INK FORUM
“水墨论坛”
ART PROJECTS
艺术项目
Zhejiang Art Museum | 浙江美术馆
I N S E Q U E N C E
转 序
Contemporary Ink Exhibition | 水墨中国当代艺术展
Essay | 论文
[I]
第一部分
a curatorial essay
Ink Painting at the Crossroads
水墨画的转折点
INK PAINTING [1] in China has developed a rich living heritage in terms of its underlying philosophy and iconography, embracing a wide range of themes and subjects; forms and techniques; and artistic and stylistic features. The act of painting itself suggests the presence of a universal life-force,‘qi’, which is made discernible by the force and movement of the performative strokes of water and ink, shuimo, captured within the multi-layered, organic space of the raw xuan paper. Since the acquiescence of Xie He’s “Six Principles of Paintings”[2] in the 6th century, Chinese ink painting has been highly valued for its vital spirit, gesture drawing, organic spacing, monochromatic tonality and luminosity – inimitable qualities that have since constituted the strict standard for evaluation and evolution of this artistic tradition. The apparent ease of the ink painting not only belies its high level of artistic attainment but also its unforgiving nature which demands an unusually high degree of technical competence, of precise execution, skillful brush-work and ink-wash techniques that take years of mastery. The use of the medium, together with calligraphy, has presented an enduring nature,“bear[ing] the“symbolic mark of China’s tradition,spirit and culture[and] remain[ing] firmly rooted in China”[3].
水墨画[1]是具有丰富生命力的活态传统，由于潜在的哲学和图像意义，它拥有广泛的主题以及技巧、媒介和风格等多方面的特征。这种绘画行为本身暗示着一种宇宙的生命力，也就是我们常说的“气”，它的形态通过丰富的笔触带出水和墨的力量与运动：水墨，而呈现并存储在宣纸这一多层次的有机空间里。自从公元六世纪谢赫的“绘画六法”立下了默认的法则以来[2]，中国水墨画一直高度追求其生命灵气、运动形态、有机空间、墨韵变化——这些独特的气质构成了对这艺术传统严格的评价标准和演化内容。而覆盖于水墨画表面上的闲适飘逸则是深藏其下的高度艺术功底，要达到这貌似平平、实则深奥的境界，绘画者必须具有超常的技术能力，要做到娴熟无误则更需要多年的积淀方能掌握运笔和着墨的技法。这种媒介配上书法元素的使用，“成为了中国传统，精神和文化的象征符号深深扎根在中国”[3]。
In this inaugural exhibition In Sequence, contemporary ink group Ink Forum [4] seeks to renew the discourse of ink painting by focusing on the history and evolution of modern and contemporary ink painting in the context of political and cultural turbulence [5]. In this respect, the main concern of Arnold Chang’s essay “Tradition in the Modern Period” remains perhaps relevant for our discussion today. In his words:
在本次“转序”首届展览中，中国当代水墨10位艺术家[4]寻求在改革的大环境下，通过专注于现代和当代水墨画在政治和文化动荡冲击背景下的历史和演化来更新水墨画的论述方式。在这方面，阿诺德·常《现代时期的传统文化》[5] 的主要关注对象仍然可能是我们今天讨论的一个相关主题。他认为：
The role of tradition, and the individual artist’s reaction to his tradition, account to a large extent, for the diversity of approaches to art that are evidenced in the twentieth century. …. If we are to discuss tradition in the modern period, we are assuming a continuity with the past. We must investigate Chinese painting as a living, on-going entity with strong ties to the past. We are interested in the interaction of modern Chinese painting with Chinese painting of earlier periods, and artist’s attitude towards his legacy [6].
“传统文化的作用，个体艺术家对他的传统的反应，于二十世纪在很大程度上证明了艺术方法有着多样性……如果我们要讨论现代时期的传统文化，我们就要假设一种现在与传统的连续性，我们必须把中国国画作为一种与传统密切相关的活生生的、正在进行的实体来探讨，我们感兴趣的是现代中国国画与早期国画的互动，以及艺术家对文化遗产的态度” [6]。
Tradition and Transformation
传统与转型
Proto-modern ink painting evolved in the 19th century. Throughout that century, Chinese thinkers and artists became increasingly concerned about modernizing their country and the art form. In tracing the continuation and transformation of ink painting, James Cahill observes:
传统——现代水墨画在19世纪的演变贯穿整个19世纪，中国思想家和艺术家们越来越关心国家和艺术形式的现代化。在追溯水墨画的延续和转变时，高居翰先生发现：
[The] important aspect of the Yangzhou School flower painting that is carried on into the Shanghai School is the development of jinshijia or antiquarian epigrapher’s taste in calligraphy and its extension into painting. ….. Calligraphy and painting are brought closer together by the close interaction of the jinshijia calligraphers and artists, coming to share a basic character: in each case, the work of art has a strong, firm design made up of slow-moving, disciplined brushstrokes. Each stroke has an individual integrity and also participates in the whole structure [7].
扬州学派的重要方面，也符合上海学派进行的金石家的美学发展或是以书法及其拓展绘画方面的古文物碑铭的研究方向。由于金石家书法家和画家密切的相互作用，书法和绘画被联系到一起并分享一个基本特征：在各种情况下，每个作品都是由强大的有序的线条组成，每一笔都有着自己独立的系统，同时也参与了整体的构架 [7] 。
The artistic and conceptual lineage of the Shanghai School could be traced to a diversity of seminal styles and aesthetics——‘xieyi’ or loose-brushwork paintings of Bada Shanren (1625-1705),‘gongbi’, or fine-line works of Chen Hongshuo (1599-1652) and “I-hua Lu (Treatise of all inclusive creative painting)” [8] by Shitao (1630-1707) --- all of which exercised critical influence on the changing 19th century world view. By combining an art historical approach with inspired artistic ideas and techniques, the Shanghai School developed a proto-modern platform for the exploration of greater artistic levels, as exemplified by the works of Wu Changshi (1844-1927), Huang Binhong (1864-1955) and Qi Baishi (1863-1957) [9].
上海学派风雅、概念性的血统可以追溯到多样性的风格和美学——八大山人（1625-1705）的“阔笔大写意画法”、陈洪绶（1599-1652）的“工笔画”以及石涛（1630-1707）关于包容创意性绘画的论述“画论”都对19世纪变化中的世界观发挥着关键的影响。凭借研究历史的方法和艺术理念与创作技巧的结合，上海学派开发了一种传统—现代平台以探索更高的艺术境界，典型地反映在吴昌硕（1844-1927），黄宾虹（1864-1955）以及齐白石（1863 -1957）的作品中［9］。
Ink Painting in the 20th century was at the crossroads. After the founding of Republican China, the pro-modernist government launched a formal discourse on the modernization of Chinese art and culture; even the age-old painting tradition has to be re-defined on its entry into the modern period, as Mayching Kao has observed in her foreword to “Twentieth-century Painting Chinese Painting”:
20世纪的水墨画处于十字路口。民国初期和中国文化的所有其他领域一样，政府对水墨画现代化也启动了一种官方表达方式。正如高美庆女士在她《二十世纪中国绘画》一书前言中阐述的：
Paintings in the Chinese Style and medium have been given the name guohua to distinguish them from Western and Western-style painting since the early years of this [twentieth] century. This term carries an additional meaning of “national painting”; it is probably an abbreviation of “painting of national essence (guocui hua) under the influence of the Movement to Preserve National Essence (baocun guocui yundong) initiated at about the same time. In addition, the term is interchangeable with “traditional painting”, especially in English usage [10].
早在20世纪初期，中国风格和方式的绘画就被授予国画的称谓用来区分西方和西方风格绘画，这又为国画增添了额外的意义。在维护国粹风潮的影响下，国画可能是一种缩影民族本质特征的国粹绘画简称，此外，这个名词特别是在英语语境里可以和传统绘画互换[10]。
Chinese ink painting originates from a tradition and persists, in and of itself, as part of this vigorous culture; but with modernization there are the inevitable question of Western culture and its added impact on Chinese ink painting --- how to respond and evolve a new and re-vitalizing tradition [11]. In this slow and arduous process, Chinese ink painting has been challenged by the newly imported Western ideologies, as Chinese art was consciously breaking from the past and affirming modern-minded artists such as Xu Beihong, Liu Haisu and Lin Fengmian the power to re-construct the new world views based on modern conceptual and technological freedom, and a new universal truth of the art academy [12].
从历史观点上说，中国水墨画借鉴并保持了传统文化，就其本身而言，也是这种文化力量来源的一部分；但是随着现代化的到来，西方文化及其对中国水墨画的影响，以及如何应对西方文化并发展一种崭新的、重振活力的传统成为不可回避的问题[11]。在其缓慢而令人急切的现代化进程中，中国水墨画传统受到了新引进的西方意识形态的挑战，具有现代主义思想的艺术家们如徐悲鸿、刘海粟、林风眠有意地采取脱离传统并肯定现代主义的做法，以现代概念和技术自由去重构中国艺术新的世界观，建立可以体现普遍真理的新型艺术学院[12]。
Modernization of ink painting took on a rather tortuous path. In his essay “Art and Reality in Twentieth-century Chinese Painting”, Michael Sullivan emphasizes:
水墨画的现代化进程呈现出相当曲折的道路，在迈克尔·苏利文的文献《20世纪中国的艺术与现实》中他这样强调：
I believe that we can only understand Chinese twentieth-century art when we see it as part of a greater whole: as an aspect of the totality of modern Chinese culture, impossible to isolate from the stresses and strains, the crises and challenges, of modern Chinese history [13].
我相信只有当我们把它作为一个更大整体的一部分看待时，我们才能够理解中国20世纪的艺术：作为现代中国文化整体的一个方面，它不可能孤立于现代中国历史的压力和重负、危机和挑战之外[13]。
With continual political interventions and discord in approaches amongst the artists, Chinese ink painting mirrored the major political, social and cultural upheavals of this period. From the start, Chinese ink painting faced censure especially in the May-4th Movement [14]; under the leadership of revolutionary thinkers like Lu Xun there was call to awaken the Chinese conscience for social reform and develop a socialist art culture in lieu of the tradition or the academy. This was followed by more constructive developments with the opening of inner China during wartime travel and exposure to newer influences such as Archaeology and Dunhuang studies, but with the rise of Communist Art and the Cultural Revolution under Mao Zedong [15], there was a reversal of fortune for Chinese ink painting, as artists were subjected to continual political pressure to conform with the state ideology.
伴随着持续不断的政治干预和艺术家中不和谐的做法，中国水墨画折射了这一时期重大的政治、社会和文化巨变。从一开始，中国传统水墨画就遭受了很多负面的批评，尤其是在打破旧习的五四艺术运动中[14]；在现代思想家比如鲁迅的领导下，人们呼吁更多的社会和文化变革，以代替当时日见僵硬的传统体系。在二战时期，随着中国内陆开放和战时移迁以及诸如考古发现和敦煌学的影响，使得这种情况有所改观，并有了积极的发展。随着共产主义艺术形态的发展和兴起[15]，艺术家表达的意识形态中有了些许政治的色彩，中国水墨画的命运也发生了改变。
Out of such trials and tribulations, Chinese ink painting slowly but consciously found its way in the modern framework. In the early stage, a host of younger Zhejiang-Shanghai and Beijing artists like Pan Tianshou, Tang Yun, Li Kuchan, Li Keran and Shi Lu helped maintained the vitality of the later Shanghai and the new Academic styles [16], albeit only within the national art institutions and academies. This situation was to last till the end of Mao era, when new policy of reforms was once again implemented under Teng Xiaoping and many varied streams of modern art were taken up with enthusiasm by artists from the younger generations. While the emergence of 85’s Movement was a belated modernist reaction to the new openness, it was the 89’s movement that truly represented a comprehensive post-modernist response. Growing out of the sense that earlier modernism or any other ‘ism’ attempt to define a universal truth has failed, this enduring movement encourages Chinese artists to look for pathways through life that are more personal, spiritual, beautiful and conscious of its complexity. Today, this is the ensuing spirit that informs the world views of most Chinese artists and the development of contemporary art in China.
经历过不断的尝试与磨难，中国水墨画缓慢但有意识地找到了它在现代框架中的发展途径。在早期阶段，一群年轻的浙江、上海和北京的艺术家如潘天寿，唐云、李苦禅、李可染和石鲁帮助维持了后上海学派及新学术风格的生命力［16］，尽管这可能只是在国家艺术机构和院校内部。这种情况一直维持到中国在邓小平领导之下实现改革之时，新一代的艺术家开始充满激情地追随现代主义许多不同的流派。如果说85艺术运动是对现代主义的迟缓反应，那89年后的改革运动真正代表了一次全面的后现代主义的回应。有感于早期现代主义观念的发展或任何其他“主义”试图定义一个普遍真理的做法统统失败，这次持久的运动鼓励着中国艺术家通过更加个人的、精神上的、唯美的自主意识并从生活的多元性中寻找途径。今天，正是这种精神传达着大多数中国艺术家的世界观并鼓舞着当代艺术在中国的发展。
A Contemporary Approach
一个当代的主张
In Sequence is Ink Forum bringing together 10 of its members [17], all contemporary ink painting artists who share similar background. Originally hailing from the Zhejiang-Shanghai region, some of them had their early training as close disciples of later Shanghai artists, and all of them obtained their education at prestigious national or overseas art institutions in the 1980s. Set against the backdrop of globalized world today, Ink Forum is aspired to renew the discourse of ink painting and serve as a new platform for developing and exploring inspired ideas, concepts and techniques to reflect the present time.
本次“转序”展览汇集了中国当代水墨画的10位艺术家[17]，这些当代水墨画艺术家都有着相似的背景，成长和求学在江浙一带。一些艺术家的早期训练就是作为后上海画派艺术家的亲密门徒，而所有成员都在20世纪80年代在久负盛名的国家或海外艺术机构接受教育和深造。这次的水墨展在当今世界全球化的背景下，立意更新水墨画的论述方式，通过开发和探索具有启发性的创意、概念和技法来作为一个新平台，以反映这个时代的精神。
The title, In Sequence, as suggested by Mr. W. Y. Choy [18], alludes to the recent historical developments of ink painting as well as the progressional background of the artists in terms of their education and contemporary ink painting practices. In analyzing the post-modern spirit that informs the world views of Chinese artists today, Arnold Chang asserts:
本次展览的标题“转序”由W·Y·蔡先生[18]选定，目的是涉及近代的水墨画历史发展以及艺术家进步的教育背景和当代水墨艺术实践。在分析展现当今中国艺术家世界观的后现代精神时，阿诺德·常断言：
The artist’s decision of what to paint, and how to paint, is, of course, influenced by many external factors, including political, social, and economic, but the way he chooses to relate to his artistic tradition will define further the character of his painting. An artist may decide to preserve his tradition intact, or he may deny it outright in favour of some other artistic form - in which case, it would seem to me, he has excluded himself from consideration as a traditional Chinese painter. More often than not, the artist decides to preserve certain elements of the tradition that appeal to or have meaning for him, while discarding those elements that do not appeal to him. [19]
“艺术家决定画什么？如何画？当然会受到很多外部因素的影响，包括政治因素、社会因素和经济因素，但是他所选择的与他的艺术传统相关的方式将进一步定义其绘画的特点。艺术家可以决定原封不动地保留他的传统，也可能会彻底否定传统而支持一些其他艺术形式，在这种情况下，似乎对我来说他已经不把自己作为一个传统的中国画家来考虑，艺术家往往决定保留某些吸引他或对他有特殊意义的传统元素，而丢弃那些他不感兴趣的元素[19]”。
Questions
问题
In “The History of Black and White: 50 Years of Evolution in Ink and Wash”, Pi DaoJian [20] re-visited many of the questions that had been around since the last century.
在《黑白史》一书中，皮道坚重新审查许多上个世纪以来已经存在的许多问题[20]
What is Chinese ink painting today? Is contemporary ink painting still Chinese painting in the modern and post- modern context? As more and more artists agreed on this point, what are the considerations for its continuation and transformation? In addition, what are the boundaries between the two concepts? If indeed the two concepts are converging and becoming one, what are the modern and post-modern embodiments of the tradition? For more than a century, Chinese art and culture have been influenced and transformed by the so-called Modern model instigated by Western politics, but given the current dynamic of Chinese art, the question is: Why are Chinese artists still playing the catching up or reactionary role in response to such ‘pull’ factors? If the real thrusts of this debate are now originating from within the Chinese culture today, is this not compelling reason to re-focus on its own ‘push’ factors and evolve a Chinese yet contemporary ink painting [21]?
什么是今日的中国水墨画？当代水墨画在后现代背景下仍然是中国国画吗？如果越来越多的人认为当代水墨画是中国国画，那么当今它的演化和发展有哪些特质需要考虑？中国当代水墨画和中国国画之间的界限是什么？如果两个概念融合为一体，那么传统的现代和后现代的体现是什么？一个多世纪以来，西方现代文化和国际文化正在世界范围内全球化，但是鉴于中国艺术当前的动态，为何中国艺术家在应对全球化“拉动”因素时，要么扮演迎头赶上，要么就只能扮演保守反对的角色？如果这场争论的真正推力是来自中国社会和当今文化内部，以自身的“推动”因素重新定向其焦点来发展当代精神的中国水墨画难道是不能令人信服的理由吗？[21]
As he has found out, there were no easy answers. While the use of the medium and techniques are firmly rooted as the Chinese or National painting, guohua, many younger artists today are still looking to the West for inspiration, freely appropriating materials and techniques; themes or subject matter; and styles and aesthetics from Western modern and post- modern experiences in their practices. In spite of such development, Pi DaoJian appears to suggest that there is a silver lining after the storm and ink painting is on the way back.
然而他发现这些问题并没有简单的答案。当采用的媒介是在中国根深蒂固的国家绘画——国画，而许多艺术家在西方现代主义所使用的技巧和语言中寻求灵感，并在他们的绘画实践中自由地使用西方现代和后现代经验。尽管存在这样的发展，但他指出这是暴风雨后的一线希望，而水墨画正在回来的路上。
[I]t now seems to that the real driving force behind this debate came from within the Chinese society and Chinese culture. Art had consciously accepted the mission bestowed upon it by a society in transition.....Progress in ink and wash, including the flurry of activity in abstract and expressive styles [are] derived from the dynamic relationship linking social and cultural modernization taking place in China.…It [has] evolved from a socio-political level of discussion to a more substantial level of cultural and psychology exploration [22].
现在看来，这场争论背后的真正驱动力来自于中国社会和中国文化内部，艺术曾经有意识地接受社会在转型时期所赋予它的使命，水墨发展，包括抽象和表现样式的爆发是来自于中国社会和文化发展的现代化进程中，它在社会政治层面的讨论及更实质性的文化和心理学探索的过程中不断演变[22]。
With these critical questions in mind, the focuses of In Sequence are on the current attitudes of the artists towards their individual practices and how are these contributing to a diversity of approaches to the medium within the larger context of Chinese or National Painting, guohu. Ink Forum, by taking on this challenge, is committed to exploring and evolving a contemporary expression that embodies the cultural sensitivities intrinsic to ink painting.
带着这些关键的问题，“转序”侧重于艺术家最近的态度，对于其个人实践和这些实践如何在更宽广的中国或国画背景下对方法的多样性产生作用。“水墨展览”的艺术家们通过接受这一挑战，选择了探索和发展一种更加自然的艺术语言来代表当代水墨画有意识的表达和文化敏感性。
[II]
第二部分
A companion critical essay
THINKING INK
水墨画 思·考
THINKING INK in this extremely dry spell of Singapore weather, I sweat, I thirst. We haven’t had such a rainless February in 145 years. Only a trickle here and a trickle there from late January to the Ides of March now passing. February is the cruellest month, one might say about Singapore at the moment, after T. S. Eliot’s opening line in The Waste Land. [23]
水墨画 思·考 在新加坡这个极度干旱的时期，我出着汗，我口渴。145年以来，我们从未有过这样一个无雨的2月，从1月下旬到古罗马历的3月中旬，到处只有涓涓细流，2月是最严酷的一个月，在应用T·S·艾略特的《荒原》开场白后 [23]，人们可能会如此形容新加坡目前的气象。
Looking at the contemporary ink painting scene, some would be tempted to speak conversely of a most extraordinary period of ‘inkplosion’ never seen in 1,450 years of Chinese history, or something to that effect. You can measure rainfall up to the hilt, sure, but when discussing an art form of such an incredibly long Tradition, a careless use of superlatives does sound superficial.
看着当代水墨画的繁荣景象，有些人转而会忍不住说，在中国水墨画1450年的历史中，这是从未见过的最不寻常的“水墨画爆发”的时期，诸如此类。你当然可以随便用个刀把测量降雨量，可是，在我们讨论这样一个有着令人难以置信的悠久传统的艺术形式时，随便地使用鬼斧神工之类的赞语倒确显肤浅。
I sweat more water in the dry spell and it makes me even thirstier thinking ink. Is there anyone who can cry me a Chinese ink painting, so to speak? Yes, indeed. It was said by Zheng Banqiao that Bada Shanren had more tears in his paintings than ink. Tears are water, too. And water goes well with ink. This has been so natural a medium for such an eternity in Chinese ink painting that everything about the art form seems forever static and constant. Often and inaccurately enough, we hear that ‘ink & wash’ = Chinese ink painting when it was actually an emergent style during the Tang period that reached a certain aesthetic sense of full maturity later in the Ming-Qing dynasties. To be sure, a long way before ‘ink & wash’ there were already other established styles. Chinese ink painting is really a lot less homogeneous, despite the term used to cover it all, guohua. From the Old Masters came this illuminating edict that ink has not one, but five ‘colours’ ― wet, dry, light, dark and burnt.
在干旱期我出汗更多，它甚至让我渴望对水墨画作进一步的思考：有谁能告诉我从古至今水墨画中有多少泪水。可以这么说吗？是的，确实是这样。据郑板桥说，八大山人的画作中有着比墨水更多的眼泪。眼泪也是水。水和墨水能够配合得很好。该媒介的运用对于这样永恒的中国水墨画竟如此自然，一切跟水墨有关的艺术形式似乎永远是静肃而恒常的。我们经常听说但不并准确，“水和墨水画”等于中国水墨画，这实际上是一种意外的风格，它在唐代形成一定的审美后，在明清时代达到巅峰。可以肯定的是在形成“水和墨水画”风格前的很长一段时间已经建立了其他风格。中国水墨画是真的不能称为均一的风格，尽管这个术语用于涵盖所有国画，但传于古代大师的水墨画，其至高无上的法则不是一个，而是“墨分五色”——湿、干、淡、浓、焦。
Under a dry spell of thirst, such as the one I am experiencing in Singapore, a past Yuan masterpiece could still have been painted using up very little ink and water. Another time, another place, Bada Shanren would cry anyone a Chinese ink painting by expressing a ‘grostesque’ emotion so uniquely against the prevailing convention of beauty then. Yet another time, yet another place, I want to bring on the so-called ‘Nanyang’ diasporic painter from my own Singapore ― Chen Wen Hsi ― whose Chinese ink painting experimented with Fauvism at some point in his life.
在渴不可耐的干旱时期，在我正在新加坡经历的时期，使用很少的墨和水仍然可以画出从前元朝的杰作。另一个时间，另一个地方，对于当时关于美的约定俗成而言，八大山人饮泣着创作中国水墨画被视为“怪异的情绪”显得如此独树一帜。然而又是另一个时间，另一个地方，我想从我们新加坡发展的所谓“南洋”离散画家——陈文希，在他生命的某段时期，其中国水墨画的实验可被视为“野兽派”风格。
Change amidst Continuity ― it has been so as regards Chinese ink painting and it is certainly also for contemporary ink painting coming out of such a great Tradition of an ‘unbroken’ sequence this proud and long. Western ink painting has no need to bind itself to this art form as much. To just cite one quick example, Paul Klee rather freely incorporated East Asian ink techniques in his various works. When a Chinese painter engages in contemporary ink painting, however, ‘identity’ is an issue that arises. Metaphorically as well as literally, we say that ink (guohua) and oil (xihua) do not mix. Having said that and done, though, we may think further perhaps they do in the globalized environment after all? If so, how far can or will they go? In truth, it is hardly the first instance we are witnessing East-meets-West ‘inkplosion’ so remarkably in more recent times. The propagandist Social Realism import in the early years of PRC, for example, depending on one’s orientation, was ‘experimental’ and ‘innovative’ to a most extraordinary degree. It is only upon the hindsight of history that sufficient criticism has been made of the phenomenon.
在变化中传承——对于中国水墨画正是如此，当代水墨画无疑也是如此伟大的传承，有着坚不可摧、自豪而漫长的连续性。西方水墨画则不需要把本身绑定在这一艺术形式。举一个例子，保罗·克利在他众多的作品中相当自由地使用了东亚水墨画技法，然而当一位中国画家从事当代水墨画创作时他的“身份”却成了一个问题。从比喻或从字面上理解，我们说墨水国画和油色西画不能调和。不过，已经如此说过并如此做过，我们是否可以进一步认为也许他们能在全球化的环境中相融呢？如果是这样，他们还能走多远？或者会走多远？事实上，这并非我们在近代史上见证“东西结合”下如此显著的“水墨画爆发”的一个实例。中华人民共和国成立初期，社会主义现实风格的宣传者引入一些概念，例如根据绘画者的方向，“实验性的”和“创新的”是最奇异的等级。只有在历史发生之后，人们才可能对这些现象有充分的评判。
I quote a pertinent passage from “A New Definition of Contemporary Chinese Ink Painting” by James Elkins [24] to reflect on the currency of international exchange happening today:
在此引用《中国当代水墨画的新定义》一书中的相关段落[24]，该书是詹姆斯·埃尔金斯对当前发生的国际交流的反思：
Some guohua painters want to blur the institutional and historical differences
between traditional and Western painting practices, and others would like to
develop ink painting so that it can reclaim centrestage in China and become
better appreciated internationally. These dual and intertwined motivations
have produced a peculiar complexity.
一些国画画家想要模糊传统绘画和西方绘画实践之间的习惯和历史差异，还有一些人想发展水墨画以便在中国恢复中心地位并更好地流行于国际。这两者兼有和交织在一起的动机产生了一种特殊的复杂性。
In Sequence is, effectively, I believe, an exhibition by contemporary ink painters of the Zhejiang-Shanghai region seeking to explore such a “peculiar complexity” that involves the issue of ‘Chineseness’ (Elkins’ thesis further on argues), among others. Within this gathering, one individual may belong to the “blurring” camp, whereas another could be on the “reclaiming” side. That is how I understand the naming of this group, Ink Forum, as evident of a critical spirit of public discussion and dialogue engagement about the contemporary art form emanating from the great Tradition. It is an open flow of different rivers of ink meeting in confluence. The order to ‘sequence’ suggests, nevertheless, a ‘look back’ at the same time that these painters want to ‘move forward’. Given this desired condition of change amidst continuity, some of Eliot’s assertions in his contentious classic modernist essay, “Tradition and the Individual Talent”, remain relevant to the present case:
我相信，“转序”会是一次有价值的展览，对于江、浙、沪等地当代水墨画家寻求探索这样一种涉及“中国性”问题（埃尔金斯的论文进一步认为）的“特殊的复杂性”，以及一些其他问题。在这次的展览聚会中，一个人可能属于“模糊”阵营，而另一个人可能赞成“恢复”。这就是我对于该论坛命名的理解——“当代水墨展”。当代艺术形式的讨论是作为源于伟大传统的公众讨论和意见交流的批判精神的证明。本次展览为水墨画的交流提供了一个开放的平台，使不同流派能够奔流在一起。这“序”字尽管有着“回头看”的涵义，但这些画家更希望“向前进”。鉴于那些期待能在变化中传承其连续性，艾略特在其有争议的经典现代主义文章中的一些主张，例如“传统与个人才能”， 在今天依然有着现实意义：
You cannot value him [an artist] alone. You must see him, for contrast and comparison, among the dead. The existing monuments form an ideal order among themselves, which is modified by the introduction of the new (the really new) work of art … the past should be altered by the present as much as the present is directed by the past.
不能孤立地去评价一个人（艺术家）的价值，必须理解他的作品，和其他过世者的作品进行对比。现存的有永久价值的作品构成理想的秩序，被（真正）的新艺术品的引入而修改过去应该被现在所改变，就好像现在是直接源自过去。
About the Authors
C.K. Kum is Kum Kieran ZiJian, an artist, architect and curator-proponent of inter-disciplinary practice in contemporary art. As former President of Sculpture Society Singapore, his creative practice is helping to shape the contemporary art scene in Singapore. He is an overseas member of Ink Forum.
于文·甘·子健是一位艺术家、建筑师和策展人——当代艺术跨学科实践的支持者。作为新加坡雕塑协会前主席，他的创作实践促进着新加坡当代艺术现场的成型。
Klyth Tan Shufeng is a poet, writer, critic, researcher, an editor and ex-journalist. He has penned literary works for poetry anthologies of China, Singapore and Australia as well as in ASLE's international Oxford journal, ISLE (USA).
克莱夫·陈·树峰是一位诗人、作家、评论家、研究员、编辑和曾经的新闻记者。他的文学作品在中国、新加坡和澳大利亚诗歌选集、以及文学与环境研究会的国际牛津期刊《文学与环境跨学科研究》中占据重要位置。
REFERENCES&ANNOTATION
注释和参考文献
[I] Ink Painting at the Crossroads
[第一部分] 水墨画的转折点
[1] Ink Painting refers to works painted with traditional Chinese ink on a ground of xuan paper or silk, and is generally translated as water and ink painting, shuimo hua.
水墨画在此是指绘画于中国宣纸和丝绸上的水墨画，通称“国画”。
[2] On “Six Principles of Paintings” see Xie He, "Guhua Pinlu" ("Old Record of the Classifications of Painters"), 6th century. According to “Chinese Art” by Mary Tregear, Thames & Hudson Ltd, London, 1980 and 1997, pp 94: “Xie He listed 6 points to consider in judging a painting: a) Spiritual Resonance, which means 'vitality'. The ’spirit’ here seems to denote 'nervous energy' which is transmitted from the artist through the brush into his work. b) Bone Method, which means using the brush. This seems to be an allusion to an ancient term dealing with anthroposcopy, which is the reading of the character from the bone structure in the head and body. c) Correspondence to the object, which means the forms. d) Suitability to type, which has to do with the laying on of colour. e) Division and planning, that is, placing and arranging. f) Transmission by copying, that is, the copying of models.”
There are obvious differences between the principles used for creating and evaluating art, despite their apparent similarity.
谢赫，《古画品录》（《画家分类旧记录》），公元六世纪。根据玛丽·特里盖尔所著《中国艺术》，泰晤士和赫德森出版公司，伦敦，1980&1997年，PP.94谢赫列出了评价一幅画时应当考虑的6点：一曰气韵生动，意指“生命力”。这里的“气”似乎是指艺术家通过画笔从其作品中传播‘神经能量’；二曰骨法用笔，意指使用画笔。这似乎是一个针对处理相术的古老术语，是指通过头部和身体的骨骼结构感受人物的性格；三曰应物象形，这意味着形式；四曰随类赋彩，与色彩的运用有关；五曰经营位置，指的是位置和安排；六曰传移模写，即模型的复制。”用于创作和评估艺术作品的原则之间有着明显的差异。
[3] Pi DaoJian, The History of Black and White: 50 Years of Evolution in Ink and Wash, pp. 89-93, in Chinese Art at the End of the Millennium: Chinese-art.com 1998-1999, edited by John Clark, New Art Media Limited 2000.
皮道坚《黑白史：水墨画的50年进化历程》，PP.89-93，编辑约翰·克拉克《千禧年末的中国艺术 》香港新艺媒有限公司，2000年。
[4] Ink Forum is a group of contemporary ink artists.
水墨画展览是当代水墨艺术家的一次群展。
[5] Arnold Chang, Tradition in the Modern Period, pp. xi, in Twentieth-century Chinese Painting, edited by Mayching Kao, Oxford University Press 1988.
Arnold Chang，《二十世纪中国绘画》中的《现代时期的传统》，第xi页，编辑高美庆教授，牛津大学出版社，1988年。
[6] Arnold Chang, Tradition in the Modern Period, pp. 22, in Twentieth-century Chinese Painting, edited by Mayching Kao, Oxford University Press 1988.
Arnold Chang，《二十世纪中国绘画》中的《现代时期的传统》，第22页，编辑高美庆教授，牛津大学出版社，1988年。
[7] James Cahill, The Shanghai School in Later Chinese Painting, pp. 57, in Twentieth-century Chinese Painting, edited by Mayching Kao, Oxford University Press 1988. Shanghai school was the principal school that succeeded Yangzhou school in the second quarter of the 19th century. The influence of jinshijia remains strong and goes beyond painting and calligraphy to include colophon/encomium, seal and other forms of engraving.
James Cahill，《二十世纪中国绘画》中《后期中国绘画的上海学校》，第57页，编辑高美庆教授，牛津大学出版社，1988年。上海学校是19世纪下半叶扬州的著名学校。金石家的影响依然强劲，超越了书画界，其中包括版权页标记/赞辞、印章和其他形式的雕刻艺术。
[8] For “I-hua Lu (Treatise of all inclusive creative painting)”, see Shitao, "Hua Yu Lu" ("Collections of Sayings on Paintings"), 17th century.
对于“I-hua Lu（包容性创意绘画论）”，参见石涛的《画语录》、（《收藏画作的语录》），17世纪。
[9] See Mayching Kao, Foreword, pp. xi, in Twentieth-century Chinese Painting, edited by Mayching Kao, Oxford University Press 1988. pp 57
参见高美庆教授的《二十世纪中国绘画》，PP.xi，编辑高美庆教授，牛津大学出版社，1988年。第57页。
[10] Mayching Kao, Foreword, pp. xxi, in Twentieth-century Chinese Painting, edited by Mayching Kao, Oxford University Press 1988
高美庆教授的《二十世纪中国绘画》，第xxi页，编辑高美庆教授，牛津大学出版社，1988年。
[11] Pi DaoJian, The History of Black and White: 50 Years of Evolution in Ink and Wash, pp. 89-93,, in Chinese Art at the End of the Millennium: Chinese-art.com 1998-1999, edited by John Clark, New Art Media Limited 2000.
皮道坚《黑白史：水墨画的50年进化历程》，PP.89-93，编辑约翰·克拉克《千禧年末的中国艺术》香港新艺媒有限公司，2000年。
[12] In the 1930s and 40s, there were several parallel attempts to create a mode of academic ink painting. Xu Beihong (Academic realist), Liu Haisu (Post-impressionist and Expressionist) and Lin Fengmian (Expressionist and Fauvist) were prominent artists and educators who advocated a new art movement based the concept of East-West synthesis, ZhongXi HePin, by introducing Western art curriculum in Beijing and Zhejiang-Shanghai regions.
在20世纪三、四十年代，有几大并行流派试图创建一种水墨画学术模式。徐悲鸿（学术现实主义者）、刘海粟（后期印象派和表现主义大师）和林风眠（表现主义和野兽派）都是著名的艺术家和教育家，他们主张基于东西方交融的概念，通过在北京、浙江、上海地区引入西方艺术课程，倡导一种新的艺术运动，中西合并。
[13] Michael Sullivan, Art and Reality in Twentieth-century Chinese Painting, pp. 2, in Twentieth-century Chinese Painting, edited by Mayching Kao, Oxford University Press 1988.
Michael Sullivan，《二十世纪中国绘画》中的《二十世纪中国绘画的艺术品与现实》，第2页，编辑高美庆教授，牛津大学出版社，1988年。
[14] May-4th Movement was a socio-cultural response to the failure of Republican government in both its domestic and international policies, and therefore Lu Xun’s objective was to awake the Chinese socio-political conscience through a new form of socialist art.
五四运动是针对共和政府国内和国际政策失败的一种社会文化反应，因此，鲁迅的目标是通过社会主义艺术的新形式，唤醒中国人对于社会政治的良心。
[15] Referring to Mao Zedong, “Yanan Forum on Principles for Art”, 1942.
参阅毛泽东的《艺术原则延安论坛》，1942年。
[16] Of course Zhejiang-Shanghai and Beijing artists were by no means the only schools working in this direction. Changan, Jiangsu and Nanking schools were among the other important e xamples that emerged in the new Academy system.
当然，浙江、上海和北京的艺术家们绝不是在这个方向上努力的唯一学者。长安、江苏和南京的学校是新的学术系统中出现的其他重要范例。
[17] Ink Forum artists in this exhibition are A Hai, Gu Wenda, Lam Fung, Li Jing, Ye YongQing, Liu QingHe , Wu Yi, Wang JinSong, Yuan JinHua and Zhou JingXin.
这次水墨展的画家是谷文达、叶永青、周京新、李津、阿海、王劲松、袁进华、林峰、刘庆和、武艺。
[18] The title is suggested by W. Y. Choy who is an artist, curator, arts writer and a proponent of the art fraternity in post-independent Singapore. His writings on modern art forms in Singapore have influenced the contemporary art scene in Singapore as the 1st curator of National Museum Singapore Art Gallery.
标题是由W·Y·蔡先生建议的，他是一位艺术家、策展人、艺评人，而且还是新加坡独立后艺术联谊会的支持者，作为第一任新加坡国家博物馆美术馆馆长，他关于现代艺术形式的著作促进了新加坡当代艺术的成型。
[19] Arnold Chang, Tradition in the Modern Period, pp. 22, in Twentieth-century Chinese Painting, edited by Mayching Kao, Oxford University Press 1988.
Arnold Chang，《二十世纪中国绘画》中的《现代时期的传统》，第22页，编辑高美庆教授，牛津大学出版社，1988年。
[20] Pi DaoJian, The History of Black and White: 50 Years of Evolution in Ink and Wash, pp. 89-93,, in Chinese Art at the End of the Millennium: Chinese-art.com 1998-1999, edited by John Clark, New Art Media Limited 2000.]
皮道坚《黑白史：水墨画的50年进化历程》，PP. 89-93，编辑约翰·克拉克《千禧年末的中国艺术 》香港新艺媒有限公司，2000年。
[21] Pi DaoJian, The History of Black and White: 50 Years of Evolution in Ink and Wash, pp. 89-93,, in Chinese Art at the End of the Millennium: Chinese-art.com 1998-1999, edited by John Clark, New Art Media Limited 2000.
皮道坚《黑白史：水墨画的50年进化历程》，PP. 89-93，编辑约翰·克拉克《千禧年末的中国艺术 》香港新艺媒有限公司，2000年。
[22] Pi DaoJian, The History of Black and White: 50 Years of Evolution in Ink and Wash, pp. 89-93,, in Chinese Art at the End of the Millennium: Chinese-art.com 1998-1999, edited by John Clark, New Art Media Limited 2000.
皮道坚《黑白史：水墨画的50年进化历程》，PP.89-93，编辑约翰·克拉克《千禧年末的中国艺术 》香港新艺媒有限公司，2000年。
[II] Thinking Ink
[23] Eliot, T. S. (1921). "Tradition and the Individual Talent" in The Sacred Wood'
艾略特·T·S（1921），《圣林》中《传统与个人才能》一文。
[24] Elkins, J. “A New Definition of Contemporary Chinese Ink Painting”. http://www.academia.edu/A_New_Definition_of_Chinese_Ink_Painting.
埃尔金斯·J，《当代中国水墨画的新定义》。