序一
昔人写西湖之美，东坡诗固脍炙人口，堪称绝唱。袁中郎写六桥春色，述及断桥至苏堤一带，绿烟红雾，弥漫二十余里，歌吹为风，粉落为雨，罗纨之盛，多于堤畔之草。艳冶极矣。至若张宗子写七月半曦明之景，于月色苍凉之际，纵舟酣睡于十里荷花之中，香气拘人，清梦甚惬。亦足发人遐想。
求之于画，或绘山容水意，窈窕通明;或绘杨柳一络，逶移临风;或绘堤上艳卉，花片沾衣，染映湖水，作胭脂小浪。盖湖光点翠之工，山岚设色之妙，尽夺画家之目睛也。然侔色揣称，写境之静，因物缘情，画心之净者，鲜见之也。古今为画，于寻常景物，率尔下笔，便有佳作;而神幻若西湖者，愈苦心经营，反愈失之。西湖之寂寞无侣，可知矣。
善錞先生酷嗜陶令诗，貴其静而适也。故所绘西湖之景，隐约之间，远意若生，亦静者居其多。其一往所诣，静之至时，虽秋水暮烟，不足为其色也;然姿媚亦从简净中跃出，有苍雪弥丽，秋光初碧之趣，庶几通乎定庵琴曲：“美人沉沉，山川满心。吁嗟幽离，无人可思。”其有物无物，变幻起来，胥归于静寂之界，真乃不暇求静即此静者也。
余每过深圳，则求观善錞之画，虽但知其静中高华，不知其寄意深旨，已翕然倾倒，以为神奇，不待他人艳称也。
课余之暇，闲步湖上，水光静好，山色绰约，因念及善錞画意，写此寄之。
时乙酉五月，半顷荷香已飘渺湖山间矣。范景中。
FOREWORD
AmongancientwritingseulogizingthebeautiesofWestLakeinHangzhou,thepoemsofSuDongpoareespeciallyesteemedandhavebeenrankedasmasterpiecesthroughouttheages.DescribingspringontheSixBridges,YuanHongdaodepictstheviewfromtheBrokenBridgetotheSuEmbankmentthus:“Greensmokeandredfogspreadoutoversometwentyli;Flutingsongsarelikewind,fallingpollen,likerain;Finesilkfabricsaremorecommonthanthegrassescoveringthedykes.”Whatabeautifuldescriptionitis!IntheQingDynasty,thefamouswriterZhangDaiportrayshimselfasleepanddreamingsweetlyoffloatinginaboatovertenlioflotus,savoringdawnandapaleJulymoon,tastingthelotus’fragrance. Readinghisverse,readersfallintoreverie.
AsforpaintingsdepictingWestLakescenery,mostdelineateitscolorfulfeatures,perhapsaviewofwillowbranchesinthewind,orflowersbloomingeverywhereonthecausewayandreflectedinwaves.Thesefacetsoftheviewcapturedtheartists’sensualawareness.Fewtooktimetomeditateonthescenery’sgrace,orharmonizetheirsoulswiththeinneressenceoftheirsurroundings.Thatmayexplainwhymanypaintingsthatdepictordinaryscenesmayberegardedasgreatworks,whilepainstakingworkscanbesaidtohaveonlysuperficialresemblancetotheWestLake.Inthissense,theWestLakeneedsatrulyunderstandingadmirer.
Mr.YanShanchuncherishesthepoetryofTaoYuanming andholdsdearitscompellingpeacefulness. Inhispaintings,theviewsofWestLakeareindistinct,remoteandabstract;theyembodythequietudeofthescene.Forthespectator,Yan’srestraineduseofink-washrecallsimpressionsofanautumnlake,aneveningmist,skybluesnow,orthefirstlightofanautumnsunoverthelake’ssurface.ThegrandsimplicityofYan’sartcorrespondstotheartisticidealofGongZizhenwhodeclaredthat“therealbeautyofamaidoramountaincanneverbefullyappreciatedbecauseofitsmysteriousserenity.”ItisnoteasytoclassifyYan’sartaseitherfigurativeornotfigurative,butIcannothelpthinkingthathisarthasreachedwitheaseastateofsupremeserenity.
EachtimeIhavevisitedShenzhen,Ihavesoughttheopportunitytoenjoyhispaintings.Fascinatedbyhisart,Ioftenfelthowmasterlyarehispaintingskillsandhowhisartachievesgrandeurinitscalmness.Othersdonoteasilyhavetheopportunitytosharemyenjoyment.
ThesethoughtswelledupinmymindasIwastakingastrollalongtheWestLake;andtheparallelsbetweenitsexquisitesceneryand Shanchun’spaintingsinspiredmetowritethemdown.Itisthetimeofwaterlotus’bloominginthelake,andIhavesmelledtheirfragrance.
FanJingzhong
(SuDongpo[1037-1101];YuanHongdao[1568-1610];ZhangDai[1597-1679];TaoYuanming[ca.365-427];GongZizhen[1792-1841].Trans.)
西方抽象画约分两途，一曰热抽象，一曰冷抽象。热烈者，运气于色，如飓风忽起，侧注斜飞，划然轩昂，未知何底。冷净者，敛气于骨，运笔裁制，寻方计圆，历落有序。Kandinsky与Mondrian并以抽象擅名;一绝去蹊径，畅其精神之发露，后之抽象表现主义步其踵;一善于控驭，欲冥合宇宙之律则，观念艺术衍其流。然求其意与境会，萧然如秋水之远逝者，采览泰西，固无其人也。此殆以人文传统之异。
善淳先生尝感于此，固论之曰：作画之妙，全在意境，有意境者，神韵逸出笔墨彩色之外。余犹记丙戌秋日，善淳自岭南来沪西画展，所示无几，却令人忆绪重重，有味之无极者。其以意境融彻抽象，虽闲漫纤碎处，动色而陈，亦有水月风花之飘渺，置诸春山秋雪间，自觉形神无间，所谓用色艳如高士琴也。余徘徊叹绝久之，不禁歌之以《诗品》佳句。
Westernabstractarthasdevelopedintwomaindirections:wemightcallonedirection‘warmabstraction’;itlaysparticularemphasisondirectemotionalexpressioninalyrical,fluidandintuitiveway.Theotherdirection,‘coolabstraction’,aimsatcreatinggeometricallyorderedandbalancedcompositionsthatexpressuniversalharmony.KandinskyandMondrian,bothpioneersofabstractpainting,eachpaintedwithadifferentpurpose.Kandinskyaspiredtoevokeaspiritualexperience,adeeplyintimateconnectionbetweentheartistandtheviewer.Abstractexpressionistschampionedhisartisticnotionandcelebratedspontaneityandtheexplorationoftheselfintheirpaintings.Mondrian,ontheotherhand,soughttoexpressrationalthought–thosepurerelationshipswhichmanifesttheimmutableunityofreality.TheConceptualArtmovementwasheavilyindebtedtohisconceptsofuniversaltruth.Inspiteoftheirdifferences,abstractartistsinWesterncountriessharetheyearningtorepresentthenon-figurativeintheircreations,andpracticeartasametaphysicalquestforhighermeaning.Westernabstractartrejectedtraditionalmimesisinordertocommunicatevaluesandfeelingsinthevisuallanguageofessentialforms,colors,andmaterials.
However,thereisasignificantdifferencebetweentheseWesternidealsandtheconsummatespiritualinsightpursuedbytraditionalChinesescholar-painters.Mr.YANShanchunnoticedthisdifferenceandheoncepointedoutthatthebeautyofapaintingconsistsentirelyinitsevocationofthehumanspirit.Thisevocationcallsouttoourheartsandtranscendstheinkandcolor,thematerialsandformsofwhichthepaintingismade.Istillrememberthatinautumn2006ShanchuncametoShanghaifromGuangdongandbroughtafewofhisabstractpaintingsforanexhibition.Hisartisticcreations,embodyingthespiritofmountainsandrivers,inspiredmewithaprofoundnostalgiadeepinmyheart.AlthoughheusesWesternabstractpaintingmethods,hisartevokesthevisualpoetryfoundinthegreatestChinesepaintings.Theformsinhisarteschewstructureanddefinition,likewater,wind,moonlightandfragrance,whichonecanfeelintimatelyandyetcannevergrasporcontrol.Hiscolorsaresubduedandelegant,likethemusicofaharpplayedbygracefulandtenderhands.ThisdelicatebeautyenthrallsmysensesasIwanderaboutwithinit,remindedoftheencompassingsilenceoffirstsnowinthefoothills,andthemeditativeinsightoffinepoetry.