Chapter 5 – Ancient Cultures: China
The following is an excerpt from one of the forgotten manuscripts of ancient China: The Art of Art. Its author, Lao Tung Tse, is shrouded in mystery. Some historians say he was an artist to the Emperor during the late Ming dynasty who, after producing a portrait in which the Emperor appeared a little chubby, fled to Tibet in fear of his life. Others claim that he was a hermit who entered a cave to meditate and emerged 90 years later, producing this magnificent work before dropping dead from old age and, possibly, boredom. Whoever he was, he is cited by those in the know as the finest art critic to date, the first person in the world to link art with the beauty of human existence and the worst speller in the history of China.
The excerpts appear here as they appear in Geri Glockenspiel’s annotated edition; The Art of the Art of Art.
5. The Master and the Art of Life
(Editor’s note: ‘master’ refers to any fine painter)
Clouds blowing softly over mountain streams,
So too does the brush of the master
Pause delicately on the page
Before making
The first stroke.
Editor’s note: Lao Tung Tse has attempted to begin this section with a poetic haiku, not realising perhaps that haiku is a Japanese literary form. This does not present a problem however as this paragraph does not resemble a haiku in any way.
An artwork starts with but a single stroke. The master lays one stroke, then another, then another, then another, until the canvas is a rich tapestry. So too does life begin with a single step. Each choice in life is like a single brush stroke, painting a picture of ourselves. So the finest silk painting is like a beautiful maiden, and the chunkiest of statues is like my mother-in-law.
8. Choice of Brush Determines the Man
If a man paints with a weak brush,
Then he is a weak man.
If a man paints with a large brush,
Then he is surely compensating for something.
If a man paints with a damp brush,
Then there is a hole in his roof.
If a man does not respect his brush,
Then the man will command no respect.
But,
If a man paints with a strong brush,
He is a true leader.
If a man paints with a small brush,
He is modest and humble.
If a man paints with a dry brush,
He knows where to get cheap roof repairs.
If a man respects his brush,
Hold the onions.
Editor’s note: This appears to be a mistranslation.
13. Pottery and the Art of Harmony
Pottery combines the five elements:
Earth for the building materials.
Water for the moulding.
Wood to burn.
Fire to set.
Metal.
Editor’s note: The absence of any further description for metal may be purely aesthetic. However, it is likely that Lao Tung Tse knew less about pottery than he claimed to.
25. Reversal and the Art of Art
Everything in life is balanced; ying and yang.
The two are mutually inclusive.
There is no good without evil.
There is no happiness without sadness.
There is no love without hate.
So it is in the art of art.
There is no presence without absence.
There is no skill without ineptitude.
There is no beauty without ugliness.
There is no painting without a blank canvas.
There is no art without modern-art.
Editor’s note: Here Lao Tung Tse was ahead of his time in predicting the existence of modern of art. Had he truly understood the value of his discovery however, he wouldn’t have lived in a cave.
Geri Glockenspiel is a world-renowned art expert, historian and part-time sheep farmer. His other publications include ‘Art Galleries on a Dollar a Day’, ‘A History of Sheep in the Works of Rembrandt’ and ‘A Connoisseurs Guide to the Street Graffiti of Upper Darlinghurst’.
