Football – Zhuangzi – Painting

This is the first painting in my series created while watching the World Cup, started in early June. The 2010 FIFA World Cup was held grandly in South Africa from early June, marking an unprecedented and unique first time for a World Cup to be hosted on the African continent. South Africa became the global focus of attention. As one of the world’s emerging nations, South Africa has left racial segregation behind as history, establishing democracy as its national system. Although the distinction between black and white is no longer so sharp, the gap between rich and poor has become more pronounced, making social issues increasingly obvious. In the future, this wealth disparity will form a clear wall, becoming a priority issue for the South African government to address with all its efforts. Like in many other parts of Africa, this has become one of the factors driving social unrest and political instability.

It is difficult not to become a football fan in Paris. Among the sports programs I enjoy most in Paris, the most popular are undoubtedly football, tennis, Formula 1 racing, and the Tour de France cycling race. However, I do not watch everything; I choose the most dramatic and exciting matches, such as finals or clashes between star teams, or high-level tournaments like the World Cup, which are definitely worth watching. Enjoyable sporting events are also a form of leisure and entertainment.

During the World Cup from June to July, I watched live broadcasts while painting, which was truly satisfying and brought me physical and mental pleasure. At the beginning, I picked some teams I favored, but unexpectedly, the French team was eliminated in the group stage, embarrassingly failing on the international stage. The defending champions, Italy, also suffered greatly; the lesson learned from relying on past glory is exactly that. The teams that drew the most admiration were naturally Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, and Germany. The Asian teams, South Korea and Japan, were even more eye-catching, with their performance levels becoming increasingly fascinating. What really surprised everyone was North Korea; their appearance against Brazil was highly intriguing and curious. Spain, Portugal, England, and the Netherlands performed averagely. Unexpectedly, the four teams that reached the semi-finals were Germany, Uruguay, Spain, and the Netherlands. The final was contested by two countries that had never won the championship before: Spain versus the Netherlands. Both teams dreamed of victory and gave it their all, yet played quite conservatively. Spain, through sheer luck and persistence, emerged victorious to win the World Cup. However, I believe the most exciting match was Germany versus Uruguay, full of climaxes, drama, and brilliance, leaving me with the best memories. This is sport.

Football and Zhuangzi have nothing in common. It was simply that before the World Cup started, I read every night Osho’s brilliant interpretation of "Zhuangzi – The Empty Boat." The story of Zhuangzi dreaming he was a butterfly is quite confusing and very enlightening, blurring the lines between truth and falsehood, filled with imaginative space. The thoughts of Laozi and Zhuangzi once accompanied me through my university life; this sentiment and philosophy have become a certain attitude toward my current creation and life. Even today, whenever I have free time, I occasionally flip open books by Laozi and Zhuangzi, repeatedly savoring Zhuangzi’s concept of "the use of the useless," similar to Laozi’s "acting by not acting." Whether it is Zhuangzi’s philosophy or Osho’s brilliant interpretation, both are too charming to resist rereading and relishing, like vitamins in my life, continuing to accompany me.

Starting from late May, I threw myself back into painting creation, returning to my backyard to continue cultivating the artistic garden. I delved deeper into the "Mirror Flower, Water Moon" and "Like Mirror – Like Realm" series, revolving around Zhuangzi’s perspective of the butterfly dream. Truth and falsehood are not empty; everything grows and fades between reality and imagination, and art is no exception.

After the World Cup started, I temporarily put aside Zhuangzi because there were exciting matches almost every night. During the day, besides writing about arts and culture, I immersed myself in painting creation. Coincidentally, I sketched this work on the opening day of the World Cup, progressing through the creation like the match schedule (as shown in the attached images), and finally completed it two days after the final. I found my Zhuangzi again. He has nothing to do with football, but all connections lie within me. Existence encompasses all relationships, whether connected or unconnected. Art exists between Zhuangzi’s "use of the useless" and Laozi’s "acting by not acting," continuing to deepen and simplify, transforming into the essence of life.