文/徐晓燕
这许多年以来，我的兴趣一直都在描绘自然景物上，这也许是天性所致，自我的东西比较适合于我，我也在表达方式上作过一些尝试，力求更能贴近我的感受，道出心声。
在我的作品里，几乎都有庄稼地、菜地。构图也是平铺而去的，但我从未感到过单调。庄稼，这一人类与大自然合作的尤物，又凝结了人类希望与情感，在我的眼里体现着自然的造化，也带来了我对人性本身的思索。
我选择大地这一母题，还因为我看到了一切生命随着大地一年四季，周而复始，几经盛衰轮回，又终归于大地而永恒、完美、迷人。
在同一季秋天，我曾感受过大自然对人类的慷慨奉献之情，又看到了那些被剥去果实又割下头穗的玉米残茬，在那夕阳下，在风中伫立着的秸秆，枯草，我的心也随之长久的不平静，然而大自然又让我顿悟了，这也无法改变的真实，不可言喻的美丽动人便是真实的一切，我越来越觉得，艺术的描写实在是艺术家心智的自白，是借助你描写对象而创造出来一各精神境界，这各精神境界不仅源于艺术家对自我的关注与捕捉，更有赖于艺术家无限的霞想和热烈的情怀。
最近我完成的一组《秋季风景》系列，对于我来说有着某种特殊的意义，不在乎它是否完美而出于它的真实，更由于它成为我坚定的主题：自然——生命。
凡高的一语可以道出的心愿，“一个劳动者的形象，一块耕地上的犁沟，一片沙滩，海岸与天空都是重要的描绘对象，这些都不是容易画的，但同时都是美的，终于从事于表现隐藏在它们之中的诗意，确实是值得的。”
NATURE-LIFE
XU XYAOYAN
For all these years, I’ve focused on the depiction of natural views. Perhaps I was born a love of nature, with which I am always at ease. Also, I’ve experinmented with new approaches of expression, trying to express the feelings buried deep in my heart.
Nearly all paintings feature fields of crops or vegetables. The composition, which is forever plain and simple, has never made me feel monotonous. A captivating product of the collaboration between humanity and nature, crops carry the hope the hope and passion of human beings. In my eyes, crops are an embodiment of nature itself; they have driven me to reflect on reflect on human nature.
I have chosen the motif of earth because I find it enchanting to behold all the lives on the earth following the cycle of seasons and going through all the vicissitudes, before ultimately returning to the vast land. What and eternally perfect process!
In autumn, overwhelmed by nature’s selfless generosity toward humanity, I will find myself at a loss, looking upon the corn stalks robbed of their fruits and then beheaded; the crop stalks and weeds swaying in the wind disturb me profoundly, Nature, however. soon makes me realize that all of these are just a fact of life. The beauty that begs description turns out to be the ultimate truth. It has gradually come to me that the artistic portrayal is actually a manifestation of the artist’s inner world. In other words, the subject serves as a medium for the painter to create a spiritual realm, which is based on the unceasing exploration of nature a well as the boundless, passionate imagination on the part of the artist.
The “Autumn Scenery” series ,which I completed recently, is of special significance for me. Its truthfulness, not its faultlessness, is what really matters. It is another monument to my consistent theme of nature-life.
My wish finds its most apt expression in an observation by Vincent van Gogh, which goes like this, the image of a man working, the furrows left by the plough, a stretch of beach, coast, or sky, all these are important subjects to be depicted; they are difficult to paint, but they are beautiful. It is indeed worthwhile to spend a lifetime exposing the poetry concealed in them.