《东庄图》之稻畦

　　很有意味的是当我画完《振衣岗》、《全真馆》与《南港》后，我的心灵深处时时有一种无法企及的但又必须达到的愿望的感觉，这种感觉又很无望，像有一种从很远很远的地方传来的声音在还未到达的时候又折了回去，又慢慢地向很远很远的地方散去。

　　我忽然认识到这是音乐的实质——来自心灵的绝望的地方，这绝望其实也是快乐，它以一种开放的形式主观地暂时遮敝痛苦，这使我想起巴赫的那些作品，有一日我见到了马友友在演奏巴赫作品时，有个幽灵般的身影十分融洽地和着音乐在周围跳舞，那种自然又偶发的舞姿十分和谐，让我的心灵空间一下子打开。与马友友合作的舞者是日本著名歌舞伎大师坂东玉三郎TAMASABURO BANDO，他的表演与中国京剧的那些大师们十分的相象。后来，我了解到坂东玉三郎的祖父守田勘弥もりた かんや早在1926年就与访日的中国京剧大师梅兰芳同台演出，20岁时，其父亲问他将来想演什么，板东玉三郎答道：除了歌舞伎还想演《杨贵妃》。“不要随便开大口”，父亲教训他。1987年，坂东玉三郎专程到北京，向梅兰芳之子梅葆玖学习京剧《贵妃醉酒》的台步、甩袖程式，并应用于他后来出演的歌舞伎《玄宗与杨贵妃》中。不料在学习过程中，坂东玉三郎了解到了京剧和昆曲的深厚渊源，因此对昆曲产生了浓厚的兴趣。去年，在中国对外文化交流协会的帮助和安排下，坂东玉三郎到苏洲观看昆曲《牡丹亭》，并向昆曲名家张继青学习杜丽娘一角的表演技巧。不懂中文的他，如今却能用中文演出经典昆曲《牡丹亭》。我想这就是文化的力量呀。

　　不同文化下，马友友的巴赫与坂东玉三郎的和谐，使我一下子感到了文化的力量。感到了沈周淡泊与坦荡气息，感到了《东庄图》的平和与愉悦。沈周正是以这种平和的心情，面对生他养他的吴中，所以，他的视角有时会很小，但心灵却很大，他曾在题中写过“吴地无崇山峻岭，有皆陂陀连衍，映带乎田隅。当我开始《稻畦》时，我的心情已显得温暖与平和。春山荡漾，细雨从远处缓缓而来，随着春雨临近，带雨的微风温和地吹过稻畦中的苗，远处的蒿草整齐地侧向一边，向春雨表示深深的敬意，更远处的林木从大地深处象激烈的喷泉向天空渲泄多年来在压力之下的经历。垅上的泥泞小道自由地相交伸展，河中的水波微微地透露领域的密秘，小心地告诉人们水中有一对鱼儿正处于新婚蜜月之中，请不要打扰它们的甜梦。“化文成俗”是明中期吴门画派文化特色，沈周是其中的大家。

　　陈强又是作品第一位观者，那天他来时，还留下天空未处理好，但他对已处理好的大批稻田赞美有加，以为越来越有味道了。

　　不久，我“诚轩”在上海的一个拍品预展中，看到了仇英仿刘松年的一个长卷，其气息与技巧之高，也算是养了眼。于是我着手调整天空部分，不料那带着阵雨的天空的处理竟如此的和谐，我自感有一种十分坦然的心情象花一样在春风吹佛下自由自在地绽开。

　　Dao Qi

　　——What I think, feel and act during the creating process

　　After I finished the Zhen Yi Gang, Quan Zhen Guan and Nan Gang, I felt a strong but desperate desire from the bottom of my heart.

　　Then I realize maybe it’s the essence of music, that it comes out of desperation and uses an open form to hide pains and pursue happiness. One day I saw a Bach musical performance from Ma Youyou, accompanied by the dance of famous Japanese Kabuko Master Tamasaburo Bando. Bando’s grandfather came to visit China and performed with Beijing Opera master Mei Lanfang in 1926. So in his 20s, when his father asked him which role he loves the most, he said Yang Guifei (the famous opera of Mei Lanfang). In 1987, Bando especially came to Beijing to learn from Mei’s son Mei Baojiu. With the continuous learning, he noticed the profound relations between Beijing opera and Kunqu Opera, and started to have a keen interest in Kunqu Opera. Now he can play the famous opera Peony Pavilion even though he knows nothing about Chinese language. And that’s all coming from the power of culture!

　　The two performances came from different cultural context, but achieved a harmonious balance. It is all derived from the power of culture. It is also why we could find happiness and joy in Shen Zhou’s drawings .He had a deep love over his hometown and used a peaceful perspective to display an enormous world. That’s also why when I was drawing Dao Qi(Rice Field), I was full of warmth and peacefulness. Wu School was famous for “Turning the sophisticated academy to accessible words,” and Shen Zhou was a master in the group.

　　Chen Qiao was also the first one to see Dao Qi (Rice Field). Although the sky hasn’t been completed when he came, he heaped praise upon the drawing.

　　A few days later, I happened to see a Qiu Ying’s copy of Liu Songnian’s drawings and I was impressed by his excellent techniques and artistic conception. Then I started to modify my drawing and changed the sky to a rainy sky, which surprisingly made it consistent and unconventional.