Harmony is a celebration of Peng Jian’s most recent works, where everyday objects are presented as metaphors for his artistic ideas and feelings. In search of a higher aesthetic that goes beyond traditional visual representation and verging on the abstract, he invites his audience to find hidden meaning in his linear compositions, and to witness the rapport between the lines and colours in an almost meditative approach.

Peng Jian’s background in traditional Chinese painting is deeply inherent in his use of jiehua, or ruled-line ink painting that originated in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). Using a specially-designed Chinese brush and ruler, it allows the artist to draw consistently-straight lines. As a technique, jiehua is not only a throwback to artistic traditions of the past, but also affords the artist the geometric accuracy and architectural precision central to his paintings, forming the basis of all his works.
The strategically-placed lines and geometric forms create a spatial harmony that is further highlighted by his skillful application of ink and choice of primary colours, used to represent objects that appear to exist between representation and abstraction. These include Rubik’s cubes, building blocks and books, juxtaposed against each other in a mathematical grid-like composition. They recall the works of early 20th century modernists, Mondrian and Malevich, pioneers of the art movements of Neoplasticism and Suprematism, who sought new forms of non-narrative artistic expressions through a reduction of form and colour, elevating geometric shapes to a whole new level.

In this manner, the artistic feeling evoked is given more weight than the actual visual depiction. Proportion, perspective and visual accuracy become secondary to the harmony that is conveyed – the key to understanding Peng Jian’s works. For instance, the objects in “Open Door” (2019) and the “Inside Out” series (2019) establish a rapport with each other and co-exist together in harmony. There can be no discord between them; chaos and disorder would only occur if one of them were removed. Renowned art critic, Barbara Pollack, comments that the best way to "read" a Peng Jian painting would be to imagine any one of its elements being moved. Only then would the viewer realize the importance that each plays in creating balance, bringing into mind the Buddhist saying: “Seeing mountains as mountains and seeing mountains not as mountains”

本次「柳成蔭」個展，集中展示了彭劍通過隱喻的方式，將個人主觀意識投放在客觀現實事物的藝術創作思考。他通過純熟的傳統技法在客觀現實中建構起一個新的時空，並藉由真實且純粹的色彩，表現出不拘泥於某種藝術形式的主觀形態。彭劍將「界尺引線」的法度貫穿創作始終，精準細致地勾勒出工整的線條，令作品完全展現出了界畫的藝術特色。彭劍相信：純粹的顏色更能夠直接與個人感受產生共鳴。因此，他將西方極簡主義常用的色彩，如明快的黃色、紅色等融入畫作，在當代藝術創作中傳達出懷古之情——畫面中所描繪的堅直線條，仿佛是通往崇古精神世界的橋梁。同時，斑斕的色彩與剛毅的線條形成鮮明的反差，帶出了對現實的些許無奈與感傷。所以「冷靜」、「理智」、「溫和」等理性的字眼經常是彭劍作品給人的第一印象。

在彭劍的作品中，屢屢出現「魔方」、「積木」和「書本」等現實生活中常見的物象元素。他希望透過對這些客觀事物原有面貌的重新解構，展現人與物之間的「物我關係」。在他的觀念裏，描繪對象的外在形象只是「表象」，用「托物言志」的方式來展現，才是人之常情的流露方式。 他希望通過畫面中所呈現的事物，達到一種「見山不是山，見水不是水」的哲學思考和人性體驗。

空間，是我們認識彭劍作品的基本要素。但他認為在作品中呈現的空間精準度並非重點，畫面中的視覺舒適度才最重要。畫中對象的出現和相互間的關係都是為了營造一個恰當的氛圍。這構成了情境產生的基礎。 《開著的門》、《裡面》系列等新作，能夠鮮明地體現出這種關係。以強調個人現實感為主張，作品裏描繪的「場域」比以往的作品如《空間》、《窺中》等有著更強烈的空間感，讓觀眾仿佛置身於真實的情境之中。而藝術家有意地在作品中使空曠的空間與堆在一起的「魔方」、「積木」、「球體」等形成矛盾的對比，增強玩味感——他希望以此使得整個畫面的內容言之有物，從而讓畫中所有出現的圖像均呈現出一種相互制約的存在感。