朴素而天下莫与之争美

    《庄子·天道》提出了“朴素而天下莫与之争美”的审美观和文艺思想。而周代《礼记·礼器篇》也有“大圭不琢”的审美主张，揭示了中国美学智慧所阐发的纲领性观念和艺术主张。可见“朴素”方能达于艺术的真境。当然本文无意就艺术的“朴素”之美展开理论上的思辩，而是借此论题，来研究和介绍画家顾伟玺的艺术探索和成就，并试图揭示其艺术风格形成的诸多因缘。

    伟玺本科时毕业于南京艺术学院美术系国画专业，其后，他又历经了硕士研究生和博士研究生两个学习阶段，取得了南京艺术学院美术学博士学位。2000年后伟玺调入上海大学艺术研究院工作，先后任教授、院长助理、副院长等职，从事艺术教育教学和行政管理工作。2010年又赴广西艺术学院，担任中国第一所以中国画命名的中国画学院副院长，兼任学院美术馆馆长、教授，并担任中国山水画及中国美术史两个方向的研究生导师。伟玺的发展令我非常欣慰也为他感到高兴，他的成长是我意料中的事情，因为，他酷爱绘画艺术，为人诚厚，充满了奋斗的激情和勤奋探索的科研精神。但他近期的一批绘画作品的风格、面貌却大超乎我之意料。在当下艺术创作普遍寻求图式特点的大环境中，伟玺并没有急于寻找标新立异、标榜自我的“图式个性”，而是更加坚定地循着“中国画法”的正途，默默攀登并不断锤炼自己的笔墨语言，陶炼熔铸属于自己的艺术风格。

    他近期的山水作品，一改以往以水墨冲染等寻求肌理和“视觉张力”的风格取向，而是以生辣劲健的勾勒和富有新意的冲泼，营建雄浑苍朴的山水真境，昭显出由笔墨所承载和传达的精神性和文化意涵。而他的花鸟作品也完全摆脱了以彩墨渍染及矾水冲泼等形式意味上的追求，而回到传统的“笔墨范式”中，他自己对我说，近期的画“越画越土”，而我以为是越来越复归中国画的本质，走上了一条转承、探索、辟新之路。

    伟玺近期创作的山水作品《防城港上思魔石谷》及《老山界》，用笔朴拙，气势磅礴，且是八尺整张的大幅作品，展示了他在山水画笔墨语言风格及其情境营建方面的个性特质，与他之前的一批山水作品，过多地追求笔墨冲泼的肌理和图式特点有很大的不同，昭示了他艺术追求上的觉悟和成就。他的一批花鸟作品也是点划合于矩度，在构图设境和笔墨的逸气上是下了一番功夫的。

    特别是他十多年前于苏州地区写生的素材，成为他创作的主题元素。其中紫藤水鸟等作品，展现出他花鸟画构图意境上的新的追求和新境界的开拓，取得了可喜的成就，体现了他的艺术追求和独特的艺术感悟。

    更加难能可贵的是，伟玺由一个普通教师，成长为大学学院的副院长、教授、博士、研究生导师，并拥有了其他一系列头衔，却保持一贯的谦虚、朴实的人格风范和持之以恒、勤奋自强的学习精神，令人刮目相看。比之于当今学术界、艺术界存在的一些浮躁风气，他的朴素，确实难能可贵。他近期创作的大量新作以及出版的多本专著，发表论文数十篇的理论成果，则显示了其学术积淀的厚重，相信他必将成为大器。

    “朴素而天下莫于之争美”，我以庄子的话语来状述伟玺的艺术探索及其所取得的成绩，祝愿他不断超越自我，走向成功。

    注：本文作者尹石为江苏省美术家协会副主席、秘书长，中国美术家协会理事，国家一级美术师，著名中国画家。

 

    Yin Shi

    “Nothing can strive with simplicity excellence” is the aesthetic and literary thought proposed by Zhuangzi ·The Way of Heaven. In Zhou Dynasty The Book of Rites • Ritual Articles also mentioned the aesthetic idea "Best jade comes without cut”. Those both reveal the programmatic and artistic ideas of Chinese aesthetic wisdom. Simplicity is the way to true art. This article has no intention to start a theoretical speculation on the "simplicity" of art for sure, but to take this idea as a beginning to research and introduce the painter Gu Weixi and his artistic exploration and achievements, and try to reveal the facts which make his artistic style.

    Weixi graduated as a traditional Chinese painting bachelor from the Art Department, Nanjing Arts Institute. Subsequently, he obtained his Fine Arts doctorate of Nanjing Arts Institute after experienced both master and doctor studying. After 2000, Weixi was transferred to work in Art Research Academy of Shanghai University as professor, assistant to the president and vice president to engage in art education and administrative work. In 2010 he went to Guangxi Arts Institute as the vice president of Traditional Chinese Painting Academy which is the China's first academy named by “traditional Chinese painting” itself.     He served as academy gallery curator, professor, and graduate student tutor both in Chinese landscape painting and Chinese art history. I am very delighted for Weixi’s development. He did what I expected because he loves the art of painting so much. He is very sincere and full of passion and spirit to explore. But a number of his recent paintings’ style and features are beyond my expectation. In the environment of most contemporary arts commonly seek schema features, Weixi doesn’t rush to create something new or label himself "schema personality", he just insists more firmly the right path of Chinese painting, silently and constantly practices his painting skills , and casts his own artistic style.

    His recent landscape paintings are different from former style which presented texture and visual tension by Chinese ink painting. He builds up vigorous and firm plain landscape by raw and strong outlines and creative splash. He deliveries the spirituality and cultural implication by his painting ink. Besides, His flowers and birds paintings are also completely out of the pursuit of color ink dye and alum water splash form, but back to the traditional "pen and ink paradigm". He told me that the recent paintings are going "out of date". But I think the paintings are just back to the essence of traditional Chinese painting, which can lead him to a changing, exploring and innovating road.

    Weixi’s recent landscape paintings Magic Stone Valley at the Port of Fangcheng and  Yuecheng Mountains are both simply painted, great magnificent, and 8 feet one piece size. They show his personal features in landscape painting and situation construction aspect. There are huge differences between those two and his former landscape paintings which pursue more in ink splash texture and schema feature. They show his artistic and consciousness and achievements. Some of his flowers and birds works also delivery his effort on structure and painting skills.

The materials he sketched in Suzhou decade ago became his creative themes. Like the Wisteria waterfowl and other works showed his new pursuit and explore on flowers and birds painting structure mood had made gratifying achievements, reflected his artistic pursuits and unique artistic insights as well.

    More important is that, Weixi grows up by an ordinary teacher to institute vice president, professor, doctor, graduate student tutor, and other more titles. But he has remained consistently modest personality and hard working studying spirit, which both make us impressed. Recently he creates lots of new works and publishes multiple books and dozens of papers theoretical results, and they all show his academic accumulation. I believe that he will get a big success.

I use Zhuangzi’s words “Nothing can strive with simplicity excellence” to describe Weixi’s art explore and achievements, and wish him keep challenging himself to success!

    Remark: The author is Yi Shi, vice president and secretary-general of Jiangsu Artists Association, member of Chinese Artists Association, China national artist, and famous Chinese painter.