 o Kneib, Chinese characters are his life. He has been studying and journeying with them for over thirty years between France and China. He writes: “They open doors wide and offer so many unexpected encounters…Witnesses of an instant, they succeed in carrying within their completeness all and every moment of our life.” Having immersed himself in Chinese culture and language, calligraphy is an extension of the artist. The journey often begins with a single Chinese character inspired by a feeling or experience. Kneib approaches the character from a cross-cultural perspective, combining Chinese and European elements. Influences range from work by 17-18th century Chinese calligrapher Zhu Da to 20th century abstract painter Hans Hartung, a leader of the art informel movement.
Kneib infuses traditionally monochromatic Chinese characters with colour using lyrical abstraction coupled with Chinese calligraphy techniques. The characters come to life when the pigmented brush connects with the paper. The varying pressure and movement of his brushstrokes express the artist’s emotional and physical engagement with his subject. A myriad of emotions can be conveyed in a single  stroke, drawing audiences into an infinite realm of possibilities. Mysterious (2006) captures the inner essence of the word, while challenging its viewer with its multidimensional undertones. Kneib’s works are engaging, even to those unacquainted with Chinese characters.
Also on show will be landscape paintings inspired by the grasslands of the artists’ hometown of Puberg in Alsace-Lorraine. Kneib applies the same calligraphic principles as his Chinese characters to these highly gestural works, incorporating the surrounding blank space of the paper into the dynamic of the piece. He writes that the influence of the Chinese characters are there “when the wind is blowing, when the lightning is cutting through our heavy summer nights, when the hoarfrost is sparkling on the moss on grey winter mornings”. The same poetic sentiments that he expresses in words are captured by each brushstroke.
Kneib’s works truly embody the “three perfections” of Chinese art: painting, poetry, and calligraphy. He melds traditions with modernity from the East and West to reveal new traces of the brush.
Originally from the French region of Alsace-Lorraine, André Kneib (b. 1952) divides his time between France and China, where he studied traditional Chinese calligraphy at the University of Nanjing and the Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing. He has exhibited internationally, including solo exhibitions at the National Art Museum (China), International House (Japan), Musée Champollion (France), and the Taipei Museum of Fine Arts (Taiwan).
Editorial Note: André Kneib’s "Ink and acrylic calligraphy and landscape paintings (2005-2009) is on view at Contrasts Gallery from April 12-May 18, 2009. Contrasts Gallery is dedicated to presenting creative excellence in art and design from East and West to the international art community. It is Founded by Pearl Lam in 1992 in Hong Kong. For more information, please visit: www.contrastsgallery.com
Below are some images of the works from the exhibition:
Fragrant iris, magical fungus, Ink and Acrylic on Xuan Paper, 120.5 X 188 cm, 2009
Clover, lucerne, Ink and Acrylic on Xuan Paper, 80 X 123 cm, 2009
The virtue of humanity, Ink and Acrylic on Canson Paper, 36 X 48 cm, 2008
Water, Ink and Acrylic on Canson Paper, 40 X 30 cm，2007
Eternity, Ink and Acrylic on Canson Paper, 40 X 30 cm，2006
Written character, Ink and Acrylic on Canson Paper, 40 X 30 cm，2006
To reward, Ink and Acrylic on Canson Paper, 48 X 36 cm，2006
Filial piery, Ink and Acrylic on Xuan Paper, 74 X 59 cm, 2006
Han, Ink and acrylic on Canson paper, 48 x 36 cm, 2006
Mysterious, Ink and acrylic on Xuan paper, 59 x 68 cm, 2006
Heart, spirit, Ink and acrylic on Xuan paper, 48 x 36 cm, 2006
Gentleman, Ink and Acrylic on Xuan Paper, 60 X 60 cm, 2006
Landscape at Puberg-14, Ink and Acrylic on Xuan Paper, 111 X 70 cm, 2006
Landscape at Puberg-11, Ink and Acrylic on Xuan Paper, 70 X 137 cm, 2005
Landscape at Puberg-5, Ink and Acrylic on Xuan Paper, 69 X 136 cm, 2005
Half a life like a dream, Ink and Acrylic on Xuan Paper, 68 X 114 cm, 2005
A flower is not a flower, Ink and Acrylic on Xuan Paper, 68 X 129 cm, 2005
To sing, Ink and Acrylic on Xuan Paper, 47 X 35 cm, 2005
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