有故事发生的地方——评戴增钧油画新作

杨维民

 

品味那些用心创作出的艺术品时，可以通过其特有的气质领略创作者本人的个性。有些画家的作品给人惊鸿一瞥的震撼，有些则在细节中隐藏着妙趣横生的“机关”。身材魁梧的戴增钧有着北方汉子的实在与豪爽，而在他的作品中我们却总能发现他细腻而敏感的情怀，在不动声色中用“瞬间”讲述韵味绵长的故事的本领令人赞叹。

 

将一个又一个的瞬间在观者的脑海中拓展为五彩斑斓的故事是绘画艺术最大的魅力，“故事性”也成了戴增钧创作的一大亮点：在芳草繁花中，如婴儿般赤裸的主人公陶醉地呼吸手中鲜花的芬芳；自溺于池塘中，仿佛在寻找失落之物的男人；在平静的池水中，看不出是游弋还是挣扎的人，扑打出的水波慢慢散开；与池塘中的金鱼嬉耍的看不清面容的孩童；在浪漫的玫瑰园中一次完美的野合……这些故事被一幅幅“镜头感”十足的画面呈现着，如同《桃花源记》中武陵人对世外桃源的窥视，又仿佛画家站在他人的视角审视自己的梦境。站在画面前似乎可以听到自远方传来枝头飞鸟的鸣叫之声、孩童清澈的笑声、击打水花之声，喘息之声……

 

    反复品读画家为他这系列作品写下的文字：“于是想逃跑，在假期拼命的奔向名山大川、瀚海幽林，然而感受更多的却是旅途劳顿、人多拥挤、食宿难安。城市态已然象如来佛的掌心，强力粘吸着这些被异化的躯体，让精神疲惫挣扎。”由衷地赞同！

 

这个社会挣脱了“存天理，灭人欲”的枷锁还没多久就迅速奔了另一极端，一切打着“提高人们生活质量”旗号——实则满足人类欲望的活动——都是被允许的。我们高速进入了消费社会、娱乐社会、媒体社会、城市社会、工业社会……在这过程中，我们失去的未必少于我们获得的。

 

也是因为此，在他的画中有着“少无适俗韵，性本爱丘山”的追忆，亦有着“误落尘网中，一去三十年”的喟叹……在对心灵自由无限眷恋的驱使下，画家用画笔描绘出如同陶渊明笔下的世外桃源和梭罗笔下的瓦尔登湖一般的归隐之处。

 

当 “每个人都有自己心中的什么什么”这种万能型句式被用在各种各样的地方之后，我们是否有足够的底气说“每个人都有自己心中的世外桃源”？而将这种“对田园生活的向往”视作普世价值的想法已然成了自作多情。更多的今人在读陶渊明的诗句时，让他们向往的早已不是“采菊东篱下，悠然见南山”的恬静，而是“方宅十余亩，草屋八九间”的阔绰。更可悲的是这世上究竟还有多少世外桃源能让我们心驰神往？还有多少瓦尔登湖能让我们涤荡心灵？

 

在政治波普型的作品当道的时代，戴增钧在用个人化的画面语言“不谈风云，只谈风月”。看着他画笔下的那些有故事的地方，总能让仍然心存诗情之人感到一丝慰藉与期望。

 

 

 

When we gaze at a work of art, we don’t just look at the picture as a mere painting, more often than not, those who really appreciate art can’t help but get bent on trying to unravel what the image is really all about, what is more to those figures, lines, hues, curves, blocks, etc. and then when we have come up with a specific interpretation of the piece, we tend to inquire about  what the artist was thinking about when he created such piece of art, then we sometimes ask, could this work have something to do with the creator’s personality? We, by and large have the tendency of associating that creation with the painter, every so often, even with his life.

 

Some visual artists impress their audience by their work’s astounding beauty whereas others tickle by keeping them wondering what the real concept of the image is. Among them is the creator of the series of painting you are presently marveling upon, Dai Zengjun. Zengjun as his friends call him is a typical northern gentleman in China.

 

In these paintings, Zengjun, enthused by his subtle feelings and sensitive emotions depicts awe-inspiring, never ending stories of the past forever buried in his bosom. As we delve into his work, we will be able to perceive his thoughts of the wonderful past he treasures in his memory.

 

       In these Dai’s series of painting, one can delight himself with the eye-soothing scenes of folks enjoying the cuddles of nature. Depictions of childlike heroes naked like new-born babies savoring the sweetness of flowers’ scents while afloat the cool waters of ponds, children amusing themselves with fishes that swim away and fade from a distance are the rationale of these  works. Romantic scenes in lovely gardens can also be seen and be sources of elation. Simply gazing at stunning pictures can make one feel as if he really is being touched by the gentle caress of nature.

 

        If you try to delve into what the paintings are trying to reveal, you can picture out the message that man has got so exhausted by the rush of city life and is wanting to escape from its grasp and run far, far  away into the woods and the mountains and relish the beauty of oceans and rivers, flowers and trees, and all. The quiet life of the country can’t really be paralleled to the struggling life in the city. One can’t help but agree to the adage that “The city is like the palm of Buddha; it clutches the exhausted bodies of men and strangles their struggling spirits.” Man has indeed been enslaved by the desires of seemingly irrelevant things that provide earthly pleasures but rid one from good physical condition and mental and spiritual soundness.

 

 Dai, in his paintings is offerings his own a la recherché du Temps Perdu, and presents his own version of Chinese traditional heavenly Eden portrayed by Chinese classical poet Tao Yuanming. With this series of canvasses, the painter exhibits a hiding place similar to the Chinese Eden and the Walden Lake.

 

      There are people who, though they long to be in communion with nature and are incredibly thirsty of its embrace, have no choice but to stay engulfed by the suffocating conditions in cities because of certain reasons such as vocation, career or livelihood. The creator of these paintings is very vocal about being one of those people. And so he finds refuge in devoting much of his time in creating pictures of the paradise he perceives the countryside to be. Hence he comes up with this series of canvasses that folks like him might take pleasure in laying eyes upon. Indulge into the sweetness of gazing at the exquisite scenery captured by the artist’s hands inspired by his passion towards that long lost paradise he only keeps alive in his memory of yore…Just take a look at these works of art and you’ll find yourself in communion with sweet, sweet nature again…..