Practice with Oil Painting: my 2nd Year

After finishing a few portraits of my immediate family, I took a break and began to experiment with landscape.  An obvious choice for a themed series is to paint the four seasons which builds on easy observations and yet provides rich enough space for imaginations and practice.

What do we think of the four seasons?  What emotions do they invoke?  Spring:  beginning, growth, nurturing, anticipation;   Summer: full of life, vibrant, energy, enjoyment, celebration; Fall: maturity, over the hill, decline, retrospective, regret, separation; Winter: cold, hidden, hibernation, cleansing, hope.   Below are my first attempts of the four seasons through somewhat abstracted landscape.  No need to describe it in more words.  Just stare at the photos below for a little while and then tell me what you see and feel.

 Recently, we visited the Whitney Museum of American Art for a special exhibit of Heat Waves in a Swamp: The Paintings of Charles Burchfield.   Charles Burchfield (1893-1967) is an American master who is best known for his water color work of landscapes.  Unlike many of his more popular and well-known contemporaries who flocked to Paris, sparked and bounced off each other the modernism movements, Burchfield derived his paintings quietly from his inner feelings alone of the nature he saw and felt.  From his work, you can tell that he had never left his roots of Salem, Ohio where he was born and grew up, and rural upper New York near Buffalo where he lived till he passed away.  Within the dark, gloomy, and mystic landscape of his paintings that are interspersed with symbols from time to time, we can always find a glimpse of brightness and hope.   Below is his wonderful 1917 work at age 24, titled The Four Season – all in just one painting.  What a talent!

Talk to you soon!

Individual vs. Social Interests

On Oct 8^th, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to the jailed Chinese dissident  Liu Xiaobo 劉曉波 “for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.”  

In its press release, the Committee further elaborated its decision and pointed out that China must fulfill its increased responsibility as it continues to make enormous economic advances.   The Committee went on to conclude that “through the severe punishment meted out to him, Liu has become the foremost symbol of this wide-ranging struggle for human rights in China.”  It cannot be more clear than that the award is more a strong and opportune criticism of the Chinese Government than a shinny recognition of the beliefs that Liu has stood and fought for (in non-violent means).   

It is not the first time in the history of Nobel Peace Prize when individuals were singled out for what they stood up believed in and fought against the suppression and overwhelming pressure by the system and authority.  They include, just to name a few in reverse chronological order,  Nelson Mandela of South Africa in 1993, Aung San Suu Kyi of Myamar in 1991, Lech Wałęsa of Poland in 1982, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel  of Argentina in 1980 , Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov  of USSR in 1975, and I would include Martin Luther King, Jr. of U.S.A. in 1964 as well.   

We owe it to Liu XiaoBo who is still in jail that we don’t stop at reading and echoing the news headlines, or the superficial praises, or the biographies of Liu’s.  Let us dig a little deeper and appreciate the enormity of the issues at stake which has been oversimplified down to few buzz words like Human Rights and Democracy.  After all, we are talking about the welfare of 20% of world population whose collective behavior will affect the stability and prosperity of the whole world. 

While public debates of political reform has been going on in China for almost three decades (with a brief pause after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest and crackdown) once the economic reform was moving along in early 80’s.  It wasn’t until December 10, 2008, the 60^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that the first comprehensive and concrete proposal -  Charter 08《零八憲章》was drafted and published by Liu XiaoBo and some of his fellow activists (Liu was arrested, tried, sentenced, and jailed since for “inciting subversion of state power”) .  In this manifesto, Liu XiaoBo and his co-authors made specific demands of:

1. Amending the Constitution修改憲法
2. Separation of powers 分權制衡
3. Legislative democracy 立法民主
4. An independent judiciary 司法獨立
5. Public control of public servants 公器公用
6. Guarantee of human rights 人權保障
7. Election of public officials 公職選舉
8. Rural–urban equality 城鄉平等
9. Freedom of association 結社自由
10. Freedom of assembly 集會自由
11. Freedom of expression 言論自由
12. Freedom of religion 宗教自由
13. Civic education 公民教育
14. Protection of private property 財產保護
15. Financial and tax reform 財稅改革
16. Social security 社會保障
17. Protection of the environment 環境保護
18. A federated republic 聯邦共和
19. Truth in reconciliation 轉型正義

There is no doubt that these 19 by 4 characters demands were heavily influenced by and taken largely from the Western (European-American) development and experience.   This is not a total surprise as Liu XiaoBo has been a devoted writer and activist who has been consistently advocating for what often referred to as Western democracy and ideals.   

To understand better Liu XiaoBo’s without easy access to his writings, we can get some insights from what he has been critical of.   Liu attracted attention first in 1987 at an age of 32 when he published his work of Critique on Choices - Dialogue with Li Zehou 《選擇的批判—與李澤厚對話》in which he argued strongly for individual rights in contrasting and challenging the views of Li Zehou 李澤厚, another pro-democracy scholar who has been one of the most respected and influential contemporary Chinese philosophers and intellect.   This invites the question of are there fundamental and important differences among different schools of thought under the banner of liberty and democracy?  Are there multiple paths to reach these goals and what are ways to implement them?  Which one of them is more viable and more likely to succeed?

The now 80 years old Li Zehou distinguishes himself with a more evolutionary and experimental approach as he often expresses his justified concerns for hasty reforms that could lead to confusion, chaos, and disrupt the stability and economic advances of the country.   His doubt and lack of confidence on the readiness of the mass may be a realistic assessment but his worst case scenario of a disintegrated China seems unwarranted.   With such cautionary reminders, Li is considered “conservative” by some as his leaning can be construed as prolonging the status-quo of the authoritarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party although there is no evidence that it is ever his intention.   Li has also been criticized for his framework of reform in four phases implemented over time – economic development 經濟發展, liberty 個人自由, social justice 社會正義, democratization 政治民主 (see e.g., 李澤厚、易中天對話, Sept 2010). Again, the implication is that he appears to believe that liberty and justice can be achieved under an authoritarian regime.  And he is not alone on this, I am sure of it.

 

If we dig a little deeper, there are more significant and fundamental differences in various models.  In pushing for more rapid socio-political reforms, Liu XiaoBo and his fellow activists place European-American thinking and experiences at a central and dominant position.  Such a school of thought is considered more radical by some and has been characterized as a “Westernization全盤西化” approach by Li Zehou. In other words, it is a transplantation of western ideals and core values and implementation of them in Chinese society. 

What Li Zehou proposes instead is what he called a Fuse of Western and Chinese Values 西體中用.  The essence of Li Zehou’s at the philosophical and intellectual level was summarized in his 1999 paper Modernization and the Confucian World where he argued that Confucianism will be divided into two – social morals and religious morals.  While the religious morals such as harmony, cooperation and family values will be retained, social morals such as individual autonomy and human rights need to be replaced with modern notions (from the west). 

Li is vague in terms of the details however.  For instance it is difficult to envision that western legalistic system can serve as the last line of defense in his paradigm when Confucianism calls for the emphasis of social order and harmony at the expenses of individual rights.  It appears he and most Chinese probably do not realize that the western judicial system is not constructed to pass judgment of what is right or wrong but to merely determine if it is legal or not.  This is completely foreign to the Chinese culture and tradition that Li and many are hoping to preserve or at minimum serving as a foundation during the long transition. 

When all said and done, the most important difference between their propositions is that while Liu subscribes to the Libertarian theory that human rights follows from the natural law, Liu rejects it as universal truth and timeless and called it “anti-historical”.  That is, the significance of history cannot be discounted and must be a part of the core value reality.  In another word, the rights are earned and shaped by the standing environment and circumstances.  The implication is that in Liu’s paradigm, Chinese Communist Party has no right to intrude on the human rights but in Li’s paradigm it can with legitimate reasons.  

This brings us to the central and practical issue of the whole debate: how to balance and resolve conflicts between the individual and social interests which can be translated into how to balance the individual rights and state power.  Government exists because of the needs to represent the social interest including security, economical and political.  Different forms of governments are simply different ways to handle this issue and there is no perfect form of it.  It is a choice (of people) and continuous refinements are needed as the reality changes as.  Extreme points of the spectrum neglecting individual or social interests such as anarchism, collectivism, totalitarian, etc. are clearly non-starters.  Benevolent authoritarian government (a popular dream among many Chinese) may be found once in a while but never lasts since such a system depends solely on the transient competence, diligence, and virtue of the ruling party.  It is built with an open invitation to corruptions and disrespects of individual rights in the name of the social interest.  

Most developed western countries today, as exemplified by U.S., implements a (one man one vote) democratic political systems, completed with a blend of capitalism and socialism that is codified by an elected legislative and adjudicated by a judicial system.  It has shortcomings and traps such as populism, tyranny of majority, and less efficient and responsive as due process overrides expediency.  Such a system gained legitimacy and is admired by many in the world for their advocacy (some may consider them lip services) of universal values such as human rights.  What is often neglected in the abstract discussions is the economic power and wealth created and cumulated by these countries over the past centuries.  One cannot help but wonder if we are envious of the economic achievement or the shinny principles and values?  

In a recent interview, Li Zehou was thrilled about his sense of freedom derived from the financial independence and security after he spent years in U.S. making a living as a writer and faculty.  I am sure many Chinese-American immigrants have had similar experiences as the famous writer Ha Jin aptly and avidly depicted in his 2007 novel A Fee Life through the main character Wu Nan.  That is, for most mortals, the true sense of freedom comes after when you appreciate of what you have, not what you don’t have.  

I agree with Li Zehou that economic development is the priority and Chinese government must continue to pay attention to raising the total wealth of the society with limited parity.  I do realize that Li Zehou’s thoughts and views might be more appealing to many Chinese as he advocates the adaptation rather than abandonment and replacement of the Chinese traditional culture and values.   But he and others will be surprised to find out there is very little time before the serious demands for liberty and political right reaches the boiling point, following the rise of economic power.  Instead of denial and dragging its feet, Chinese government must take a concerted effort to begin implementing and experimenting with socio-political reforms.  Liu XiaoBo’s Charter 08 is a good starting reference.  Hopefully China will find its own and most effective ways to approximate the ideal society and figure out a way to maintain the proper balance of individual and social interests.  This is not done for any abstract purposes;  this is urgently needed to sustain the economic advancement.

 

Talk to you soon!

Acadia - the one and only National Park in New England

Out of the current 58 National Parks of U.S., Acadia is the only one in New England area.   A natural beauty with easy access to wooded trails, granite peaks and rocky shore lines, Acadia has been a favorite summer vacation spot of many.

This 100+ square miles (relatively) small national park is located on the Mount Desert Island of Maine, approximately 250 miles northeast of Boston.  The island itself was named in 1604 by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain, the father of New France (see my last blog), when he spotted the island and what is now called the Cadillac Mountain of the park.  Of course, with the nurturing and protection, it is no longer bare or desert-like and Cadillac Mountain has become the most popular scenic spot of the park, complete with access road and a parking lot.  

Standing at 1,528 feet or 466 meters, Cadillac Mountain is the highest point of Atlantic coast in U.S. and offers fantastic panoramic views of the surrounding islands, bays and the Atlantic Ocean.  Hiking around the summit of Cadillac Mountain, you would notice granites of all sizes cover much of the peak.  Indeed, granites make up the bulk of the Mount Desert Island which was first formed a little over 400 million years ago.  Hundreds of millions of years of gentle rubbing and nudging left long vertical and horizontal cracks on otherwise impenetrable rocks who can only be jealous of their much younger siblings like the Half Dome of the Yosemite National Park in California.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heading back down to the foot of the mountain and continuing southeast along the coast, you will soon come to the only sand beach of the park.  For lack of imagination, the beach is called Sand Beach! The scenery though is stimulating.  With waves relentlessly beating on the adjacent wall of rocks, you would find many youngsters taking temporary refuge on the sand beach as they are teetering with the waves.  

If you have good leg power, you can hike south on the 2 miles long flat Ocean Path trail along the coast line that takes you through some of the most visited and photographed spots of the park including Thunder Hole, Monument Cove and Otter Cliff.   It is a wonderful visual treat as one wonders off the trail and rests on the orange red granite rocks enjoying the scenery, accompanied by the lonely wild flower came out of the crack between rocks and seabirds at the distance.   Hundred yards away, a small group of black water fowls left the main group moved along the waves towards to the shore as if they were ready to invade the land but then withdrew together quietly.  Occasionally some of them went into the water in obvious attempts to catch some fish.   At the Thunder Hole, the echoes from the pounding waves at high tide gave a unique musical performance to an otherwise quiet sunny afternoon. 

Looping around by car further inland counter-clockwise, one comes to the trail head for Bubble Rock north of the Jordan Pond.  Hiking a few hundred feet up, you would find a large rock (about 20 ft in diameter?) “glued” onto the edge of a slope as if it may roll off the cliff any moment.  It is tempting for the visitors to give it a hand but so far, fortunately no one has succeeded yet. 

One thing you wouldn’t want to miss when visiting Acadia is to have a feast of the delicious lobsters from their perfect habitat nearby of cold shallow water and rocky bed.   As you drive on Route 3 towards to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, you will see many road side Lobster Ponds.   Find on with a lot of cars parked outside with smokes on from the smoke stacks of the outdoor wood stoves, just pull over your car and order a few live lobsters sold by weight that will be ready shortly, boiled to perfection in its natural flavor.  Just make sure that you wash your hands when you are continuing on for your relaxed vacation with the renewed energy.  Talk to you soon!

The French Canada

Measured by distance from New Jersey, Quebec province of Canada is the closest region and is easily reached by car where one can experience a distinct culture and language.  In fact, Quebec and some of its neighboring areas including Nova Scotia, Newfoundland of Canada and Maine of U.S. were explored and occupied by French as a part of the New France from mid 16^th century to mid 18 century.  Till today, 250 years after the British take-over, the vast majority of Quebec people continue to speak French, the official language of Quebec, and secession remains a top political agenda which gets voted in referendum once in a while.  The last vote took place in 1995 and the referendum was defeated by a narrow margin of 49.42% "Yes" to 50.58% "No".

While it might be hard to imagine how Quebec was like prior to the Quiet Revolution of 1960 when the dominance of Roman Catholic Church was suddenly and quickly replaced by the state, traces of the influences of Roman Catholic Church can still be seen in numerous historical sites throughout the province, not to mention so many of the roadways and streets are named after some of the 10,000+ recognized Saints.  When Mark Twain first visited Montreal in 1881, the largest city of Quebec, he was quoted to have made the observation that a person could stand on any street corner in Montreal, throw a stone and it would hit a church.

It wasn’t the case in 1534 when Jacques Cartier, the first French explorer to reach Quebec in an effort to find westward route to reach Asia, four decades after the first European explorer Christopher Columbus landed in Bahamas on behalf of the Spanish Court.  What he and his men saw were aboriginal people, vast land and resources.  He planted a cross in Gaspé Peninsula at the mouth of St. Lawrence River and claimed the land in the name of King Francis I which became the first province of New France.

When Jacques Cartier returned in his 2^nd voyage in the following year, he sailed up the St. Lawrence River and found over a thousand native people at the village of Hochelaga which is today’s Montreal (the name was derived from Mont-Royal, the highest hill of the city).  Nearly a century later, Paul Chomedey sieur de Maisonneuve, a French military officer was hired by the religious organization Société Notre-Dame de Montréal to lead colonists to set up a mission on the Montreal Island which he did in late 1642.  Montreal city was thus born which was called Ville-Marie then.

The first church, the Notre-Dame Church of Montreal was built between 1672 and 1682 and served briefly as the first cathedral of the Diocese of Montreal from 1821 to 1822.  Both the church and the bell tower can no longer be seen as they were torn down to make room for the construction of a new church, the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal or Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal, beginning in 1824 to serve the needs of the congregation that was experiencing a rapid growth. 

Today, Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal is the most visited churches in Quebec.  It was also the largest church in North America before the St. Patrick’s Cathedral was built in New York City decades later.  The basilica is a Gothic Revival architecture designed by James O'Donnell, an Irish-American Protestant from New York.  If you had been to the world famous Notre-Dame de Paris built 500 years earlier in Gothic architecture, you can clearly see their similarity in architecture.  For the interior, the brilliant choice of the color in combination of deep blue and gold gives the basilica a glorious and grand appearance yet with a surreal and peaceful feeling.  The place has served many significant events over the years, from the state funeral of Pierre Trudeau, the 15th and the most admired prime minister of Canada (from Montreal)  to the wedding of the super star singer Celine Dion. 

 

Further northeast of the Basilica in Old Montreal, you will find the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, or the “Sailor’s church”, one of the oldest churches in Montreal.  It was first built by St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, the first teacher in the colony of Ville-Marie in 1655. The current structure was built in 1771 after it was destroyed by a fire in 1754.  The church is small in size and simple in its interior decoration.  There is no pretence and one can picture sailors of those days came into the church to pray and get help from the harsh and death-ridden journey.  One can go up to the spire to get a panoramic view of the St. Lawrence river and the Old Port of Montreal. 

Southwest of the Notre-Dame Basilica in downtown Montreal lies the Cathedral-Basilica of Mary, Queen of the World (Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde) that is the seat of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Montreal.  The Cathedral was completed in 1894 and is literally a miniature version of the Late Renaissance Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.  It is a one-third model of
the St. Peter’s that is 730 ft long by 500 ft wide by 452 ft high, completed with a 137 ft high dome.   If you have visited St. Peter’s

before, the following photos will probably jog your memory although as a scaled replica, it is not nearly as sophisticated or artistic.  Nevertheless it is a far cry in terms of the luxury from the “Sailor’s Church” where we had just visited. 

From the very beginning, the catholic settlers placed the city under the protection of Virgin Mary for her compassion.  With the risk and difficulty of sea journey of those days, it is understandable that the sailors and colonists turned to her for comfort and blessing.  That reminds me of Guan Ying 觀音
in East Asia Buddhism.  For her compassion and unconditional love,  she is the most popular Goddess of Mercy (and her manifestation Mazu) for east Asia Buddhists and in particular, the fishermen and travelers alike in southeast China sea.  Here is a photo of the altar the altar of the “Sailor’s Church”.  Their figures and gestures may be very different but they both brought the relief that the believers seek.

Driving northeast along the St. Lawrence River of Montreal, one reaches Quebec City, 160 miles away at near the mouth of St. Lawrence River.  It is the capital of Quebec province and one of the oldest cities in North America.  The tiny Old Quebec where all tourists congregate is the only city north of Mexico where you can still see the city walls.  It was founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, the Father of New France.

Old Quebec is a charming and pleasant place to visit.  It is small enough that you can stroll up and down the streets at ease while changing elevation in hundreds of feet between the upper and lower towns and enjoy the scenery at different angles and time of the day.  Below are two photos we took
during the trip that would give you some ideas of the views.

When in Old Quebec, you would not miss the Château Frontenac, the majestic castle hotel built in late 19^th century and the most visible landmark of Quebec City.  Situated at the end of a street in the Upper Town and bordered by the Terrasse Dufferin, the Chateau’s overwhelming presence overlooks the St. Lawrence River from top of a cliff, making it appear taller than it really is.  No wonder it is the most photographed hotel in the world according to the Guinness World Record. On the terrace, a large statue of the founder Samuel de Champlain looks to the west towards inland instead of the ocean.  Does it symbolize the French ambition for the new colony then?

A stone-throw away of the Chateau, one finds the Cathedral-minor basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec (see photo to the right).  Founded in 1647, it is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec, the oldest in the New World north of Mexico.  Its odd asymmetric appearance is rare and intriguing.  Some say it is due to the need to balance the weight of the structure as the cathedral sits on a slope.

In the Lower town, there is the lovely Notre-Dame-des-Victoires church that was initially built between 1687 and 1723 and restored in 1816.  The church got its name of “victories” after the weather sunk the invading British fleet in 1711.  Together with previous victories, there was a strong belief that the prayers at the church were answered in the wars between French and the attacking British forces. 

Of course we know from the history books that French’s luck ran out in 1759 when British launched a surprise attack after 3 months of bombardment and siege of Old Quebec.  British and French forces of less than 10,000 men in total from both sides met and fought on the Plains of Abraham, right outside of the old city wall.  In 30 minutes, the decisive battle of the Plains of Abraham was over and French was defeated.  The battle while small in scale marks the beginning of the end of French colonization in North America and the later day unique cultural and political issue of Quebec.  When the Seven Years' War (of which the Battle of Quebec or the battle of the Plains of Abraham is a part) was concluded with the treaties of Hubertusburg and Paris in 1763, France ceded its territories in Canada (and several others) to British who in return promised the religious freedom of its new Catholic subjects.  Since then Great Britan became the most dominant colonial power for the ensuing two centuries.  One can only wonder if the outcome would be different if French won the battle of the Plains of Abraham?  What would America and Canada be like today then? 

Between the Plains of Abraham and the Château Frontenac is the impressive Citadelle, home station of the French speaking Royal 22^e Régiment of the Canadian Forces.  Built initially by French in 17^th century, the star-shaped fort we see today was built by the British between 1820 and 1831 against potential attacks by Americans!  The 40 minutes long changing of guard ceremony at 10 a.m. in the summer is a colorful tourist attraction.  What attracts most attention was not the band or the parade but the fabulous four-leg goat mascot of the regiment who went through the long ceremony in restrain and discipline.  The goat also entertains endless photo shot requests from and with the tourists!

Driving back to Maine along the scenic Quebec Route 173, aka Route-du-President-Kennedy next to the beautiful Chaudière River, one can see church spires appear frequently in the horizon and then disappeared into the tranquility at your back. Occasionally, the Quebec flag (photo to the right is published by abdallahh on flickr.com) in French Blue with white Lilies and a cross reminded people the protector Virgin Mary, the catholic church and the fact that we are in the French Canada.  Immigration and settlement, once restricted to Catholic French in early days of New France by the order of the King is now open to the world of diverse population.  The romantic notion of the colonization and missionary to convert the aborigional people to Catholicism was long gone, replaced by separation of the state and church and a democratic system.  What are left for the visitors are the legends, the history-filled stone structures and cobble-stoned streets.  For the residents, of which more than 60% of Quebec people today are catholic and more than 80% are French-speaking, some of them unquestionably find it hard to cut the umbilical cords no matter how long it is and how dry it has become.  At the same time, Quebec Sovereignty Movement, tempered with increasing economic and globalization pressure continues to adapt its formats and proposals.  The kings and physical buildings may have been gone but the struggle and negotiation between the collective memory and reality will stay for a very long time.  Talk to you soon!