The Earthly Buddhist Realm: An Artistic Appreciation of Zhang Wang's Photographs of Buddha's Footprints

Have always loved Zhang Wang's Buddhist photography (cloud classroom freelance photographer) work, his work on the Internet is rumored to be very popular popularity of many reports, it is known that his work has not only won the International Champion Award and China's highest achievement in photography, and was invited to the United Nations Headquarters to hold an exhibition, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has also written a letter of praise for the work of his work of art charm even moved a foreigner to China! The artistic charm of his works even moved a foreigner to become a monk in China! Zhang Wang's works and his life experience are full of legends, so I have been looking forward to seeing his works in their entirety. Unfortunately, most of the works on the Internet are similar to the number of repetitions, very regrettable.

The Footprints of Buddha - Zhang Wang Photography Collection

Not long ago, I happened to see Zhang Wang published on the Internet, the first full collection of Buddhist photography, "The Footprints of Buddha - Zhang Wang Photography Collection". After receiving the book, I read it in one breath, and my mind was y shocked and touched by it! That beautiful and elegant feeling permeates the whole body, and for days, I couldn't put it down and couldn't stop reading it, and it was indeed a cultural gem rarely seen in so many years! Excitement, so pen to share with the netizens of that feeling and happiness in the heart.

"Footprints of the Buddha - Zhang Wang Photography Collection" Appreciation

"Footprints of the Buddha - Zhang Wang Photography Collection" Appreciation

The work of the collection of a larger opening, weighing more than 2 kilograms, as thick as nearly more than 260 pages. According to the waist cover of the book, it is "the first collection of photographer Zhang Wang's work after fifteen years of deep penetration into Buddhism", and it covers the most important works of his Buddhist cultural photography. About half of the works in the book have never been seen before, according to the introduction of the domestic first official publication. The book can be divided into four parts according to the form of the content of the collection.

First, the Buddha's country rhyme

The part of the work of the first chapter, is an art work, **** 50. Half of the works are familiar to the audience as Zhang Wang's masterpieces, and most of Zhang Wang's works that have won important awards at home and abroad. Including the "International Olympiad" China's thematic group champion award A-004, "Seeking Buddha"; won the highest achievement award of China's photography (cloud classroom freelance photographers), "Golden Image Award" A-001, "Salute to the Buddha" and other works; as well as won the "Contemporary International Photography Highest Academy". "Contemporary International Photography Highest Academy Award", "World Buddhist Forum" Chinese Buddhist Photography Exhibition Gold Medal and other works. At the same time, some of the works are included in the exhibition of the United Nations Headquarters and the exhibition of "World Culture Conference". Nearly half of Zhang Wang's works are newly created and published for the first time in recent years, including A-035 "Pure Path", which was praised by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his personal letter as "embodying the spirit that we must have in the face of many complex issues in today's world", and A-035 "Ch'an Realm of Zen", which is highly respected in the industry. Zen Silence, No. A-050, which is highly regarded by the industry as "Zen Landscape", and Optimism (No. A-044), which was reportedly unanimously sought after by visitors to Zhang Wang's 15-year retrospective of Buddhist photography held in Hangzhou, are also included in the exhibition.

An Appreciation of The Footprints of the Buddha: Zhang Wang's Photographic Works

An Appreciation of The Footprints of the Buddha: Zhang Wang's Photographic Works

This chapter of the work is characterized by a feeling of rich Buddhist Zen beauty. Online introduces Zhang Wang in 15 years of Buddhist culture photography course, study the Mahayana classics, and master *** Zen practice, realize the fundamental spirit of the Buddha, at the same time, combined with their own decades of cultural cultivation, the use of photography imaging principles, the reality of the objective performance of the object through the subjective refinement of the sublimation of a unique ethereal illusory expression of the Buddhist form of language. The works give people an elegant sense of beauty, and make the viewer's heart enter into a peaceful and beautiful situation. Photography World has made an in-depth introduction to the characteristics of his works as "the unsurpassed 'Zhang's style'".

Second, Shizi Shanxin

This is the second chapter of the work, and it feels like it should be a documentary work, with 50 images. Most of the works for the first time to see or Zhangwang brand new published, mainly with documentary techniques to express the deep Buddhist monks are not known to outsiders in the mysterious lifestyle and their spiritual pursuit. Zhang Wang has been living in the Buddhist monastery for 15 years, practicing Zen with the Venerable Master. He has accompanied the monk students who risked their lives in a typhoon to cross the Putuoshan Strait to take the precepts, he has climbed to the top of a mountain to visit and follow the documented ascetic monks, he has lived with the ninety-year-old abbot for three years, and he has documented the experience of the former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury of the United Kingdom, who was touched by his work and came to China to become a monk. All of this is presented in this chapter.

The Footprints of Buddha - Zhang Wang's Photographic Works

Unlike art works that sublimate reality in pursuit of aesthetic value, this chapter is characterized by a plain and simple approach to photography and documentary narrative perspective, with the universal values of Buddhism and its significance to the reality of the society as the main spiritual thread, which truly reproduces the Buddhist monks and believers in the real world. This chapter of the work is characterized by a plain and simple filming technique and a documentary narrative perspective, taking the universal values and significance of Buddhism to the real world as its spiritual thread, and realistically reproducing the lives and spiritual pursuits of Buddhist monks and followers. By virtue of the deep relationship he has built up with the monks and followers over a long period of time and the trust he has gained through his unremitting efforts to publicize Buddhist culture, Zhang Wang was granted permission to capture first-hand footage of the most hidden and vivid realities of the bed of Buddhist monks and followers - their initiation, shaving of the head, practice of Zen meditation, their spiritual pursuits, and their inner worlds. In the footage of this chapter, there are female nuns circling around the Buddha at four o'clock in the morning with their eyes closed, hermit monks in thatched huts deep in the mountains, old abbot begging for food with a bowl, a young Buddhist monk pondering over the city's red dust and lights from the top of the mountain, and believers queuing up at night in the middle of the winter waiting for the monastery to hand out Lapcha. ...... is different from the captions of the art works, which are each written in two words and one sentence to draw people's understanding and reminiscence. Unlike art works, each work in this chapter has a nearly 100-word introduction written by Zhang Wang, which describes the background of the event, Buddhist doctrine, and historical origins of the work, and contains deep knowledge of Buddhist culture but is also insightful. Read the picture and read the text, viewing the work especially in the moonlight night tour of ancient temples like elegant magical sense.

Third, the comments

The collection has three preface, China Photography (cloud classroom freelance photographers) Association Chairman Wang Yao, on behalf of the Chinese photographic community, in the preface to Zhang Wang for the protection and dissemination of Chinese Buddhist culture to give a full affirmation of the positive efforts made to the spirit of his continuous pursuit of excellence in photographic techniques, evaluation said "In Zhang Wang's lens, the clear and pure Zen state of Buddhism is expressed naturally and ironically in light and shadow, and is presented in a clear and penetrating manner." Chinese Buddhist monk, the tenth generation of Weiyang Sect, the director of the Preceptor Institute of Buddhist Studies, Minnan Buddhist College graduate tutor, Venerable Master Jiqun, in the preface to Zhang Wang's works of Buddhist doctrine embodied in the first, that "Zhang Wang's works of the virtual and realistic degree, good at the use of light and shadow, clouds and mist, the water and the moon to run the picture ...... this kind of This form of expression is in line with Buddhism's interpretation of the world". Yu Yuntian, a Chinese master photographer and winner of the first Chinese Photography Golden Image Award, considers Zhang Wang's works to be "masterpieces of photography that are full of spirituality, dramatic imagery, rigorous composition, and exquisite use of light." Robert Precky, a leading international photographer and chairman of the jury of the World Press Photo Contest, commented that Zhang Wang's work was "full of spirituality and dramatic imagery, rigorous composition, and excellent use of light". Robert Precky, a leading international photographer and chairman of the jury of the World Press Photo Contest (Holland), commented that Zhang Wang's work is "calm, ethereal, and meaningful! It is so beautiful that it fills one with infinite reverie".

Appreciation of "Footprints of Buddha - Zhang Wang's Photographic Works"

What is particularly striking is the praise of Zhang Wang's works by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon! In 2012, when Zhang Wang was invited to hold the "Footprints of Buddha" exhibition at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Ban Ki-moon wrote to Zhang Wang in his own handwriting in the midst of his busy schedule, and he wrote, "I am particularly touched by one of the works of two people walking towards a hill in the snow, which embodies the spirit that must be present in the world today, when it is facing so many complex problems. In the collection of works, the ninety-year-old Honorary President of the China Buddhist Association, Elder Yicheng personally inscribed the ink treasure "Buddha's footprints", which has become a major highlight of the book and an important part of the deep cultural connotation.

The Footprints of Buddha - Zhang Wang's Photography Collection

At the same time, I also pay attention to the readers' comments of the netizens who searched for this collection. A netizen named "happy cat Jerry" message: "a beautiful picture into the eyes, refreshing ...... a long time can not calm down. Grateful to Mr. Zhang Wang's masterpiece, leading us into the realm of Zen". Netizen "hope905" message "The footprints of the Buddha in the return of life, Mr. Zhang Wang calm, serene aura make me feel that this is not the world of money can measure a collection of works. Gratitude!"

Fourth, artistic life

In this collection of works, the author Zhang Wang, under the title of Fifteen Years, looks back on fifteen years of Buddhist years in pursuit of the Buddha's light and shadow in nearly 5,000 words. From the beginning of his childhood in his hometown Tiantai and Buddhism Tiantai Sect, to the pursuit of art expression of Buddhist culture in art college, to the ten years of commercial career in Shenzhen, difficult to release the Buddha's feelings, to the return to Hangzhou, after the coincidence of the first encounter with the strange fate of the Buddha's door, to the deep living in Buddhist temples for 15 years of the legend of the life, and ultimately invited to the United Nations Headquarters in New York held the "Footprints of the Buddha" exhibition. ...... Zhang Wang walks all the way, narrating the story as if tracing along a clear stream, leading readers to feel the "Footprints of Buddha" and the course of his artistic life through his wonderful brushwork.

The Footprints of the Buddha: A Collection of Zhang Wang's Photographic Works

At the same time, Zhang Wang's article analyzes in detail the origins, pursuits, and formal style characteristics of each stage of his 15 years of Buddhist photography (freelance photographer in the cloud classroom). The first stage is the period of Tiantai Mountain Buddhist College which started in 1999. The first stage was the period of Tiantai Mountain Buddhist College, which started in 1999, and it was mainly shot with humanistic photography techniques, and it was an image with emotional effect", to "the second stage was the period of Lingyin Monastery, which started after 2002. The second stage is the period of Lingyin Temple after 2002, which is mainly expressed by artistic photography", and the third stage is the period of Buddhism culture in West Lake after 2008. Zhang Wang has described in detail the photographic techniques of cultural concepts, recording the real cultural heritage from a documentary perspective. At the same time, the "Chronology of Zhang Wang's Artistic Activities" lists that he was admitted to the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now China Academy of Art) in 1985. From the time he owned his first camera, the Phoenix 205, to the time when his "Footprints of the Buddha" was selected for exhibition at the UNESCO World Conference on Culture in 2013, Zhang Wang's artistic history has been richly illustrated over the past 30 years. This is a list of his artistic history, which is richly illustrated. The above text and content not only records the path of a Chinese artist's learning, searching, thinking, and achievement, but also provides a deeper understanding of his works through reading about his artistic life and spiritual pursuits, which is of irreplaceable significance to readers who love and study Zhang Wang's works.

As a man who came from a family of scholars, who emphasized cultural cultivation from childhood, and who created such a distinctive style of work, Zhang Wang was bound to have his own unique artistic theories to guide him. In this collection of works, the author Zhang Wang to "aesthetic emotion and form of communication - from the" yellow dust stage road "Van Yin eastward" about photography (cloud classroom freelance photographer) art of the law of creation " as the title, a detailed introduction to analyze its creative insights and the theoretical system, finally The core point of view is: "I think that in any artistic photography creation, including Buddhist photography, the author should not have the so-called "style and form" that remains unchanged for the whole life, but should choose the corresponding form according to the completely different aesthetic emotions aroused by different geographical areas and contents of the photographic objects during the creation. Expression". Readers will benefit from viewing his works in the context of this essay to understand his creative path and realize the laws of art.

An Appreciation of Footprints of Buddha - Zhang Wang's Photographic Works

An Appreciation of Footprints of Buddha - Zhang Wang's Photographic Works

The design and printing of the book's binding is also a highlight. The color of the book binding is calm and harmonious, heavy and noble, and the layout design is atmospheric and elegant. The works and title text are each based on a page, ethereal and pleasing to the eye. The collection was created by Zhejiang Photography Press, one of the "Top 100 National Publishing Units", and printed by the famous Shenzhen Artron Printing Company. As the best printing company in China and a multiple winner of the Benny Award, the world's highest award for printing, Artron has made this collection exquisite and perfect.

What's particularly unique is that each piece in the book is lined with a magical, rare background color, and the art and documentary pieces are different, understated but not too flashy, and their beauty has never been seen before. After consulting with friends who know how to print, I learned that they were printed in "spot colors" specially formulated for this album. This not only reflects the extraordinary quality of Artron, but also the fact that Zhang Wang, the photographer who is both the executive editor and book designer, has put his heart, determination, and care into this fifteen-year collection.

Covering up the volume, I lament that The Footprints of the Buddha - Zhang Wang Photography (Cloud Classroom Freelance Photographer) Collection, as a summary of Zhang Wang's fifteen years of Buddhist photography, is not only a collection of exquisite works, comprehensive in style, and profound in writing, conveying the ethereal and elegant Zen aesthetic realm of Buddhism, its deep cultural connotations, and the spirit of Mahayana, but also a rich collection, with both his decades of artistry and his work as an artist, and a rich collection of his works. It is not only a collection of exquisite works and comprehensive style, but also a deep and profound text that conveys the ethereal and elegant Zen beauty of Buddhism, its profound cultural connotation and the spirit of Mahayana, as well as its rich content, both in the introduction of his artistic journey over the past decades, and in the exposition of his theoretical system.

Appreciation of Footprints of the Buddha - Zhang Wang's Photographic Works

The booklet is elegantly designed and beautifully printed, and the book gives people the enjoyment of all-around artistic beauty. In today's rush to make quick profits, rough and vulgar publications, is a rare, no matter the angle of photography and Buddhist culture are highly collectible boutique books.

About the Author

Zhang Wang, born in August 1962, graduated from the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now the China Academy of Art) in 1988, and studied photography at the School of Photography (Cloud Classroom for Freelance Photographers) of the Beijing Film Academy in 2000, and was introduced to Hangzhou Municipal People's Government as a special talent in 2005 because of his artistic achievements. He is an independent artist, a member of the Chinese Photographers Association, a member of the American Institute of Photography, a member of the Hangzhou Political Consultative Conference, and vice chairman of the Hangzhou Photographers Association.

Appreciation of "Footprints of Buddha - Zhang Wang's Photographic Works"

Author Zhang Wang

Since 1999, Zhang Wang has been working on the photography of Chinese Buddhist culture. In the deepest Buddhist sect, Zhang Wang has been living and eating with the monks for a long time. He would get up in the early hours of the morning to photograph the life of the monks, or climb up to dangerous heights to search for and record Buddhist cultural relics, and at night he would pick the lamp to study Buddhist texts and embody his feelings in his creations, so that his works could achieve an ethereal and tranquil, faraway and quiet Zen rhythm and touching artistic power. His Buddhist photographic works, which have been painstakingly created over the past fifteen years, have been awarded nearly one hundred important honors both internationally and domestically. Among them, in 2005, he was awarded the champion of China's thematic group in the famous world photography event - Austrian International Photographic Art Exhibition (International "Olympiad"), and was the fourth person in China to be awarded this honor; in 2006, he was invited to Europe to serve as a member of the "Olympiad", and was invited to be a member of the "Olympiad". In 2006, he was invited to Europe to be a member of the international photography jury of the "Olympiad"; in 2007, he was awarded the "Golden Image Award", the highest achievement award in Chinese photography; in 2008, he was awarded the "Highest Academy of Contemporary International Photography Award", and was elected as the Chinese representative at the Summit Forum of the World Photography Festival. In 2008, he was awarded the "Highest Academy of Contemporary International Photography Award", and was elected as the representative of China in the Summit Forum of the World Photography Festival; in 2009, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the World Buddhist Forum China Buddhist Photography Exhibition. ......

Zhang Wang's Buddhist photographic works have a wide influence in both the international and domestic arenas. His works were selected by the first "World Buddhist Forum" as the main screen image of the opening ceremony to the world, was selected by the Xinhua News Agency as one of the "image of China", in the United States, New York Times Square cycle broadcast. The monograph "Foze" has been reprinted for 11 times, and has been on the bestseller list of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province and even the whole country. The artistic charm of his work has also y moved the former assistant minister of the British Commonwealth Department of Finance, who identified in the work of the soul to find a home, so that it eventually traveled to China to shave as a monk.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon commented that Zhang Wang's works "embody the spirit that we must have when facing the many complex issues in today's world"; and Robert Precky, a leading figure in international photography, commented that Zhang Wang's works "embody the spirit that we must have when facing the many complex issues in today's world". Robert Preki, a leading figure in international photography, commented that Zhang Wang's work is "peaceful, ethereal, and meaningful! It is so beautiful that it fills people with infinite reveries"; Wang Yao, Chairman of the Chinese Photographers Association, commented that "in Zhang Wang's lens, the Zen state of Buddhism's clarity and purity is naturally expressed in light and shadow, and is presented in a clear and penetrating way"; and Venerable Master Jiqun, a Buddhist monk, commented that "Zhang Wang's works have a good balance between reality and reality, and he is good at using light and light to create a clear and penetrating picture. He is good at using light and shadow, clouds and mist, water and the moon to manage the picture. ...... This form of expression is in line with Buddhism's interpretation of the world"; Photography World commented that Zhang Wang's works "have transcended the realm of the supernatural in terms of theme, aesthetics, light and shadow, and the expression of human nature". Photography World" commented that Zhang Wang's works "have transcended the realm of the divine". International authoritative photography periodicals such as German Photography, PHOTO, American World Journal, French European Times, Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily, China Photography, Phoenix Weekly, and more than forty international and domestic news media have introduced Zhang Wang's artistic life and works for more than ten years.

In December 2012, Zhang Wang was invited to the United Nations Headquarters to hold the "Footprints of the Buddha" photography exhibition because of his achievements in the art of Buddhist photography, and in May 2013, his solo exhibition "Footprints of the Buddha" was selected as one of the UNESCO's "World Cultural Congresses". In May 2013, Zhang Wang's solo exhibition "Footprints of Buddha" was selected for the UNESCO "World Culture Conference" exhibition.