Sense and Poetry, shining in a grand Pas-de-Deux
Written by Dao Zi
Translated by Yang Xian Jing
Wang Qi is an excellent painter of Contemporary Realism, his exemplary employment of combining, infusing and transforming Academism and Rural Realism endows his art with research value as an individual case.
Young art historian, Xiong Wei, based on intensive studies on the historical materials, has sorted out the forming and developing process of the painter’s artistic style, which was painstakingly expatiated in a contemporary art historical context. I reckon positively that his value judgement is objective, while his argumentative logic is impeccable.
In his special essay on this painter’s art, Xiong Wei has drawn such a conclusion, "Looking at the art of the oil painter Wang Qi, one would be definitely attracted to his wide variation of subject matters and genuine frankness of the artistic language. The artist insists in a realistic attitude towards the creation of art for all time; In his art, we can not only observe the metaphysical contemplation on philosophy or the presentation of everyday life, but also the serious reminiscence and retrospection on history. Everything here is perfectly united with a realistic
touch par excellence, in the meanwhile, we would notice the marks engraved by the spirit of the time; especially on the hinge of his turn and quest for a new artistic style. His art is stigmatized all the more deeply by the force of the history, reflecting a changing value system of the Chinese society as a whole in the period of transformation, as well as the pulse and flux of the individual existential states."
In the development of Xiong Wei’s argument, one hand illustrates the construct of the artist’s individual subjectivity, while on the other hand depicts both the situation and historical opportunities that Contemporary Realism confronted with nowadays. Thus, we are able to understand how the artistic individuals can succeed in excelling and setting free their genius imagination in the ‘Will to Construction’ of the grand history.
In late seventies of the 20th century, the Xing Xing Association ushered in the era of Chinese Contemporary Art. However, in the very beginning, the contemporary artists possessed a modern value orientation that strongly inclined to the Non-Realism; as interesting as it is, its spirit was somehow modernist. It might look contradictory, but after careful doctrinal examination, one can discern the truth that the modernity of the Xing Xing conveys the double spiritual pursuits for both social and aesthetic criticism. Modernism, in terms of art forms, is supposed to objectively represent nature and society in a realistic style; in terms of meaning, it attempts to show the facticity of the reality in depth and width. The focal point that draws all the attention is nothing else, but various kinds of "the Inappropriateness" that are veiled behind the facade.
Hence, Modern Art will be inevitably distance itself from the mainstream or popular culture. Instead, it would rarely take a genuine gesture to care about the everyday life of ordinary people, particularly the lower class’ struggles in soul and body or the bleakness of the humanity. For instance, in the 20th century, arising in Germany, the New Objectivity movement, epitomized by Otto Dix and George Grosz, could be regarded as a modern symptom of the Modernism. In the eighties, contemporary art took on a representational form in Non – Reproducibility. The Realism that is identified by the authorities is Instrumental Reason; it suppresses Value Rationality, serves the bureaucracy then forms its irreversible closure and anti-history character. However, at the same time, in the active exploration by some retrospectively able painters, Instrumental Reason has been invested with a brawny vitality. The wake of the artist’s subjectivity, assumed the ethical
responsibility of Modern Art, turned around the Instrumental Reason of art and made it consent with Value Rationality. Nonetheless, in a secular world that has exorcised the devil, the bureaucracy will probably become the only deity. Common experience taught us not to act spoffish on witnessing Wang Qi’s historical paintings interfered by authority at the key moments being exhibited publicly. History always grovels as slave before the monarch. Therein, we feel obliged to repeat ourselves to clear it that the liberty of art lays down a solid paving stone for the social democracy.
The modernization of art could be subcategorized as Spiritual Art, Social Art and Aesthetic Art. The oil paintings of Wang Qi stand out for its aesthetics. Even in his dealings with social subjects, he always finds it at ease to extract the poetic splendor and brilliance with the aid of his own aesthetic experiences. As a result, the rural quality tends to come out more aesthetically in a natural way under his brush. It is yet implausible to argue that it is a symbolic device by purpose, but this poetic aesthetic seems in its own right to narrate the profound connections between the noble humanity, modest land, the cycle of daily work and the nature.
Consequently, regardless of landscapes or human figures, they are both qualified as the Intersubjectivity to evoke in the painter the inner power and strength. With refined sentiments, delicate compositions, bright yet simple color palette, this kind of art works are always found to be his masterpieces. The beams of light with nearly touchable texture are doing a great job bringing out the sentiments and the poetry stemming from the reality. Paintings like Joy, Dancer in the sunglow, Sunshine No.1,etc. are his best illustrations where a beautiful, tranquil, serene and joyful
atmosphere and tone naturally flow about the canvas. Based on the analysis of his signature art, the pictorial space is not defined by Chiaroscuro or Tenebre, instead, it is the relationships between different colors that do the trick. In addition, the uneven attribution of the lights helps reinforce the sense of motion and the depth in space.
His representation abundant in will power and imagination, decisive color palette and light effect, distinctively characterize the art of the painter. Moreover, he is also good at juxtaposing pure tones with short touches, but it goes further than a mere borrowing of the Impressionists’ strict rules on colors and styles. An example can be found in “Melodies of the Field”, the array of lights is conveyed in an organic density, which combines the woods in the background with the field and the needling woman in the foreground into a harmonious image in a gradation and rhyme of grays. Eventually, in other paintings created with greater freedom and perfection, the artist breaks down the rhyme of the brushwork, while uses countless transitions to impose contrasts, managing to instill the figurative or the landscape paintings with an exquisite sensibility.
Done in a surrealist style, a self-portrait of Wang Qi represents an enlightened mind that he obtained in his middle ages. On one side, he is fully aware of the tribulation; on the other side, he attempts to find the True Light among the dim Light of the World. A jean jacket hanging in the center of the painting frame, one hand with a brush reaching out of the sleeve, before which is sitting tight a man wrapped up in layers of white cloth, the painter is absent from the image, but his spirits has floated out. Life, like cocoon, constantly metamorphoses to rejuvenate, guards the lonely but serene passion, and rids of the mondaine restraints or "Living in elsewhere" to re-enchant the Spiritual Purity. It is a self-confession rather than a liberation of mind, where the Art Rationality advances from an art for life to an art for heart, or a spiritual art.
In general, on the basis of a refined realistic techniques, Wang Qi’s painting style draws upon the the Impressionists’ use of light and color theory but disposed of the mannerism of the Heroism, in order to accommodate a poetic presentation of a rural nostalgia. His art has no doubt made an important paradigma of the Modernism being experimented in a contemporary context. In appreciating Wang Qi’s artistic achievement, we can give more credits to the contemporary artists for their explorations of Non-Figurative art. Those untiring explorations and experiments complete and enrich the Modern Aesthetics of Chinese art step by step, at the same time, deny the exclusive validity of an illusionary three-dimensional space created by perspectives and chiaroscuro on the canvas. Figurative, Abstract or even Intentional, the three concepts are no longer viewed hierarchically in contemporary art, rather, they comply more with the artist’s Self-Consciousness and Self-Evidence. I humbly wish that my expatiation would have not forejudged, or exaggerated anything.
Summer,2010
Tsing Hua
————————————中文原文———————————————————
理性与诗性交互衍射的光辉
岛子
王琪是一位具有当代现实主义风格的优秀画家，其学院主义与乡土写实主义相互交汇、融合、变异的范式，使之具备了个案研究价值。青年艺术史学者熊伟在充分掌握史料基础上，梳理了画家风格的形成和发展过程，将其置于当代艺术历史的语境中进行细致、严谨的阐述，他所做出的价值判断是客观的，其论述逻辑也是自洽的。熊伟在这篇画家的专题论述中归结道：“观油画艺术家王琪的作品，定会被其多样的题材和率性的艺术语言所吸引，艺术家始终坚持现实主义的创作态度，作品中既有形而上的哲思、日常生活情态的流露、又有深沉历史感的缅怀和追溯，这一切都与高超的写实技巧结合的完美无缺，可以感受到时代精神留在艺术家身上的痕迹是如此的鲜明。特别是在艺术手法的转换和求索的关节点上，更是牢牢地打上了历史的烙印，反映了中国社会整体转型时期价值观和个体存在方式的脉动与变迁。”熊伟的这个论断的展开，一方面阐述了画家个体主体性的建构，同时，也描述出当代写实主义的处境和历史机遇。使我们领略到，艺术家个体在大历史结构意志中何以能够超越，并释放出自己的才情。
1970年代末，“星星画会”标志了中国当代艺术的开始。在开始之初，当代艺术有非常强烈的非现实主义的现代性价值取向，有趣的是，它的精神却是现实主义的，这看起来悖谬，但从学理上加以分析就会看清， “星星画会”的当代性蕴含着社会批判和美学批判的双重精神诉求。现实主义，从艺术形式上讲，是以写实的艺术技法客观地再现自然和社会真实；从精神内涵上讲，它要表现的是现实的真实性的深度与广度。而其关注的焦点，恰恰是被表象遮蔽的种种“不合时宜”。因此，现实主义艺术会疏离时代的主流文化或流行文化，去真切关注普通人的生活，特别是贫弱者的灵肉生存以及人性的幽暗，譬如20世纪德国以迪克斯、格罗茨为代表的新客观主义，就是一种现实主义的现代性表征。到了80年代，当代艺术走向了非再现性的表现。因为官方钦定的现实主义是一种工具理性，它压抑价值理性，为官僚意志服务，形成了难以逆转的封闭性和反历史性，但同时在一些具有反思能力的画家的积极探求中，又赋予了它顽强的生命力。艺术家主体性的觉醒，承担起现实主义艺术的伦理责任，翻转了艺术的工具理性，使之符合价值理性。然而在一个祛魅后的世俗世界里，官僚意志似乎成了唯一的神灵。在此普遍经验中我们不难理喻，王琪的历史画常常在展览会的关键时刻遭到强权的干预，历史在极权主义语境中往往是独裁者的奴婢。因此我们要反复澄明，艺术自由是社会民主的一块坚实的基石。
艺术的现代性可以分为精神性艺术、社会性艺术和审美性艺术三个维度，王琪的油画艺术的长处显现在审美性上，即使他在处理社会性主题时，总能以自身的美感经验提炼出诗性的华美与光辉，因而乡土气息在他的笔下表现为自然的审美化，虽然很难说那是有意识的象征设置，但这种诗性的美感本身似乎在演绎着高贵的人性与质朴的大地、工作的日常循环以及自然之间深刻不变的关联。因而无论风景、还是人物都能成为画家唤起内心力量的主体间性，这类作品往往是画家的极品，情感细腻，构图精妙，颜色明亮而清淡。极有质感的光线，把现实的情感和诗意表达出来。诸如《愉》、《夕阳舞者》、《阳光一号》等作品都能自然地流溢出美丽、宁静、平和、欢愉的氛围与格调。从他的最充分的风格来细绎，绘画空间一般都不用明暗决定，而是由各种色彩间的关系所决定。用不均匀的光线分布表现出画面的动感和空间的深度。他的充满意志力与梦幻色彩的表现手法、果断的色彩组合以及光线效果都是使人辨认出画家艺术风格的因素。此外，他也擅于使用纯净的色调和短促的笔触，但却不只是停留在借鉴印象主义那些严格的风格色彩规则上。诸如在《田野之歌》中画家将光线处理为有机的密度，使远景的树林、近景的田野与编织毛衣的女人连结为灰白层次感和节奏感的画面。最终，在另一些更加自由、完美的作品中，画家打破了用笔的节奏，用不计其数的过渡形成反差，使人物和风景变得意味隽永起来。
王琪的一幅自画像用超现实手法表达了他人到中年之后的彻悟境界，一方面深刻意识到苦难，一方面在黯淡的世界之光中寻求真光。画面中的画框垂挂一件牛仔服，而只有握着画笔的手伸出袖口，面前稳坐一个被白布重重裹紧的人，画框中画家不在场，而画家的灵魂出窍，生命如茧，不断蜕变而更新，守护孤独而静谧的激情，走出世俗的束缚，“生活在别处”，返魅于属灵的圣洁。庶乎为自白，实为精神的告解，其艺术理性从为人生的艺术，走向为人心的艺术，也就是精神性的艺术。
总体而言，王琪的画风在精湛的写实技法上，汲取了印象主义的光色理论，摈弃了英雄主义的矫饰性，以适应乡土情怀的诗性的表现，无疑是现实主义在当代的一种重要范式。我们借由王琪的艺术成果，也可以再度肯定当代艺术家对非具象的探索，这些不懈的探索、实验逐步完善、丰富了中国艺术的审美现代性，终结了那种在画布上以透视和明暗对比营造三维幻觉的唯一合法性。具象、抽象抑或是意象，这三种“象”在当代艺术里已经不再有优劣之分，而更多服从艺术家观念的自觉和自明。惟愿我的阐释不是臆断，也没有过度。
2010夏，识于清华园
