祁海峰的艺术历程是和中国当代美术的发展进程息息相关的。
　　早在上世纪80年代末，祁海峰凭借乡土写实主义手法创作的《山上有朵云》在美术界崭露头角，这之后，又相继推出了《银色的梦》、《惊蛰》、《寻找位置》、《粉墨登场》等，从而引起了方方面面的关注，由此也确立了他在美术界真实而牢固的地位。
　　可以说，从中国美术学院毕业到现在，祁海峰的油画艺术创作一直透露着一股极强的创新欲。他之所以不断变幻视觉方式，也是和这个社会的大命运密切相关的。但无论社会现实如何变化，他对整个社会现实中的人的生活状态和精神状态的关注却始终未变。他关注的并非是个人在社会中的悲欢沉浮，他的这些作品触及到了当代人的生命状态，揭示出社会转型时期人的生存状态和精神状态，及人性在社会潮流中发生的迅速变化，体现出了具有强烈主观色彩的他对现实人生的洞察与象征性表达。
　　祁海峰的艺术有着一种非常明显的连贯性，即对农村题材的关注一直贯穿于他的艺术创作中。他一方面在探索着油画语言在表达当代生活的多种可能性，一方面又密切关注着转型期农村所发生的变化。当上个世纪90年代乡土题材的画风日益成为中国当代美术主潮之时，他没有一味地跟风趋同，而是清醒地把握住了自己的艺术方向。事实证明，他的这种调整使他避开了乡土题材日益风情化的嫌疑，毋庸置疑，《惊蛰》为乡土现实主义注入了新的活力。由乡土现实主义的叙述性注重对纯朴、粗犷和力度的赞美，转而向超现实和意象化过渡。冲出房顶的树，屋顶上的公鸡，妄图挣脱羁绊的昂首嘶鸣的马，爬树的孩子，从狭小的窗户伸头往外眺望的人……一种无可奈何又绝望的气氛弥漫在画幅中，被禁锢的思想试图挣脱羁绊却又挣脱不出，逼仄的空间压抑得你难以喘息，迫使你要么自得其乐，要么就像挤出窗外嘶鸣的马那样，虽然头已伸出窗外，但身体却依然被缰绳死死地拴着而苦苦挣扎的一种社会情态。他透过自身和自身周围的现实的体验，并通过关注可触摸的现实，真实地把握住了20世纪90年代初期整个社会人的心理感觉和人的普遍的生存现状。画面中略微改变了现实物象的那种属于生活样式的组合，不仅脱离了物象在生活中的角色，也成为祁海峰传达情感思绪的视觉语符，从而隐喻了艺术家的一种精神空间，消解了某种意义体系，这些无不得益于他的超现实主义手法。《寻找位置》中，形象、颜色和笔触已鲜有乡土题材所一贯表现的泥土的沉重和艰涩以及农民的朴实与憨厚，取而代之的是一群憨态可掬的农村娃娃，他们在农村戏台上翻滚跳跃，摸爬滚打，互相观望，每个人都在选择自己的合适位置，与以往不同的是画面开始有了光感，虽然以暖色调为主调，但传达的却仍是一丝阴冷的感觉，把潜伏的某种危机感和征兆用农村戏台这种最日常化的场景表达出来，以一种独特的中国式的消解意识形态的话语方式，在意识形态渗透的日常生活中找到了一种独特的逃离方式。由此，他也由关注人在政治中的失落感，而深入到人的生命自身在一般现实中的失落感，这不仅使他的视点从大而无当的文化关怀转向了当下的社会现实，更重要的是获得了切入现实的新的方式。这种精神文脉的传达是和他一贯所秉承的艺术态度是一脉相承的。
　　《粉墨登场》是祁海峰乡土现实主义又一力作。在这里，我们不难窥视出他所一贯张扬的关注当代人的生存境遇的立场，在艺术语言上，虽然仍沿袭着具象写实的老路，但在艺术观念上却已开始尝试突破乡土写实主义的囿限。他采用大胆的构图，逝去的地平线把画面一分为二，上半部的空旷辽阔为观者提供了想像的空间，下半部人物错落有致的编码，又增加了可阅读的细节，红蓝白黑色彩的对比，带有强烈的表现主义特征，借用中国农村传统的傩戏，把不同朝代的帝王将相和当今的农民汇集在同一舞台上，作品透露出一股穿越时空的魅力，带有很强的寓言性。在这里东方情结和西方古典油画传统不仅得到了巧妙的结合，同时透过那些带面具的“王侯将相”，不仅消解了有等级的社会结构，也消解了有分别心的大众心理。他把农村的傩戏场景作了陌生化的处理，从而使这种超现实的意味更加人情化，也更加中国化了，并以一种隐喻象征，关注了一种生命的矛盾状态—即在多变的社会现实中，人们既难以逃离选择的诱惑，而又不可避免地被置于被选择、被遗弃的无奈结局中。
　　祁海峰是个从不赶时髦和潮流的艺术家，但他又时时处在潮流之中。1996年，他又尝试带有浓郁表现主义倾向的“红色涌动”系列，在祁海峰的生命体验中，也许对劳累有过刻骨铭心的记忆，为了表达这样的体验，促使他从写实主义向表现主义转换也是必然。非如此，不能表达他生命意识中的那种沉滞和凝重。我们知道，艺术家的艺术创作是极端个人化和私密化的行为，当一个艺术家意识到束缚他的力量过于强大时，他最好的选择无疑就是转向内心的挖掘，因为他深知“个人精神的独立追求与自我完善比忘情地投入社会殚精竭虑地作种种救世的高贵尝试更为重要。”这正如王朔在《动物凶猛》中所说：“这是我的一个习性；当受到压力时，我本能地选择妥协与顺从，宁肯采取阳奉阴违的手段也不挺身站出来说不！”事实的确如此，在纷繁多元的当代生活中，许多人退入“私人领域”参与“公众领域”的热情和思想的力量已大为减弱。这或许是祁海峰走向表现主义进入当代艺术之途的另一个理由。平静的山庄，宛若雕塑般坚实的人像，红色的飘带似人形穿插律动，像滚滚红流不息地流淌，他以一个当代人的良心和情感，关注和体验着生命在当代的困惑、矛盾和痛苦中挣扎—即他承受的是在封闭中所受的压力及改革开放所带来的另一种压力，还有莫名其妙地来自内心的压力。所以错位、多义、茫然和游离的心理是此时此刻他的生命的真实写照。此后，他又相继创作了“逝去的风景”系列、“SARS”系列、《水鸟》等。均给人们留下了深刻的印象。在《逝去的风景》中，他站在忠实于自己的感受而又能真实地表现自己感受的立场上，并以一名文化批判者的眼光，以艺术的方式反映了中国西部当代社会的矛盾。水资源的匮乏，土地的荒漠化，对资源的过度采伐，生态环境的人为破坏，透过飘浮在空中的塑料布、鱼及张开双翼、展翅飞翔的老鹰，在超现实的话语下，隐蔽了叙事性的内涵，在不和谐中凸显了和谐的心理内核——即人与自然环境的相互依存又协调发展将是人类面临的共同主题。从而产生了一股直击人的心灵的力量，促使人们在建设城市，改造环境的行为中猛醒。这种带有明显文化针对性的创作开始成为他日后的艺术追求。
　　近期，祁海峰再次把关注的目光移向了农民，《粮食》也由此而生，一个艺术家的良知、使命感和责任感促使他要为农民说话，一本读过的书，使他有一种重建农村生活形态的迫切感。他之所以以《粮食》为名，也缘于粮食是人类生存的最基本需求，倘若农民真的连土地都没了，连粮食都不能种时，我不敢想这个世界将会是什么样子了。
　　祁海峰由早期乡土现实主义的注重集体经验而向表现主义所张扬的个人经验的表述和精神记录方面转换，反映了他在当代文化价值判断上的由感觉走向了自觉，由对当代生活的总体感受，强调内心的体验、过滤、重视画面的视觉效果上升为观念的表达，并寻找适合的图式与形象，他在艺术上的每一次嬗变，都缘于他对社会生活的密切体察。在这里，生活引导着他去做无尽的思考，如画坛所流行的口头禅“怎么画并不重要，画什么才重要”。这种由感性而理性，由技术到观念的转变恰恰是当代艺术所倡导的主题。这正如福柯所言：“文化不是一种学说、一个教条，而是一种气质、一种生活方式、文化的方式是惟一关注知识的形成历史和知识的运用，以及它如何被运用的方式。”

2004年12月28日下午16时于石门
冀少峰  艺术批评家、河北省美术家协会
艺术理论委员会副主任兼秘书长
 

Looking for Position---On Qi Haifeng’s Oil Paintings
　　Qi Haifeng’s artistic creation is in step with the development of contemporary Chinese fine arts. Early at the end of the 80s of the last century Qi published “A Cloud Over the Hill” by employing the realistic techniques. Later, he published several works, such as “Silver Dream”, “Waking of Insects”, “Looking for Seats”, “On Stage” etc, which made him well-known in the field of fine arts.
Qi has always had a strong desire for origination since his graduation. The reason perhaps relates to the changes of the society. However, no matter what changes the society brings about, the painter’s concern for man’s physical and spiritual conditions remains constant. What he concerns is not the individual’s fate, but the living condition of the contemporary human being. His works touch upon the existing state of the contemporary men, which reflect man’s physical and spiritual conditions in the transitional period of the society, and the changes of human nature. They show the painter’s reflection on the realistic life.
　　There is an overarching theme in Qi Haifeng’s paintings, that is, the concerns for the rural subjects. On one hand, he explores how to express the colorful contemporary life in painting language; on the other hand, he shows solitude for the changes in the countryside when the society is in its transitional period. He did not follow the trend in the 90s of the last century when the rural subjects became popular. He was clear about his artistic direction. His adjustment saves him from secularizing the subjects. Undoubtedly, “Waking of Insects” brings about new vitality to the local realism. He transfers to surrealism from the local realism which emphasizes the praise for the simple and rustic life. In his works we may find the trees stretching out of the ceilings, the roosters standing on the roof, the horse neighing, the children climbing the tree, and the man stretching his head out of the window. The pictures are permeated with a desperate atmosphere. The imprisoned thought tries to break though, but fails. The cramped space is so depressed that people can hardly take a breath. It forces you either to seek pleasure or bring troubles. Like the horse, its head is stretching out of the window but the limbs are fastened tightly by the rope. Through his own observations and experiences, the painter catches men’s psychological sense and their universal existing state at the beginning of the 90s. The arrangement of the slightly changed objects not only frees them from their original roles in reality but also become the visual symbols by which the painter conveys his feelings and emotions. It symbolizes the artist’s spiritual world, and at the same time, deconstructs some meaningful system. He benefits all these from his employing the surrealistic techniques. In “Looking for Seats”, the thick and hard soil and the simple and honest farmers are replaced by a group of naive and lovely children. Shouting and jumping, they try to find suitable seats to watch the play. Although the painter uses warm colors to paint, the viewers can still feel a sense of chilliness. It indicates some potential crisis. Through the stage of the countryside, the most common scene in local pictures, he finds a unique Chinese discourse to deconstruct ideology. Thus, his concern about man’s lost sense in political life has deepened into the one in the general reality. His perspective shifts from the broad and abstract cultural concern to the concrete concern for the present social reality. What’s more important is that he acquires a new method to penetrate the reality. The spirit it conveys is consistent with his long-held artistic attitude.
　　“On Stage” is an outstanding local realistic picture. Still keeping his concerns for the living conditions of the contemporary people and employing the concrete realistic language, he attempts to break through the limits of the rural realism of the artistic concept. He is bold enough in composition that cuts the horizon into two parts. The upper part is empty and spacious which leaves enough space for imagination; while the lower part is scattered with some people who are properly arranged. The contrast between red and blue, white and black is characteristic of expressionism. By means of Nuo play, (a traditional Chinese local play), the painter assembles the emperors and the generals of different dynasties with the present farmers on the same stage. The work is endowed with a charm of surpassing the limit of time and space. It has an evident allegory. In this work, the oriental feelings and the tradition of western classical oil painting are integrated very well. Through the masked “emperor and general” it deconstructs the hierarchical society. He estranges the scene of the play by adopting the surrealistic techniques. It appears more humane and more Chinese. As a metaphor it shows a paradoxical existing state of human being: in a fast developing world people can hardly avoid the temptation to make choice. At the same time, they can hardly avoid being chosen and discarded.
　　Qi Haifeng is not a painter who follows the fashion and trend, but he has always been in the trend. In the year of 1996, he finished the “Red Surge Series”. It has a strong flavor of expressionism. Perhaps he had an unforgettable memory about hard life and labour, he chooses to express such experience in expressionism in stead of realism. Otherwise, the strong emotions deep in his heart can not be fully demonstrated. It is known to us that the artist’s creation is an extremely personal and private behavior. When an artist realizes the overwhelming power that fetters him, he usually turns to the exploration of the inner world. It is because he understands that “the pursuit of the individual spirit and self-improvement is far more important than dedicating to society and trying every means to demonstrate some gestures of salvation”. Wang Shuo, a well-known writer in China says in his book Ferocious Animals: “It is my habit by instinct to make a compromise or to give up when I experience pressures. I prefer to adopt double-faced tactics rather than stand out and say ‘No’”. In today’s pluralistic society, many people prefer to withdraw into their “private world” rather than participate in the public affairs. Perhaps this is another reason that has drawn Qi into expressionism. The peaceful mountain village, the statue-like people and the red fluttering ribbons ... reveal his perplexity, paradox and the pressure which may come from the society and the inner world. Misplacement, polysemy, puzzlement and detachment are the authentic portray of his psychology. Since then, he creates “The Lost Scene”, “SARS”, “Water Birds”, all of which leave deep impressions on the viewers. In “The Lost Scene” he shows the contemporary social conflicts of West China in an artistic method. Qi, as a cultural critic, is faithful to his feelings and expresses them authentically. The lack of water, the desertification of the land, the over-exploitation of the resources and the artificial damage to the eco-environment can be felt through the fish and plastic bags which are floating in the air. In the surrealistic discourse, the connotation of the narration is concealed. In a disharmony it displays a harmonious psychological core---how man and the natural environment inter-depend on each other and develop harmoniously has become an urgent problem facing the human being. The picture has a thrilling power that make people pay more attention to their behavior in the construction of the cities and the reforming of the environment. This kind of creating with an evident cultural objective has become his later artistic pursuit.
　　Recently, Qi Haifeng turns his eyes to the farmers once again. He creates “Grain”. The artist’s conscience and responsibilities drove him to speak for the farmers. He is eager to reconstruct the rural life style in his paintings. The reason is that the soil on which the farmers rely can not provide enough food to meet the consuming desire of the city. The painter names his work as “Grain” just because grain is the most basic necessity of life. I can not imagine what the world would be like if farmers had no land to cultivate, no crops to plant.
Qi’s shift from the emphasis on the collective experience of the early local realism to the expressionistic narration and record of the individual spiritual experience indicates that in the contemporary cultural evaluation he has shifted, from overall feelings which emphasize the inner experience and pay much attention to the visual effect of the pictures to the expression of the concept and looking for the more suitable forms and images. Each shift comes from his close detection of life, which leads him to tireless thinking. As a popular pet phrase goes in this field: “What matters is not how but what you paint”. The shift from passion to reason, from techniques to concept has been advocated in the contemporary art. Michel Foucault tells us that culture is neither a theory nor a doctrine. It is nothing but a disposition, a lifestyle. The cultural approach merely concerns about how knowledge is formed and how it is used in history. 

December 28, 2004
Ji Shaofeng: Art Critic, Vice-director&Secretary-general of Artists' Association of Hebei