"Rock Color" is a new term within the field of Chinese art which has gained attention in recentyears. In just a few years, many artists have begun working with this mode of Chinese paintingthat it can no longer be ignored.

　　1. What are rock-color paintings?

　　Rock Color paintings refer to the works made by grinding colorful rocks into powder, addinggum-based media, and then drawing on paper, cloth, plate, metal, or directly onto the wall.

　　Generally speaking, rock color is a kind of pigment, but it is different from traditional pigmentsbecause of its unique material and visual quality. Therefore, it can be described as a thickparticledmaterial with a hue. It is not only different from oil paint, but also from watercolorand acrylic which can be diluted in water. While heavy, it flows elegantly like floating ash whenapplied to a surface. Although the rock is blended with some kind of medium, it can still retain aspecial material quality unlike traditional paints. Its main distinguishing character is the materialbeauty of the crystal particles. The color and texture can change greatly depending on the sizeof the particle. One part of this material is simply a ground-up natural rock. The other part iscalled "new rock" which is heated along with other raw materials such as feldspar, quartz andother minerals, producing different colors and textural possibilities.

　　In my opinion, the visual and textural potential of rock color expands significantly whenmanipulating the thickness of the crystal particles. Also, the spectrum of colors is quiteexpansive with the addition of various minerals. As a medium, rock color offers an incrediblerange of creative possibilities. The medium presents the world of color and of materiality at thesame time, and these two attributes can be adjusted and balanced to innumerable ends. As sucha dynamic material, rock color bridges historical notions of painting, from the classical in whichthe paint is a means for representing an image, to the modern, in which the materiality of thepaint can be a vital source of content.

　　Rock color is an open and flexible medium. It can include soil color, water color, ground clampowder, dye, metallic color, foils, sulfides, and also the usage of heat to produce further chemicaland visual changes of the materials. The biggest feature of a rock color painting is to emphasizethe awareness of the material texture, extend the aesthetic feeling of the material texture, andinterweave various materials into the same space. (Note 1)

　　In a broad sense, rock color refers to the color of the rock, which exists in nature and is notspecific to a commodity. I have used a lot of rock colors in my works, such as yellow sand, whitesand, emery, and the rock colors made by my students, which were collected in the mountainswhen they sketched in the countryside. I have picked out very nice redstones on trips to Kizil inXinjiang, and in my lecture of Hubei Institute of Fine Arts I have tried out red bricks as well asblack tiles, and the effects are surprisingly great. As another example, the young artists in FujianMuseum of Art have painted a lot of wonderful masterpieces with the local red clay and loess.

　　All of these examples can be regarded as "rock color". Those artists who explore rock color takeon a journey in which they seek out new possibilities of material beauty. Their sharp eyes haveconstantly found something surprising, opening up some new kind of materials or aestheticawareness that they had not noticed earlier in their lives. Usually, the creative inspiration beginswith the collection of materials, and from there the concept of creation continues to grow.

　　The rock color medium is produced in its own unique way. It must be painted on a backdropor an object with a flat hard surface, and used a paint brush, a scrubbing brush and a scraper asthe main tools. When painting with it, one should mix rock particles with the media, focus onthe use of color language and the abstract composition of the material texture, then generateimages by adding layers of the material, and ultimately form a kind of gorgeous beauty that iscompletely different from the beauty of other materials and paintings. The beauty producedwith this medium is unike any other beauties produced with methods such as wash paintings,oil paintings, watercolor paintings and so on, as this kind of beauty is of strong visual and tactileeffect. The rock particles give the picture a powerful physical existence. Then, based on thestylistic choices of the artist, one can create natural illusions and virtual space. The artist canplay with compositional qualities such as even and uneven textures, shiny and dark surfaces, andcan also employ a variety of techniques such collage, stamping, polishing, and knife engraving.The differences in materials and techniques expand what we consider the conventional elementsof painting language such as shape, color, texture. The process of producing this mediumalong with its dimensionality and textural nature blurs the boundaries between “painting” and“production”, so that it has become something beyond just “painting.” Rock color paintingshave greatly enriched the vocabulary of contemporary visual art and become a new means ofexpression in modern painting.

　　2. Why do we create the new term of “Rock Color”?

　　The creation of the new term of “Rock Color” is to distinguish this medium from other paintingmedia. Although painting materials are the “physical device”, they are also the carrier of thespirit and these implications of material choice can not be ignored. Some sense of the medium’sinherent material beauty is translated into the meaning of the final piece.

　　Japanese painting which uses rock color is also called “rock painting” in some technique books.(Note 2) Taiwan artist Mr. Lin Zhizhu, who also used rock color, advocated the name of“glue color painting” in 1977, and was formally incorporated into the University of Fine Artscurriculum. (Note 3) In order to facilitate the communication among those who use the samekind of materials in the world, I have taken the word of “rock” from rock painting and the wordof “color” from glue color, with the hope of clarity and mutual understanding.

　　If we look at art terminology throughout history we can draw a conclusion: names and terminilogycan come about in almost any way. Especially in the modern society, there is no authority andno standard to verify the legitimacy of new art terminology. Often seeking to be different is themost common feature of new art terminilogy. Different ways of naming often represent differentartistic concepts. I think to adopt the substance of the material to name the painting types isrelatively easy and open. For example, oil painting, lacquer painting, and so on are named by themedia; wash painting, printmaking (copperplate, xylograph, lithograph, silk screen), and in ourcase rock color painting are named by the material characteristics. (Note 4) In a sense, the basiclanguage of visual arts and the basic materials are Esperanto, which can transcend geographicaland national boundaries, allowing for a vast space for its natural development.

　　At the same time, the age is changing and developing. All such appearances that reflect theinner spirit, such material techniques, language features, aesthetic tastes are of distinct epochalcharacters. Nouns and titles are the products emerging as the time requires, and will surelywither away with the advance of history and the update of concepts. Everything is temporary,and impermanent. To create the new word “Rock Color” is precisely because there is no suitableold word to represent this medium, a situation which needs a definition remedy

　　3. Relationship between rock color paintings and traditional Chinese realistic paintings

　　Looking upon the history of painting around the world, we will see that artists generally usedrock powder as pigment since ancient times with underdeveloped science and technology.

　　It was also a Chinese cultural tradition to paint with mineral rock powder. (Note 5) Thispigment was called “mineral color” or “stone-color” in ancient China, which was the predecessorof rock color. Now it is particularly represented by many murals in Kizil, Dunhuang, Maijishan,Xi’an, and Tibet. They have experienced thousand of years of turmoils through wars andvicissitudes, yet still remain strong eye-catching features. These ancient murals are painteddirectly and thickly with a large number of opaque mineral materials. These murals pay attentionto the contours of concave and convex; their points, lines and surfaces wore together to form apicture. In these paintings, the contrasting colors act as the skeleton of the composition. Thesepieces also present the beauty in material qualities, and the paintbrush is used freely with noclear formula, producing a deep and extensive visual effect. We can study these historical workstoday on their techniques and visual effects. Unfortunately, after the Tang Dynasty, this kindof painting style began to decline, its techniques being lost day by day, and replaced by the styleof scroll painting on paper and silk. This kind of painting, with the pursuit of a light, delicate,elegant, and emotional quality, contained large areas of blank space, and no longer used a rigidfoundation. Also, these fine brushwork paintings used outlines of ink, and many layers of color,but still maintained a thin, delicate feeling.

　　Although the fine brushwork paintings also used some opaque colors, it was only partly dyed andfilled with extremely tiny particles, which was different from the Tang Dynasty murals in whicha large area of the colored drawings were painted directly on a hard base and with much largerparticles. With this transition we can see that the opaque way of painting and the emphasison the beauty of mineral texture had lost its primary position. There is no doubt that the finebrushwork painting is a distinct ancient painting style with its own evolution and development.Due to these notable differences, it is far-fetched to insist that the rock color painting should bebrought to the mental framework of the fine brushwork painting and remain under the name of“strong color painting”.

　　There are many materials and techniques of the ancient murals and folk paintings in Chinaand the world that should be inherited by rock color paintings. Furthermore, the rock colorpainting should also learn some visual effects from painted pottery such as vase painting, bronze,glass painting, tempera painting and oil painting. In other words, the creative concept of thestrong color painting can not sufficiently represent the position and the pursuit of the rock colorpainting, which has had influences on such a broad variety of historical traditions.

　　Like many other artists, I began painting from the disciplines of fine brushwork painting.However, when using rock color to paint we can realize a movement and potential beyond thethinking patterns and technical patterns of the fine brushwork painting. This is how the truecharacteristics of the rock color method are revealed. The guidance of materials to the creativeexperience make it increasingly clear that the rock color painting should not be positioned in thenarrow framework of the fine brushwork painting. Only by stepping out of the traditional wayof thinking and considering a new perspective of materials can painting have a more inclusiveand free future.

　　The concept of “Stone Color” and “Rock Color” are also not the same. Stone color is of a rarekind, with a single texture, and without any changes for thousands of years, and therefore cannot stand for the rock color, which can contain a wide range of styles and a unique variety oftextures. Moreover, the expression “Stone Color” has been used for over a thousand year, whichhas formed a conventional and classical association in people’s mind. This is yet another reasonwhy rock color needs its own distinct name.

　　To appreciate rock color painting requires us not only to possess a clear sense of the materialsand techniques, but also to be equipped with a modern concept of space, form, and color, asthese details reveal a unique, perhaps even spiritual sensibility regarding materiality. A deepunderstanding of rock color painting also requires us to learn the essence of eastern and westernculture in a broader sense. Amongst the group of rock color painters, our common pursuit is toface the unknown with an open mind, promoting individuality as much as possible. This newprocess of painting is a manifestation of liberal ideas and spiritual freedom, rather than ascribingitself to any established pattern or system.

　　4. Relationship between rock color painting and Japanese painting

　　Rock color painting is a broad concept, which refers to all the paintings that are mainly drawnwith rock color. However, the rock color painting does not mean the Japanese painting.

　　Japanese painting was born in China’s cultural matrix and devoloped through three stages: theTang stlyle of painting, Yamato-e, and Ukiyo-e. The name of Japanese painting was adopted todistinguish itself from the Western painting in Japan that entered Japan in the late nineteenthcentury. (Note 6) During the last hundred years Japanese painting has accepted the Westerninfluences and gradually distanced itself from Chinese painting. This mutation took place inthe 1950s, when post-war Japan had experienced a fundamental change in social life. The newgeneration of artists had formed new values, and science and technology had also experiencedrapid development. Japanese experts of painting materials had changed the nature of materials,both in terms of developing the material technically, and ways of applying the material. Inaddition to the radical expansion of China’s classical mineral color, they have created a syntheticmaterial-the new rock. The materials and the modern concepts of art after the revolution havehelped Japanese paintings step out of the classical aesthetic formula into a modernity. Today’sJapanese painting style is more novel, integrating more experimental materials and expandingfurther into three-dimensional space. (Note 7)

　　The Japanese transformation from a simple agricultural civilization to its current moderncondition has enlightened China so much and has coincided with the country’s long-termpursuits. Meanwhile, it is a thought-provoking fact that rock color, coming from the materialsof Chinese cultural tradition, has stagnated for about a thousand years while flourished in Japan.Although now we paint with the reformed materials by the Japanese and has transplanted someJapanese painting techniques, we can not be regarded as drawing the Japanese painting, becausethe rock color is just a kind of natural material and medium. Only on a spiritual level can thesematerials and techniques transform into language and represent a cultural identity. Japaneseartists use rock color to represent a Japanese spirit and culture, while Chinese artists use it torepresent the spirit and culture of Chinese people. Nowadays, the boundaries of traditionalpainting are somewhat vague, and the basic concept of the plastic arts is gradually expanding.There is no absolutely pure truth in the world, and it has become the stamp of the age thatdifferent cultures exchange and merge together. There is no longer any art medium that can beregarded in a possessive way as a symbol of national character. We can not consider the rockcolor and related materials which are rich in colors and strong in texture to only belong to Japan.Artists are free to pursue an open, international outlook, to explore their own nationalism, andalso to focus on their own personalized spirit. These principles are fundamental to our humanspirit, and are not subject to any boundary. Only with our own hearts can we choose ourmaterials, techniques, and means of expression. This is why the genre should be named by itsmaterial nature, rather than being bound to a nationality.

　　Ultimately, my aim is to promote the naming of rock color as a genre of modern painting withbroad expressive possibilities, not bound by any geographic boundary or creative limitation.In China, it reveals deep historical and cultural roots, while also promoting the reform andexpansion of the new century. It is of extraordinary significance to adopt a name for a young,emerging painting genre in order to distinguish it from other approaches and allow the artcommunity to explore it’s unique characteristics. To give the genre a term is to legitimize a newchannel of creative inspiration and explorative passion, to step beyond boundaries, and to returnart to the spirit of the individual, thus to open a new avenue of Chinese modern art.

　　1.For reference please see The Art of RockColor Painting---- Lecture of Rock ColorPainting Techniques by Mingzhe Hu P25～P46Heilongjiang Art Press, 2001

　　2.In Japanese, it names “画” as “绘”. E.g.it calls oil painting as “you hui” and washpainting as “mo hui”. Some books call Japanesepainting as “rock painting”, and materials as“tool”, e.g. oil paintingのtool、wash paintingのtool、rock paintingのtool……

　　3. Please refer to " Symposium Album about theOrigins, Heritage and Impact of Glue Painting ",P266 ~ P267, Taiwan Museum of Art, 19954. The main medium of rock color is plastic, butit also can reconcile with acrylic binders, oil andtempera. The media is not our concern, so it isnot known as gouache.

　　5 Please refer to "Rock Painting Art" – Seminarof Rock Painting Techniques by Mingzhe Hu,P4 ~ P13, edited by Heilongjiang Fine ArtsPublishing House, 2001

　　6 Please refer to "Trajectory of Modern JapaneseArt" - Special exhibited art collections ofcommemorating on Japan Art Academy foundedfor a century, Tokyo National Museum publishedin 1998

　　7 Please refer to "Rock Painting Art" - Seminarof Rock Painting Techniques by Mingzhe Hu,P13 ~ P20, edited by Heilongjiang Fine ArtsPublishing House, 2001

　By Mingzhe Hu

　　Published on the Tenth "Art",

　　2002

作者：胡明哲