在国画岭南画派中坚人才中，多少年来，每易想到司徒乃钟，一位有守有为之代表性人物。司徒乃钟先生近应南京博物院举办个展，行将出版画集，遥嘱我为序言，在此八月溽暑炎蒸中，却真令我精神为之一振。多年过从，既已欣其《岭南春风红艳图》的木棉高树之壮，更曾于其所绘老竹孙笋，及画题“写生终竟胜盲从”既浅白亦深刻之认知题句中，感其治学之诚。尤有进者，乃钟贤盟，事父至孝，绘事更祖武于其尊人。可谓发扬潜德，以至光大宗风。于今浊世艺林中，一泓清流，洵为难得。
我曾得接对其尊人苍城司徒奇道丈，于当年港澳之间，早仰前辈之人格画风。而且在岭表诸贤中，尤能以人文古意，及西学写生写实二者兼资，俱树楷模。乃钟绘事进境，克能一日千里，植基于家学者亦至多，司徒奇道丈与赵少昂老师交厚，绘事理念亦同，既属通家，乃钟除其所受家学之外，还得他山之助。曾由尊人引领，正式拜从赵少昂老师学画。昂师独特之风范，自然对乃钟笔墨经营，绘事发展，亦有一定程度之影响。对我而言，此真是一段难能可贵同门之谊。平日偶聆追述庭训种切，尤有足以令人向佩动容，是知乃钟贤盟之克绍家风是有守，而其奋发创作，是真真大有为也。
犹忆昔日画坛守旧之辈，有讥岭南画派为野狐襌者，即谓不中规矩，不能全守古法;然而百年之间，创始者高剑父、高奇峰及陈树人三家，所倡导之方向，在于融古以铸今，既能以古人合，亦能与古人离。三家各自戛戛独造，和而不同，故终成划时代之宗师。近数十年间，赵少昂师，以及司徒奇、关山月、黎雄才与杨善深诸位前贤，亦皆有守有为，继武前修，而自出蹊径，各有发扬。事实上国画百年以来，万壑争流，与上述守旧辈之讥言，已相去不知几千万里。今日复有时辈讽言岭南派诸家之不够新鲜者，奈何古意今情，莫衷一是，取舍适应，投合为难。此一时尚之偌大课题，亦惟以小题大作，不屑一顾目之。艺术家若能以一己之诚明，创造时风，自我作古;更不为西方一时画廊摇摆不定之尚好所惑。不作风前之弱草。则有守者斯有为;有识者亦斯有胆。能臻此境界，则无为有为，无法有法，终抵大成。乃钟贤盟方当盛年，已见独造如此，他日更不可量，是知苍城道丈之家学，继武有人，岭南画学宗风，亦必巍然屹立，重开新页于廿一世纪矣。
欧豪年
二零零五年九月
PrefaceAmongtheelitesofLingnanSchoolofChinesepaintingintheseyears,IalwaysthinkofNigelSzeto,therepresentativefigurethatcanbothpreserveanddevelophisartfieldatthesametime. MrSzetowillholdhissoloexhibitioninNanjingMuseumandpublishedhisartalbum.Whenheinvitedmetowriteapreface,IwasexcitedinthisburningheatofAugust. Forseveralyears,IhavesavoredthespectacularofKapoktreeinhiswork“TheSpringRedsinLingnan”,andalsodeeplyimpressedbyhisdevotiontohispursuitofknowledgebyhisworkofoldbambooandyoungshootsaswellasthesimplebutprofoundinscriptionsofthispieceofwork“Portrayingisbetterthancopyingeventually”. Moreover,Nigelisnotonlyvirtuouslyfilial;hispaintingskillisalsoinsuccessiontohisfather. Itcanbesaidthatheisenhancingandglorifyinghisprogenitors. Heisjustlikeascarcestreamofpurewateramidtheturbidartcircle.
IntheearlyyearswhenIwasinHongKongandMacau,IhadalreadyadmiredNigel’sfather,SzetoKei(Cang-Cheng),forhismoralintegrityandhispaintingstyle. AmongthemastersofLingnanSchool,heistheonewhoestablishesagoodmodelforcombiningChinesehumanityandancientstylewithWesternrealisticsketching. ThereasonthatNigelcanachievesuchgreatstrideofpaintingskillatatremendouspaceisgreatlyduetohisfamily’sinfluence. HisfatherSzetoKeiisbefriendingwithmyteacher,ChaoShao-anwhoalsosharedasimilarapproachinart,thereforeNigelnotonlylearntfromhisfamily,butalsobenefitedfromother’sguidance.Underhisfather’srecommendation,NigelhadbecomeapupilofMasterChao. Chao’suniquespiritisdefinitelyinfluencingNigel’spaintingtechniqueandartscareer. Forme,itisreallyaremarkablefellowship. Afteroccasionallyheardoftheirreminisce,Iamalreadyimpressedandaspiredbythoselecturingandadmonitorytalks. IthereforeunderstandthatNigel’sattachmentandfaithfulnesstowardshisfamilyisakindofpreservationofartstyle;whereashisinnovativeattemptsinartisthemainreasonforhisaccomplishmenttoday.
InthepasttherewereconservativesintheartfieldwhomockedLingnanSchoolasgibberishandscolditasviolationandmisbehaviorstowardstheoldrulesandnorms. However,intherecenthundredyears,thethreefoundersoftheLingnanSchool,GaoJian-fu,GaoQi-fengandChenShu-ren,wereadvocatinganartdirectionthatmergedclassicwithmodernstylesothattheartistcanbefreeinattachingtoordetachingfromtheancientmasters. Thoughthesethreemastersworkedindependently,theywereonthesamedirectionwithdifferentstyles,andthenbecameepochalmastersfinally. Duringthesefewdecades,masterslikeChaoShao-an,CuanShan-yue,LiXiong-laiandYangShan-shenwerebothpreservingandexpandingthestyle;bothinheritingandinnovatingthisschoolofthought. Theyhavedevelopedtheirownpathsandenhancedtheirideasrespectively. Infact,therearevariousstylesappearedinChinesepaintingfieldinrecenthundredyears,andtheartsceneshavebeentotallydifferentwhenthereareimitatingfromtheoldmastersthatIhavementionedabove. EventhoughnowadaystherearestillpeoplederidingLingnanSchoolasnotinnovativeenough;itishardtorapportallopinionsbutneedcompromisingwhenitcomestodiscussionofclassicandmodernartcriticism. Itendtoignoresuchtrivialargumentsandendlessdisputes. Ifanartistcanbefaithfultohimself,daretocreateanuniquestyleandproducehisownmasterpieces,standsfirmlywithoutbewilderedbytheswingingWesternartclimate,andrejectsbeingasaweakgrassthatbendswiththewind,thenthisartistasanartpreservercanbecapabletoaccomplishmentandbecomeamanwithinsightandcourage. Whenamanhadreachedsuchstateofmind,hewillbeamasterwhateverheattemptstoachieveornotandtofollowanyregulationsornot. Nigelhasalreadyreachedsuchattainmentinhisprimeoflife;itcanbepredictedthathissuccesswillbeimmeasurableinthefuture. WhenIknowthatMasterCang-Chenghadgotsuchqualifiedsuccessor,LingnanSchool’sstylewillalsostandtoweringlyandopenanewpageinthetwentyfirstcentury!AuHo-nien