Artwork Appreciation
Hsu Yun-Shan’s “Untitled” series are her various experiments and explorations of painting brushstrokes. The creative idea comes from a Buddhist gatha: “[The painting master] cannot know his own heart, and yet paints from his heart.” When painting, the painter observes her own heart, and every time she lifts the brush and applies the brushstrokes, it is not only a process of somatic perception but also a reflection of her emotions. One after another trace of the brush on the canvas becomes a testimony of the artist’s vital gestures. In the monochromatic Untitled No. 211, Hsu Yun-Shan uses flat brushes of different widths and sizes, but places the strokes precisely. They are arranged side-by-side, some high, some low, some horizontal, some vertical, and some slanted, presenting great variation. At the same time, her treatment of the acrylic paint varies in thickness or lightness, heightening the richness and creating a dynamic, rhythmic visual effect.