2018-08-25 21:39

王鲁湘文章 | 表达的智慧 - 散记钟蜀珩

钟蜀珩 荷 210cm×600cm 布面油彩 2017


表达的智慧
——散记钟蜀珩

文/王鲁湘



平面和深度

初识钟蜀珩是在 1987 年隆冬。我替一部关于黄河的电视片撰稿，她替这个摄制组布置一间演播室。

这是一个出乎我们想象的设计。偌大一面背景画 (5M×4M)，黄河壶口作为主体形象从黄土高原的夹峙中冲决而下，黄土峁里，隐约透出战马的骸骨。背景画的前方，是三块各 1.5M×4M 的隔板画，分别画着半坡的陶盆，龙门的佛头等等标志着黄河文明的文物。这三块隔板画，一左一右一斜侧，分别与背景画拉开一米不等的距离，同背景形成一定的屏蔽和夹角。没有复杂的色彩，只有黄色基调依明暗关系在一个色区里展开。在精心布置的灯光照射下，它们浑然一片，似乎是一个平面。然而它们确实是一个前后并置的空间。

所有来到这个演播室接受访谈的学者无不赞叹它的气势，我也为它单纯包含的深邃所感动，但谁也没有注意也许是并不理解这个设计所具有的美学意义。

几年后，我读钟蜀珩的著作《色彩构成》，其中讲到色平面时有这么一段话 ：

在平面的空间表现中，色平面可以给画面带来深度的空间感。有的色彩设计往往仅依靠很简单的色平面就构成了空间感。例如，用暗色做底层色向前推进一个灰色平面，灰色平面又向前推进一个亮色平面，这样就形成远、中、近三个层次的深度空间。

钟蜀珩为演播室设计的背景，与这种在一个平面中靠不同明度的色平面所形成的幻觉空间是不同的。她试图探索当色彩、明度完全相同的情况下，通过真实的前后层次的并置，到底会出现什么样的空间幻觉？真实的前后空间会产生平面幻觉吗？或者，出现一种魔幻效果，我们的视觉在平面和深度之间来回游走，捉摸不定？

钟蜀珩实际是做了一个色平面空间表现的新实验 ：她用一个色平面制造了一个真空间，又用一个真空间制造了一个色平面。

如果追问她所制造的这一知觉效果的观念动机，是否可以认为她在试图表达某种历史观？比如历史的共时性和历时性到底如何统一和转换？比如历史究竟是远逝的背景还是现实的空间？比如演播室的这些学者置身此景之中到底是在历史之处谈论一片风景还是在历史之中濯足濯缨？

当然老实本分的钟蜀珩绝不会有这些历史学家的哲学诘问，但她的表达具有同样的理性深度，显示出表达的智慧。她把这一切提供给了爱作观念追索的人们。



钟蜀珩 椰林 54.7x79cm 纸面油彩 1981年



上帝的色彩

艺术的最高境界的确是一种表达的智慧，它不可思议。比如我们人类用色彩来表达精神世界所达到的深奥与美妙。

“是什么意识驱使山顶洞人在尸体旁撒上红色矿石粉呢？”钟蜀珩这样自问。“这是一个想象起来就令人激动的谜。”她说，“有一点是可以肯定的，我们的祖先已经把色彩从自然中抽象出来，并赋予一种精神的内涵。红色粉末无疑被原始人用来作为承受某种观念与情感的神圣形式，它暗示感性孕育了理性，文明就从这里诞生了。色彩，与其它的文明象征一样，成了人类表达精神世界的语言。”

钟蜀珩还是一个小女孩时，就被上帝的色彩俘虏了。那是在北京西什库天主教堂唱诗班的练习室（有一段时间曾作为她初中的音乐教室）。教堂西窗镶嵌着由法国传教士画的玻璃画。每当下午上音乐课时，阳光西射，这些五颜六色的玻璃便大放异彩。坐在唱诗班里的钟蜀珩望着它会心旌摇曳，为这赞美上帝的辉煌而激动莫名。以后，包括母亲在内，谁也无法遏制她要当一个画家的意志。

色彩的神秘就这样揪住了她。初中，她有机会第一次买了五管油画颜料 ：红、黄、蓝、黑、白，三原色加两极色。她天真地以为凭这五种颜色就能魔术般地再现整个世界。后来她考上了中央美术学院附中，后又进入中央工艺美术学院装潢系。毕业后她到了云南。在这片地貌复杂的亚热带土地上，生长着从寒带到热带的各种植物，高原的土地是红色的，天空湛蓝湛蓝的，还有身着各色服饰的几十种少数民族的人，到处都是饱和响亮的色彩，她拼命地画，画得又快又多。画椰林、画那里的老人和姑娘，她如醉如痴加以观照和表现的，可以说只是色彩，是色彩所传达的情绪，那种原始的、丰富的、充实而又飘忽不定的情绪。“它简直是一阵风暴，一股无法抗拒的魔力。”她经常面对具体的对象而沉入对色彩的幻想，甚至于忽略对象的形体。她给我看她当年在云南的习作。大量油画和粉画的速写，像中国画的大写意。色彩的流动和飘忽，犹如秋日傍晚的霞，飞出意想不到的组合 ；行踪无定的流淌，常常幻变成五彩的小溪。年龄在色彩的选择上烙下了偏爱的印记 ：热烈、欢快、响亮、活泼。与她现在偏爱沉静、思考、柔和、含蓄的色彩，形成了生命的不同情调。由此我发现色彩的真诚。它不仅统治着自然的表象，而且洞悉人性的深刻。色彩是那样自然地暴露着画家的活力强弱，阅历深浅，不肯作丝毫的隐瞒。敢于用色彩来表达的画家，首先要有足够的坦诚，因为色彩是天然的暴露媒介。虽然军事上有伪装色一说，但艺术中的伪装色只会更深刻地暴露虚伪。


钟蜀珩 精卫填海 布面丙烯 226×182cm 2001 年


与上帝对话

钟蜀珩不是教徒。但她感到幸运的是“我们可以用自己的艺术同上帝对话”，她的上帝同爱因斯坦心目中的上帝一样，是一个至善至美至情至真至神的创造者。

她是在研究色彩的科学规律时突然发现“上帝”的。她惊叹，现代科学所揭示的色彩体系，它那无限的循环性，那对立与和谐的整一性、变幻性，与宇宙中运行的天体多么惊人的一致！抽象的色彩逻辑结构不正是一个最美的宇宙吗？“色彩是宇宙，艺术品则是小宇宙，艺术家就是这小宇宙的造物主。他所要进行的工作，就是遵循色彩宇宙的法则——数量、秩序与和谐——创造一个感观直觉的、现实的量的空间。”钟蜀珩由此得出 ：“这是艺术家和艺术欣赏者领悟人生与宇宙的真境。”

正是基于这一认识，钟蜀珩否认题材对作品深刻性和伟大性的影响。在她看来，如果能通过描写一粒砂子而同上帝对话，能在一粒砂子中发现上帝的智慧——秩序与和谐——而且智慧地表达出来，这就达到了本质的深刻，作为自己小宇宙的造物主，也就拥有了同上帝对话的智慧。
还是基于这一认识，迄今为止仍是一个具象画家的钟蜀珩对抽象绘画给予极高的评价：“尽管很多人至今还没有理解到新生的艺术蕴含的真理，还不能适应摆脱具象的语言去欣赏用抽象的视觉元素创造的艺术空间，但是我们不能不承认，抽象绘画使艺术的纯粹性规律得到伸张。”


钟蜀珩 圣诞卡 布面丙烯 81x100cm 2005




最智慧，最中和

在“艺术的纯粹性规律”的伸张中，钟蜀珩沐浴着“与上帝对话”的快乐．她的色彩宇宙不再只是天空、树木、田野或者肌肤的标记，她发现了色彩表达自身和谐的智慧。

比如灰色。

在色彩体系中，灰色恐怕是最被动的色彩了。它是彻底的中间色，依靠邻近的色彩获得生命。灰色一旦靠近鲜艳的暖色，就会显出冷静的品格，若靠近冷色，则变为温和的暖灰色。灰色又是“休止符”，它意味着一切色彩对比的消失，是视觉最安稳的休息点。然而灰色不能无限扩大，因为无休止的休息意味着死亡。

这恐怕是最智慧的色彩了，因为它最中和。


钟蜀珩人到中年，把她的绘画色相定位于含灰的中调。她总是在中明度和弱明度对比中寻找柔和、安稳、明朗和含蓄。大多数情况下，她的前景和背景都具有这样的品格，如《少女》《红背包》《静物·萝卜和葱》。但有时候她也引入中短调的不安，作为背景增加一些同柔和、安稳、明朗的前景有点紧张的因素，如《肖像·圆圆》的背景，模糊、深奥、捉摸不透，像一个朦胧的梦境笼罩着前景人物，与人物眼神和表情的复杂内涵形成同构。而《秋色》前景和背景的关系正好是《圆圆》的反置。尽管如此，在前景与背景之间，在整个画面的各个色区和色平面之间，都不存在冲突。她拒绝强烈。她固执地不把色彩表现让位于光影的明暗表现——这就等于同传统的油画语言划了一道鸿沟。这样，所谓高光、阴影、明暗交界线这些油画的金科玉律，便全部弱化到若有若无的状态，主要靠大大小小的色平面来区分层次，表达空间。看起来是单纯了，但更加微妙。犹如中国雕塑中菩萨的脸，微妙的单纯中有多少智慧！我们看到，钟蜀珩总是在暗灰和亮灰之间摆渡，深知这个领域有无尽的层次。在柔和的过滤中，把对抗消解在和谐的对比和过渡之中，她体验着温润如玉的那种含蓄和丰富。就像一叶扁舟滑行在秋水微澜的湖面……


——

The Wisdom of Expression – Recollections an Essay on Zhong Shuheng
Wang Luxiang

The Plane and the Depth

I got to know Zhong Shuheng in the late midwinter of 1987. I was writing the script for a television documentary about the Yellow River. She was the designer of the live studio for the camera crew this project.

The design was completely amazing beyond our imagination. On a huge backdrop (5 × 4 meters), Hukou Fall of the Yellow River as an image of the subject overwhelmingly falls down a valley in the Loess Plateau. Carcass of the horses in ancient wars horses are vaguely visible in the loess hill. In front of this scene were three pieces of partition walls (1.5 × 4 meters). Painted on them were the Banpo potteries, the Buddha head of Longmen Caves and other archeological items representative of the Yellow River civilization. The three partition walls, one on each side and one standing in an angle to the backdrop, maintained a distance of about one meter to the backdrop and together they formed a structure with angled screens. There was no complicated further coloring, just yellow in different tones spreading and flowing all over the picture. In the elaborately set lightings these images were mingled as a whole and as if standing on the same plane. But they are indeed a structured space with layers of front and back.

All the scholars coming to the live studio for the talk show shooting were amazed by the powerfulness of this installation. I was also touched by the profoundness contained in its simplicity. But then no one noticed or understood the aesthetic significance in this design.

A few years later I was reading Zhong Shuheng's book the Color Composition and ran into this passage about the color plane:

In the spatial representation of a plane, the plane of colors can create a sense of space with depth. Some color designs often rely on a very simple color plane to form a sense of space. For example, use a darker color as the bottom layer, advance it with a gray layer and then advance further with a plane of bright color. A space with depth of far, middle and near layers is thus created.

The studio background Zhong Shuheng designed was different from the illusionary space formed on the basis of a color plane with different shades on one surface. She tried to use a juxtaposition of true layers with the same color and brightness and find out what kind of illusionary space it would create. Will the real layers of space create an illusion on a plane? Or could there be a magical effect that our vision shifts elusively between a plane and a depth?

Zhong Shuheng actually did a new experiment on the spatial expression of a plane of colors: she used a color plane to create a real space, and used a real space to create a color plane.

If we further enquire about the conceptual motive of this perceptive effect she created, can we maybe regard it as if assume that she is trying to express a certain view of history? For example, how are the historical synchronicity and diachronicity unified and how do they transform? Furthermore, is history in the end a far away background or is it a realistic space? Are these scholars placing themselves in front of this backdrop in the live studio talking about the landscapes in history, or are they defining themselves in history?

Of course Zhong Shuheng, our as honest and sincere as she is, Zhong Shuheng would never raise such philosophical interrogations which belong to historians. But her expression has the same rational depth and shows her wisdom of expression. She offered all this to people who love to make conceptual enquiries.


God's Colors
The highest state of art is indeed the wisdom of expression. It is incredible. For example, we humans use colors to express the profoundness and wonders in our spiritual world.

"What kind of mentality motivated was the reason that the upper cavemen to scattered red ore powder around the a corpse?" Zhong Shuheng asked herself. "It's such an exciting mystery to be imagined." She said, "One thing is can be certain. Our ancestors have abstracted colors from nature and given them a spiritual connotation. The red powder was taken undoubtedly as a kind of sacred form by the cavemen used to bear certain concept and emotion. It implies that sensibility gave birth to reason, and civilization was hence born there. Colors, like other symbols of civilization, became the language of human to expression of their spiritual world."

Zhong Shuheng was already captured by the God's colors when she was a little girl. It was in the practice room of the choir in Beijing Xishiku Catholic Church (it was for some time a music classroom in her junior high school). The church windows on the west side were stained glasses painted with paintings by French missionaries. When there was a music class in the afternoon, sunshine poured in through the windows on the west. These colorful glasses would glow fabulously. Sitting in the choir room, Zhong Shuheng could not keep a calm heart. She was excited Her excitement for this glorious praise of God was beyond description. Ever since then, even her mother could not prevent her from deciding to become a painter.

The mystery of colors grabbed her just like this. In junior high school she had the opportunity to buy five tubes of oil painting pigments for the first time: red, yellow, blue, black, white - three primary colors plus two polar colors. She naively thought that with these five colors she could magically represent the whole world. She was later admitted to the Middle School affiliated to the Central Academy of Fine Arts. And after that she entered the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts to study decoration. After graduation she went to Yunnan. In this complex subtropical land with complex geographical features, there grow a variety of plants from the frigid zone to the tropical zone. The earth in the plateau is red. The sky is a clear blue. Besides, At least there are dozens of ethnic folks living there, dressed in their colorful clothes. There were rich and loud colors everywhere. She painted fervently. She painted fast and in large quantity. She painted the coconut palms, old people and young girls. She observed and re-presented everything with much fascination. It was all about colors and emotions conveyed through colors. It  that were so such original, rich, full and erratic emotions. "It was like a storm, an irresistible magic." She often lost herself in the imagination of colors while facing real objects and sometimes even ignored the forms of the objects. She showed me her study works in Yunnan. They are plenty of oil paintings and watercolor sketches with the characteristics of grand freehand Chinese painting. The erratic flowing erratic colors were like the evening glow clouds of an in autumn evening, creating unexpected combinations; the unexpected directions of the streams often turned into a colorful brook. There was an obvious print of the age in the choice of colors: warm, cheerful, loud and lively, an emotional tone different from the quiet, thinking, soft and subtle colors she now prefers that displays a different sentiment. This is where I found the honesty of colors. Color not only rules the appearance of nature, but also sees through the depth of human nature. The colors expose so naturally the change of the artist's vigor and life's experience. They do not conceal the slightest change. Painter daring to express in colors has to be sincere first of all, because colors are a natural indicator of exposure. Although colors are used as camouflage in the military, using them as disguise in art would only expose the painter's hypocrisy.


Conversation with God

Zhong Shuheng is not a believer. But she feels lucky that "we can converse with God through our art." Her God is the same as the God of in the mind of Einstein, a creator of ultimate goodness, beauty, compassion, trueness and divinity. 

She found God all of a sudden while studying the scientific laws of colors. She marveled at the color system revealed by modern science, at its infinite cycling, at the unity and the change in contrast and harmony, at its irregular changes and at its amazing consistence with the bodies moving in the universe! Isn't the abstract color logic structure the most beautiful universe? "The colors are a universe; the artwork is a smaller universe; and the artist is the creator of this small universe. His work is to follow the law of the universe of colors – the quantity, order and harmony - to create a sensible, intuitive, realistic and quantitative space." Zhong Shuheng thus concluded:" This is the true state of an artist's and an art appreciator's comprehension of life and the universe."

It is based on this understanding that Zhong Shuheng denies the influence of the subject matter on the profoundness and greatness of the work. In her view, if you can talk to God by portraying a grain of sand, and you can discover the wisdom of God in a grain of sand - order and harmony - and express it wisely, then you will reach the essential profoundness. As the Creator of the smaller universe you then acquire obtain the wisdom to converse with God.

Based on this same understanding, being so far a figurative painting artist, Zhong Shuheng gives a very high evaluation on abstract painting: "Although many people still do not understand the truth contained in the new art, nor can they get used to appreciating the art space created with abstract visual elements without referring to the language of figurative painting concept, we have to admit that abstract painting extended the law of purity of art.


The Wisest and the Most Moderate

In the extension of the "law of purity of art", Zhong Shuheng bathes in joy of "conversing with God". Her universe of colors is no longer just representations of the sky, trees, fields or skin. She found the harmonious wisdom of colors expressing themselves.

For example: gray.

In the colors system, gray is probably the most passive color. It is a thorough middle color, relying on its the adjacent colors to become alive. When gray gets near bright warm colors, it will show a calm character. If it gets close to cold colors, then it becomes a mildly warm gray. Gray is the "pause" note in music. It marks the disappearance of all color contrasts. It is the most stable rest point for vision. However, gray cannot be endlessly expanded, because endless rest means death.

This is probably the wisest color, because it is the most moderate one.

Zhong Shuheng is now a lady in her middle age. Her painting tends to be set to a moderate tone with in gray. She is always looking for softness, stability, clarity and subtleness in the a middle to weak contrast of brightness. In most cases, her foreground and background have such characteristics, such as her works "the Young Girl", "the Red Backpack" and "Still Life with Radish and Chinese Onions". But sometimes she also introduces restless medium and short tones to add some elements of tension into the soft, stable and bright foreground, such as her work "the Portrait of Yuan Yuan": the background is vague, esoteric and unfathomable, like a hazy dream enveloping the figure in the foreground and forming the isomorphism with the meaningful eyes and expression of the figure. The relationship between the foreground and the background in "the Colors of Autumn" is exactly the reverse negative of "the Portrait of Yuan Yuan". Nonetheless, there is no conflict between the foreground and the background, or between the various color areas and the color plane of the entire picture. She refuses to be violent. She stubbornly does not subordinate color expression to the expression with shadows and shades – which this is practically separating herself from drawing the borderline with traditional oil painting language with a wide gap. In this way, the so-called golden rules of highlight, shadows, border stripe of brightness and darkness and the rest of the oil painting doctrines are all weakened to nearly non-existence. Layers and space are mainly expressed by color planes being large and small color planes. It may look more simple, but also more subtle. It is like the face of Bodhisattva as depicted with Chinese sculpture: great wisdom lies in the subtle simplicity! We see It can be seen that Zhong Shuheng always travels to and fro between dark gray and bright gray, knowing very well of the endless layers in this area. In the soft filter, the confrontation is dissolved in the harmonious contrast and transition. She experiences the kind of subtlety and richness like a fine piece of jade, like a small boat flowing on the surface of a rippling lake on an autumn day...



来源：TAIMAY