肖谷《东庄图—续古堂》2008年作
《东庄图》像一条命运的纽带。
500年前，它把一代“文人画”巨匠沈周、与“庄主”吴宽的情谊留在丹青笔墨间;500年后，它让肖谷与沈周隔空相见，并激荡出令世人震惊的《寻找东庄》。
去年的某一日，我拜会肖谷先生，谈到《东庄图》。他说，现在知道沈周《东庄图》的人不多了。我说，我知道，我很小的时候就看过东庄图画册。
彼时，沈周的东庄，山涯曲水，花木奇石，桑果蔬麦、修竹亭榭。俨然世外仙境，拥抱着那些看尽世态炎凉、参透官场是非的士绅隐者。他们隐逸乡居，寄情山水。沈周以《东庄图》寄意为官的吴宽“如不知有官，可退居乡里，筑园修圃，莳花植木，二五雅客，徜徉其间，吟讽啸咏，逍遥自得。”温柔恭谨后面，有一种隐而未发不屈的“刚”。
肖谷作《东庄图》，是“力图在寻找文脉气象上的传承关系，并接上民族传统文化的气脉”，是“想画出一种境界，一种文化境界。让人看了就会觉得一个字：静。”他也希望艺术家更多的能在创作中“沉下心来”。它文化寓言一般的气息，在当代新的美学高度寻找到依傍和归宿。
物象有无穷的奥妙，心灵有无边的玄悟，言语常常无法传达其妙。而无论是沈周的“逍遥自得”，还是肖先生的“静”，都源于民族的传统文化精神，显现出艺术家所置身的时代人文精神和审美情趣。
500年过去，沈周与肖谷一见如故，心灵相通，促膝而谈，在他们中间静卧着一个东庄，它隐逸在500年前的山林深处，等待着被重新发现重新审视重新解读重新追寻。
那似乎是我们梦中曾到达过的故园，或者是我们心向往之而无法进入的地方。百转千回，终于了悟，东庄，早已印映在我们心灵的底片，须冲洗掉岁月尘封，才能渐渐显影。唯其纯真，唯其纯粹，成就我们的精神家园。月光泻地，天地静谧，万物归真，终于永恒，
感谢肖谷先生，他以《东庄图》，连接了我们通向精神故园的路，又让东庄，以新的形态长久地活在我们心中。
罗浮紫艺术典藏毛文采
TheLivingDongzhuang
DongzhuangDrawingsplaysanimportantroleininheritingtheculturefromgenerationtogeneration.
500yearsago,itwitnessedthefriendshipbetweentheLiteratiArtMasterShenZhouandtheownerofDongzhuangWuKuan.NowtheamazingpiecebringsXiaoGuandShenZhoutogetheracrossthetimeandspace,thustheremarkableLookingforDongzhuangseriescameintobeing.
Onedaylastyear,IvisitedMr.XiaoGuandtalkedwithhimabouttheDongzhuangDrawings.Hesaidthatthere’refewpeopleknowingaboutShenZhou’sDongzhuangnowadays.ButItoldhimthatIhadreadthecatalogueofDongzhuangDrawingslongtimebefore.
WithShenZhou’smastertechniquesandartisticconception,everythinginDongzhuangcamealive.Thetrees,flowers,fields,streamsanddifferentbuildingsconstitutedaparadiseofidyllicbeauty,inwhichthethenhermitsenjoyedtheirlifeandabandonedthemselvesinthenature. ShenZhoufinishedthecollectionandgaveittoWuKuanasagift,tryingtosuggesthimthathecanalsoenjoyhislifeinartandnature.Themanwhoconcealedhimselfinthechaoticworldactuallyprocessedanunyieldingspirit.
ThereasonwhyXiaoGucreatedthisDongzhuangDrawingsliesinhispursuitof“theinheritanceoftraditionalcultureandthecontinuationoftheculturalcontext”.Hetriestoshowus“anartisticworldwherewecanfindpeacefulnessinit.”Intheend,XiaoGuandhisartlanguagefoundahomelandinthecontemporaryaesthetics.
There’samysteryworldhiddenbehindtheimagesandourmind,wherewordscannottellalltheessence.Both“thefreespirit”ofShenZhouandthe“peacefulness”ofXiaoGuallcameoutofthetraditionalChineseculturalspirit,showingustheliteratibeliefandtheaesthetictasteoftheirowntime.
Regardlessthe500yearsbetweenthem,XiaoGuandShenZhouarespirituallyconnected.AndtheDongzhuang,whichbothofthemplacetheirfeelingsfor,islookingforwardtoberediscoveredandreinterpretedinthenewera.
Dongzhuangmaybeaparadisethatwereachedmanytimesinourdreams,oraplaceweyearnedforalongtimebuthadnochancetoenterever.YetultimatelywerealizethatDongzhuangliesinthebottomofourheart.Itisaworldofpurityandsincerity;itformsourspiritualhomeland.
Let’sgiveourgratefulnesstoXiaoGu,wholinksuswithourspiritualhomewithDongzhuangDrawingsandgivesDongzhuanganewlife.
dte�cs�@ � piritualhermitratherthanthephysicalhermitintraditionalway,whichmeansonceyoucultivateyournatureandcomprehendtheessenceandseclusion,youcanliveahermitlifeanywhere.ShenZhouwasoneoftherepresentativesofJiangnan(lit.regionssouthoftheYangtzeRiver)hermitinthemiddleofMingdynasty.AsthefamousscholarofMingdynastyLuCansaid,“Suzhouhasbeenfamousforitsprofoundcultureandactiveliterati,notonlybecausethosefamousscholarswhohavegreatpoliticalcareer,butalsoforthere’rehermitscholarsindifferenttimes.”Amongthem,ShenZhouwasratedhighlybyposterityforhisnoblecharacterandpersonalcultivation.
Hereinthiscollection,XiaoGuistryingtoexplorethespiritualcoreofShenZhou’sartandfindouttheliteratinaturehiddenbehindhishermitideology.PilesofevidenceindicatethatitwastheparticularhistorybackgroundthatledtoShenZhou’sfinaldecision.BacktotheearlyMingDynasty,lotsofSuzhouintellectualswerepersecutedbytheMingEmperorZhuYuanzhang.AccordingtothethenscholarLuRong’srecall,“mostoftheofficialsatthattimeservedtheimperialgovernmentwholeheartedly,butinreturnmanyofthemwerecruellypunishedfortinymistakes.Onlyfewofthemcouldgetapeacefullifeintheend.”TheseverepoliticalenvironmentfrightenedmostofJiangnanscholarsintheearlyMingdynasty,andtheshadowremaineduntilShenZhou’stime.
Asaresult,ShenZhouneverstartedhisofficialcareerinhiswholelife.Heregardedhimselfasahermit.Althoughhehadmanyofficialfriends,healwayskeptasafedistancefromtheimperialgovernment.Inthiswayhewas“concealinginthecrowd”andabandonedhimselftopoems,paintingsandthenature. TheownerofDongzhuang,WuKuan,wasoneofShenZhou’sofficialfriends.ShenZhoufinishedtheDongzhuangcollectionandgaveittoWuKuanasagift,tryingtosuggesthimthathecanalsoenjoyhislifeinartandnature.ItseemsthatShenZhouwasa“coward”whoisconcealinghimselfinthechaotictimes,yetactuallyhewasverybraveandprocessedanunyieldingspirit.
XiaoGuhasbeenworkingforDongzhuangDrawingsseriesforsixyears,duringwhichtime,hestickstohisuniquepursuitofartandtriestoutilizethedeepbutcharacterizedculturaltexttodisplayhisnationalheroismandaestheticappreciation.Ingeneral,wedefinetraditionalChineseartas“artisticexpression”andwesternartas“artisticrepresentation”,butit’snotthewholestory.Chineseartpaysgreatattentiontothespiritandartisticconception,sodoeswesternart.XiaoGu’sextraordinaryunderstandingoftraditionalChineseculturalspiritandincrediblemasterofoilpaintinghelpshimtransformthetraditionalChineseartintoacontemporaryform.
XiaoGuhasalwaysbeenworkingonartinhisownway.Withprofoundrealismskillsandhisuniquetwo-and-a-half-dimensionstructure,heinnovativelycreatestheChinesestylepaintingsinanexpressionistway.ThosepaintingsarefullofvividChineseartspiritandcontainatransformedvisualspace. Figuralstill,buthisartrepresentsacombinationofdifferentcolorsandmeanings.
XiaoGu’sinterestsandthoughtsintraditionalcultureleadstohissuccessincombiningthetraditionwithcontemporary.Tohim,paintingworksjustasatooltoexpresshisspiritandthoughts.Thatisalsowhywhenyouwatchcloselyathispieces,youwillbestronglytouchedbytheculturebehind,anditdefinitelycomesfromthecontinuationofChinesetraditionalspirit.