兰一 《失忆幻境1号》

“Gorgeously Blooming” was my initial impression for Lan Yi’s works, but after seeing more of his works, that impression turned into “Gorgeously Luxuriant”, and then, after knowing about his creation and living states, I realized it was “Gorgeously Crazy and Beautiful” that fits his overall trend.

“Gorgeously Blooming” is the surface appearance of Lan Yi’s works which are bright, dazzling and gaudy in color and light, with gorgeous pure colors. The colors of high saturation degrees are seldom used in the traditional oil oilings that prefer “grey-tone”, but layers upon layers, these pure colors contend in beauty and fascination in Lan Yi’s oilings. The precondition for an artist who has the audacity to use extreme beautiful and vivid colors is that he has reached an extreme state in some field. That state is similar to a singer who is singing in a high note and you require a higher note. To be higher and higher in tone of music is similar in essence with that to be purer and purer in color. In some works of Lan Yi, he drew the outlines of an area and filled it with a single color, which is used freely and wholeheartedly in each area. The mutual setting off between each area makes the oiling “Gorgeously Crazy and Beautiful”.

“Gorgeously Luxuriant” often refers to the charming movements as a beauty laughs. In his works from 2008 to 2010, there are many decorative ones which are aesthetic and dynamic with light and vivid lines. Lan Yi employed more lyricism expressions and less vitriolic penetration. In that kind of works, he demonstrated a mature skill in controlling rhythm with proper composition and the flexible layout with loose and tight combined harmoniously, thus his oilings are always in a changing station with ups and downs yet never lost principle.

“Gorgeously Crazy and Beautiful” is different from “Gorgeously Luxuriant”. The reason why I consider the former words are more suitable to describe the states of Lan Yi is that “crazy” put more stress on the vitality of the wild and the natural states of life. Hearing him accounting for the recent 10 years of living experiences, I’m most interested in his unique dispositions shown in the process of dealing with “existence” and “art” problems. This vigorous man is always living, expressing, achieving and donating at ease. His preference to an intense life brought him many chances for adventure. Starting from “opportunities”, legends extended and the report and yearning for those “legends” are also the self-warning for the contemporary living state. Lan Yi’s works represented a dangerous explosive power, mingled with pleasure from torture and devastation. From the graffiti he created in France to the Faith in Body he created after returning homeland, you can always feel the existence of the tension. Upon communication with Lan Yi, one will perceive his hidden wild nature mixed with the smell of mud and blood, which makes him not only “luxuriant” but more close to “crazy”: who seeks for light through all cracks and grow with crazy speed in the fertile soil.