張新權(quán)的畫總讓人追溯記憶中的影像。
甚至，也不是記憶中的影像，而是這些影像中儲存的曾經(jīng)的時光與曾經(jīng)的生存痕跡。
藝術(shù)源于生活，但絕不是照搬生活。在當(dāng)下的美術(shù)創(chuàng)作中，一些人往往把照搬生活理解為藝術(shù)對于生活的反映，致使許多作品難于突破日常的視覺經(jīng)驗(yàn)，作品成為生活笨拙的形象復(fù)制。現(xiàn)實(shí)主義精神是偉大的，但現(xiàn)實(shí)主義也不等于不經(jīng)過心靈蕩滌、不表現(xiàn)精神訴求的生活模仿，不能呈現(xiàn)人的心靈與精神的作品，都只會停留于對生活表象的復(fù)制與再現(xiàn)。如果說藝術(shù)的本質(zhì)還是在于對人類或個體精神情感的揭示，那么，藝術(shù)的表現(xiàn)方式就不會局限于實(shí)錄與實(shí)寫。而且，從生活實(shí)寫跨越到心靈呈現(xiàn)，或許才是藝術(shù)家終生探求的最高境界。
表現(xiàn)精神訴求的方式是多樣的，張新權(quán)選擇的是具象表現(xiàn)主義。也即，他的作品總是和現(xiàn)實(shí)拉開一定的距離。無論描繪他生活過的《姑蘇系列》，還是呈現(xiàn)他生活閱歷的《上海外灘》《碼頭》和《海魂系列》，他都沒有完全使用寫實(shí)主義觀念去告訴人們這里怎樣，這里曾經(jīng)發(fā)生了什么，而是選擇某一場景或某一對象予以不受實(shí)寫束縛的象征與表現(xiàn)。毫無疑問，他筆下的審美對象富有具象性的特征，甚至也可以說，這些具象本身就是他訴諸精神情感的出發(fā)點(diǎn)。但他在呈現(xiàn)這些具象時，又不滿足于謹(jǐn)毛刻畫，而是從一種遙遠(yuǎn)的距離予以審視，并從這種距離中進(jìn)行想象性的抒寫、率性的夸張和直覺式的宣泄。他的藝術(shù)創(chuàng)造性便在于選擇什么樣的對象、設(shè)置怎樣的審視距離和進(jìn)行何種程度的想象與表現(xiàn)。
蘇州是他曾經(jīng)生活的城市。中國文人筆下的太湖和油畫家筆下的小橋流水，都各盡其妙，風(fēng)情萬種。而張新權(quán)則避開這些畫路，既不表現(xiàn)純粹的文人畫境界，也不像吳冠中那樣以黑白灰的形式節(jié)奏取勝。而是從陳舊的影像中獲取創(chuàng)作的靈感與觀照方式。不論《姑蘇滄浪亭》《姑蘇園林》《姑蘇雙塔》，還是《楓橋》《姑蘇往事》和《姑蘇西園》，都剃除了這些名勝的現(xiàn)場感，濾去了條件光色色彩變幻的豐富性，而置其于歷史的時空中，讓久遠(yuǎn)的時光洗盡塵世鉛華。他畫面的那些名園佳地，仿佛因歲月長河的流淌而沉去昔日的浮華與喧囂，只淀出空寂與玄思。
如果說描繪蘇州的那些作品是他對于自己生活世界的某種過濾，那么，《三江師范》和《金陵機(jī)器制造局》則完全是從歷史的影像中獲取的他對于時空變遷、人世俯仰的認(rèn)知。作為曾經(jīng)傳輸新潮文化與西洋文明的故址，這些建筑已不復(fù)存在。畫面顯得如此的簡約與干凈，仿佛一切都濾除了表象，只剩下黑與白的建筑物象。但畫家卻在這極其簡約的對比中灌注了自己的情思——大面積近于無的天空已把建筑嵌入了歷史，我們似乎可以在建筑中尋聞到那個剛剛接觸西洋文明的時代人們焦慮與感奮的呼吸，耳畔似乎還回蕩起“長亭外，古道邊，芳草碧連天”的《送別》旋律。顯然，這些引人回溯與追憶的并不是真實(shí)再現(xiàn)了舊時場景，而是畫家對那些建筑群彌散出的昏黃歲月感的捕捉，是畫家通過畫筆再造的歷史時空。畫面固然有寫實(shí)的成份，但更多的是通過想象與表現(xiàn)的再造，讓人們?nèi)プ窇押椭販啬菢右环N歷史的遺存。
當(dāng)江南無數(shù)條散漫的河流匯聚在一起的時候，便有了碧波蕩漾、帆影綽約的太湖。而民國時代的川江似乎也被賦予了時代的色彩，無數(shù)條散漫的河流都匯入黃浦江而最終漂泊去了海洋。在張新權(quán)的創(chuàng)作經(jīng)歷中，尋著這種審美路向，他的筆觸掠過了外灘的蘇州河，在喧囂而奢華的大上海駐了駐足便漂向大海。從《十里洋場》《有軌電車》到《蘇州河》《碼頭》《信號臺》和《風(fēng)云十六鋪》，他描繪了上個世紀(jì)東方樂園的繁華與嘈雜，但那近大半個世紀(jì)前的熙熙攘攘和今日新外灘的城際線判若兩重世界，讓人分明感到似曾相識的模糊印記。他的這些作品，具有實(shí)寫的框架，卻被歲月的筆觸涂抹得漫漶不清了，那帶著藝術(shù)家情思與個性的筆觸幾近靈動和灑脫，而靈動中掖著些許的憂郁、灑脫里醮著滿筆的凝重。實(shí)寫的是往昔的真容，漫漶的是今日的思緒。在具象與表現(xiàn)之間，他的那些畫面交錯著歷史與現(xiàn)實(shí)的影像和幻覺。這或許是張新權(quán)從此種藝術(shù)語言與觀念中表達(dá)的幽思與感嘆。
江南散漫的河流也終究逝去了洋場十里的奢華，有軌電車和外灘的汽笛最終都消散在寬闊無比的大海。不知曾有過怎樣的人生經(jīng)驗(yàn)讓張新權(quán)酷愛表現(xiàn)在海浪中翻騰的艦艇郵輪，但可以肯定的是，審美筆觸的尋繹最終使他從小橋流水的蘇州駛向了更富有個性、更富有激情的海洋，而遭受歷史風(fēng)雨的海輪或許更能凸顯生命的張力與生存的搏擊。從《致遠(yuǎn)艦》《食既》《巡邏艇》到《泊》《商船》《阿芙樂爾號》和《雪龍?zhí)枴罚纫阅承┟炛复鷼v史進(jìn)程的轉(zhuǎn)變節(jié)點(diǎn)，也以大體量的海洋貨輪展示某種視覺沖擊。作為歷史的巨輪，海浪翻騰中的《阿芙樂爾號》《致遠(yuǎn)艦》象征著一個新時代的到來；作為鋼鐵的龐然大物，遠(yuǎn)洋郵輪仍難敵海洋流體的擺弄與吞掠。前者象征了歷史征程的艱難險(xiǎn)阻，后者則隱喻了人類與自然的奮勇搏擊。他的這些作品一再讓人聯(lián)想到海明威對于大海的描述，廣闊無垠的大海與悠遠(yuǎn)蒼茫的歷史不斷喚起人類的激情與想象，但在自然與歷史面前人類卻難逃生存與變滅的宿命。
張新權(quán)的作品總是跳出再現(xiàn)現(xiàn)實(shí)而站在一個遙遠(yuǎn)的距離中審視事物的流變。過去式，是他觀照事物的一個基本審美方法。過去式，既讓他從現(xiàn)實(shí)中剝離而出，也使他從容地在“過去”之中尋求他的“自我”。因而，“過去式”也便成為他“表現(xiàn)性”的重要創(chuàng)作基點(diǎn)，正是從這種“過去式”中他找到了自己的藝術(shù)語言和訴求途徑。過去式，使他的作品都成了老照片和舊影像，而作品的魅力正在于對于這種影像不動聲色的敘述與追溯。
如果說，當(dāng)代藝術(shù)的許多作品都不遺余力地追求繪畫的圖像性，那么張新權(quán)則努力把這種圖像和人們記憶中的影像與表現(xiàn)主義的潛意識結(jié)合在一起，從而增添了架上油畫當(dāng)代視覺文化的審美經(jīng)驗(yàn)。
——中國美協(xié)理事、中國美協(xié)理論委員會委員、《美術(shù)》雜志執(zhí)行主編/ 尚 輝
2011年6月29日于北京22院街藝術(shù)區(qū)
Depiction and Tracing of Images
Zhang Xinquan’s paintings always remind us of images in our memory.
Or maybe, not images in our memory, but images that store the past time and existing traces.
Art originates from life, but never imitates it. In the current production of paintings, some artists often mistake art that imitates life for art that reflects life, which leads to the fact that many works can’t go beyond the daily visual experience. Works merely become awkward imitation of images in life. Realism is great, but it doesn’t necessarily mean imitating life images without any cleansing of souls or without any spiritual appeal. Works that can’t present human souls and spirits are merely copying and reproducing images in life. Since the essence of art is to reveal the spirits or emotions of human being as a whole or as individuals, the representation of art will not be confined to loyal recording and imitating. What artists should pursue as a lifetime goal is probably to span from imitating life images to presenting human souls.
Ways to present spiritual appeal could vary, and Zhang chooses concrete expressionism. That is, his works always draw away from reality. He never tells people what it was like or what happened here with realistic style, no matter in “Gusu” series or in “The Bund in Shanghai”, “The Wharf” or “Sea Soul” series. Instead, he breaks through restraint to depict and characterize a scene or an object. What he depicts is undoubtedly characterized by representationalism, from which his spiritual appeals stem. When he depicts, he is not confined to portray details, but to survey it in the distance, wherefrom he depicts imaginarily, exaggerates willfully and works off his emotions freely. His artistic creativity lies in his choices of objects, the distance to survey, and the extent of imagination and expression.
He used to live in Suzhou, a city that is affectionately portrayed by Chinese literators and painters about its Taihu Lake and picturesque bridges and streams, but Zhang tried to evade painting these. Literati painting is not his style, nor does he paint in rapid rhythm with blacks, grays and whites like Mr. Wu Guanzhong. Where he gets inspiration is those timeworn images. Either in “Canglang Pavilion in Gusu”, “Classical Gardens in Gusu”, “Two Pagodas in Gusu”, or in “Fengqiao Bridge”, “Moments in Gusu”, “West Garden in Gusu”, he removed the presence of these monuments, deprived them of the baffling richness of colors, just to place them in the historical sense. Vanity and uproariousness were washed away from those gardens and monuments, and only solitude and meditation were left in the paintings.
While those paintings about Suzhou is a leach of his life, “Sanjiang Normal College” and “Jinling Machine Factory” reflect his recognition of the changes of time and space and the ups and downs of life. As the sites to spread new culture and western civilization, they’ve already disappeared in history. The whole painting seems to be concise and neat, simply with black and white buildings themselves, without any presentation. But there the artist devoted all his emotions – the architecture is integrated to history by the endless sky. We could even sense the anxious and indignant breath of those people who barely exposed to western civilization. We could even hear the rhythm of “A Valediction”: Beyond the distant pavilion, beside the ancient road, fragrant green grass stretches far into the sky…… Apparently, what evokes retrospection is not the emersion of the original scenes, but the artist’s observation of the architectural complex through times, or the historical time and space created by the artist. Realism could be found in the painting, but more is the recreation with imagination and expression. It’s just for people to review the existing history.
When the rambling streams and rivers gather in the regions south of the Yangtze River, there forms the rippling Taihu Lake. Rivers of the Republic of China period seemed to be endowed with characteristics of the times, to witness that all the rivers converged to the Huangpu River and finally to the ocean. Along the aesthetic orientation, his paintings touched the Suzhou River in the Bund, and reached the ocean after a halt in the metropolis Shanghai. Either in “The Metropolis Old Shanghai”, “The Tram” or “The Suzhou River”, “The Wharf”, “The Signal Tower” and “The Shiliupu Wharf”, he depicts the prosperity and pandemonium of the eastern paradise in the last century. But the hustle and bustle in that century, compared with the totally different new Bund, left people just a vague impression. His works, with some realistic sense, are covered by historical marks. His strokes, full of passion and personality, are quite refreshing and free, integrated with melancholy and dignity. Wandering between representationalism and expressionism, his works are interwoven with images and illusions in history and reality. Maybe that is the meditation and exclamation of Zhang Xinquan in his artistic language and concept.
The rambling rivers eventually washed away the vanity of the metropolis, and the siren of the trams and vessels in the Bund finally vanished into the vast ocean. We have no idea what kind of experience aroused Zhang’s affection for the vessels that ride the wind and waves, but definitely, his aesthetic pursuit drives him to a more passionate and individual ocean from the picturesque streams and bridges in Suzhou. The weathered sea crafts might as well manifest the tension of life and struggle to survive. In “Zhiyuan Vessel”, “Second Contact”, “The Patrol Vessel”, “Lying at Anchor”, “The Merchant Ship”, “The Aphrodite” and “Xuelong Vessel”, he depicts the turning point of history with those distinguished vessels and demonstrates visual shocks with gigantic cargo vessels. As historic vessels, “The Aphrodite” and “Zhiyuan Vessel” withering in the waves stand for the arrival of a new era, but as gigantic steel ships, they will still be turned and swallowed by the ocean. The former symbolizes the hardships of history and the latter metaphors human’s struggle with nature. His works repeatedly remind people of Hemingway’s description of the ocean that the boundless ocean constantly arouses human’s ambition and imagination, but in face with history and nature, humans doom to survive and then vanish.
Zhang’s works always draw back from the reality to investigate the changes of things in the distance. The preterit is his aesthetic basis to reflect things. The preterit deprives him of the reality and drives him to pursue his ego. Therefore, the preterit, where he finds his artistic language and appeal, is the basis of his expressive painting. The preterit turns his paintings into old photos and images, where lies the spell of narration and retrospect.
Many contemporary works spare no effort to pursue the images of paintings, and Zhang strives to combine these images with expressionistic subconciousness, to add more aesthetic experience to the visual culture of the paintings.
-- By Shang Hui, Director in China Artists Association A Commissioner in the Theoretical Council of China Artists Association Executive editor-in-chief of Art magazine?
June 29, 2011 In Beijing 22 International Art Plaza
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