刘海粟美术馆馆长 张培成
提起“墨戏”一般总会想到明清文人画的文人墨戏，此中乃游戏笔墨之意。而我们这个展览借用此词，则为戏曲之戏，即以中国笔墨画中国戏曲的一种较为独特的绘画。近百年来陆陆续续也有不少画家以此戏曲人物作为母题，展现了各人各异笔底粉墨的艺术图式，蔚为大观。
戏曲与绘画的结缘，最早应出现在民间民俗的艺术之中，它们的存在与我们民族的记忆有着千丝万缕的关系。如在民间的剪纸、戏出年画、刘绣、民间玩具、瓷器画纹中．都可以看到戏曲题材的踪影。但是在属于仕族的水墨画中似乎未有所见，这不知是出于仕大夫阶层对于“戏子”的蔑视而不屑呢，还是觉得水墨不擅此道，我也不得而知。但真正将戏曲人物画成为中国水墨画题材一个品类而且达到了极高的艺术境界的应该说从关良开始。
关良上世纪初留学日本，其时正是西欧现代主义在日本盛行之时，关良的油画就深受野兽派的影响，那种既泼辣又淡定沉稳的画风融合了中西绘画的各种性格。关良本人又是一个超级戏迷，他能拉京胡，还专门到科班出身的行家处学戏，买了髯口、马鞭、靴子，熟悉唱、走、锣鼓及各种上马、轿头等动作，为其的戏曲人物画创作做好了生活与情感上的准备。正是他的这种亲历亲为的体验，使他具备了呼之即出的生活基础。又由于他从西画进入的特殊身份，使得他没有什么花鸟、山水、仕女、道释等等题材的藩篱，表现是他唯一的欲望，正是这种由西入中的角色，使得表现自己熟悉的生活成为一种非常自然而然的事情。千万别小觑了这区区的题材小事。排排我们传统型画家中有几人有所突破?齐白石画了几个老鼠、钉耙、算盘已经震惊画坛。而在西画领域中似乎没听说过因题材的改良而那么地引人瞩目的。所以关良的进入绝非偶然，而关良的成功却是必然的。高度程式化的中国戏曲，极端虚拟化的空间感觉、充满了诡异装饰审美情趣的脸谱、服饰，为关良的野兽派绘画语言的融入具备了造型上自由发挥的天然条件。正是这种来自于生活并带有舞蹈的歌剧——京剧，让关良及后来者如鱼得水。关良作品一露面即与传统的文人画拉开了极大的距离，它的生拙、恣肆、笔墨的精炼与中国水墨保持了血统上的承传，但人物开相的奇崛，用笔的刚毅，又与西方的野兽派似有牵连。难怪齐白石见到他作品后，很想见见他，并自告奋勇在关良册页的扉页上欣然挥毫，提写了“关良墨趣”四字。因为他们的追求是共同的，他们的心是相通的。他们早已超出了笔墨的游戏，而进入了笔墨的创造。正是这种绝非是戏墨的墨戏，让戏曲水墨画成为后来许多画家乐于耕耘的一块乐土，成为任其自由驰骋的疆域。从这个意义上来说，关良是戏曲人物画的开山祖实不为过。
戏曲本身高度程式化从另一个角度来审视实在是具有极其高超的形式感。诸多的视觉元素都得之于民间艺术，它的质朴、绚丽、诡异为水墨画家的再创造提供了宽阔的空间与无限多样的可能性。或宽大或紧身的戏服，为造型酿就了天然变形的基因。让画家随心所欲地游戏腕下之线．让线条随着感觉散步。在韩羽、张桂铭、朱振庚的画中都可以感受到此种散步的闲适与优雅，同时还带着一丝诙谐。周京新画水浒人物又转到戏曲人物，他的那些幽默的绿林好汉有部分其实与舞台人物有一点牵连。这也不奇怪，谁见过千年前的梁山好汉，最直观的或许只能是戏曲舞台上，他的打着深深周氏印记的没骨塑形法有力度有笔致更有节奏．独树一帜。聂干因从戏剧脸谱出发，但哪里是在画脸，通过解构都是其心灵的映照。韩羽或许是画过漫画的关系，充满了幽默的哲理，读来令人哑然失笑，回味无穷。他岂止是在戏墨，分明是在读解人生，剖析社会。朱振庚凭借着他超人的造型感觉，崇尚现代而又不入“洋味”，从本土出发，从民间出发，涉猎中外，吞吐古今。他的图式最为丰富，他的作品充满了大智慧．于写实写意、平面立体、古今中外间自由出入，实在是玩家高手。丁立人着迷于民间，戏曲的种种虚虚实实的服饰、道具、背景都被其作了最大限度的调动，营造出独具风采的图式，他的那些人物活动于舞台或自然之间，生拙的造型耐人寻味。
文人的游戏笔墨在此间会现出无奈，然而游戏的心态在此却展露无遗，其实这些画家绝对都是笔墨高手，否则是游戏不起来的，正如乔丹的玩球．可不是人人都可以奢望的。正是中国的戏曲艺术以其独特的东方风韵构筑了一个任你舒展的平台，而这些艺林高手的绝技又是一种约定俗成的游戏规则，于是乔丹们就可以大显身手，游戏变得好玩起来。引得旁观者也忍不住加入进来，当然我也是其中一个。
当今的画坛越来越活跃，但也越来越浮躁，许多人都追逐时尚惟恐不当代。现今的中国处于急不可耐的现代焦虑之中，一种需要被他人承认的焦虑中，而且此他人首先是西方人。我想即使是西方人也不希望看到的是一面镜子里的他，而且还是变了形的哈哈镜。中国文化是一部极其丰富的宝典，中国的民间艺术可以追溯到新石器时代．更可贵的是它一直延续至今，从未断脉，保持着旺盛的生命力，戏曲就是其中一支。与其结缘的戏曲水墨画，始终将触须伸向民间。面向当今。它是一颗在自己土地上萌生的种子，当它长成参天大树时，它还是一张中国脸，当然是一张新的中国脸，因为它不会拒绝一切有益的外国养料。我们的这个展览就是在为它的成长培土、施肥，并让它与世界的人民相见、交流，这或许是一个中国美术馆人的社会责任，因为真正的艺术应该是属于整个人类的。
01
帅靠武生 皮影 纵38厘米，横15厘米 陕西省兴平县
Martial Character in General's Costume with Small Flags Sticking from the Back Shadow puppet height of 38cm, width of 15cm Xingping county of Shaanxi province
02
妖旦 皮影 纵37厘米，横15厘米 陕西省富平县
Yaodan, Negative Old Lady Shadow puppet height of 37cm, width of 15cm Fuping county of Shaanxi province
03
传统剧山东曹县戏曲纸扎
Traditional Opera Opera Paper Objects for Funeral in Coo County of Shandong Province
04
秦琼传艺 戏曲纸扎画谱
Qin Qiong Teaches the Martial Art Model paintings of opera paper objects for funeral
05
陕西陇县河沟寨古社火脸谱
Ancient Shehuo Facial Pattern from Hegou Stockaded Village in Long County of Shaanxi Province
06
黄河流域地区剪纸 11×7cm
Papercuts from the Yellow River Area Height of 11cm, width of 7cm
07
朝邑“小皮影”人物剪纸
Papercuts of Opera Figures from Chaoyi
08
水浒人物(林冲) 河北蔚县民间剪纸 纵38厘米，横15厘米
Character from Water Margin (Lin Chong) Folk papercut of Hebei province's Wei county Height of 38cm, width of 15cm
09
小板戏 无锡彩塑 高7厘米
Xiaoban Opera Colored clay sculpture in Wuxi Height of 7cm
10
刀马人 泥 高11厘米 河北省玉田县
Sword, Horse & Man Clay figurine height of 11cm Yutian county of Hebei province
11
孙悟空 糖 高16厘米
Monkey King Sugar figurine height of 16cm
12
西游记 面塑 高13厘米
Journey to the West Dough figurine height of 13cm
Play Ink & Ink Play
Zhang Peicheng Director of the Liu Haisu Art Museum
When ink play is mentioned, we would usually think of the literate ink play of the Ming and Qing dynasties, a reference to the practice of playing with ink brushwork. The title of this exhibition borrows the wore play from this phrase to encourage the allusion to Chinese opera, i.e. a unique Chinese ink painting about Chinese opera. Over the past century, a great many painters have continually found inspiration in the theme of the Chinese opera figure, using their brushwork spectacularly to produce vanous artistic patterns.
To begin with the link between Chinese opera and painting probably, first appeared in the folk arts, a cultural category whose existence is intimately connected with our national memories. In many folk arts like the paper-cut, the Spring Festival opera picture, the folk toy and the art of porcelain patterning, we may discern the traces of the opera theme, which has always been seemingly absent in the ink painting of the off cial class. Was it due to the official class' disdain towards the opera performers Or did they feel that ink was not suitable in this aspect I have no idea. However, Guan Liang started to transform opera figure painting into a new genre of Chinese ink painting's themes and achieved a realm of sublime art.
At the beginning of last century when modernism from Western Europe was popular in Japan, Guan Liang went to study in Japan and his oil painting was enormously influenced by fauvism, the forceful and steady style incorporating various dispositions of Chinese and western paintings. As a ardent Chinese opera fan, Guan could play jinghu, a two-stringed musical instrument similar to the jingerhu, immersed himself in the teachings of his friend, an opera school graduate, bought Costume whiskers, horsewhips and boots. He became familiar with the songs, the walking, the percussion instruments and all the opera's movements including mounting a horse or carriage, thus preparing himself with his life's foundation. Because his ether foundation came from western painting, he didn't have, the restrictions on classical themes, like the flower and bird, the landscape, the noble woman, Taoism and Buddhism, etc expression as his only desire. Just on account of his role transforming from the western to the eastern, expressing his own familiar life became a very spontaneous matter. We should never underestimate the issue of theme. If we were to look at all the painters of traditional style, how many of them made a break-through? Drawing only some rats, rakes and abaci, Qi Baishi already astounded painting circles, however, in the western painting circle; people had never seen an innovation in theme so conspicuous. Therefore, Guan's entrance was never accidental, and his success was surely inevitable. The Highly choreographed Chinese opera, with its heavy emphasis on imaginary staging, facial patterns and costumes-full of weird decorative aesthetic interest, provides the natural conditions for the fusion of Guan's painting language of fauvism. Just as Beijing opera, a Chinese opera originating from life with dancing, Guan and his successors felt like fish in water. After making his debut, Guan's works appeared to be enormously different from traditional literate painting. It's clumsy, unrestrained yet concise and pithy brushwork seemed to be inherited from Chinese ink art, however his peculiar and prominent figures and resolute brushstrokes seemed to be somewhat related to western fauvism. No wonder Qi Baishi wanted to meet him after seeing his works and joyfully volunteered to write "Guan Liang's Ink Pleasure" on the front page of Guan's painting album. They had the same pursuit and a mutual comprehension. Having already exceeded the playing of brushstroke, they entered the creation of brushstroke. Just the ink play, absolutely not play ink, enabled ink painting of Chinese opera to become a happy land for many successors to diligently work in, and a free realm for them to exert themselves. In this significance, it's not an overestmation to regard Guan as the founder of Chinese opera figure painting.
When viewed from another perspective, the highly choreographed Chinese opera really presents'an extremely sublime formality. Derived from folk art, various visual elements' simplicity, splendor and uniqueness provide extensive space and infinite possibilities for ink painters' re-creation.? Loose or tight costumes brew the genes of natural transformation for modeling, enabling a painter to freely play with the lines under his wrist, to follow his feelings as though he were strolling. In the paintings created by Han Yu, Zhang Guiming and Zhu Zhengeng, we can feel the leisure and elegance of their strolling, while also detecting a level of humor. Zhou Jingxin turns the characters in Water Margin to Chinese opera figures, and his humorous outlaws are partially related with the characters on stage, which is not strange at all. Nobody has ever seen these brave outlaws living almost one thousand years ago, and the most direct vision is probably from the stage of Chinese opera. His modeling without outline marked with his own prominent individuality is forceful, stylistic, rhythmical and unique. Starting from a facia, pattern, Nie Ganyin presents the reflection of his soul through deconstruction more than just facial painting. Perhaps on account of his experience with cartooning, Han Yu's works are full of humorous philosophies, interesting and meaningful. More than just playing with ink, he is virtually deciphering life and analyzing society. Using his extraordinary sense of modeling, Zhu Zhengeng adores the modern style without exotic elements, starting from the domestic and folk arts, and integrating the Chinese, the foreign, the ancient and the present. He has the most abundant patterns, and his works are filled with great intelligence, freely wandering among the realistic and the impressionistic, the two-dimensional and the three-dimensional regardless of time and space, and could really be called a superior player. Enchanted by folk art, Ding Liren maneuvers the symbolic costumes, stage properties and backgrounds in Chinese opera to their fullest extent, creating unique patterns. His figures are living on the stage or in nature, and the clumsy and naive modeling is quite significant.
Here, the literate ink-play presents some helplessness, yet also fully displays its playful attitude. Actually, these painters are all experts in brushwork; otherwise they couldn't play at all, just like Michael Jordan's ball-playing which couldn't be easily achieved by just anybody. Chinese opera art constructs an extensive platform with its unique eastem charm, and their skills are like the rules of a game accepted through common practice, hence these Jordan's could completely exert themselves, and the game becomes interesting, attracting the audience to participate, including me.
The current painting circle is increasingly more active, but also more and more flippant as many pursue the fashionable for fear of not being contemporary. Now, China is experiencing an impatient anxiety about modernity, an anxiety to be admitted by others, especially the westerners. I assume, even the westerners don't expect to see themselves reflected in the mirror, a distorting mirror. Chinese culture is an extremely rich treasure, as Chinese folk art could be traced back to the Neolithic age, and what's more precious is that it has continued through to the present without interruption, maintaining a vigorous vitality with Chinese opera as one of its branches. Ink painting of Chinese opera always stretches its antennae to the folk, facing the contemporary. It is a seed germinating in its own land and when it grows into a very tall tree it still has a Chinese face, certainly a new Chinese face, yet one that deny any wholesome foreign nourishment. This exhibition is to cultivate and fertilize it, enabling it to meet and exchange with the people of the world, which is probably the social responsibility of a member of our Chinese art museums because the real art should belong to all humankind.
01
Martial Character in General's Costume with Small Flags Sticking from the Back Shadow puppet height of 38cm, width of 15cm Xingping county of Shaanxi province
02
Yaodan, Negative Old Lady Shadow puppet height of 37cm, width of 15cm Fuping
county of Shaanxi province
03
Traditional Opera Opera Paper Objects for Funeral in Coo County of Shandong Province
04
Qin Qiong Teaches the Martial Art Model paintings of opera paper objects for funeral
05
Ancient Shehuo Facial Pattern from Hegou Stockaded Village in Long County of Shaanxi Province
06
Papercuts from the Yellow River Area Height of 11cm, width of 7cm
07
Papercuts of Opera Figures from Chaoyi
08
Character from Water Margin (Lin Chong) Folk papercut of Hebei province's Wei county Height of 38cm, width of 15cm
09
Xiaoban Opera Colored clay sculpture in Wuxi Height of 7cm
10
Sword, Horse & Man Clay figurine height of 11cm Yutian county of Hebei province
11
Monkey King Sugar figurine height of 16cm
12
Journey to the West Dough figurine height of 13cm
