《东庄图》之折桂桥 160x190cm 布面油画

《东庄图》之全真馆 160x190cm 布面油画

　　孤陋寡闻者如我，一直以来只知沈周而未闻《东庄图》，直到两年前某日，在肖谷工作室，赫然见到被他用油画重新演绎的《东庄图》，不由眼前一亮，震惊莫名!令我既敬仰沈周艺术的意境高远、绝尘超逸，更感佩肖谷大作的迭出新意、迁想妙得。越数月，又与肖谷、陈强诸友相偕，先专诚赴姑苏以朝圣之心寻访拜谒沈周墓地，继又至金陵有幸在南京博物馆拜读沈周《东庄图》真迹。当博物馆研究人员从库房捧出这件“镇馆之宝”徐徐展开，陡然间感觉心头豁然开朗，仿佛回到五百年前吴地，亲炙石田先生的謦欬手教。以此为肇端，遂开始了我探究吴门画派一代宗师沈周艺术堂奥及其隐逸人格的行旅，并也想藉此为肖谷创作系列油画《东庄图》的煌煌巨制敲打边鼓，呐喊助威，以壮声势。

　　沈周《东庄图》是为其一生笃友吴宽的私家园林东庄所绘。沈周终生不仕，遁迹出世，恪守着隐逸人格的纯粹性;而吴宽则以其敏锐的才思和广博的学识，积极入世，追求“修身、齐家、治国、平天下”的功名事业。两人的人生志向和身份旨归迥然不同，但这并不影响他们的深情厚谊，成为亲密至交。沈周曾前后绘制过两次分别为十二景和二十四景《东庄图》册页作品，其中，东庄十二景本见于斐景福《壮陶阁书画录》著录，作于弘治十五年壬戌秋月(1502年)，时年沈周七十五岁，当属其晚年之作，两年后吴宽去世，该图册即不知所踪。东庄二十四景本何时所绘说法不一，而据肖谷初步考证，当作于沈周五十至六十岁左右之壮年时(1477-1487年)。由于屡经递藏，在明末时即已散失了二幅，现存《东城》、《振衣冈》、《折桂桥》、《续古堂》、《拙修庵》、《耕息轩》、《朱缨径》、《全真馆》、《知乐亭》等二十一幅。所缺二幅，经肖谷实地踏勘，并结合诸多历史文献求证，认为应是《桃花池》、《瓜圃》和《桂坞》。

　　十四景本《东庄图》，从庄内外望“东城”画起，沿庄园路径，移步换景，一景一图，至庄内最后完工的“知乐亭”止，风景多变，观之不尽，画在东庄境内，又在东庄境外。画面妙在作者思致清宕，不拘泥于真山实景，画出了一个清逸平和、悠然自乐的庄园。此图为沈周中年之后“粗沈”中的“粗笔细描”，笔墨圆转含蓄，变化丰富，寄寓深远。沈周用湿笔涂染，画出江南水乡和园林的河港菱汉、亭榭山石。正如董文敏在《东庄图》题跋中所云：“出入宋元，如意自在，位置既奇绝，笔法复纵宕…… ”是沈周中后期创作中之精品。

　　从明季以降到进入二十一世纪，时间过去了整整五百年，如今又有了肖谷的油画系列作品《东庄图》。南朝谢赫“六法”中就有“传移模写”之说，即对传统佳构的模写、临摹和继承。但肖谷更进一步，他用其独特的“二度半”语汇，运用丰富的笔触、肌理和层次，淡雅微妙的色调，在偌大的画面上纵横捭阖、挥洒自如，既有生动运笔的气韵，又有耐人寻味的色彩铺陈，在一遍遍的修改和画面色彩的调整中，最终用油画变体画的形式，创作出全新意义上的《东庄图》。其旨意并不在颠覆和超越，而在于转换和创造。其间既有继承，又有创造，是一种继承中的创造。

　　肖谷的《东庄图》，在保留沈周原作真诚质朴和澹然自逸的意蕴同时，更对已然成为历史传统经典的沈周的《东庄图》进行再诠释，在经过高度凝炼后使其涵义被不断延伸与外拓，使其精神得到升华，在当代新的美学高度寻找到依傍和归纳，为今天的人们重新构造和营建起东庄的另种审美场景的 “有意味的形式”，将人们从五百年前的东庄置换到另一个视觉空间，在现代诗意和审美中寻找到了新的归宿，在现代感觉的能动意象中获得新的视觉空间，从而唤起并调动人们审美意识与之产生互动，生发出一种充满张力、奇妙无穷的审美体验，从而实现了对于中国传统文化精神的当代转换。

　　从纯粹形式的角度来看，肖谷的《东庄图》无疑创造了一种属于他自己的表现方法;而相对于传统经典，又可发现他仍保留着沈周原作中的意象和气韵。肖谷的《东庄图》或可给人的启示是：运用油画丰富的表现力和个性化的探索成果，将传统艺术注入新的活力，赋予当代文化精神，便有寻找到新的艺术观念和表达方式的可能。对于一个画家而言，由此也证明了在一种成熟的艺术风格中，通过对文化的深层理解和个性化绘画语言的创造性建构，便有可能完成对于传统经典的双重转换，即古典传统向当代油画的样式和语言的转换，以及在文化层面上古典主义向现代性的创造性转换。

　　这种双重转换，不仅源于肖谷对于当代油画语言的娴熟掌握和锐意创新，更有赖于他对本民族文化精神和审美意蕴的无限眷恋和热烈情怀。也正因为如此，对于肖谷来说，油画语言便成为他在完成这种创造性转换时的一种手段的交换，语言本身也由此别具一种灵性，它们在画面上所表现的质感 仿佛可以使你触摸到一种精神，一种文化。这种精神和文化肯定都属于中国。

　　肖谷创作向来严谨缜密 厚积薄发，此番作《东庄图》更是宵衣旰食、殚精竭虑，在做了大量查证考据的前期准备之后方始动笔，其间又几经反复，不断摸索调整，积数年之力方始达于今日之功。在业已完成的这些作品背后，凝聚着他持之以恒的艰巨心力。在肖谷的心目中，东庄已然成为一种精神象征，而他笔下的东庄，更蕴藉着他的理想和人格，被赋予了与这种理想和人格相吻合的审美气质和品格，具有一种投身自然、不碍于物的自由精神。这让我想起沈周为化一生挚友吴宽所作《吴文定公送行图》的自题诗“为君十日画一山，为君五日画一水。欲持灵秀拟君才，坐觉江山为之鄙。崎而不动衍且长，唯君之心差可比。”肖谷至于沈周，也倾注了差可比拟的情感，此诗亦当可移作肖谷对沈周的写照。作为肖谷的老友，我亲见了他从构思酝酿到动笔创作的全过程。在我看来，肖谷与沈周的心是相通的，而《东庄图》则是建构在他们之间的一座桥梁，也可看作是他们之间的一次跨越时空的对话。于是，在我眼前宛若出现了这样的情景 在东庄盘亘曲折的朱缨小径，肖谷和沈周正比肩而行，款步走来 夕阳的余辉透过绿叶婆娑的树隙洒满他俩的衣衫，他们忘情地娓娓接谈，五百年的悠悠岁月，已在不经意间被他们抛在身后……

　　辛卯春节于沪上系云书屋

　　Dongzhuang Drawings: From Shen Zhou to Xiao Gu

　　For a long time, I only know the famous artist Shen Zhou but I never heard of his Dongzhuang Drawings. Until two years ago, I found Xiao Gu’s oil painted Dongzhuang Drawings series and I was greatly surprised by Shen Zhou’s extraordinary artistic conception and Xiao Gu’s innovation.  A few months later, I went with Xiao Gu and Chen Qiang to visit Shen Zhou’s cemetery in Suzhou and was honored to see the original piece of Dongzhuang Drawings in Nanjing Art Museum. That visit formed a start of my research on Master Shen Zhou’s art value and his hermit ideology. Meanwhile I hope that this research could assist Xiao Gu’s art plan more or less.

　　Dongzhuang Drawings series were painted by Shen Zhou for his lifetime friend Wu Kuan, who’s the owner of Dongzhuang. Shen Zhou never started his political career in his life and stuck to his hermit philosophy. Wu Kuan, on the other hand, was pursuing successful official career with his intelligence and extensive knowledge. However, the sharply different ambition and identity didn’t affect the firm friendship between this two. As history shows, Shen Zhou has painted two collections Dongzhuang Drawings (12 paintings and 24 paintings) and gave them to Wu Kuan as a gift. The collection that contained 12 paintings was made in 1502, at which time Shen Zhou was 75 years old. Two years later, Wu Kuan died and this collection disappeared from then. It hasn’t been confirmed of when the 24 paintings series were created. But according to Xiao Gu’s research, it may be created during the time of 1477-1487, when Shen Zhou was 60 years old. Because of the several ownership changes, 3 of the series were lost and only 21 are left. Xiao Gu combined his on-the-spot investigation and many historical documentation, believing that the lost three should be Tao Hua Chi, Gua Pu and Gui Wu.

　　Each of the 24 pictures affords a different view of Dongzhuang. Shen Zhou’s exquisite craftsmanship went beyond the real scenery and created a peaceful paradise. Shen Zhou’s artistic style switched from “tender” to “tough” in his old age, and this collection witnessed this change. As Dong Wenmin wrote in the preface of Dongzhuang Drawings, “Shen Zhou is proficient in all the painting skills of Yuan and Song Dynasty. His distinctive choice of scenery and perfect command of skills provides a miniature of Dongzhuang”. Undoubtedly this collection is one of the best of Shen Zhou’s pieces in his late life.

　　Five hundred years passed, and Xiao Gu’s unique oil painting series Dongzhuang Drawings came to existence. Back to the early Southern Dynasties, copying and learning from the traditional masterpieces has been regarded as an important method. But what Xiao Gu did is not simply to copy or to inherit. He uses his unique two-and-a-half-dimension art language and represents a brand new Dongzhuang with oil painting. He shows us a vivid example of making the past serve the present and the foreign serve China.  It’s an innovative continuation of traditional Chinese art.

　　Xiao Gu’s Dongzhuang Drawings not only contains the sincere and plain style of Shen Zhou, but also reinterpreted the classic masterpiece. It forms an extension of the contents and the spirit of the original Dongzhuang Drawings, switching the traditional Dongzhuang to a brand new visual space. Xiao Gu’s works successfully arouse the interaction of the viewer and provide a wonderful appreciation experience, thus applying the traditional Chinese cultural spirit to the contemporary context.

　　In terms of art form, Xiao Gu’s pieces undoubtedly represent his own way of expression. However, we can still see some of Shen Zhou’s spirit in his works. He endeavors to bring new vigor and vitality into classic oil painting and make it possible to find new art concept and expression. His success proves the possibility for an artist to accomplish the double-conversion of traditional culture. One is the switch of painting pattern and art language, the other is the switch from classicalism into modernism.

　　This double-conversion doesn’t only come out of Xiao Gu’s skills and innovation, but also comes from his great love to his national culture and art. As a result, we can read a culture and spirit out of the oil painting language he uses.

　　As an artist, Xiao Gu is always diligent at his art, and Dongzhuang Drawings proves it again. The artist threw his heart and soul into the art pieces, spending several years in researching and exploring the best way to represent the collection. The accomplished pieces reveal his perseveration and devotion to art. For him, Dongzhuang stands for a spiritual symbol, which reflects his pursuit and embodies the desire of connecting with the nature.  Shen Zhou once wrote a poem for his friend Wu Kuan, and extended his admiration and appreciation to him. He said that the scenery of Dongzhuang was more than marvelous, but Wu Kuan’s intelligence and talent was much more precious. I believe this poem also explains Xiao Gu’s feeling for Shen Zhou. As an old friend of Xiao Gu, I witnessed the development of the piece from an idea. In my understanding, Xiao Gu and Shen Zhou are spiritually connected and Dongzhuang Drawings series forms a bridge between them, providing a crossing-time conversation. Therefore I can imagine that one day in somewhere, Shen Zhou and Xiaogu are walking in the aisle of Dongzhuang, talking so happily that 500 years between them means nothing.