Oracle Bone Script · Symbols by Tang Qishan: Interpreting the Ancient for the Contemporary Era

Artist: Tang Qishan

TangQishan is a contemporary Chinese painter and calligrapher, holding a Master'sdegree in Cultural and Arts Management from a Swiss business school. He hasserved as a visiting scholar at the China National Academy of Painting and is acouncil member of the Shenzhen Art Industry Promotion Association, a member ofthe Hunan Calligraphers Association, and a recommended artist of the GuangzhouArt Fair.

Tang's artistic practice is groundbreaking, skillfully integrating modern compositionwith   Eastern aesthetics to form a unique artistic lexicon. His notableseries—including Forest Memory, Water Lilies, White Cranes, Oracle Bone Script· Symbols, Inheritance · Symbols, Origin · Beings, and Lyrical Charm ·Spiritual Delight—serve as gateways into his distinctive artistic landscape.

His profound mastery is rooted in extensive travels across Russia, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Vietnam,and other countries. Through these cross-cultural engagements, he has absorbedthe essence   of both traditional and contemporary art, broadening hisperspective and enabling the organic integration of diverse cultural elements into his work.

Oracle N.26 Acrylicon canvas created created by Tang Qishan 150×150㎝

Oracle N.30 Acrylicon canvas created by Tang Qishan 150×150㎝

Artistic Foundation

The creative foundation of Tang Qishan’s Oracle Bone Script · Symbols series isdeeply   rooted in traditional Chinese culture. The series draws on ancientoracle bone script and traditional symbols such as the Yin-Yang lines of theEight Trigrams, sourcing   inspiration and nourishment from cultural origins andreflecting the artist's profound   engagement with traditional heritage.

At the same time, the series incorporates contemporary artistic concepts andWestern   techniques. Tang adopts Western compositional strategies, including theuse of full-frame composition, to meticulously organize visual elements. This approach is balanced with the classical Chinese layout principle—"sparse enough for a horse to gallop   through, yet dense enough to be windproof"—achievinga seamless fusion of Eastern   and Western visual languages and   generating aunique artistic spark.

Further more,the artist’s cross-cultural perspective provides solid support for this   series. Tang’s travels have allowed him to absorb the essence of traditional and contemporary art from various regions, integrating multicultural elements organically into his practice. The result is a creative foundation that mergestradition with contemporaneity, East with West, endowing the works with richcultural depth and distinctive artistic appeal.

Oracle N.27 Acrylicon canvas created created by Tang Qishan 150×150㎝

Oracle N.25 Acrylicon canvas created created by Tang Qishan 150×150㎝

Artistic Philosophy

The core philosophy of this series lies in the integration of traditional Chineseculture   with   contemporary art, exploring new forms of expression for ancientscripts and symbols. While classical Chinese writing serves as a vital vesselof civilizational heritage, it remains poorly understood by the general publictoday. The Oracle Bone Script · Symbols series addresses this gap by usingstylized oracle bone characters and incorporating traditional symbols such asthe Eight Trigrams, significantly enhancing the works' cultural resonance.

Tangboldly references Western compositional methods and full-frame strategies, breaking away from the conventional use of negative space in traditionalChinese painting. In his works, diverse elements interweave and collide,forming coherent dynamic lines that imbue the pieces with a sense of rhythm andvitality—skillfully realizing a   harmonious blend of Eastern aesthetics andmodern composition.

Oracle N.28 Acrylicon canvas created created by Tang Qishan 150×150㎝

Oracle N.31 Acrylicon canvas created created by Tang Qishan 150×150㎝

Academic Value

Froman international perspective, the academic value of Tang Qishan’s Oracle BoneScript · Symbols series is particularly noteworthy, offering a concrete andin-depth case study in East-West artistic dialogue. Tang’s extensivecross-cultural studies—drawing from the artistic traditions of Russia, France,Germany, and other countries—have equipped him with a nuanced understanding ofboth classical and contemporary art trends.

Hisworks preserve the cultural essence of oracle bone script and the EightTrigrams, showcasing profound Eastern heritage, while employing internationallylegible visual language—such as full-frame composition and abstract symbolictension—to engage a   global audience. Through these means, traditional Easternelements transcend regional confines, achieving effective communication andresonance within a broader artistic horizon.

Building on his deep understanding of different artistic systems, Tang has constructed an expressive pathway rooted in shared aesthetic foundations. His practice notonly   provides a reference for the contemporary transformation of traditional culture in international art—balancing local relevance and universal applicability—but also reinterprets   and promotes the aesthetic value of ancient Chinese scripts in cross-cultural contexts,   contributing actively to artistic exchange and mutual learning between East and West.

Oracle N.29 Acrylicon canvas created created by Tang Qishan 80×200㎝

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