principles. Qian, Dui, Li and Zhen are the four Yang Diagrams of the Eight Diagrams while Xun, Kan, Gen, Kun are the four Yin Diagrams of them. Qian symbolizes heaven, head and red color. Dui symbolizes pool, ocean, river, moist things. Most red things are vivid and moist in nature. So Dui diagram also symbolizes red color. Li symbolizes fire, sun and featuring bright, hot, warm, dry and purple color which is obscure. Zhen symbolizes thunder. Rain always comes after thunder and lightening. So Zhen Diagram is for the bluish green color especially in spring. Xun symbolizes wind, wood, air current, grass and green color. Kan symbolizes water, moon. As the headstream of water, snow mountains are white and crystal. So Kan is also for the pure white color. Gen symbolizes high mountains and lands and Northwest in the ancient Eight Diagrams. There are deserts and mountains in the northwest. Boundless deserts can be seen there. So Gen is also for yellow color. Kun symbolizes earth, three Yin lines. Kun is for wet earth and black silt is the most of earth, so it also for black color. Taking Chu Teh-Chun's ten abstract oil paintings as examples, this paper aims at analyzing the close relation between the Eight Diagrams and paintings and the perfect combination of the Book of Changes which has been the superior foresight of Chinese ancient scholars and the contemporary abstract art so as to provide students with some inspirations about art, philosophy and life.