Artwork Appreciation
For Pan Meng-Yao, the indirectness of printmaking makes it the most singular expression of artistic creation. Printmaking creates lines and blocks of color through pressing and imprinting, and the degree of power in the process and the design of the intaglio or relief plate adds various dimensions of interest to a flat print. If you carefully savor the relationship between the pigments and the paper, you will see that sometimes the pigments are raised and sometimes they are pressed flat. The uneven layers enrich the texture of the print’s surface. In his Dancing Freely, Pan Meng-Yao uses the technique of color single-block reduction printing. The rough texture of the wood block and the traces of the brushing spread throughout the print. He added the effects of calligraphic ink lines and splashed ink to create a work that looks graffiti-like but full of lyricism. He says, “Destruction and scratching of the block’s grain represent the letting-out of emotions.” As Pan releases the soul’s feelings, the lines and colors move freely like musical notes, filling the work with improvisational power.