One Cloud I, II, III
signed (lower center); signed, titled, inscribed and dated 2004 (verso) each
a) acrylic on canvas b - c) acrylic modeling paste on canvas
artwork: 18" x 4" (41 cm x 10 cm) each with frame: 40" x 18 1/8" (102 cm x 46 cm) each




In Zen Buddhism, unsui, which literally translates as "cloud and water," originated from an ancient Chinese poem that says, "to drift like clouds and flow like water." Dr. Helen J. Barno, an associate professor at the University of Hawaii's Department of Religion, writes in her book The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Zen Buddhism: "The term can be applied more broadly for any practitioner of Zen, since followers of Zen attempt to move freely through life, without the constraints and limitations of attachment, like free-floating clouds or flowing water." It has always been a marvelous wonder how Lao Lianben imbibes his works with such quiet intensity despite his deliberate avoidance of venturing into explicit narratives. In this piece titled One Cloud, Lao paints three distinct images of clouds on three separate canvases. But they are not clouds in the scientific sense of the word. Like the innate characteristic of clouds to wander freely in the skies, Lao's One Cloud represents freedom in solitude, the beauty of drifting toward a tranquil and harmonious state of mind. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Buddhism, unsui also refers to "Zen monks who, having achieved enlightenment (satori) after an initial period of training under their first master, take to the road in search of other masters. This is done in order to either test their awakening against them or deepen it with them." Like a Buddhist monk, Lao's sense of contemplation grows deeper with each work of art. As with the case of this specific work, the artist invites us to a more profound encounter with our inner silence toward achieving the serenity of being. The sublimity of this work inspires the viewer to be at one with themselves, to free one's self of inhibitions to discover their true essence amid the unceasing tensions and contradictions in life. Here, Lao evokes the ethereal, divine experience of being unbridled in our moments of intimate contemplation. As we continuously unchain ourselves by discerning and imbibing the silence within us, we become one with our mind, body, and inner spirit, engendering clarity of thought and balance. (A.M.)