Huang Rui
I-Ching Hexagram: The Family, 2016
oil on canvas
33 1/2 x 25 5/8 in
85 x 65 cm
85 x 65 cm
The I Ching or Yi Jing 易經 also known as Classic of Changes or Book of Changes, is an ancient Chinese divination text and the oldest of the Chinese classics....
The I Ching or Yi Jing 易經 also known as Classic of Changes or Book of Changes, is an ancient Chinese divination text and the oldest of the Chinese classics. Possessing a history of more than two and a half millennia of commentary and interpretation, the I Ching is an influential text read throughout the world, providing inspiration to the worlds of religion, psychoanalysis, literature, and art. Huang Rui has been using the I Ching Hexagrams in his work since the 1980s and uses it in his daily life practice. I Ching Hexagram 37 - The Family (The Clan) Above: Sun the Gentle, Wind Below: Li the Clinging, Fire Introduction The hexagram represents the laws obtaining within the family. The strong line at the top represents the father, the lowest the son. The strong line in the fifth place represents the husband, the yielding second line the wife. On the other hand, the two strong lines in the fifth and the third place represent two brothers, and the two weak lines correlated with them in the fourth and the second place stand for their respective wives. Thus all the connections and relationships within the family find their appropriate expression. Each individual line has the character according with its place. The fact that a strong line occupies the sixth place-where a weak line might be expected-indicates very clearly the strong leadership that must come from the head of the family. The line is to be considered here not in its quality as the sixth but in its quality as the top line. The Family shows the laws operative within the household that, transferred to outside life, keep the state and the world in order. The influence that goes out from within the family is represented by the symbol of the wind created by fire.