【摘要】油画家张新权以其独特的语言和挑战性的视觉表现工业文明题材，其个性化的兼有具象、表现、甚至抽象的图式语系形成的过程、以及他的发展和变化是本文所要阐述和分析的。

【关键词】工业文明 张新权油画 作品析

当我第一次面对张新权那些表现现代都市景观的油画作品时，眼睛不禁为之一亮，在中国当代画家作品中，以独特的语言和挑战性的视觉表现工业文明题材，即使非绝无仅有，也是不为多见的。画面中的船舶、港口、汽车、飞机等图式语系带给我的不仅仅是新鲜的审美体验，更引发了我对中国踏入现代社会以来的文明变迁、艺术发展趋向、民族审美定式和艺术的时代精神等诸多问题的深深思考。

众所周知，中国近代史不仅仅是中国人惨遭西方列强蹂躏的屈辱史，而且还是中国农耕文明面对西方工业文明的冲击，在自觉与不自觉中不断调整并做出改变的历史。在古与今、旧与新、弱与强的矛盾斗争中，中国人步履艰难地迈向了现代社会，无论是政治体制还是思想文化，都发生了重要的转变。但传统并非一夕就可以改变，延续了几千年的文化血脉依旧以它的惯性在发生作用。因此，面对巨大的社会变迁，审视舶来的、异质的工业文明，中国人还会表现出本能的抗拒，这种心理造成的结果就是：一方面，中国人可以充分享受工业文明带来的便利，体味生活质量提高后的种种乐趣；另一方面却总是有意或无意地对工业文明的负面效应不能释怀，再加上先天缺乏科学理性主义精神与后天的无所用心、不求甚解，就使得中国人对工业文明的驾驭力从一开始就有所不逮，甚至有将工业文明的负面影响加倍放大之嫌。这样的一种历史现实也必然会对中国的现代艺术产生影响。虽然现代主义艺术与西方工业文明是互为因果、相辅相成的，但在中国，我们却一度出现过对西方现代主义艺术激烈的排斥和抵制，究其根源，固然有不同文明和民族审美心理间的差异与隔膜，中国社会在现代转型过程中遗留的种种问题也应当是值得关注的原因。这也就不难理解为什么今天中国的艺术家虽大部分生活在城市当中，但他们中的相当一部分人依旧对小桥流水、世外桃源有着挥之不去的精神眷恋，在这些人看来，高楼林立的城市无非是存身立命的生活场所，难以成为寄望心灵的永恒家园。所以城市风光不再被看作重要的表现对象。不仅国画家忘记了他们身处现代都市钢筋水泥丛林的现实，乐此不疲地描绘意念中的山水以及高人逸士隐居的草庐茅舍，以寄托虚妄的林泉之志；就是油画家也总喜欢到乡间“采风”，以山水树木等自然风景为创作主题，少有人想到将高耸入云的摩天大楼、纵横交错的立交桥等都市景观收入画面。虽然许多艺术家也在高喊“笔墨当随时代”，但他们对生命的关注从来都没有脱离社会学的纬度，而对他们生活于其中的日新月异的城市风景视而不见。在张新权近十年的作品中，我们可以明显地看到，他经历了一个从传统到现代、从积累到释放、从渐变到突变的思想升华和实践演变过程。这个过程，是以他对画面形式语言与结构图示的深刻理解，对所关注的信息具备的异常的敏锐度、对制衡剧烈地理性与感性的复杂矛盾冲突的能力等诸多因素所支撑的，它既反映了作者的思想智慧和天赋才华，也折射了其对于油画语言以及材料性能独特的感受和不羁的胆识。作为一个风景画家，张新权最初也曾迷恋于自然风光和乡村题材，但是在他的乡村写生作品中，已经隐约显露出他对工业化的敏感和关注，摩托车、氧气瓶、油桶等等信息不断出现于他的写生画面 ，随后，他的视觉开始明确地触及到有关渔船码头、工厂大门、农业机械如拖拉机等图示元素的场景中。这个时期，可以说是张新权油画题材和语言探究的一个自然和不可或缺的初始轨迹。 然而，张新权绘画探索的真正突变缘于2002年，一幅题为《十里洋场》、以上海外滩建筑群为表现主体的油画宣告完成。虽然这只是一次偶然的机缘，但结果对张新权来说却是一种必然的选择，从他自上世纪80年代初的一批反映上海万国建筑群的系列钢笔速写中，已经显露出他对都市景观特有的敏感和沉醉， 所以，他对都市及工业题材的表现欲望和情结非心血来潮，而是由来已久。2003年10月，当张新权第二版《十里洋场》在中国美术馆“第三届中国油画展精选作品展”展出时所引起的关注和获得的评价超越了他的想象，这种意外的惊喜似乎促使他迅速地找到了表现都市景观的艺术语言，并油然产生了表达上得心应手的快感。不过，当时的张新权除了被一种全新的创作体验所陶醉之外，还并未完全意识到这件作品对于他个人艺术史的真正意义。2004年，他的另一幅描绘旧上海城市风景的油画作品《信号台》获“第十届全国美术作品展”铜奖并被中国美术馆收藏。个人的发现得到了社会的认同，偶然的表达契合了时代的精神。直到这时，张新权才似乎恍然意识到他已经打开了一个全新的艺术世界。因此，完全可以说，自《十里洋场》的开始，张新权创作语言开始告别先前的某种困惑而随即纳入一种明确的全新的思维与创作轨迹，进而转向对城市景观、人文风景的塑造，并逐渐有意识地将“为工业文明造像”作为自己的艺术创作方向。正如他所说：“对我而言，《十里洋场》的出现或许是一个里程碑 ，它分割了我的过去和未来，修正了我的探寻和格局，对城市景观，尤其是工业化对人的生活和情感带来的变化我更感兴趣。” 接下来的2005、2006年，张新权又连续创作了包括《河道》、《海滩》、《风云十六铺》、《码头》、《有轨电车》、《十字街头》和《黄浦江畔》等一系列上海都市景观作品，从而将自己的画风推到一个十分成熟和稳固的境地。透过张新权的作品，我们看到的上海，是街上行驶的有轨电车、港口停泊的蒸汽轮船、空气中弥漫着留声机神秘而冶魅声音的旧上海。这些特定的工业革命时期的历史背景，在其画面中的平衡秩序、苍辣深邃、线形的穿梭舞动所构成的图式语系以及随心所欲的挥洒透出理性与激情碰撞的智慧和光芒， 从另一角度分析，他的图式、色彩与偏好以及对都市形式语言的理解和表现方式，符合了都市的沧桑感和纵身感，也符合了人们对都市历史和工业文明缘起的探究和感喟心理。“不争之争、无为之为”运用于个人艺术探寻之路，是保持自身的主体性和独立性的基本保证。 对于今天的世人，上世纪初处在工业化萌芽阶段的上海仿佛是梦境，是另一个时空中的故事。而在张新权的心里，，这样的上海带给人的除了历史的记忆，如：水泥丛林、港口都市、大千纷繁外还有浪漫的想象。因此，在艺术语言上，张新权一改他早期风景绘画多取近景描绘细腻、构图严谨、色彩明艳的特点，开始采用俯视角度、贯以全景式构图，色彩的选择则以深暗为主，黑白灰成为他塑造景物的主要色调，营造出如史诗般具备震撼力的画面效果，而用笔的出奇精炼和淋漓尽致的表达，契合了现代人对这种暗画面和沧桑感的心理需要，并从中得到了近乎于伤痕艺术的悲情快感。张新权的风景绘画属具象范畴，学院气很盛，同时又具有明显的表现主义情愫，但又非囿于学院派价值理念。在完成了一系列都市风景作品之后，张新权并未就此抱守所谓已形成的语言。 2007、2008年张新权先后创作了《巡逻艇》、《船系列》、《爱玛仕系列》、《海魂系列》等作品。在这些作品中，前期的满画面构图样式和暗画面不复存在，取而代之的是单纯而大胆的兰，绿、玫红等原色的平面化运用以及大面积的空白，更加强化了画面的构成图式、语言特征也更加鲜明， 这在其2008年的作品《巡逻艇》显示出的色彩和图式的巨大变化中可以得到印证，这里，张新权放弃了原有的黑白灰样式，而采用蓝白黑三色用于画面。他将白色与蓝色进行规则的黄金分布，同时利用黑色浓烟的不规则形态来调节制衡画面，在简洁中求丰富，在节奏上拉大舒缓与激越的反差与跨度，使作品的视觉冲击得到有效凸显。《巡逻艇》在2008年举办的“拓展与融合——中国现代油画研究展”中被悬挂在了中国美术馆圆厅的正中央，可以认定是国内学术界对他的探索给于的又一次实在的肯定。纵观张新权的系列作品和其近些年的创作历程，他始终是在不断地探索和变化之中，他每次在中国美术馆展出的作品都能给人以新颖异样的视觉感应，画面的背后蕴含着理性与智慧，画面的语言又散射着诚恳的激情和震撼力， 但他却告诉我们：“我不属于多产画家，虽然很多作品都给人一气呵成之感觉，其实每件大作品都要持续一到两个月时间，否则很难过自己这一关。”

歌德曾说过：“内容人人得见，涵义只给有心人得知，形式对于大多数人而言是一个秘密。”作为一个视野开阔、具备学养的艺术家，他创作作品的过程实际上也是面对自己心灵和思想的过程。难能可贵的是，张新权不仅对中国文明的变迁有着清醒的认识，而且对当代世界艺术的动态也有着敏锐的把握。看他的绘画，不但有强烈的当代性，而且不乏鲜明的国际性。他的绘画风格与激荡世界当代画坛的新表现主义浪潮息息相关、一脉相承。他之所以能够一路高歌猛进，是与他能够恰当地把握当代架上绘画的审美取向，是与他的静观、默查和善于发现密切关联的，这是难能可贵的。 应该说，张新权都市风景和工业文明题材的绘画是中国工业化、城市化和全球化时代特有的视觉艺术产物。

——王端廷 中国艺术研究院外国美术研究室主任、研究员，教授、硕士生导师

Creating Images for Industrial Civilization -- On Zhang Xinquan’s Works

【Abstract】Zhang Xinquan uses his unique artistic language and challenging visual images to present industrial civilization. The article is going to elaborate and analyze the establishment and development of his individual combination of representationalism, expressionism and abstraction art.

 【Keywords】industrial civilization, oil paintings of Zhang Xinquan

My eyes brightened up when I first came across Zhang Xinquan’s oil paintings of modern cityscape. In contemporary Chinese oil painting, it is rare, if not never ever, to find paintings representing modern industrial civilization with unique artistic language and challenging visual images. In addition to the new aesthetic experience it brought me, the schematism of vessels, ports, automobiles, and airplanes made me ponder over the civilization changes, the development tendency of art, the aesthetic formulary of the nation and the time spirit of art after China stepped into the modern world. It is known to all that the contemporary Chinese history is a period of humiliation when the Chinese were ravaged by western powers, and also a period for the agricultural civilization, after being shocked by the western industrial civilization, to unconsciously adapt to the change. In the conflict between modern and ancient, new and old, weak and strong, Chinese people trudged towards modern society. Significant changes took place both in the political system, ideology and culture. But it’s impossible to change the long-lasting tradition overnight, whose inertia would never stop working. Therefore, facing the tremendous social change, Chinese people instinctively resisted the foreign and idiosyncratic industrial civilization, the result of which turned to be: on the one hand, Chinese people enjoyed the convenience brought by the industrial civilization and the pleasure of better life quality; on the other hand, intentionally or unconsciously, they couldn’t ignore the side effects of industrial civilization. Moreover, Chinese people couldn’t have a free rein on industrial civilization, or even magnified its side effects, for their congenital lack of scientific rational spirit and postnatal superficial understanding of things. The historical reality definitely had an influence on contemporary Chinese art. Although contemporary art and western industrial civilization are reciprocal causation and supplementary to each other, in China, we once furiously excluded and resisted western contemporary art, the roots of which might be in the problems left by the crossover of Chinese society, apart from the diversity and estrangement in aesthetics between civilizations and nations. Therefore, it’s understandable that although most Chinese artists live in the cities, many of them still show a great attachment to Xanadu and tranquil bridges and streams. In their eyes, the built-up city is nothing but a place to live in, rather than an eternal home to rest their souls. As a result, the cityscape is no longer their main subject. Not only traditional Chinese painters, who forget about the reality that they are living in the jungle of armored concrete in modern cities, project their fallacious reclusive ideal in enjoying depicting landscapes and cottages and huts for anchorites to stay in, oil painters also prefer to collect materials with hills, rivers and trees in rural area. Few artists choose to paint high rising skyscrapers and crisscross overpasses. Although many artists also claim that “paintings should reflect the change of the times”, their concerns are still confined to sociology and they simply ignore the fast changing cityscape. From the works of Zhang Xinquan in the recent ten years, we can obviously see his evolving process of spiritual sublimation and practice from tradition to modern, from accumulation to release, from a gradual change to saltation. This process is upheld by various factors such as his profound understanding of formal language and structural schema, his extreme acuity of the concerned information and the ability to balance the complicated conflicts between the perceptual and the rational. It reflects the wisdom and talent of the artist, as well as his unique perception of the artistic language and his unruly courage.

As a landscape painter, Zhang used to be infatuated with natural sceneries and rural subjects, but in his sketches of rural life, his acuity and concern of industrialization has already been revealed. Motorbikes, oxygen cylinders and jerricans constantly appeared in his paintings, and later he definitely painted the scenes with fishing wharves, the gate of a factory, and agricultural machines like tractors. This period could be considered the natural and indispensable original trace of his investigation on oil painting subjects and artistic language. However, his true saltation in painting started since 2002, with a painting named “The Metropolis Old Shanghai”, which depicted the building complex in the Bund of Shanghai. It seemed to be a haphazard chance, but actually it was an inevitable choice for him. His pen sketches about the building complex in Shanghai in the early 80s last century have already revealed his unique acuity and inebriation of the cityscapes. Therefore, his desire and complex to portray industrial subjects is long standing, rather than being prompted by a sudden impulse. In October, 2003, the concern and evaluation he received from the exhibition of the second version of “The Metropolis Old Shanghai” in the 3rd Selected Oil Paintings Exhibition held in National Art Museum of China was much out of his expectation, which spurred him rapidly settled on the artistic language to depict cityscapes and brought him spontaneous delight to paint with great facility. At that time, however, he was just inebriated by a new producing experience, without noticing the true significance of the work in his art course. In 2004, another painting of him about Shanghai cityscape named “The Signal Tower” was awarded the Bronze Prize in the 10th National Exhibition of Artworks and then collected by National Art Museum of China. His personal discovery received social recognition and a haphazard subject corresponded to time spirit. Zhang suddenly realized that he had already opened a new world of art until then. Therefore, we could just say, starting from “The Metropolis Old Shanghai”, Zhang has turned to an explicit new way, instead of the previous ambiguous one, to think and create. He turned to create cityscape and humane landscape, and intentionally chose to “create images for industrial civilization”. As he himself once stated, “The Metropolis Old Shanghai might be a milestone in my art course, which divided my past and future, to revise my exploration course and pattern. I’m more appealed to cityscape, especially the changes brought to people’s life and emotions by industrialization.” In the following years of 2005 and 2006, he continuously produced works about the cityscape of Shanghai, including “The Watercourse”, “The Beach”, “The Shiliupu Wharf”, “The Wharf”, “The Tram”, “The Crossroad” and “Beside the Huangpu River”, to place himself in a mature and steady situation. Shanghai we picked up through his works is an old one with trams in the streets, steamships anchoring at the port, and the mysterious and coquettish sound of gramophones pervading in the air. The images with the specific historical background in the industrial period embodied his wisdom to maintain the order, form schematism with shuttling lines and create the collision between reason and passion. Seen from another angle, his schemas, preference of colors, understanding and expression of cityscape correspond to the much experienced people, as well as people’s delving into and exclaiming over the city history and the origin of industrial civilization. “To strive without conflict, and to work with inaction”, it’s the basis to maintain one’s subjectivity and independence when it is applied to the art course. For current people, Shanghai in the embryonic stage of industrialization in early last century seems to be a fantasy, one in another time and space. But in Zhang’s mind, such Shanghai brought him romantic imagination, apart from the historical memories as cement jungles and a seaport. Consequently, instead of his previous style with close shots, careful depiction, rigorous composition and bright color, he used an overlook angle, a panoramic composition, and darks colors as black, gray and white, to build the epically overwhelming atmosphere. The extraordinary and precise use of strokes, together with the thorough expression, agrees with the demand of dark tableau and experienced sense of modernists, and brings them pathos pleasure similar to the “scar” art. The landscapes of Zhang belong to academic representationalism, but are also interwoven with expressionist feelings and never confined to academic value. After he finished a series of works about cityscapes, he didn’t stop with the formed artistic language. In 2007 and 2008, Zhang successively produced “The Patrol Vessel”, “Vessel” series, “Hermes” series, and “Sea Soul” series. In those works, the previous style of complete composition and dark images no longer stayed, but the pure and bold use of primitive colors like blue, green and crimson and large parts of blankness appeared, where the constitutive form and language characteristics become more vivid. This is best verified in the change of colors and schemas in “The Patrol Vessel” produced in 2008. Here, Zhang abandoned the mode of black, gray, and white, but adopted blue, white and black. He divided white and blue into regular golden section, and balanced the painting with the irregular black smoke. Richness comes together with concision, and the contrast between leisure and intensity is expanded, which manifests visual strikes effectively. “The Patrol Vessel” was hanged in the middle of the exhibition hall of the National Art Museum of China, in “Expansion and Fusion – Contemporary Chinese Oil Paintings Exhibition” held in 2008. That was the affirmation given to his exploration by the domestic academic circles. We could quote from Goethe, “The content is seen by everyone, but the connotation is merely observed by the concerned, and the form is a secret to most.” As an artist with a broadened horizon and accomplishments, he is surveying his soul and thought in the process of producing works. What is more valuable is that, besides his knowledge of the changes in Chinese civilization, he has an acute perception of the international contemporary art. His paintings are both contemporary and international. His style is closely linked to the neo-expressionism in international contemporary art. The magic code of his success lies in his right perception of aesthetic tropism on easel painting, and his personality of silent observation, survey and careful inspection. It’s all right to say that the landscapes and industrial civilization related themes of Zhang Xinquan are the visual art outcomes of Chinese industrialization, urbanization and globalization.

Wang Daunting (1961- ), male, was born in Jichun of Hubei province. He is director, professor and an advisor of master of the Foreign Art Research Center in China Arts Research Academy. His research area is western art history.

By Wang Duanting