「Look at the Picture and Talk about the Painting」Xu Tianjin: Ink and brush strokes capture the essence of life, making art more relatable to daily life

Let calligraphy break free from its solitary display on the desk and blend into the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. Xu Tianjin, with the cultural depth of an archaeological master and the brushstroke spirit of a calligrapher, has blurred the boundary between art and daily life in “Mr. Shan’s Kitchen”.

The character “xiang” uses space as its canvas, subtly integrating the ancient ritual of “people in the village drinking together” described in “Analytical Dictionary of Characters” into the contemporary kitchen setting, allowing “eating well” to progress from the sensory level to the spiritual dimension.

The ancient elegance of “drinking with whom” collides with the Western humor of Picasso mimicking fingers with bread. The playful expression of art, the narrative of space, all weave together into a web. The collision of calligraphy and art collection brings the aroma of the kitchen out, giving it the charm of an art salon.

Xu Tianjin’s calligraphy does not simply impose art on life; instead, it uses the accumulation of archaeology and the tradition of calligraphy to form the “framework” of the living space. When we chop vegetables and understand that “Song” means Chinese cabbage in a refined way, or when we walk and grasp the wisdom of the blank space in “Ban Han” (half drunk), life becomes a flowing cultural container.

When calligraphy blends with the hustle and bustle of life, daily life becomes the most vibrant artistic scene. Art is no longer a silent exhibit in a museum; instead, it is the flowing water that nourishes our daily lives, making every breath and every aroma of a dish an opportunity for cultural inheritance and aesthetic awakening. This is the ultimate charm of “making life artistic”!

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