Modernism Not Welcomed at David Gockley's San Francisco Opera

On August 1, SFOpera presented Jennifer Higdon's "Cold Mountain" to acclaims. Even though juries are still out regarding this work, it has won most hearts of audience and critics. Here is an online review of "Cold Mountain":

Higdon’s is tonal music, with appropriate, occasional incorporations of Appalachian folk tunes. But it is a thoroughly modern score: Though often elegiac, the music is punctuated with violence and dissonance is almost an orchestral character itself, paralleling the opera’s unsettled, anxious mood. 

The opera company in question, SFO, alas, was not San Francisco Opera, which under the general director David Gockley, has commissioned impressive numbers of new operas but most of them were miserable affairs.  Rather, the glory belongs to Santa Fe Opera. Curiously, San Francisco Opera had announced this in an archived article:

SAN FRANCISCO, January 26, 2009—San Francisco Opera General Director David Gockley, joined by Music Director Designate Nicola Luisotti and Chairman of the Board of Directors John Gunn, today announced artistic details for the upcoming 2009–10 repertory season; plans to commission three operas by American composers Christopher Theofanidis, Mark Adamo and Jennifer Higdon.

While Higdon project apparently didn't pan out, Theofanidis's "Heart of a Soldier" and Adamo's "The Gospel of Mary Magdalene" did come into fruition, but both suffered severely from weak dramatic structures and insubstantial and turgid music.

This past June, instead of the healthy mixture of melodic and modern music by Higdon, San Francisco Opera presented a new opera, "La Ciociara" ("Two Women") by Marco Tutino, of an overly-melodramatic libretto coupling a maudlin score, which Gockley viewed as a strike back against the advance of modern development of classical music.

Here is what San Francisco Chronicle's review of the premiere:

... Tutino — along with General Director David Gockley, who commissioned the work from him on the recommendation of Music Director Nicola Luisotti — has also taken this opportunity to mount a rather forceful esthetic argument. In its strongest form, the claim is that the history of 20th century music has been a nightmare that we need to wake up from, and that the path to redemption lies in a wholesale return to the ancient traditions.

Committed to archaism
One doesn’t have to be a diehard modernist, or even much of a modernist at all, to appreciate the weakness of that position. Things have changed since 1900 — if nothing else, there have been two world wars — and plenty of musical ideas have been hatched in the interim. What possible purpose is served by turning one’s back on all of it?

 In a press announcement of "La Ciociara" before its premiere, David Gockley explained his philosophy behind pale aping of Puccini, claiming that "the failure of modernism has given opera a new start and a new potential." [see the embedded video below: 55'48']



In addition, Gockley stated in the video: 

I have a style to pursue, that is neo-verismo, and … one of the things both Nicola and I … we wanted an opera that will immediately speak to the audience, that they would take to heart immediately and walk out of the theater and would make a big impact on them. It’s a cliché you know walking out whistling the melodies and it’s not what you know we are supposed to do you know through out the 20th century with musical modernism being so chic. So we’ve decided we would turn our back on that, and forget that it existed. And we said to Marco: “You know, your fathers are Puccini, Leoncavallo and Mascagni and let them rip.”

We have a co-commissioner and co-producer in the Teatro Regio Torino … of course they thought twice about this you know, "are people going to say this is too retro?" And I said: “Come on, you know, be … be heroic, you know, go against the grain and maybe we’ll re-ignite a tradition.

[13'10'-15'35]

It was distressing to hear such sweeping denunciation of modernism from an impresario overseeing such an important theater. Gockley had expressed more than once that he wanted his composers to forget that modernism ever existed.  Could this be the reason that Higdon balked or dumped, despite the fact that her music was not even that edgy.


San Francisco Opera has also announced another commission - the seminal 18th Century Chinese novel by Xueqin CAO, "Dream of the Red Chamber", to be composed by Bright Sheng.

San Francisco Opera today announced two key artistic personnel for the Company’s world premiere commission, Dream of the Red Chamber by renowned Chinese-American composer Bright Sheng (Madame Mao, The Silver River). Premiering Fall 2016 at the War Memorial Opera House, Dream of the Red Chamber will be conducted by American maestro George Manahan and staged by celebrated Taiwanese director Stan Lai in his Company debut.

Initially, I was very excited by the idea but my excitement turned to suspicion when I learned that this might be a vanity project, as it was pushed forward by Chinese Heritage Foundation of Minnesota, which engaged San Francisco Opera to commission this opera.

Granted, that alone was not enough an alarm, then I encountered this report online, Opera on A Dream of Red Mansions:

When the project took off last year, Gockley asked Sheng for two things. First, the music - both vocal and instrumental - should relate to Chinese music, so use Chinese instruments. Second, it must be "beautiful" and avoid traces of European modernism in the score.  

Really, avoiding any trace of modern development in music history, in an opera set in English, commissioned for an English-speaking audience?

Haven't we heard something like that before. What was it called?

Degenerate Art!^* Of course!

When artistic straightjacket becomes shackles, the stipulation degenerates from foolhardy to heinous.  Such regression is anything but heroic. If the artistic approach behind the "Dream of the Red Chamber" won't change, that project is doom as well, I am afraid.

* On Wikipedia: Degenerate art (German: Entartete Kunst) was a term adopted by the Nazi regime in Germany to describe virtually all modern art.


Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst: 
- Not Enough Drama, Love to Rescue - on San Francisco Opera's Commissions "Heart of A Soldier"
- San Francisco City Hall Celebrating 10th Anniversary of Same-Sex Marriage
- Rainy Days in San Francisco Bay Area
- Part 4, Götterdämmerung - Premiere of Wagner's Ring Cycle at San Francisco Opera
- You'd Think We Living in a Prosperous Time - Two Observations On San Francisco Opera's 2011-12 Season
- "Something Strikingly Original, If Not Completely New"
- Festive San Francisco City Hall and Opera House
- Lunar New Year Time in Shenyang, China
- San Francisco Opera's New "Werther"

The Word 国内 (Domestic or Internal)

Speaking to Chinese people, one would often hear a particular word 国内 (guó nèi), which means domestic, domestically or internal and internally.  However, all the people I have spoken to in my entire life, when they used this term, either they were physically inside China, or outside its boundary, they inevitably meant inside china, and that could be very disjointing.

Consider this online newspaper article on a special kind noodle prices in China and in the US.  The newspaper was published in the US and its website was banned in China.  The title of the article was: 在美国吃一碗过桥米线要多少钱？ (How much does it cost to eat a bowl of "Bridge" Vermicelli in the United States?) The author of the article described that his/her friend and he/she drove to Cupertino for vermicelli and went on described the prices of various vermicelli in that restaurant. The author mentioned that "餐桌下面压着的价钱板。一碗过桥米线要7.89美元。国内三元人民币一碗。" My literal translation:  "On the table there were a price board. Bridge Vermicelli costs $7.89. Domestically three yuan a bowl."

Please don't be confused.  The price of that Vermicelli costs $7.89 in the US and 3 Yuan in China.  When the author used the word 国内, he/she was referring to price in China.  To him/her, 国内always means inside China.  When reading that word in the article, or hear that word in America in many other occasions, I had to do some mental calculation to determine that the speaker of the word didn't mean to say inside America.

This incorrect use of the Chinese word was a relic from the closed-off era of Mao, when practically no Chinese would ever be able to set foot outside Chinese border, so the speakers of the word 国内 (Domestic or Internal) had always been inside China, and no need to pay attention to the shifting meaning once the speaker changed his/her physical location. 

It is simply too disorienting a person who's very sensitive to language and meaning of words.

Chopsticks and Chinese Food

   
copyright Steve Masover

Americans often take pride in their dexterity with chopsticks.  It is some sort of achievement, considering how difficult to use them and how foreign and exotic they are to native-born Americans.  Yet, the insistence of using chopsticks when dealing with Chinese food, therefore the inseparability between Chinese food and chopsticks, seems a bit forced and unnecessary.

Many years ago, when I brought home some take-out Chinese food to share with my American-born roommate, he automatically produced some chopsticks and packets of soy sauce, and I had to do my best to suppress my laughter.  His act was a bit comical to me.

In contrary to someone's claim, I strongly believe that using chopsticks of not, would not change the flavor or texture of Chinese food, or any food.  Using chopsticks to eat Chinese food was also not always true, even in China.  Chopsticks doesn't ensure authenticity.  As for my roommate, if authenticity was he strove for, soy sauce was a faux pas.  In China, soy sauce was used for seasoning food like dumplings, or added to food while cooking, but not to alter flavor of the food cooks had carefully prepared.  His attempt was endearing but misinformed. 

Speaking from my own experiences in China, chopsticks had never been the main utensils I used to eat.  When I was a kid, I used spoons, tiny ones as a baby, bigger ones as I grew bigger.  I don't remember my time when I was in elementary school, during the time I went home for lunch daily.  When I started middle-school, I always brought my packed lunch, so did most of my classmates.  Because chopsticks were longer than lunchboxes, all of us put spoons in our lunchboxes instead.  It was that experience formed my habit and even at home I used spoon, for my breakfast and dinner as well. That continued into my high school and college days.  It was hard to find anyone who used chopsticks in my university canteens and dormitories.

This didn't mean that we didn't know how to use chopsticks.  I can use chopsticks perfectly; I just didn't feel the need to use it.  I suspect that most of my friends used chopsticks at home and I might be an extreme case. 

Spoon or chopsticks perform equally well for Chinese food, with one exception - noodles.

My solution, as well as my sister's, was to use chopsticks as a pair of scythe and cut the noodles into smaller, more manageable pieces, then my waiting spoon would finish off the noodles (see picture below).  More advantageously, I could drink the soup with my spoon.




I'm not ideologically against using chopsticks, or the attempt to try something new, or being authentic - I used my hands to eat when I dined at Ethiopian restaurants.  What I find a bit unnecessary and even dogmatic is the fixation on linking chopsticks to Chinese food, and I am against using disposable chopsticks and plastic forks in restaurants, or at home.

I have learned not to be embarrassed by being the only one requesting a fork, while dining with Caucasian friends in Asian restaurants, and I have also learned to bring my own fork to neighborhood Asian restaurants, the ones I knew had only plastic fork or disposable chopsticks.

For the native-born-Americans, it is fine to test and learn to use those fancy chopsticks.  It is fun and who can resist the urge to conquer them?  However, if you are not inclined to do so, do feel free to ask for a fork, or a spoon.

If you are to travel in China, where almost no restaurants were equipped with forks, and if you don't want to handle the often more slippery chopsticks there, you can always try to ask for a spoon - they usually do have them for soups.  Or, remember to bring your own fork to China and to the restaurants - just remember to wrap them up afterwards and bring them back to your hotel and wash it for your next meal.

Bon appétit!

Language Choice

Recently, I received an election mailing notification. It says:

At the Alameda County Registrar of Voters, we understand that language can sometimes be a barrier to communications and seeking election information. That's why we are mailing this postage prepaid card in order for you to obtain your election materials in your chosen language.  Please complete, detach and return the card provided to our office to request your ballot materials in Chinese. . .

The officials in my voting district must be commended for their effort to reach out to voters with language challenges.  However, for materials designed to be a language help, it would be better that those materials are well written and make sense.

First, the card stated that if I returned the card, I would have election materials in the language of my choice?  What options did I have?  German, French, Russian, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese?   No.  I would have been assigned to Chinese automatically.  Only Chinese.



There was no choice here. And that would not have been the language of my choice at all.


It is true that Chinese is my native tongue.  However, I would rather read voting materials in the prevailing language in this district, English, because most of, if not all, the ballots and measures were conceived and written in English originally and the officious and literal translations were often hard to read and digest. 

It would be better to say that if I need Chinese materials, I could request them by returning the card, instead of assuming Chinese is the language of my choice.








This reminded me of another unhappy experience in the U.S.  I bought an insurance policy through an acquaintance - a Chinese immigrant like me - but he turned out to be not very helpful and often failed to  reply to my messages.  I eventually requested a new agent.  Guess what?  I was assigned an agent who was another transplant from China - Hong Kong, who had slight difficulties in communicating in English.  Since she speaks little Mandarin and I speak no Cantonese, we have to communicate in the language she was not very comfortable with.


I really wish people don't judge others by their family names. 

Shark Fin and "Waste Not" - True Chinese "Tradition"

David Paul Morris/Special to The Chronicle

Shark fin soup? Yum! Foie gras? Yuck.

Shark fin soup is considered delicacy by many Chinese, particularly those live near the ocean and are wealthy, manifested by Cantonese speakers in the US. In order to curb the cruel shark finning in international waters, legislators in California proposed to outlaw the title ingredient in shark fin soup. Some Asian, particularly of Chinese descend, opposed it and calling it an assault on Chinese culture, such as San Francisco mayor hopeful Leland Yee, and mayor Ed Lee. Yet, the very same politician Leland Yee, the vocal opponent of shark fin ban, voted for foie gras ban in 2004. 

However, most Chinese-Americans, including me, support the ban. Associated Press reports that "a poll released Friday by the Monterey Bay Aquarium indicated strong support of a fin ban among Californians. More than three-quarters of the 600 registered voters surveyed said they support the bill. Of the 218 respondents who were Chinese-American, 70 percent said they support it."

Calling eating shark fin soup a Chinese tradition, as did Leland Yee and Ed Lee, is preposterous.

For example, let's cast eyes on an installation "Waste Not" in San Francisco's Yueba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) by Chinese artist Song Dong.

The installation features more than 10,000 household items ranging from pots and basins to blankets, bottle caps, toothpaste tubes, and stuffed animals, junk by most people's up-to-date standard, collected by Song's mother over half a century dating back to the Cultural Revolution, demonstrates the evolution of China within the 20th century and reveals the societal implications of modern China. They also express how he personally copes with his country's rapid development, while retaining a spiritual connection to the past.

YBCA described Song and his work as "especially powerful in expressing the effects of radical change and social transformation on members of his own family. It is this latter aspect of his work that has set him apart from the many extraordinary artists who have also been grappling with the rapid changes China is experiencing.

"Waste Not follows the Chinese concept of wu jin qi yong or 'waste not,' as a prerequisite for survival. A core theme of Waste Not is the idea that people, everyday objects and personal stories are not only spiritually rich in thematic material but recognizable evidence of the impact of politics and history on family life."

I wonder what Song's mother thinks of the shark fin soup, if she ever heard of it.

This so called cultural tradition has never linked to the masses and have nothing to do with people who struggle to put floor, rice, corn, or sorghum on their tables.

Some Chinese people, mostly Cantonese speakers who are well-known for their reckless taste for novelty, would sacrifice many other things to satisfy their desire, often pure vanity.

Like, shark fin soup, another quirky taste favored by Cantonese speakers is Nostoc flagelliforme, or Fat choy (Fa Cai in Mandarin) -- hair moss or hair weed, a terrestrial cyanobacterium (a type of photosynthetic bacteria) that is used as a vegetable in Chinese cuisine. When dried, the product has the appearance of black hair. For that reason, its name in Chinese means "hair vegetable." When soaked, this vegetable has a very soft texture which is like very fine vermicelli, and an appearance very similar to long, black, human hair.

The last two syllables of this name in Cantonese sound the same as another Cantonese saying meaning "struck it rich" (though the second syllable, coi, has a different tone) -- this is found, for example, in the Cantonese saying, "Gung1 hei2 faat3 coi4" (恭喜發財, meaning "wishing you prosperity"), which is often proclaimed during Chinese New Year. For that reason, this product is a popular ingredient in dishes used for the Chinese New Year. [source: wikipedia]

Collecting Fa Cai is very damaging to the vegetation. Since 1980s, with the dominance of commerce by and concentration of wealth in Cantonese speakers, what they like became fads in China and the results were rapid destroy of feeding pasture and the growth of desert.

Perhaps, Ed Lee and Leland Ye should visit those devastated places in northwest China in order to savor their "culture".

When I grew up in Mao's China, in my province, Liaoning Province, a residence was rationed to 7 oz. cooking oil per month. In a port city in Liaoning, Dalian, the mayor gained a nickname "Four Eggs" because then a resident had the ration of four eggs per month.

People also tend to link rice consumption to Chinese people. While, when I grew up, we didn’t have enough rice, though my home province grew best rice in the nation. Wheat flours, corn floors, millet and sorghum were necessary to fill the stomachs.

This continues today in some part of China.

Chinese Americans, particularly ABCs, mostly originated from a small corner of China and it is very presumptive for them to claim that their way of life represents Chinese culture. A small sector of it, yes; but never a whole.

Mr. Lee and Mr.Yee, do you have the heart to lecture them what Chinese culture is? What is Chinese culture?  It's not up to some isolated, rich Chinese American politicians to define.

It is highly disgusting when privileged people take their indulgences for granted and imply or insist on it is universally available, as Mr. Lee and Yee have done.


"Waste Not" by Song Dong

What to Expect from Record High Chinese Overseas Students

BBC News reported that Chinese overseas students 'hit record high'

Officials say there are now some 1.27 million students attending foreign universities.

In 2010 alone more than 284,000 Chinese went abroad to study, most of them privately funded.

At the same time, more Chinese students are choosing to return home to work after graduation.

Chinese officials say the country has the largest number of overseas students in the world.

In the 2009-2010 academic year, for example, the University of Cambridge had nearly 1,000 Chinese students, mostly from mainland China, reading for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in engineering, sciences, mathematics, international relations, economics and finance, and administration.

While Chinese students have brought money to foreign colleges and universities hard-hit by the global financial crisis, China is getting the knowledge and skills needed to drive the country's rapid growth.

In the past 30 years or so, more than 630,000 Western-trained students and scholars have returned home, about one-fifth of that number in the last year alone.

Many of them are now engaged in research and development that is boosting China's global competitive position.

The fact is very interesting and somewhat sobering.  China, has definitely become a force to reckon with.  However, this great close contact between the west and the brightest young people from China, does not necessarily translate into a better understanding of the West - its system, its value, its culture, and its believe - by China or Chinese people.

Many of those students, came with pre-existing values, often only interact with the natives minimally, and stick to one another in their own circle, and don't gain much societal knowledge and insights.  That might come if they stay on for years and really try to understand the local cultures often quite different from their own.  If they return home before that, they go home with classroom knowledge and not much more.  Considering the much inflated nationalist pride those young people cherish, and certain disdain to the countries they are studying in, the barrier to a better understanding between those countries and China remains.  Anyone has doubt about my this assertion, should try to remember the red flags all over the world when the Olympic torches paraded from all continents before it triumphantly entered Beijing. 






On 24 April 2008, the Olympic torch reached Canberra, Australia. 15,000 Pro-Chinese, most from Sydney and Melbourne, marched together in an act of patriotism, against the Tibetan protesters. Filmed using a Nokia N95 by benlisquare

A more compelling case is on China's entering World Trade Organization.  Before its entry, Chinese government made all the promises of fair play and yet, and its supporters in the political and business arenas all over the world claimed that by opening up the business to the world, it would inevitably introduce democracy into China.

Yet, Chinese's currency Yuan is artificially high; its internet censorship made Saudi blush; its trade imbalance grew bigger by the month; China's inequality are approaching and surpassing the U.S.; its people arrested and made disappear daily.

It's absolutely wonderful to have such exchanges between the west and China but pinning much hope on those bright young men and women from China is perhaps foolhardy.

Coca Cola, Mercedes-Benz and Yosemite

Coca Cola, Mercedes Benz and Yosemite - what do they have in common?

For Chinese speakers, they represent the examples of best translation.  The Chinese translations for Coca Cola is 可口可乐 (pronounced as: ke-kou-ke-le), which means delicious and cheering.  The truncated form Coke was simple 可乐 (ke-le), cheering.



Most Chinese speakers don't know what Mercedes is but they now Benz.  The translation of Mercedes-Benz, at least in mainland China, usually leaves Mercedes out and Benz is called 奔驰 (pronounced as: ben-chi), meaning racing.  Some translations do keep Mercedes, which was simply a phonetic transliteration (梅塞德斯, pronounced as: mei-sai-de-si) with no special meanings.



Yosemite in Chinese is 优山美地 (pronounced as: you-shan-mei-di), which means superior mountain(s) and beautiful field(s).



I have discussed many times regarding what constitutes good translations.  To me, the full meaning of the original language is the essential.  As for brands, a phonetic proximity is important as well.  Besides those, if the translated language can add extra layers of wonderful meanings to merchandise brands, then the translations reach sublimity.

Aren't These Chinese & Japanese Characters Art?

There are many complicated writings in Chinese characters and Japanese Kanji. Below are sample of these picturesque writings, which are like a miniature paintings themselves:


せい sei - fresh [consists of three characters of fish]


しょう　shou - large group of horses traveling in a line [consists of three characters of horses]


(unknown meaning) [consists of three characters of horses above a wood]


Nàng, poor enunciation due to snuffle


Zhé, (unknown meaning) [consists of four characters of dragons]


Daito and means footsteps of a dragon (Japanese) [consists of three characters of clouds above three dragons]


Zhèng (unknown meaning) [consists of four characters of prosperous]


Mó, Devil which sees and consumes a persons heart



ハキマ (unknown meaning)




藻が色 (unknown meaning)



Ouichiza, [79 strokes]


A crazy character I personally saw in use is the one below, which describes a kind of noodles:


Biáng, a kind of noodles

Mythology Series on Synch Chaos (Webzine)

Over the years, I have created a series of paintings based on Western and Chinese myths and legends.

Synch Chaos, a cutural webzine just published a series of my paintings.

Below is the list of the work and the links to the images on my web site ( www.matthewfelixsun.com )

Minotaur
Oil on Canvas, 24″ x 30″, Completed in 2005
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3844905109/in/set-72157621940201251/
Minotaur, as I saw it, was a tragic figure, who was condemned and trapped by fate to his horrible condition and savageries. He welcomed his slayer Theseus, who was approaching fast in a galley. Holding Ariadne’s thread, which will help Theseus to leave his labyrinth, Minotaur pondered on his imminent death and anticipated his own relief with trepidation and anticipation. A large tear rolled down his face, monstrous and beautiful.

Daphne
Oil on Canvas, 30″ x 40″, Completed in 2009
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3867334845/in/set-72157622064751614/
A more or less straightforward rendition of the metamorphosis of Daphne into a laurel tree. Hands and arms of Daphne and the golden torso of Apollo dominated the canvas. In the background, the killing of Daphne’s playmate Leukippos by the jealous Apollo and the chasing of Daphne were simultaneously portrayed, to complete the whole cycle of the story.

Sisyphus
Oil on Canvas, 48″ x 24″, Completed in 2003
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3849117038/in/set-72157622064751614/
I put Sisyphus in the most hard to sustain position, to emphasis the difficulty and impossibility of his task and punishment.

Adam and Eve
Oil on Canvas, 30″ x 40″, Completed in 2008
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3835030818/in/set-72157622064751614/
Adam and Eve were portrayed as sad and resigned figures. Adam cast down his eyes, as if he was trying to avoid eye contact with viewers, or his judges, while Eve reached out to Adam tentatively with right hand, whilst shielding her guilty face with her left hand. A heavy, lead-colored cloud hanging directly above them, shaped like a giant question mark. It also functioned like Damocles’ sword, threatening to crush them both.

Annunciation
Oil on Canvas, 36″ x 48″, Completed in 2002
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3835030876/in/set-72157622064751614/
Virgin Mary, on learning her pregnancy by the holy spirit, wailed for herself and the fate of her unborn son Jesus. She howled in grief beyond console. Perhaps, she was grieving for the entirety of humanity - by then, she must have learned the burden on her shoulders.

Jingwei Filling Up the Sea
Oil on Canvas, 24″ x 36″, Completed in 2008

http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3856364733/
Jingwei, in Chinese mythology, perished at a young age in the East Sea. After her death she chose to assume the shape of a bird in order to exact revenge upon the sea by bringing stones and small twigs from the mountains nearby over the sea in an effort to fill it up. Jingwei even has a short dialogue with the sea where the sea scoffs her, claiming that she wouldn’t be able to fill it up even in a million years, whereupon she claims that she will then proceed to take ten million years, even one hundred million years, whatever it takes to fill up the sea so that others would not have to perish as she did.
Again, I grouped a few events together to contain the cycle of the story in one canvas. The predominant feature is a sad fish with large tear. Here, the struggle is between elements and human activity and I tried to give sympathy to both.

Nüwa Creating Humans
Oil on Canvas
30″ x 40″
Completed in 2007
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3848229487/in/set-72157622064751614/
Nüwa is a goddess in ancient Chinese mythology best known for creating mankind and repairing the wall of heaven. This painting is the tribute to my heritage. What can be more fitting then credit a female god as the creator of humans? The sad twist in this canvas is that the humans she created resembled, unfortunately, robots. No creation would be perfect.

Nüwa Patching Up the Sky
Oil on Canvas
30″ x 30″
Completed in 2006
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewfelixsun/3834238745/in/set-72157622064751614/
Two powerful gods quarreled and caused the collapse of the pillar which supported the sky and rain powered down to drown the living creatures on earth. This is the independent corroboration of the deluge in the Bible. Nüwa cut off the legs of a giant tortoise and used them to supplant the fallen pillar, alleviating the situation and sealing the broken sky using stones of seven different colors, but she was unable to fully correct the tilted sky. This explains the phenomenon that sun, moon, and stars move towards the northwest, and that rivers in China flow southeast into the Pacific Ocean. She also melted five-colored boulders to seal off the cracks of the sky. Other versions of the story describe Nüwa going up to heaven and filling the gap with her body (half human half serpent) and thus stopping the flood. The image I put forth was an earth-toned large woman, floating against cobalt blue boulders and running water in between, struggling to maintain her balance, in order to finish her Herculean (or shall we say, Nüwaian) job.

Matthew Felix Sun

Myths in My paintings

I'm consistently interested in mythologies of different cultures. Naturally, I'm most familiar with Chinese culture, but China does not have well-developed mythology. A few well known, though sketchy, stories were passed on to my generation, however, and I was able to created a few works out of these.

After Chinese myth, Greek mythology is most familiar to me, and a few works of mine on themes from Greek mythology would be more familiar to the viewers of my work. Therefore I'll skip the explanations of the first three works.

Greek:

Sisyphus



















Daphne (unfinished)














Minotaur
















I also made a few paintings based on Christian themes:

Adam and Eve














Annunciation















The Triumph of Saint George




















Chinese:

Nüwa Creating Human Beings - as in most pagan culture, the creator of human beings was a female. Nüwa is a goddess who out of boredom, played with clay dough and generated human figurines. By breathing on them, she gave them life.


Nüwa Patching Up the Sky - a terrible war between two powerful gods resulted in the collapse of the pillar holding up the sky. Sky was broken and the rain poured down (deluge) and humans suffered. Nüwa took pity on her creations and fixed the pillar, then melted many five-colored stones to patch the sky. The vapors from the heat amused the people therefore Nüwa allowed them to stay, hence the clouds.


Kuafu Chasing the Sun (unfinished) - Kuafu was a giant who wanted to communicate with the Sun. In order to catch up with the sun, he ran from sunrise to sunset. Just when he was reaching the sun, he was exhausted and fell to ground to die - his giant muscles became mountains and hills while his blood was transformed into the rivers and creeks.








Jingwei Filling Up the Sea - Jingwei was a lovely boy who drowned in the sea. From the place he drowned flew out a small bird, who took on a task worthy of Sisyphus: carrying tiny stones in his beak and dropping them into the sea, in order to fill it up, some day.

Chinese Themed/Influenced Paintings

I'm getting excited at my upcoming trip to China and am looking forward to some new stimuli. Though I studied mostly western drawing and painting techniques, my Chinese background inevitably influences my thinking; therefore the compositions and executions of my paintings demonstrate those influences to various degrees. Sometimes I intentionally tried to imitate Chinese water ink paintings, even though my medium is oil, resulting in some hard to define but intriguing works:

Woodcutter














Epic















Explosion















Snowy Mountain, I



















Snowy Mountain, II



















Swamp















Dirge














Homeland Impression, I