Blue Philosophy, Philosophical Blue: The Blue Space-Time of Jo Hsieh

by Huang Jing-Jung

 

　Jo Hsieh (Hsieh Yi-Chuan) was born to a 20th-century Taiwan, in 1967. Her artistic spirit, like the multifarious circles in her works, is at once calm and dynamic. It was hidden within her from the time of her childhood, waiting for its moment to spring forth. During her time at the Fu-Hsin Trade and Arts School, Hsieh mastered the fundamentals of art, craftsmanship, and design. From the application of various media and base materials to the exploration of art history in both Eastern and Western styles, every assignment from her teachers was an opportunity for her to experiment with art. Within these frameworks, she managed to infuse her own expressive self into Buddhist sculpture, Impressionist artworks, and ink-wash paintings, making her assignments come to life and showcasing her unique creative intentions and talent.

　In 1991, Hsieh Yi-Chuan made the decision to pursue further studies in the United Kingdom. She obtained her Master's degree from the Royal College of Art in 1998. During her time in the UK, through numerous discussions with her teacher Amanda, she developed her most representative work, the None-Space series. From there, she embarked on a unique and distinctive artistic journey.

　Jo Hsieh's love for pondering philosophical questions is evident in her notebooks, from which it is possible to trace the paths of her contemplation. Her insatiable curiosity about the world and her unceasing spirit of adventure are both manifested in her artwork. She contemplates the forms and embodiments of time and space, the relationship between the material and the psychological worlds, and utilizes various media and base materials in combinations that transform into various kinds of points, lines, and surfaces. These elements interact within the powder particles, representing the ‘origin’ and the ‘source’ of the water-like blue color, forming circles that represent the start and end points of the spiritual and physical worlds, transcending orientation and dimensionality as well as the canvas itself.

　The contents of Jo Hsieh's bookshelf and her notebooks also reveal her familiarity with art history. In addition to studying the works of various renowned artists, she has also contemplated related matters within the pages of her notebooks. Her concept of space-time is inclusive, extending beyond the linear and binary thinking of both Eastern and Western traditions, while her creations merge the physical and spiritual worlds to create a distinct identity of their own.

　Translating abstract thoughts into actions is challenging, and transforming abstract spirituality into tangible forms is even more so. The philosophy of blue, rooted in her thought processes, words, and sketches, is a testament to her remarkable journey of turning her ideas into practical creations, with her diligent and dedicated work finding its incarnation in this realm of blue.

　Many people associate Jo Hsieh with the abstract school of art. Looking back at the modern art of the 20th century, we see that it was rooted in a reflection on the events of World War I and II, and represents both a reconstruction of the psyche and the establishment of a new order. Dadaism emerged during World War I (1914-1918), and was characterized by its rebellious nature: breaking the established rules and forms of traditional art, or appropriating and transforming everyday objects. Marcel Duchamp's playful provocations further led the way for subsequent trends, and this sense of rebellious playfulness gave rise to an avant-garde movement that reflected the turmoil and tragic atmosphere brought about by the wars. On a psychological level and in the world at large, these artists subverted the old world's order and ushered in a new era. The Surrealist movement emerged soon after, incorporating psychoanalysis and the realm of the subconscious into its artistic creations.

　By contrast, Wassily Kandinsky embarked on a rational path of artistic creation characterized by concision, pure order, and rhythmic elements. Born in Moscow, Russia, he later studied drawing and painting in Munich, Germany, where he incorporated elements of Russian Constructivism and German Expressionism into his work. During his time with the group Der Blaue Reiter, Kandinsky further pursued what he saw as the ‘musicality’ of painting, infusing his artwork with a sense of rhythm and emphasizing purity in points, lines, and surfaces.

　Another artist, Kazimir Malevich, once said, “In the year 1913, trying desperately to free art from the dead weight of the real world, I took refuge in the form of the square.” Despite the negativity in this statement, it contains a positive characteristic within its negativity – hinting, as it does, at the context and spirit of Suprematism. Suprematism emerged in Russia during World War I, and focused on pure abstraction and the pursuit of the ‘zero degree’ of painting – the point beyond which art could not go without ceasing to be art. It aimed to free painting from traditional constraints, emphasizing formal expression and seeking to achieve a kind of total clarity in the medium of painting, with ‘pure sensation’ as the supreme ideal – hence the movement’s name, ‘Suprematism.’

　Malevich and Suprematism drew inspiration from contemporary poetry, literary criticism, and related Russian Formalist groups. Language is often viewed as the most straightforward means of communication, but for Formalists, words were a challenge to connect with objects, and their aim was to establish novel and unusual perspectives on the world. Suprematist artists also strived to break away from elements that had previously drawn inspiration from real-world experiences, encouraging viewers to reconsider things through pure sensation and abstract art.

　Suprematist artists often used geometric forms such as squares and circles, drawing inspiration from Russian folk art and traditional religious symbols like the cross. In turbulent international times marked by war and upheaval, they believed that the goals of the real world were meaningless. Hence, they expressed the spirit of their art through such pure sensibility and expression.

　In 1915, Malevich painted Black Square, which became known as an iconic Suprematist work and one which spoke to the core ideas of the movement. Afterwards, Malevich continued to work primarily in black and white. In the same year as the painting’s release, Malevich – along with artists such as Kseniya Boguslavskaya and Ivan Klyun – formed a Suprematist group and exhibited numerous works at The Last Futurist Exhibition of Painting 0.10, most of which featured white as the base color and geometric shapes as their primary focus. Malevich also put forth the manifesto From Cubism and Futurism to Suprematism in Art as a new expression of the ideals of the Suprematist movement.

　By 1913, another avant-garde group had begun to form in Russia. Vladimir Tatlin, influenced by Pablo Picasso's three-dimensional and multimedia collage works, visited Picasso's studio and participated in The Last Futurist Exhibition of Painting 0.10 in 1915, marking the beginning of Constructivism.

　In the post-war period, after Surrealism, another movement known as ‘Abstract Expressionism’ emerged. This movement explored the effects of psychology and consciousness, and was heavily influenced from the theories of Sigmund Freud. It evolved further through works such as Jackson Pollock's Action Painting and Yves Klein's Monochromatic Painting. Around this time, the center of the art world shifted from Paris to New York, a change which had a profound impact on subsequent developments in abstract painting, Minimalism, color field painting, hard-edge painting, and established connections with the art world worldwide.

　In the early 20th century, following the era marked by major wars, art entered a phase of deconstruction and reconstruction, bridging the gap between the spiritual and physical worlds. Jo Hsieh, who developed her artistic work towards the end of the 20th century, can be seen as having followed this path – navigating geometry, monochromatism, and minimalism; accepting this artistic legacy while carving out her unique path. Even though her work often aligns with Suprematist concepts by granting viewers a vision of purity, by leaving her works nameless she arguably also gives room for contemplation.

　　In truth, Hsieh Yi-Chuan's works represent a convergence of reason and emotion: they are the result of meticulous, refined thought and practice. The transformation of dots into lines, colors, and forms – and sometimes even rhythm and music – engages not just the sense of sight but potentially all five senses, including hearing. She adeptly harnesses the characteristics of her materials, shifting between subtraction and addition, manipulating dimensions with great flexibility to create a greater sense of space and depth within her compositions.

　As with the linear sequences of hard-edge art, Hsieh combines more than five shades of blue. But within the irregular borders of these block-like sections of color, there is an emotional naturalism reminiscent of the gradients of the sea; one which removes the rigidity found in the mathematical and logical aspects of hard-edge art. Her back-and-forth lines, unceasing circles, and interplay of materials depict a process of labor. While others often say ‘think before you act,’ Hsieh seems to think as she acts, acts as she thinks, or thinks and acts simultaneously. In Hsieh's creations, you can see the philosophical reflections brought about by her labor, and how these reflections guide her work, giving time and space an additional interface.

　Hsieh often uses circular forms in her works. These hold philosophical significance: symbolizing as they do both the infinite and the finite. She also frequently employs repetitive or recurring lines and irregular geometric shapes, occasionally incorporating  squares. Her points, lines, and surfaces may represent geometric forms, and even a kind of logic or framework; while with the base materials Hsieh creates a temporal dimension, crossing dimensions and space. Within the confines of the paper or canvas, her blue extends boundlessly, like an ocean or the sky. Her mineral powders shimmer within this realm of blue, reminding us of the idea that "each grain of sand is a world." Like pearls in the ocean, they exist in themselves and in the world, thanks to the ever-changing states of water. This allows viewers to journey anywhere within the artworks and perceive the world in different ways.

　Since 1997, when Hsieh embarked on a train journey to Spain, she has often pondered the reason why the sky and the ocean both appear blue. Scientifically speaking, we know that the blue color of the sky results from the so-called ‘Rayleigh scattering’ of sunlight by dust particles in the air. Meanwhile, the ocean appears blue because of the absorption of light at around 750 nanometers by the hydrogen-oxygen bonds within water molecules when they are densely packed into a liquid state. The blue that Hsieh observes and explores on paper originates from nature.

　The blue that Hsieh uses represents a single choice out of a thousand. It is chosen from among a rich palette of colors, both from the physical and spiritual realms. It is the product of her research and discernment, shaped by each moment of contemplation and continuous questioning. She also delves into the imagery of time within space, exploring patterns of time as they emerge both internally and externally. Ultimately, through her artistic creations, she engages in a personal experiment and validation of these concepts.

　Jo Hsieh once said: "I have a deep personal preference for blue. I feel that blue can speak: it's mysterious and incredible, transparent yet profound…" Blue is indeed a color that provides a deep space for dialogue, emotional resonance, and an element of the unknowable. In addition to perceiving blue as representing composure and tranquility, her work also captures the implicit tension within the color blue, which is akin to how the Taoist concept of wú (無, to lack) embodies the weakening of the inner and outer aspects of yǒu (有, to have).

　Hsieh uses various methods to explore the tonalities of blue. Her brushwork brings about variations in depth, light, and shadow to encapsulate the presence or absence of time and space within her artwork. This is the result of her laborious work in the physical world, the observations of her eyes, the feelings in her heart and the analysis of her intellect, culminating in a state of unity between the physical and the psychological.

　None-Space marks both a beginning and an end. It is not about being or non-being; nor is it about having or lacking. Instead, it challenges us to contemplate how we can transcend the measured aspects of time and space, perceiving the people and things we encounter from both the inside and outside perspectives.

　Blue Philosophy can be seen as Jo Hsieh's creation of her own ‘philosophical blue.’ These works are all her narratives of the mutual infiltration between the physical and spiritual worlds. Hsieh says: "I use blue as the background for my thoughts," leaving us with a foundation from which to embark on a journey of understanding and contemplation in time and space, experiencing and exploring the world through her perspective, beginning with her blue.

Reference Materials

謝貽娟，《非空間：謝貽娟》，新北市：采泥藝術，2013年
Jo Hsieh, None-Space: Jo Hsieh, New Taipei City: Chini Gallery 2013

謝貽娟，《原・源・圓》，新北市：采泥藝術，2013年。
Jo Hsieh, Origin, Source, Circle, New Taipei City: Chini Gallery 2013

Short, Christopher, ‘The Art Theory of Wassily Kandinsky, 1909-1928: The Quest for Synthesis’, New York: Peter Lang, 2010. 

〈天空為什麼是藍色的？瑞利誕辰｜科學史上的今天：11/12〉
https://pansci.asia/archives/129071

Five ways to look at Malevich’s Black Square, Tate Modern
 https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/kazimir-malevich-1561/five-ways-look-malevichs-black-square 

From Cubism and Futurism to Suprematism (Ot kubizma i futurizma k suprematizmu)
 https://www.artic.edu/artworks/199128/from-cubism-and-futurism-to-suprematism-ot-kubizma-i-futurizma-k-suprematizmu

Kazimir Malevich and The Last Futurist Exhibition (0, 10) https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/about/news/kazimir-malevich-and-the-last-futurist-exhibition-0-10/