黃鋼近來(lái)的創(chuàng)作將他本身推向國(guó)際關(guān)注的焦點(diǎn)，他近年參與了多次重要的展覽及在拍賣(mài)場(chǎng)上成功獲得收藏家的親睞。他近期的創(chuàng)作主要包含了曼陀羅，菩提樹(shù)，舊皮箱子，五角星系列。我認(rèn)為他的作品主要探索了抽象藝術(shù)的本源：一、藝術(shù)儀式化，二、藝術(shù)物質(zhì)化，并且具有獨(dú)特的技法和氣勢(shì)。
空間的時(shí)間感 Upon Time and Space
黃鋼將抽象藝術(shù)引導(dǎo)到強(qiáng)調(diào)社會(huì)性，批判性，遠(yuǎn)離了強(qiáng)調(diào)色彩，線條等藝術(shù)語(yǔ)言的視覺(jué)與心理作用；他的作品超越純粹抽象，用東方的抽象語(yǔ)言延展了抽象繪畫(huà)的意義。他從2002年開(kāi)始就不斷地在畫(huà)抽象畫(huà)，對(duì)他來(lái)說(shuō)，趙無(wú)極是他相當(dāng)心儀的抽象派大師，他對(duì)趙的在用筆中融合中國(guó)書(shū)法技巧和在對(duì)畫(huà)面經(jīng)營(yíng)上應(yīng)用中國(guó)式宇宙觀特別欣賞，對(duì)他的作品上分析，趙無(wú)極似乎有意識(shí)或無(wú)意識(shí)的影響了他對(duì)抽象畫(huà)的概念，但就我看來(lái)，他的作品相比趙卻更加的中國(guó)式也更加的西方式。他對(duì)空間的營(yíng)造更立足于再現(xiàn)中國(guó)式的宇宙觀，這種觀點(diǎn)是來(lái)自于他受到中國(guó)南宋山水畫(huà)的意境及東方美學(xué)思想的影響。
黃鋼使用了壓克力顏料，結(jié)合中國(guó)特有的透明植物大漆（lacquer），用特別渲染的方法多次添加。他用作品質(zhì)感來(lái)營(yíng)造出南宋山水畫(huà)中的朦朧空間感，造成視覺(jué)上對(duì)空間的不確定性，進(jìn)而產(chǎn)生了空間感，他在畫(huà)面上也大量使用濕筆等中國(guó)技法待干之后再不斷反復(fù)的覆蓋上去，一層又一層，有時(shí)候他也會(huì)將已完成的部分除去，再重新來(lái)一遍，最后使顏色之間沒(méi)有明顯的交接線。他所表現(xiàn)的空間感因此是近于中國(guó)式的自然觀察而不同于西方式的強(qiáng)調(diào)視覺(jué)透視。
黃鋼對(duì)畫(huà)面空間的營(yíng)造導(dǎo)致他產(chǎn)生了一種獨(dú)特的用筆，他偏好使用大筆，側(cè)鋒強(qiáng)調(diào)畫(huà)面的動(dòng)感而非細(xì)節(jié)。他創(chuàng)作時(shí)更強(qiáng)調(diào)使用畫(huà)筆的力量和用筆的速度和運(yùn)動(dòng)方向。他的用筆造成了空間的流動(dòng)感，更因此加深了空間的不確定性，不難發(fā)現(xiàn)黃鋼對(duì)畫(huà)筆的運(yùn)用基于他長(zhǎng)期對(duì)中國(guó)書(shū)法的了解和實(shí)踐，與其說(shuō)他的作品是畫(huà)出來(lái)的，倒不如可以說(shuō)他的作品是寫(xiě)出來(lái)的，我認(rèn)為他的作品中空間感的再現(xiàn)是相當(dāng)獨(dú)特而且是相當(dāng)深刻的。他的空間感并非視覺(jué)的再現(xiàn)，而是經(jīng)由畫(huà)筆的運(yùn)動(dòng)痕跡對(duì)觀者所帶來(lái)的時(shí)間感，進(jìn)一步來(lái)說(shuō)，他所營(yíng)造的空間感是由時(shí)間將所再現(xiàn)出來(lái)的是一種觀者感知上的投射，基于筆者的分析，我們便不難了解為何觀者在欣賞黃鋼的作品畫(huà)面時(shí)會(huì)感到畫(huà)面在不停的變動(dòng)，像是一幅活的畫(huà)，充滿(mǎn)靈性。我個(gè)人認(rèn)為黃鋼的作品體現(xiàn)了中國(guó)道教式的宇宙觀，宇宙是變化不斷的，就像是由源源不斷的力量所衍生而來(lái)。這也就是為什么我認(rèn)為黃鋼的作品比趙無(wú)極的作品更具中國(guó)式的繪畫(huà)表現(xiàn)及宇宙觀，是基于深刻的理解之上的獨(dú)特實(shí)踐。
藝術(shù)魔法 The Magic of Art
就另一方面來(lái)說(shuō)，我認(rèn)為黃鋼對(duì)抽象畫(huà)和西方抽象畫(huà)大師康丁斯基的作品產(chǎn)生相當(dāng)有意義的對(duì)話，眾所周知，康丁斯基為抽象畫(huà)的先驅(qū)大師，對(duì)他而言，抽象畫(huà)的意義不單是視覺(jué)形象上的單純化，而是一種精神層面上的追求，他的基本著作總結(jié)了抽象畫(huà)中所表現(xiàn)的視覺(jué)能量，對(duì)康丁斯基來(lái)說(shuō)，抽象畫(huà)中更重要是說(shuō)籍由這種能量，觀者可以由畫(huà)面體驗(yàn)到如宗教般的精神力量，這種對(duì)抽象畫(huà)的理解幫助我們解釋了黃鋼抽象畫(huà)的另一層觸及到的意義。
我們都知道黃鋼的創(chuàng)作來(lái)源很大部分是根于他對(duì)西藏佛教長(zhǎng)久的學(xué)習(xí)和理解，從材料來(lái)說(shuō)，他近期作品是選自西藏的印版經(jīng)和舊皮箱子，他將印版經(jīng)或舊皮箱子拼在一起作為畫(huà)板，從構(gòu)圖來(lái)說(shuō)，他取材于藏傳佛教中的曼陀羅為形式，是一種佛教的宇宙觀。除此之外，籍由康丁斯基對(duì)抽象畫(huà)的理解，我們現(xiàn)在可以體會(huì)到他作品中和宗教的關(guān)聯(lián)表現(xiàn)在我上述談到的他作品所產(chǎn)生能量上，在這里，黃鋼和康丁斯基對(duì)繪畫(huà)的了解不是形式或視覺(jué)地再現(xiàn)而是觀者冥想的一個(gè)視窗，從藝術(shù)理論的角度而言，有學(xué)者就把藝術(shù)認(rèn)為是一種魔法，不是一種視覺(jué)幻覺(jué)，而是根植于人類(lèi)在物質(zhì)環(huán)境中的宇宙生成未知的、原始的、永恒的依存。
物質(zhì)化的繪畫(huà) Materialized Painting
中國(guó)當(dāng)代藝術(shù)近幾年的發(fā)展已開(kāi)始尋求一種新的藝術(shù)概念和美學(xué)以脫離自80年代以來(lái)以西方形式和圖像為主流的現(xiàn)象。這一方面是源于藝術(shù)市場(chǎng)上不斷求新求變的市場(chǎng)邏輯，另一方面更是源于藝術(shù)家對(duì)自身創(chuàng)作的要求與滿(mǎn)足感，黃鋼對(duì)近期幾個(gè)系列反映了他對(duì)新的藝術(shù)潮流的探索。他的作品強(qiáng)調(diào)了架上繪畫(huà)的手藝、技藝和生活性，他將長(zhǎng)年收集到的西藏宗教及生活材料加以加工組合，同時(shí)也強(qiáng)調(diào)這些材料在生活中的時(shí)間性和精神性。他似乎想籍由此將中國(guó)的架上繪畫(huà)拉回到更本質(zhì)的創(chuàng)作層面上，而非主流中的強(qiáng)調(diào)概念及圖像似的應(yīng)用，也就是說(shuō)，繪畫(huà)的意義不是在創(chuàng)作后的視覺(jué)再現(xiàn)而是包含了創(chuàng)作中的創(chuàng)作過(guò)程和創(chuàng)作前材料的選用，繪畫(huà)的本質(zhì)是和物質(zhì)緊密地結(jié)合在一起的，因?yàn)檫@些材料具有巨大的能量，經(jīng)過(guò)時(shí)空的轉(zhuǎn)換，這些能量被藝術(shù)家放大，釋放出來(lái)。黃鋼的強(qiáng)調(diào)繪畫(huà)的物質(zhì)性和中國(guó)當(dāng)代藝術(shù)家反繪畫(huà)物質(zhì)性有極大的差別。黃鋼作品的特點(diǎn)受到他的經(jīng)歷的影響。黃鋼畢業(yè)于中央工藝美院環(huán)境藝術(shù)系，從大學(xué)的訓(xùn)練中，他對(duì)材料的認(rèn)識(shí)和應(yīng)用比油畫(huà)專(zhuān)業(yè)的更為深刻。因此在他的作品中他更希望是選用現(xiàn)成物。籍由對(duì)現(xiàn)成物的藝術(shù)處理，語(yǔ)言轉(zhuǎn)換，使其具有的精神能量按照藝術(shù)家的創(chuàng)造思想去發(fā)展，他的藝術(shù)能將這些現(xiàn)成物所具有的精神力量和藝術(shù)產(chǎn)生一種關(guān)聯(lián)。
黃鋼對(duì)宗教力量的探討也反映到了政治層面上，在他近期的作品五星系列中，我們可以發(fā)現(xiàn)，他將紅色五角星或毛澤東的肖像和他的中國(guó)式美學(xué)及西藏印經(jīng)版并置，直接的產(chǎn)生了這些紅色經(jīng)典符號(hào)和宗教符號(hào)的對(duì)比，前者是直接的，色彩強(qiáng)烈的；后者是間接的，顏色溫和的。黃鋼恰好能夠?qū)⑦@兩者的差別藉由視覺(jué)效果表現(xiàn)出來(lái)，但我認(rèn)為，他的作品另外重要的是在表現(xiàn)兩者的共同性。藉由并置政治和宗教這看似不相干的思想來(lái)邀請(qǐng)觀眾探索兩者的關(guān)聯(lián)，結(jié)果是顯而易見(jiàn)的，正如他的作品巧妙地展現(xiàn)。這兩種思想都是一種精神力的創(chuàng)作物，都是一種信仰。五角星是常出現(xiàn)在社會(huì)主義社會(huì)的政治符號(hào)，但它更常代表一種前衛(wèi)力量的展現(xiàn)，它代表反叛、革命的力量，對(duì)理想主義的最高追求，這種追求不正是和宗教所提倡的理想主義有共同性嗎？所以我認(rèn)為黃鋼對(duì)政治和宗教的取材不是單純的停留在形式主義上，而是更深一層的探索兩者背后的深層意義。
結(jié)論 Conclusion
在中國(guó)當(dāng)代藝術(shù)家的創(chuàng)作主題中，除了大家耳熟能詳?shù)恼晤}材或是消費(fèi)文化符號(hào)外，中國(guó)的古代文化也是一部分藝術(shù)家較為關(guān)注，尤其以海外極為國(guó)際知名的藝術(shù)家為主，如徐冰使用中國(guó)的印刷術(shù)，蔡國(guó)強(qiáng)借用中國(guó)煙火，黃永砯采用中國(guó)民間宗教及巫術(shù)。他們的創(chuàng)作會(huì)引起國(guó)內(nèi)外關(guān)注的主要原因是他們有系統(tǒng)地、巧妙地將中國(guó)古老智慧轉(zhuǎn)變成了當(dāng)代藝術(shù)形式，這既是中國(guó)的，又是全球的，既是古代的，也是當(dāng)代的，正是這種多元性或是矛盾性體現(xiàn)了他們藝術(shù)的本質(zhì)，而我認(rèn)為黃鋼的作品也放在此一脈絡(luò)來(lái)討論，并為其藝術(shù)找到一個(gè)學(xué)術(shù)上的定位，他借用作品來(lái)表達(dá)中國(guó)式的宇宙觀，藉由抽象藝術(shù)的語(yǔ)言來(lái)表達(dá)一種無(wú)形的精神及能量。
但我認(rèn)為黃鋼的作品不僅于此，他同時(shí)也藉由作品來(lái)尋找一種屬于中國(guó)文人式的當(dāng)代藝術(shù)。黃鋼出生和成長(zhǎng)在北京，從小生長(zhǎng)在具有深厚中國(guó)文化歷史底蘊(yùn)的家庭，他喜歡收藏藝術(shù)品，無(wú)論是當(dāng)代藝術(shù)或是古董，他對(duì)藝術(shù)有著敏銳而深刻的洞察力。在如此強(qiáng)烈的中國(guó)文化薰陶下，對(duì)他來(lái)說(shuō)，藝術(shù)家不是一個(gè)職業(yè)，更不是一種工作，而是一種生活方式和對(duì)事物觀察的本能，也就是一種自然而然的審美能力和對(duì)事物再現(xiàn)能力的實(shí)現(xiàn)。在中國(guó)當(dāng)代藝術(shù)中，這種對(duì)藝術(shù)家個(gè)人的認(rèn)識(shí)是很根本的事。中國(guó)書(shū)畫(huà)家講求與自然、山水的融合與對(duì)話，而創(chuàng)作是基于此的延伸，相對(duì)于西方藝術(shù)來(lái)說(shuō)，藝術(shù)家較強(qiáng)調(diào)概念的再現(xiàn)。黃鋼的架上繪畫(huà)是在兩者兼具中顯示出其獨(dú)特性和創(chuàng)作性。
楊心一（美國(guó)康乃爾大學(xué)藝術(shù)史博士）
On Huang Gang’s Creativity of Abstract Painting
Shinyi Yang
Huang Gang’s recent artwork has made him a major/chasing/catchy focus under international spotlight, along with participating in many significant exhibitions and receiving great attention by art collectors in auction. His recent works mainly contain elements like Mandala, Pipal, old luggage case, and star. His works have explored the origin of abstract art, including its ritualization and materialization, as well as developing his own technique and style.
Upon Huang Gang’s abstract painting, he has led art from depicting conventional artistic language – the color and lines – to a stage that emphasizes more on the society and criticism. With Eastern abstract language, Huang’s work transcends pure abstract painting and extends its meaning. In fact, he has been working on abstract painting since 2002, and has always considered Zao Wou-Ki as a great master. The way that Zao blends writing skill of Chinese calligraphy into brushwork and the cosmic arrangement on the canvas both consciously or unconsciously affect Huang Gang’s creation upon abstract painting. But to me, he presents both more of Chinese and Western styles in his own work. The spatial construction is built to represent Chinese conception on cosmos which he derived from Chinese landscape painting and Eastern aesthetics.
Huang Gang adopts lacquer, a special transparent material extracted from Chinese lacquer, to combine it with acrylic and then paints over and over. The texture in work is created in a misty, airy atmosphere which provides spatial uncertainty. On the other hand, he would use lots of wet strokes and then repeatedly covers paints on where he has drawn before. Sometimes he would even discard the finished part just to start it all over again. Thus, the space he presents is close to natural observation of Chinese style, instead of Western perspective.
The way that Huang Gang creates space naturally constructs his own painting skill. He prefers to use big brush so that the side tip could express dynamic momentum. In addition, he emphasizes much on power, speed, and direction of brushwork in order to give painting a sense of floating. It is clear that Chinese calligraphy has planted deeply in Huang Gang’s mind and has further influenced his creation. In a sense, I think the work tends to be finished through “writing” rather than “painting,” and the representation of how he constructs space in painting is indeed extraordinary and profound. To discuss more specifically, the space is projected by the time feeling when audience looks at the painting. Therefore, Huang Gang’s work seems to be moving lively and vividly with spirit. Last but not least, it well-presents Taoist cosmic conception that the universe never stops changing or providing energy. And this is why I consider Huang Gang’s work manifests more Chineseness than Zao Wou-Ki’s work.
Looking from another aspect, I think Huang Gang’s work also generates some very interesting interaction with Wassily Kandinsky’s painting. To a master of abstract painting like Kandinsky, the significance of abstract painting does not merely lie on simplifying what we see for images. It is human being’s pursuit for spiritual strength that better explains. According to Kandinsky’s published writings, abstract painting delivers visual energy. And what’s more important is that visual energy enables audience to experience a religion-like power. As a result, Kandinsky’s interpretation helps us to excavate into a deeper level in Huang Gang’s creation.
It is widely known that the origin of Huang Gang’s creation derives from years of learning for Tibetan Buddhist knowledge. Upon material, he selects Tibetan Buddhist scriptures and old luggage case, and then combines them to become painting board. Upon structure, he adopts Mandala, a Buddhist cosmic conception, to form the major image. And through Kandinsky’s statement, we experiences that religion-like energy for both Huang Gang and Kandinsky regard painting not as a representation about form or vision, but a window for audience to think and meditate. Hence, there are some scholars consider art to be a kind of magic – magic that has long existed in human being’s materialized environment.
In recent years, the development of Chinese contemporary art has begun to seek a brand new artistic conception and aesthetics so as to getting rid of the dominant form and image of Western mainstream since 1980s. The phenomenon is caused from the idea that art constantly seeks for changes, and artists never stop pursuing more self-fulfillment for creating. For example, Huang Gang’s recent series show out his exploration on new artistic trend. It emphasizes technique and life. Moreover, the combination of Tibetan objects also explains how important these materials are in the meaning of time and spirit. It seems that he tries to lead China’s current creation onto a more substantial aspect, instead of keeping using mainstream’s concept. In other words, the meaning of artwork is not only how a painting looks after creation, but includes the creating process and the selection of material. The essence of painting is closely connected to materials for they possess enormous energy to be released by artists. In fact, what Huang Gang emphasizes – the materiality of painting – has a very huge difference with what Chinese contemporary artists oppose. Huang Gang graduated from the Department of Environmental Art (the Central Academy of Arts and Design) where he received much more trainings and application on material than oil paint. Therefore, he tends to utilize the ready-made in his artwork. By transforming the meaning of the ready-made, their spiritual energy is able to develop in the way Huang Gang conceives, so that the spirit poses a connection with his art.
Furthermore, Huang Gang’s exploration on religious energy also reflects political circumstances. In his recent star series, he puts red star or portrait of Mao Tse-Tung together with the Buddhist scripture, causing contrast in boldness and moderation, eye-catchy color and mild tone. It is evident that Huang Gang, through visual effect, skillfully presents differences between the two components, but it is more important that he shows their mutuality. The two ideologies are the products representing spirit and belief. The red star is a political symbol commonly seen in socialist society, but it has a more crucial meaning standing for avant-garde thinking. It represents rebellion, revolution, as well as the supreme status of idealism, which happens to meet the same idealism of religion. This is why I believe Huang Gang does not simply go for formalism when he selects political and religious subjects, but explores deeper meaning behind them.
Among Chinese contemporary artists’ creating subjects, there are commonly-used political issue, consumerist symbol, as well as Chinese ancient culture. The last one, in particular, provokes unique creativity by overseas artists. Works like Xu Bing’s printmaking, Cai Guo-Qiang’s gunpowder, Huang Yong-Ping’s adoptation from folklore belief and witchcraft become great examples of this type. Their creation rouses attention from all over the world mainly because they, systematically and artfully, transfer ancient Chinese wisdom into contemporary art form. This new art is presented in both Chinese and global style, ancient and modern look. And it is the kind of diversity, or contradiction, that manifests what their art is. In this way, Huang Gang’s work is suitable for placing into this genre, and suitable for defining it in academic research.
In general, Huang Gang expresses Chinese cosmic conception through artwork, realizing intangible spirit and energy through abstract art language. Meanwhile, he tries to search an exclusive feature of contemporary art that belongs to Chinese literati. To analyze Huang Gang’s background, he is an artist born in Beijing and he personally also likes to collect artwork, whether contemporary art or antique. The way that he was raised in a family deeply soaked in Chinese culture cultivates him to possess a keen, profound perception toward art. Under such circumstance, it is very natural that being an artist is neither a career, nor a job. To him, it is a life style, an instinct of observing the world, as well as a practice of representing beauty. When traditional Chinese painters stress on the interaction between the nature and human being, Western artists focus on individual concept. Therefore, Huang Gang’s painting manages to balance between the two, showing his uniqueness and creativity.
【編輯：霍春?！?/p>
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