Information

Kingdom Beyond 800 Years:
Taigong’s face with Moko Reimagined

Jiang Taigong is a popular name for Jiang Ziya, a statesman and strategist of King Wen, and later, young King Wu. He helped them overthrow the Shang Kingdom and establish the Zhou Dynasty which lasted 800 years.

Taigong was known as a fisherman who fished without hook or bait. He reasoned he would only catch fish that wanted to be caught. He had little luck until his eightieth birthday. It was then that King Wen found him.

Here in the painting, the ideals of benevolence and humanity are inset, not in a man, but in a hook (Hei Matau). These characters within the fish hook stand for the exceptional values of a family reflecting the values of a country.

Taigong’s facial designs are in reverence to the Moko. An expression of an aristocratic mark and a connection with a Māori sense of dignity. This cultural adoption is respectfully limited, with the designs being Zhou in nature.

江山岂止八百年
一家仁，一国仁。
题跋： “姜太公钓鱼愿者上钩” 所在的历史御今价值乃以君子“恭敬、撙节、退让” 之道为世界文明所存之道也。太公的良思神貌是否与毛利神人面部图腾相似，特以周青铜文饰示现太公威德。

注解: 姜太公原名吕尚，商末周初政治家、军事家和谋略家。生于公元前1210年农历八月初三。身怀绝技。八十岁仍没有寸功于家于国。商纣王无道，民不聊生。周文王有志救民于水火，求贤若渴，姜太公为求有情有义的明主。每日在渭水河边伸着鱼杆，没饵没钩地钓鱼。终于遇到周文王亲自将姜太公请上车接到都城拜为国师。路程约八百步，姜太公便推算出周之国祚约八百年，竟也成真。周文王大业未成身先死，太公珍惜与文王过命之交的“情同亲合”。辅助武王伐纣，建立周朝。于是就有一句歇后语：“太公钓鱼—愿者上钩”。
心明运用中国书法特有的心画，否决曾想用横势飞动的隶书笔法，而以小篆垂直圆劲的笔势，机智地把书法艺术圆笔的螺旋，与毛利文化符号玉鱼钩的宇宙螺旋，进行顺理成章的旋转与钩勒。用闪亮的金色篆出鱼钩“仁者无敌，的治国安邦的法宝。呼应姜太公面部所描绘出商周青铜器纹饰的神秘形象。全幅作品将两国人民史诗般的情怀用中国笔墨与毛利绿色和闐玉进行精心艺术处理，彰显中国书法远古”宇宙螺旋气场的心源。

每当心明创作接近尾声，心力和忍耐就要出毛病时，子玄的脚步声渐渐迫近。“给姜太公衣服加两笔重的，”心明习惯子玄挑刺，心里有点哼哼，手不情愿添了两笔。“看看，效果不就出来了！”子玄得意反问心明，心明说：“此种笔墨境界惟求读者观众来感受了”。