The art of Wu, Shi Wei- Ink Painting Artist of Taiwan《懸知君能詩．寄聲花語中》

[顏雪花Catherine Yen]

Clear spring Profound Beauty (Private collection)

Heart of emptiness (private collection)

《懸知君能詩．寄聲花語中》


2001年秋，我到台北開會，會後趁著搭機返高的空檔至好友家中小坐，好友取出一本畫冊要我好好欣賞，那是畫家吳士偉的畫選──《似錦繁華》；我快速翻閱著，畫中濃厚的文人氣質深深吸引了我的目光，隨後被一幅名為「晚靄」(1997)的作品震撼了，畫中氛圍不正是魏晉風格的蕭散、浪漫嗎？！賦色巧妙，用筆新細，內涵清奇，在妍麗中透著一絲淡淡的空寂與滄涼，我禁不住在當下請朋友幫我撥電話給畫家，我只想問他，我可以馬上去看他的畫嗎？可惜畫家不在，我只好搭機返高，但回到家，我旋即再次撥了電話，結果聯絡上畫家，素昧平生的兩個人就如此一南一北地在電話中聊了許多有關他繪畫中的元素、精神、色彩及文學自覺的總總。我那時非常希望能收藏「晚靄」這幅畫，然而畫家告訴我，該畫已被「東海大學美術館」所珍藏了，我心中固有失落，但還是與畫家相約是年年底的見面，我要親睹那些美麗而動人的畫作。

　　踏入吳士偉的畫室，迎面而來的是枯荷蓮蓬，乾燥的南天竹與奇石，桌上佈滿他的畫稿，書櫃中擺著各式各樣的銅製人形、虎形筆擱與文鎮，亂而不亂的畫室中處處充滿驚奇，室外亦種滿清麗盎然的羽竹及各種不知名但玲瓏有致的盆栽，原來這些都是他繪畫中的元素；我更在他的書房中欣賞到他收藏十多年的銀鎖片、點翠與刺繡，這些銀、鎏金銅、琺瑯及織錦絲織物上豐富多彩的圖案均風姿萬千地點點化做他的落墨花了。

　　我看著那一幅幅的畫，小小的瓶中卻供養著伸展至畫幅頂端的繁花與枝椏，我不禁喟嘆地問了一句：「士偉，你的雙手伸向無邊際的天空，你在尋找什麼？」，我在忽然之間就明白他了，明白他的細膩，明白他的多情，明白他的浪漫，也明白他執著的美麗與哀愁，原來情深處，可以成灰、成雪，這一切都在他的畫中說了。

　　士偉的作品以窄長的條幅、冊頁、扇面、鏡屏、橫枇及中堂呈現，這些繪畫方式自古以來即與文人生活有不可切割的關係，文人畫的宗旨在於玩賞，在於逸筆草草，它不在喧嚷畫作的偉大，而是傾訴內心最深處的底蘊。

　　這五年多來，看著士偉的努力不輟，他的謙虛為懷一路引領他精進向前，他不斷的參加畫展，既以古人為師，也以近人為師，他用各種不同的素材、技法對畫面經營與渲染，使厚實的畫面透露著畫家欲表現的内涵，作品中之撞水、撞粉法，貼以金箔、銀箔，或以膠彩、礬水等之製作手法，讓他作品的畫面更顯豐富而華麗。他採用一個或數個瓶花的組合意象，各自由不同的線條、符號來傳達，墨線、墨點或勾勒填彩或色線、色點、色墨之交融亦展露著不同的生命情態，這種以一種簡單而生活化的物體與題材，優雅及抒情的筆調，將自己的情感化做點點繁星。資深畫家洪根深先生曾帶一群畫家與學生到敝舍欣賞吳士偉的畫作，他說：「大家都在問，水墨畫的未來在那裡？現在，我終於在吳士偉的畫裡找到現代水墨畫的未來了！」

　　吳士偉2006至2007年的作品內涵更呈多元，他不僅在中國水墨裡研究如何以材料突破繪畫的有限，更以西洋美術之哲理為輔，使畫面多了抽象的元素。他師法黃賓虹繪畫的渾厚華滋，以側鋒、中鋒、飛白、點墨、點色法綴以篆書的原理來表現植栽的實量感，畫中也看得見今人陳蔭羆繪畫對他的影響；士偉終於突破有限色彩的妍婉秀麗而走向更具內涵、更富哲理的藝術領域，他幾幅以金、銀箔、墨彩繪成的畫作表現得那麼雍容大度，堂堂走來只怕觀者需具備更深度的美術史觀及文學涵養才得窺其中堂奧。

　　畫家在他2005年的論文集《探尋生命中的花草幽徑──吳士偉水墨創作圖錄及理念解析》中提及：「至今在創作上發表了九次的個展及近五十次的聯展，一次次都等於是一次完整的省思與回顧，其實繪畫對我來說就是生活之餘一種心境的表達與宣洩，心靈沉澱過濾之後的一些記錄。就如同每天寫日記般，表現自己不同的心情與生活的不同面向。人有靈性的真理知覺，也有澎湃的激情，情與理的平衡，則是一生一世的功課，讓陽光由烏雲中透出是一種努力，也是一種享受。」這些文字，入眼驚心，他的努力是多麼的一生一世，他的無悔也是如此一生一世，他在無悔中努力，他也在努力中享受，我見到了一個真摯的畫家所能給自己的使命與榮譽，在每一個剎那的感動裡完成生命的記錄。

　　寫至此，僅祝福士偉以一貫不苟的理想與執著，以一種進取的冒險精神「借古以開今」並「引西以潤中」，努力探尋，並發掘時代所包蘊的一切，進而融入內心，表現自我，並體認時代意義與個人關係，凝聚自我心靈力量，期使水墨畫在現代也能邁開大步與時代精神對話。（借吳士偉語）更期望他2007年12月的畫展成功，並預祝他時時尋得安順舒暢的出口，內心常存似錦繁華。


Inlay the Music and Lyric onto the Painting -The art of Wu, Shi Wei

Knowing Wu Shi Wei in year 2001 autumn, I was introduced by my best friend-Xiao to read Wu's painting albums, I was appealed by those paintings in aesthetic and scholastic mood and quality, and therefore I asked my friend to dial the phone call for me , I would like to have a chat with the artist first, but he was not in , so I tried to call him while I came back from Taipei to Kaohsiung. I was impressed by the paintiang atmosphere, I suddenly undertand ,his paintings should be attributed to the stylistic WeiJing dynasty, and this is my strong thinkings, it's full of brilliance and sorrow , the unique technique and fabulous hues denotes the charm to the viewers.

I was actually hope to collect one of the paintins in the album, it named "Night Cloud"; while I asked and requested, Wu advised that "Night Cloud" had been collected by the Art Center of Tung Hai University, although I have a little bit disappointed, I still felt grateful and happy due to both of the art center and me were have the same appreciation of that wonderful painting. I therefore decided to visit his studio next time while I was in Taipei.

Upon entering Wu's studio, I saw the withered lotus with cupule in the vessel, various dried flowers, branches and stones, his painting drafts were spreaded on the table, kinds of study treasures kept gracefully in the cabinets, the studio got a little bit in chaos but still beautifully displayed as an artist's home. He plants various kinds of bamboos, all these wonderful things are becoming the essance and elements to enrich his paintings. He also collects embroidery, silver products, gilted things and vases, the patterns on these collected things brought him inspiration, they become the shining ink spots on his paintings.

I saw the paintings carefully, he paints mostly the flowers and branche stretching out to the top of the Xuan paper,but inplanted and arranged in a small bottle or vase, I exclaimed and asked:" Shi Wei, you stretched out your hands toward the heaven and what you are searching for?" I suddenly understand him, understand his emotion, understand his delication, understand his romantics, beauty, sentiment and sorrow, and yet,I found the deep emotion can become ashes and snow.

Wu's painting displayed in various styles including scroll條幅, leaf冊頁, fan扇面, mirror鏡屏 and rolled up shapes手卷, all these painting styles are associated with the old paintings as the ancient masters did, the scholastic painter as Wu didn't intend to shout out his greatness but simply show his innate sense and emotion.

Thru the five years hard working and humbleness to pursue his forthcoming life object, he participated many group or solo exhibitions, he pattened either the old masters or the recent ones, he uses different techniques and materials to develop and adorn his paintings, the trial makes his painting reveal the innate spirits, and the overlaid inks and colors enrich the texture and surface of the painting. His technique including "Zuang Suei"撞水, "Zuang Fen"撞粉,"Gi(accumulate) Mo "積墨, "Po(spread) Mo "潑墨,"Pou(break) Mo"破墨, he also applies the technique of kirigane (gold foil)金箔, silver銀箔 or black foils黑箔, gouache膠彩 and alum water礬水, these methods make his paintings become sufficient and brilliant. He not only display a strong expression of burshworks, but embodies the intricate variation of colors. He uses single or multiple vases to form the differnt shapes, he freely painted by differnt points, spots , lines or symbols to express his feeling, and all the melting color lines, color spots and inks display his kinds of life mood, he uses the simplist matters and topic gracefully and lyrically depict his life attitude and art.

The senior ink painting artist, Professor Hung, Keng Shen ever visited my collection, and after he saw Wu ShiWei's paintiing, he said" Everybody asks where is the future of Chinese ink painting, now I finally found it in Wu Shi Wei's paintings!"

Wu Shi Wei also takes the trial combining the philosophy of western arts' technique as the support and chinese arts ones as the base in order to enrich the elements of his paintings. He patterns the technique of the recent renown artists- George Chann and Huang, BinHong, he overlaid the thick and glamourous colors and ink onto his painting, he was inspired and influenced by the two masters, but he is not actually followed them totally, he gets his own style, spirits and characteristics. He realized his achievement of clear and acute status in arts life, he also forms invisibly a distinguishing characteristics of melancholy aloof and like a soliloquiat but self-examines.I think he would never regret to be an artist, it is worth noticing that the choice of practicing ink monochrome, colors and gouache painting indeed signified a well-through gentle resistance against the overall environment.

Wu ShiWei is going to have his solo exhibition in December, 2007 at "Elegant Gallery" in Taipei, I sincerely wish his success in this exhibition, also hope he found the outlet for his soul smoothly and confortably , and filled his heart with thriving ,beauty and glamour.

[顏雪花Catherine Yen]

This was originally a Chinese preface of Wu Shi Wei's painting album "芳菲傳馨 " written in early 2007, then translated into English and posted in "Problog" accordingly.