Flux of Feelings and Swirl of Scent

Natalia Brand, PhD

art historian and founder of BirdsNest Art Brand

Early Summer, London and Cambridge
This June, I stayed in Oxford, Cambridge, and London for two weeks. To go to various
galleries and attend several prestigious art colleges’ graduation shows was my main
intention for this visit. I also arranged to meet with Peter Cavaciuti, a painting teacher
and tea master. Then, a series of happy incidents which I did not anticipate occurred:
Through an introduction of Professors Yeh Shukwei and Liu Hsiaowei, the directors of
STARTS Field, Taipei, I made initial contact with Peter. A few correspondences
suggested that I should visit him in his Cambridge home once in London. Before that, I
took a chance to see the annual Summer Exhibition of Royal Academy of Arts. There
were various capacious exhibition rooms. However, in an inconspicuous corner, there
was a painting that was, quite small but somehow eye-catching. I walked nearer it. A
large moon with light lemon chiffon colour was encircled by a mysterious red tone (the
mixture between cherry red and wine red). At the front were two very tall pine trees and
a small figure’ back further away. This painting was called ‘Through the Moon Door’
(Fig. 1). Reading the catalogue in my hand, I realised that this charming painting was
made by Peter Cavaciuti. This was my first surprise.
A few days later, I took a journey to Cambridge. Following the address, in the end, I
guessed myself having arrived and strangely could not find the house. Asking passers-
by and looking around, I still had no idea. Then, I saw abundant but almost overgrown
bushes and discovered a house hidden behind (Fig. 2). Few people would have noticed
if walking past, I am sure. Then, through a wooden gate with a brick roof, I went in (Fig.
3). Some gorgeous flowers were growing in the front garden. This resident must enjoy
vegetation, I speculated. I rang the doorbell, once, then twice, then thrice. Slowly, I
heard someone coming and opening the door. It was Peter. What a relief!
Entering the space, not surprisingly, I saw walls full of paintings, most of which were his
own works. Against the bay window were large linen mufflers hung as curtains giving a
sense of enigma. Close by was a huge desk full of books, notebooks, papers, ink,
inkstone, brushes, and also a ceramic vase filled with splendid pink primroses. Here is
the exact spot where he had made numerous works (Fig. 4). His antique furniture and
accessories like fireplace, wood tables and chairs, an old mirror, quite a few Buddhist
statues, his book collections, etc.——all these summed up his interests and reminded
me of an English gentleman’s home. I sat on the sofa and chatted about art. He showed
me his sketchbooks (Fig.5) (Fig.6) (Fig.7) and his latest work. After conversing, he led me to his

back garden. Following him, (Fig. 8), I walked through a secret garden as equally
fascinating as the famous forest of the painter Henri Rousseau (1844-1910). At the
centre was a large pine tree. This is Peter’s world, his Shangri-la. This was my second
surprise.
That day, he proudly took out Fei Cheng-Wu’s 1957 Brush Drawing in the Chinese
Manner (Fig. 9) from his bookshelf. This author is Peter’s painting master and one of the
principal disciples of Xu Beihong (1895-1953) who was a great pioneer of Chinese
modern art. The name, Fei Cheng-Wu (1914-2000), isn’t strange to those who have
known history of Chinese modern paintings, but memory about him has almost gone
with few in his generation left. Fortunately, he is still fondly remembered by his students.
One page turned after another, a story of a Chinese painter breaking away from home
and developing his art in a foreign country for over half a century was unveiled. This
gentleman from Italy, having built up a traditional sense of relationship between teacher
and student, felt something about karmic connection; he entered into an extraordinary
Chinese history. His life would never be the same again.
Before I left, he told me that there would be an exhibition (“Mist and Clarity”) taking
place in Priestley & Ferraro, London. This was a joint exhibition of Fei Cheng-Wu and
Chang Chien-Ying——the latter is the former’s beloved wife and also Xu Beihong’s
principal disciple. Upon returning to London, without hesitation, I decided to stay in
London for one more week. Two days later, I visited Peter’s home once more. This time,
he explained more about his story and the mediums he used for his art, his painting with
red ink. I also witnessed his practice of Japanese tea ceremony, ChaDao (a marriage
of tea and Tao and a perfect combination of tangible objects with intangible ideals), and
we drank matcha contentedly. The principle of how to hold, sit, and breathe in silence
through the philosophy of ‘one encounter, one chance’ was profoundly digested when I
sat at that big desk, opposite him. A few days later, I attended the “Mist and Clarity”
preview. Seeing authentic drawings and paintings by Fei and Chang, I also met Chang’s
great niece, Nong, and chatted about this legendary couple’s art and life. This was my
third surprise.

Oriental Mounding
Born in Piacenza, Italy, Peter came from a Catholic family. His mother was good at
painting whereas his father collected antiques and rugs (also tiger skins) with a keen
business sense. He always enjoyed his uncles’ understanding of photography, art, and
music. Art surrounded him so naturally since childhood. However, in his formative
years, what incited his longing for the East and encouraged his later pursuit of Chinese
and Japanese aesthetics? There were several incidents worthwhile mentioning here:
One is at age five, brought to a museum by his uncle, where he initially wanted to see
ancient Greek and Roman artefacts. Accidently, he was attracted by shapes of camels
and horses, which are lead-glazed sculptures excavated from Tang’s tombs. This
incident planted a seed in him. As a result, at fifteen, he found an artefact from Ming
temple in a junk shop and bought it with only 25 pence.

Two is at fifteen or sixteen when he saw a Tibetan rupa of the Buddha in his uncle’s
house for the first time. This visual experience encouraged him to read widely, which
naturally led him towards a Buddhist and Zen world as well as Chinese painting and
calligraphy.
Three is when he worked in an antique shop in his early career. A celebrated art
historian and collector William Wilberforce Winkworth (1897-1991), had just acquired a
small box with a fan shape from Sotheby’s and did not know what its function was. One
day, he brought this box in and hoped to find a solution. Peter looked at it and guessed
it was a Japanese Kogo (an incense box). His convincing answer made a mark on this
legendary figure in the world of Asian art collecting. Thus, he invited Peter to his home
where there was a remarkable collection of rarely seen ceramics, porcelains and
excellent paintings. This widened his vision.
Four is during his study in SOAS, London; he discovered Fei’s Brush Drawing in the
Chinese Manner in the library. After reading it, he wrote to Fei (who lived in Finchley,
north of London). The maestro did not reply. With no intention to give up, he wrote
another letter. This time, he got a response. He made ten paintings each week and
continuously did so for six weeks. With Peter’s dedication, Fei finally accepted him as
his disciple. Under Fei’s mentorship, he learned how to paint. He said: “What little I have
achieved I owe a tremendous debt to my dear teacher Professor Fei Cheng Wu, 1911-
2000, who taught me more than how to paint.” How fond of his Maestro!

Monk in the Temple
Peter uses precious paper from Japan, Korea, China, India, France and Nepal and ink
and watercolour as mediums to create. His common subject matters include landscape,
still life and portraiture. Although his works are done in a Chinese or/and Japanese
style, his composition and technique have been affected by Arte Povera, a radical art
movement developed in various cities of Italy during the 1960s and 1970s. Taking
abandoned elements and recreating them has also triggered a deeper cultural
resonance of beauty. In his still life, Peter often places different objects in various
positions. The arrangement is not in a stream of unconsciousness, but a conscious
arrangement after thinking. He humorously expressed to me that it was like mixing
various ingredients together and finally serving a visually beautiful dish. In addition, he
likes to paint different kinds of flowers in paintings which each present a single flower,
looking unique and simply elegant (Fig. 10). Each flower appears precious. Peter loves
growing flowers outdoors and arranging them indoors. I call him an ‘anthophile’.
Having said that, I have to talk about human figures in his paintings. Sometimes figures
appear very small in the landscape and look insignificant compared with vast nature and
the universe. Sometimes human figures become dominant in the composition. No
matter how small or huge, if you look carefully, they all metaphorically interpret his own
situation; they are very much self-portraits. Who are Peter’s favourite painters? He has
listed Mu Xi and Liang Kai in the Southern Song Dynasty, Ba Da Shan Ren in the late

Ming and early Qing dynasties, and Shi Tao in the Qing Dynasty. These painters have
one thing in common: they had an aristocratic quality and later chose to be monks
(embracing a life of solitude). One can’t help but think that Peter’s practices are similar.
In his Cambridge home, all the interiors and furnishings, plus the secret garden and a
standing pine tree (Fig. 11) (Fig.12), symbolise integrity, elegance, and eternity, and have
been often introduced into his paintings. He calls his own home gu song zhai, yi song
zhai, and yi song zhai (literal meaning: one pine lodging or study). You can imagine how
proud he feels for what he has built. In addition to reading, painting, working as a
painter, and passing the essence of the tea ceremony to others, he also travels. He
leads a quite Zen lifestyle. If his home, far away from the hustle and bustle, is a temple,
isn’t what he has embraced what a monk has had? (Fig. 13)

All is Purification
Fei and Peter: one is a Chinese painter. After learning painting techniques in China and
the UK, Fei returned to the Chinese freehand style, which was different from the social
realism that spread in China at that time. Making Chinese paintings in a foreign land, he
certainly looked at different landscapes and his works evolved in various ways.
However, his essence was still the same——classic landscapes and still lifes, isolated
from the rest of the world.
The other is a Western gentleman. Because of his love of antiquities and Chinese
classical paintings, the two became friends and formed a teacher-student relationship.
Just because Fei retained his original intention, Peter did not inherit the tragedy of
China's great upheaval. Instead, he unlocked the time capsule that the Maestro had
sealed for a long time.
Just like a haiku poem:

The forget-me-not is blooming;
But the things of long ago, -
How can I forget them?

Yes, what is inside the time capsule has not been forgotten. What has flowed outwards?
In Peter’s art of life, I could not see any spoiled or polluted world. What has flowed is
serenity.
In Peter’s tea master Michael Brick’s small piece “An Offering of Tea” in Rediscovering
Basho, there is a paragraph:

With this Offering of Tea – its ritual purification of utensils, and its
meditative atmosphere – I also offer you a quiet moment’s
reflection before the words of this day begin to flow.

The ritual itself is conducted in silence, just like Japanese aesthetician, actor, and
playwright Zeami Motokiyo’s (1363-1443) words: “The outward scent of inward
feelings”.
A Western gentleman, walking into the glory and decline of modern Chinese painting,
has gained something extraordinary which is a state of serene inflow and aromatic
outflow (Fig 14) which comes from the Orient, for sure.
Now, I close my eyes and can still see something familiar. That’s right, his back. I have
realised what I saw in the painting this early summer was not exactly right. It was not a
moon, but a space. I am seeing him walking through a red moon door. (Fig. 14)