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一个人的“天堂”
——我说刘鸣和他的艺术
★邹建平
画家刘鸣唱蒙古歌手腾格尔的那首《天堂》，是竭斯底里而目中无人的。他披散着长发，眼睛微闭，双膝微屈，双手捧着话筒，涨红着脸：“我爱你，我的天堂，啊啊啊！啊啊啊！啊……哟……嘞！！！”直唱得荡气回肠、唱得心惊胆颤、唱得鬼哭狼嗥……。舒服，这才是真正男人雄性的吁请！
好喜欢听刘鸣唱《天堂》。一曲吆喝完毕，幸福的眼泪盈满在我眼底。哥们！死了都要唱“天堂”。
天堂自然是极乐世界，天堂是五彩缤纷的，但刘鸣的天堂是黑色的——水墨艺术。
上个世纪80年代末，也许更早一些，刘鸣曾到南岳大庙里看我作画，其时就认识我了。他言语不多，激动时说话有些结巴，偶尔还有些腼腆。
自1996年后，刘鸣和石纲即在北京举办画展，需要我出谋划策，每逢周末都要到我居所“马王堆后院”陪我摸几圈麻将，由此近距离接触刘鸣、观察刘鸣，突然发现：刘鸣的懵懂下掩盖着他的处世机智，以至到今天，我的生活中缺不了刘鸣这样的朋友。
早期，我眼中刘鸣的内心世界似乎是单调和木讷的，但这种表象终究要穿透，刘鸣的作品执着地守护着心灵的热土；刘鸣和其作品彼此交相辉映，让我在沉寂静穆的后面体察到一股雄壮炽热的情感，他唱《天堂》时表达了这种感觉。抑或，这是刘鸣性格的真实状况。
不修边幅的刘鸣出生在湘南与桂北接壤的新宁县。那个地方是喀斯特地貌，岩石裸露、草木不生。莨山的山峰像一具具男性生殖器直指云天，而刘鸣的家便在这一座座“阳具”下面。刘鸣的粗犷得益于这些山峰的哺养……。若干年后，刘鸣选择画水墨画，而且永远忘不了湘南故土的老房子，证实了这是故土给他的提示。近20年来，他硬是固执地选择去画山水景物。而在基础教学中，却能看到他的另一种本领。
今日刘鸣富有了。
最早创业是他创办的“燕舟画室”，开业的时候只有20多个矮木椅子和极简陋的画架。在那时的岳麓山下，“燕舟画室”是名不见传的。但刘鸣却硬是沉着的坚持下来，他认为：实验性水墨作品不好卖，办画室培训高考生源是一条务实的路子。“燕舟”随着毕业于中央美院的段江华加盟，渐渐有了生机。现在“燕舟画室”有三层楼房，几千平方米教学基地，几百号学生。不信，你登陆“燕舟艺术工作室”www．yanzhoucn.com，刘鸣在照片中是堂而皇之的站在中央的位置。
学院赐予他的一种基础本领、人物素描和石膏写生，包括绘画色彩他样样行。他的成就并不是一种偶然，我相信刘鸣的韧性终究要等到这一天的。
我在一篇文章中是这么描述刘鸣的：“画室每年考上各类美术院校的考生不计其数。为人师表，焦心虑智，即为师长又为家长。刘鸣之画，故大多数是晚上和礼拜天的时间完成的。刘鸣卧室兼作画室，其中别有特殊，画案只有三个脚，搁块画板在上忽闪忽闪。画案下布有一狗窝，一条取名叫“丽丽”的小宠物犬盘踞其中，“丽丽”胆子小的出奇，所以它只能常和刘鸣为伍。刘鸣作画时，其妻睡觉眼睛上要戴上墨镜才能安然入睡，就是这种环境中，刘鸣认真地作画，率真地生活。”
今非昔比，日常生活中的刘鸣可说是生活在时尚和贫穷的两极地带，他穿时髦的名牌内衣和皮鞋，开着吉普车去内蒙古草原兜风，mp4播放着“黑鸭子乐队”演唱的歌曲；但饮食和居所又极其的简陋，他可以趴在我家的沙发上甜美的睡上一晚，那种睡姿我感觉难受极了，但刘鸣的神经可能在身体的屈压下没任何感觉，他是一个适应力很强的人，有时画画时犯困了，他便在画室地下搭个野外落宿帐篷，然后，窝在帐篷中美美的睡去，这让我想起10年前“丽丽”盘踞在画案下的情景……。
过于聪明机智的性格很容易挫伤他人，因此，刘鸣的沉默是那种乍一见面就可以成为朋友可相信的人，在群体中他不会威胁到别人的利益。正是刘鸣这种貌似宽厚的外表，导致他人缘极好。一次在韶山，刘鸣突发奇想，侃说水墨艺术，结果许多人失望了，因为听不出所以然；但从那些片断的词汇中，我能听懂，这不是常规的语言，有些天才是有语言障碍的，刘鸣是个画家，语言表达对于他只是附属产品，真正传导他内心声音的是作品。
艺术中的刘鸣具有丰富的语言知觉，早在1997年我撰写的《一方静土、一方家园》一篇文章中，我认为：“刘鸣对于故乡故居的濒临灭绝持一种强烈的忧患意识，一种文化人才有的那种远见熟虑。‘老房子’从源到流，散落在清溪幽壑之奥，丛林密菁之间，层轩曲栏，石桥倚阁，不啻桃源庐舍，仙琼楼居。画家营造着一幅幅仙境般的童话世界，籍此逍遥，求得一种失落以后的平衡。”
“刘鸣之作品不同于一般文人画的情境，它兼融文野，崇尚刚健，笔势洒脱，水意盎然。刘鸣生长于资江边，对“水”有一种特殊眷恋，花青在他摆弄下，水迹浸淫，泱泱生机。“老房子”经过花青的刻意渲染，脱离了吊脚楼式的乡情民俗，进入一个载道时期，在密不透风的蓝色（今日是黑色）阻泻下，苦涩、沉重、阴郁、原始等集合汇聚起来，形成一种内心精神的强烈吁请。”
“刘鸣正因为成刘鸣，亦就在于他不甘俯首的人格骨气上，他是生存现实中的弱者（今日是强者），但他是艺术人格精神中的强者。刘鸣作品的画面，多数是裁取中景入画，不求咫尺千里的纵深及博大等效果，南方即景都重新编织，他对故乡回忆，一种随心所欲地拿来，既像堆积木一样去调摆。他是一个职守明确的‘老房子设计师’”。
“刘鸣的吁请隐喻着未知，他心旌鲜明地坚持民族精神的当代确定，贴近故乡的一砖一瓦，珍惜地球上所有的生灵。他的画面为我们提示的是具有多重性的启发性问题，刘鸣之追求便全超越他生活的年代。‘老房子’终将要消失殆尽，眼看着那些进了家园而在里面的人，洋溢在他们眼里的宁谧，而我们，却总有失去故园的痛感。”
刘鸣现在的画很少见到那一栋栋斑驳摇曳的老房子了，他企以用更多的当代工具去搜索山水间的景观和结构。所以，看他的画尽管有酣畅淋漓的笔墨，但无法寻觅到传统制局下的松石溪流、小桥行云。画家刻意将这些障碍人们阅读的常规物省略，在其内心再造自然，刘鸣俨然成了他自我世界的主宰。他随心所欲地布局，让想象的空间在他营造的物象中得以最大的满足。
近期作品，我们可看到似乎熟悉的场景，但在现实中绝无着落、豆瓣状的浮云在结构中随意布局，让沉实乌黑的墨团透出灵气；树木疏疏散散，与泼墨在结构上有一种点面的互动结合，偶尔树枝头挂一两个沉甸甸的果实，也无法称谓这是何种果实，但轻松灵动的笔墨后面，我们看到了一个画家处心积虑的诉求。
写到此处，我拨通刘鸣电话，要刘鸣谈谈他对其作品的看法。刘鸣仍然结巴地说：他近期作品名为《城市风景》、《天地之间》等，他要用水墨画去表达摄影的灵光，风景的流变，因此，你不要将此看成一种自然的风景，这只是一种印象，老房子变成了现在的城市印象，传统在现代突然消失和断裂，传统是一种记忆，是一种梦境，它必然消失！我能感受到一种印象。而这种印象多少令人忧郁而充满感伤。
我能感受到刘鸣对当代文化所持有的立场和勇气，但他又无法用一种辛辣的语言去批判传统，他婉转地用梦境、用似醒非醒的状态去面对；而在另外一个层面，他揭然斩断了传统山水画与其艺术的关系，让观众在其作品前省悟和木讷，让符号状、扭结、变异的物体，在其画面上反复出现，彻底地颠覆了传统画论中对山水画的所有要求；基于上述，我敢断定刘鸣绝不是一个中国山水画画家，尽管他在yanzhoucn.com网页上坚持称自己为“著名国画家”。
刘鸣现在已不画“老房子”了，他内心强烈的自由主义人文精神决定了他感性的认同方式，他无法按部就班的去做一件事情。阴郁的老房子貌似沉重，象征着失落与虚无。随着时间的流逝，老房子被越来越多的水泥钢筋的高层建筑摧毁，已经无法皈依心灵的家园。刘鸣唱《天堂》唱到后来撕心裂肺的吁喊：“我爱你，我的家”，源自于对内心精神家园的失却后的守候和祈盼。
上述我谈了刘鸣和他的作品，刘鸣是一个生动的人，避开其人的生动片面地去谈论刘鸣水墨语言的韵律显然单一化，近期以来，刘鸣突然开始对哲学产生兴趣，我很纳闷，这么一个感性的画家难道要被哲学憋死吗？好在刘鸣马上明白自己骨子里与哲学无缘，“阿尔波特”IpodMp4随身看、听马上替代了晦涩的哲学。近期的刘鸣，迅速显示了他在水墨语言中通关斩将的大聪明，《城市风景》系列指向直接逼近当代，而抽象化的笔墨令他自由驰骋在结构水墨之中，刘鸣对土地有一种农民般的虔诚，其中，可感到他祈求的天堂——正趋于在感官中寻觅到愉悦的灵光！
2007年正月草就于长沙高桥
邹建平，艺术批评画家，画家。湖南美术出版社副社长，湖南美协副主席。
One person’s Paradise
——I say something about Liuming and his art
☆ zoujianping
When Liuming was singing the Mongolian singer Teng Ge Er’s song “Paradise”, he was hysterical and arrogant. His hands held the microphone, with his long hair flapping, with his eyes half-closed, with his knees half-bent, with his face turned red: “I love you, my paradise, ah, ah, ah……ah, ah, ah,……yo……le……”He sang from his soul, so infectious, so stirring, so apprehensive that even can make the ghosts to cry and make the wolfs to howl. Comfortable, this was just the man’s shouting.
I like Liuming singing “Paradise”, completely all shouting; I feel tears dripping happily in my eyes. Brothers! I like singing this song even if I would die.
Naturally the paradise is colorful with extreme happiness. But Liuming’s paradise is black—the ink paintings.
In the 1990s, perhaps even earlier Liuming came to Nanyue Temple to admire my painting, we recognized. He spoke little, also stammered when he was excited; occasionally he was a bit shy.
Since 1996 Liuming and Shigang began to hold exhibitions in Beijing and needed my advice. Every weekend they went to my house “Mawangdui Backyard” to play mahjong with me, from then on I closely got in touch with Liuming and observed him. Suddenly I found in Liuming’s retarded appearance was his ingenious. Today I could not lose such friend as Liuming.
In early time Liuming in my eyes was dull and simple, but such representation would ultimately be penetrated .His works dedicate to protecting the land of his soul. He and his works add radiance and beauty for each other; I can feel his blazing emotion behind his silence. The song “paradise” just expresses his feelings. This is the real condition of him.
Slovenly Liuming was born in South Hunan Xinning County which borders on with North Guilin. That place is the karst landform, the rocks exposed, the vegetation does not live. The peaks of Lang Mountain look like several masculine reproductive organs pointing straightly to the clouds, Liuming’s home is in this place under“male genitals”. Liuming’s rough is fed by the mountain.……It is confirmed that the native land gives his prompt so that several years later he chooses ink paintings, moreover he can never forget his homeland. In recent 20 years Liuming insist tenaciously on painting landscape, but in the foundation teaching we can see his other kind of actual abilities.
Today Liuming is rich.
He organized “Yanzhou Studio” and this is his first venture. It opened with only more than 20 short wooden chairs and extremely crude easels. At that time under the Yuelu Mountain “Yanzhou Studio” is not famous, but he insisted. He thought: The experimental ink paintings are not easy to sell, Training the students to enter the college is a practical pathway. With the participating of Duanjianghua who graduated from Central Art Academy, “Yanzhou Studio” had the vitality gradually. Now “Yanzhou Studio” has a three-storied building, several thousand square meters teaching bases, several hundred students. Please land “www.yanzhoucn.com” You will see Liuming in the central position.
The institute grants him basic abilities; He is good at the character sketch and the gypsum sketch; not to mention color painting. His achievement is not a coincidence; I believed Liu Ming will wait until this day comes.
I described Liu Ming in an article: “Every year countless students in the studio past the college entrance examination .Not only as a teacher but also as a parent Liuming dedicated himself to who he loves. Therefore his works are almost completed in the evening and on Sunday time. Liuming takes his bedroom also as his studio. But there is something special. The desk has only three legs, with the drawing board shaking on it. Under the desk there is a kennel, a pet dog named “Lily” occupies it. “Lily” is extraordinary timid, therefore it can only constantly company Liuming. When Liu Ming is painting, his wife should put on the sunglasses to go to sleep peacefully. In this kind of environment, Liuming does his paintings earnestly, lives sincerely.”
But everything changed. Liuming in his daily life lives in the bipolar strip of rich and poor. He wears fashionable famous brand underwear and leather shoes. He drives his jeep to Mongolia prairie, with his mp4 broadcasting what the “Black Duck Orchestra” sing. But the diet and residence are extremely crude. He can lie prone in my sofa delightful for a whole night, in spite of I feel that maybe very uncomfortable. But he feels wonderful in that bent gesture. He is an adaptable person. Sometimes when he is tired he sets up a tent in his studio to sleep. This reminds me of the situation 10 years ago that “lily” occupied the kennel under his desk.
Too quick-witted is very easy to hurt other people, therefore, his silence signifies he can be trusted and make friends with at the first time when you meet him. In groups he is not a threat to the benefits of others. It is precisely this seemingly generous appearance causes his personal connection extremely good. One time in Shaoshan, Liuming suddenly fantasized and talk about ink art, many people were disappointed, because they could not understand him; but from those pieces of glossary, I could understand. This is not conventional language; some talents have the language barrier. Liuming is a painter and the language expression is only the attached product, it is his paintings that can express his inner feelings.
Liuming has the rich language perception in art. As early as 1997 I composed “One piece of static soil, one homeland", I thought: “Liuming has an intense sense of crisis to the disappearing of old houses and this is just intellectuals who have that foresight and careful consideration. “Old houses” scatter from the source through clear streams to quiet gullies, through the dense jungles and big forests, through the levels of porch and curled fences, through the stone bridges and the Chinese style pavilions, through the seclusion and farmhouse, through the immortal jade buildings. The painter builds a fairyland in his fairy tale world and rambling in it so that he can obtain one kind of balance from what he has lost.”
“Liuming’s works are different from the general academic paintings, they concurrently melt with the wild, full of vigor, their style is free and easy, and the image of water is abundant. Liuming grows up beside the Zi River, hence he has one kind of special attachment to “the water”, He manipulates the cyanine freely, with water mark gradually, imparts his paintings vast vitality. “The old houses” are sedulously exaggerated with cyanine, have been separated from the nostalgia folk custom and reach a new level. In the airtight blue (today is black) he gathers bitter, astringent, heavy, dreary, primitive and so on to form the intense appeal of inner spirit.”
“Liuming becomes Liuming today also relies on the personality strength of spirit which he is unwilling to bow his head. He is a weak one in the survival reality (today is a strong one), but he is a strong one in the spirit of artistic personality. Liuming always cuts the scenery to be his pictures, does not pursue the effects of depth and breadth and so on; He takes inspiration to weave from the scenery in the south. His recollection to the hometown is brought by a sudden whim and is transferred just as piling the wood. He is an explicit responsible designer of old houses”.
“Liuming’s appeals foresee the unknown; He distinctively persisted on determining the national spirit in modern times. He is close to anything of his hometown, cherishes all creatures on the earth. His pictures prompt us multiple inspiring questions, his pursuit has surmounted the age which lives. `The old houses' is eventually going to vanish. People have entered the homeland with still in their eyes, but we always feel painful of having lost our homeland.”
We can rarely see ragged shaking “old houses” in Liuming’s present pictures. He wants to use more contemporary tool to search the structure and the scenery through the landscape. Therefore, we cannot find those traditional pines, stones, streams, bridges and clouds in spite of his perfect skills in his pictures. The painter sedulously omits the conventional things which barrier people in order to rebuild the nature. He dominates his own world, and makes the structures of his paintings arbitrary so that he has obtained the most satisfaction in his imagination.
In his recent works, we are likely to see the familiar scenery that unfounded in reality. The structures of bean petal shape floating clouds are in random distribution that make the dark ink spirituality. Sparse trees have interaction with the ink in structure of spots and surfaces. Occasionally a heavy fruit is hanging on the branch; but that cannot be called fruit. Behind his intelligent and relax ink paintings we understand his deliberately demands.
When I am writing here, I phone Liuming and ask him to talk about his works. He still stutters that his recent works named "City Scenery", "Between the Sky and the Earth" and so on, he wants to use the ink paintings to express the glow of photography and the changing of scenery, therefore, you should not regard them as natural scenery, and they are only one impression. The old houses turn to the impression of present cities, tradition has vanished and is broken suddenly in the modern age, tradition is one kind of memory, is one kind of dreamland, it will vanish inevitably! I can feel one impression that a bit melancholy and sad.
I can feel his standpoints and courage to the contemporary culture. But he is unable to use pungent language to criticize the tradition. He uses persuasive dreamland and seemingly sober state to face to it. In another aspect he has cut his ink language off the relations to traditional landscape paintings. Let the audiences in front of his works realize and moved, let the mark shape, kinking, variation objects appear repeatedly in his pictures, so that he subverts all requests in art to traditional pictures. Based on the above, I dare to conclude Liuming is not a “Chinese landscape painting painter”, although on the “www. yanzhoucn. com” he insists on calling oneself “the renowned Chinese painting painter”.
Liuming has not drawn “old houses” now; the intense liberalism humanistic spirit in his heart determines his perceptual approval method so that he is unable to go along a prescribed path. The dreary old houses look like heavy, signify loss and emptiness. Time elapsing, the old houses are replaced by more and more cement steel high-rise constructions, in that case they are already unable to be converted to the spiritual homeland in our mind. Liuming sings the last paragraph of "Paradise" with a shouting: “I love you, my family”, that is a result from the waiting and hoping after the loss of the inner spiritual home.
In summary, I have discussed Liuming and his works. Because Liuming is a vivid person, it is one-sided to discuss the rhythm of his ink language without saying his marvelous details. Recently he becomes interested in philosophy. I wonder why such a perceptual painter wants to be stifled by philosophy? Fortunately he has understood he does not have good fortune with philosophy. Ipod Mp4 has replaced the obscure philosophy immediately. Lately Liuming has demonstrated rapidly great intelligent to get some breakthrough in the ink language, "City Scenery" will approach the present age directly, the abstract words make him to gallop freely in the structure ink art, Liuming has one kind of farmer's reverence to the land, we can feel the paradise he implores is becoming glow with miraculous joyful in the sense organs.
2007 written in Gaoqiao
Zou jian-ping, art critic, artist, vice president of Hunan Fine Arts Publishing House, vice president of Hunan artists’ association. |
