「Look at the Picture and Talk about the Painting」Madness and Genius Are Separated by a Fine Line

One is a post-impressionist painter regarded as a “madman”, and the other is Xu Wei, a Ming Dynasty artist who was denounced as “crazy” for his bold ink-wash painting style. Some people say that the similarities between these two “mad” geniuses from the East and the West are merely far-fetched!

When Van Gogh’s swirling starry sky meets Xu Wei’s ink-drenched brushstrokes, two misunderstood souls across time and space resonate in their unrestrained strokes. Gazing at the distorted starry clouds in “The Starry Night” and the “burning” petals in “Sunflowers”, Van Gogh uses his agitated short lines to transform his inner pain and passion into visual cries. Looking at Xu Wei’s “Ink Grapes”, the wild splashes of ink and the flying white interweave. The brushstrokes seem unrestrained and wild, without the constraints of realistic and meticulous depiction, yet within the seemingly out-of-control strokes, there surges the resentment and aloofness of an unappreciated talent.

With brush and ink, they tore apart the veil of reality, solidifying the tremors deep within their souls onto canvas and paper. Yet in their lifetimes, Van Gogh was regarded as a lunatic, and Xu Wei was repeatedly criticized, with his paintings denounced as “crazy and strange”, simply because their art had long transcended the comprehension of their times. Just as “The Genius on the Left, the Madman on the Right” states, “There is only a thin line between genius and madness”, and whether one is a genius or a madman is merely a matter of the public’s perception.

These strokes once denounced as “madness” have ultimately been eternally inscribed in the annals of art history. True art has always been the prophecy written by lonely souls to the world, and only time can comprehend the greatness within.

The tea for today is all gone. Next time, I’ll brew a fresh pot and enjoy art with you again.