「Look at the Picture and Talk about the Painting」White: It is the medium of nothingness and eternity

White is the most paradoxical color in the history of art. It is both the “nothingness” that wipes away all things, and the “infinity” that embraces everything.

In the “nothingness” dimension, white represents subtractive aesthetics. Piero Manzoni’s “Achrome” series gradually shifted towards the original materials during its development, eliminating distractions and allowing the substance itself to become art; Otto Piene’s “Pure Energy III” captured light and shadow in monochrome, stimulating visual energy in the pureness of “nothingness”; Martin Barré erased personal traces through mechanized processes, challenging the traditional identity of the artist within the rules of “nothingness”.

In the “infinite” dimension, white transcends into the carrier of spirit. In Marc Chagall’s paintings, Bella, dressed in a pure white collar, presents a solemnity like that of a Renaissance Madonna, placed in the devout contemplation of eternal love; in MarcelleCahn’s works, the precise linear structure interweaves in a pure white background, leading abstraction towards the infinite extension of rhythm, sound waves and light waves.

From the emptiness of “nothingness” to the extension of “infinity”, white has always been questioning the essence of art. It is not an endpoint but the starting point leading to the spiritual realm.These thoughts about white are waiting to meet every viewer at the “Colors” exhibition.

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