近年来“新水墨”渐受注目，新星崭露头角，评论家撰文表扬，拍卖行们专辟栏目加以推广。中国的拍卖业不仅是定真伪，推价位，对作品分门别类，引领潮流，打到哪里，哪里就火，也是中国特色。
　　“新水墨”是新文人画的发展、扩张。重点在一个新字。倘若笔墨是旧的，只是题材翻新或是把当代油画往宣纸上移植，虽然其中不乏好作品，不应归纳为“新”。因为这样做不能鼓励新观念，新技法的出现。在“新水墨”领域中笔者曾偏爱刘国松、周京新、田黎明、李津等，如今要加上曾健勇了。健勇的作品诱人之处首先是“色”，是颜色。西方绘画的张力与东方水墨的温润巧妙地结合在一起，吸引着不同国籍的观众。最早看到的是他的“大队长”系列。后来又有“黑夜”、“梦游”等。从暧昧的闺室、床间中迷散着朦胧、似是而非的情绪，实在又有距离。无论在意识形态上还是在情色方面引人遐想。
　　健勇是学习中国传统水墨画出身，钻研“工笔”。温润的效果，迷幻的情绪是工笔技法中浸染所成。微妙的造型描绘更直接来自于细致的工笔画。那穿透力极强的黑颜色怕是出自曾氏的独门秘笈吧。几十年前身居台、港的刘国松先生自制特种纸以表现他一家的新水墨。健勇今天用的是树皮材质的纸，不仅承载水份吸收色粉的能力较强，其中的肌理纹路另有一番趣味。健勇的色彩秘密在哪里？原来，他用的是颜色最基本的粒子--色粉，在纸背面作画，接近完成时再回到纸张正面。于是他的色彩有着一种穿透纸背的沉着。一种丰富、有层次、层次间柔润接合的沉着。
　　世界著名摄影师，也是梦露身前的摄影师劳伦斯·席勒（Lawrence Schiller）先于我们发现了健勇，并在欧美撰文办展介绍健勇，想必是色彩在他们之间搭起了桥梁。
　　为健勇著书立传的人很多，我们仅借是次展事抒发一些感受，衷心希望大家和我们一样地欣赏健勇的色、情。

2013年秋
方毓仁
“色·情”曾健勇作品展《前言》
——画廊暨海港城美术馆，香港，2013　　

　　Preface
　　In recent years, "New Ink and Wash Paintings" have come more and more into the spotlight. New stars are emerging in this field of painting, and critics have frequently written essays to commend this style. Auction companies have even started special sections to promote it. China's auction industry is really driving the market - they dictate what works are real or fake, they set the prices, they define and classify artworks into different categories and encourage popular trends. This is the Chinese style.
　　"New Ink and Wash Painting" is a new development and an expansion of "New Literati Painting". The key point is the word "New". "Pen and ink" will always be a traditional medium. Even if you update the themes or use modern oil mediums on rice paper, this doesn't necessarily make these works "New". There are many very good ink works in the market, but they cannot be generalized as "New", as they do not offer any radically new concepts or techniques.  I used to particularly like Liu Guosong, Zhou Jingxin, Tian Liming and Li Jin, but now Zeng Jianyong has greatly aroused my interest. The attractive point of Jianyong's work is his sense of colour, which is the highlight of his paintings. Strong western oil painting technique and soft eastern ink wash technique are masterly combined, attracting audiences of different nationalities. The earliest of these works is his 'Childhood' series and later works are, Dark Night, Sleepwalk, etc.  In these paintings everything is ambiguous, in the bedroom scenes the mood is uncertain, emotions are complex and paradoxical and there is a great sense of distance.  Both in ideology and in the emotive aspects these works are charming and give rise to reflection and reverie.
　　Jianyong studied traditional Chinese ink wash painting from an early age and has also studied "Gongbi" or "fine brushwork" style intensively. A gentle style and a harmonious mood is created through the "Gongbi" technique. The delicate portrayal of characters is directly derived from the fine brush work of "Gongbi" style. The deeply penetrating black ink that Zeng uses is his own unique signature. A few decades ago, Mr. Liu Guosong, who lived in Taiwan and Hong Kong made his own special paper to show his "New Ink and Wash Paintings". Today, Jianyong uses paper made out of tree bark, which not only has a strong ability to absorb and retain the ink tones, but also has interesting textural definition. What is the secret of Jianyong's colour? Firstly he uses special toner powder to paint on the back of the paper; when the painting is nearly completed, he goes back to the front of the paper to continue painting. Zeng is a master of creating beautifully complex layers and gradations of colour on the paper.
　　The world famous photographer, Lawrence Schiller, who once worked with Monroe, discovered Jianyong prior to us. He has written articles about Jianyong and held exhibitions for him in Europe and the US.  Is was probably Zeng's colours that attracted him most.
　　Many writers have already compiled books and articles about this artist.  We hereby express some of our feelings about these recent works and sincerely hope that everyone can appreciate Jianyong's "Colour and Emotion" as we do.

Autumn 2013
FANG Yuren
"Colour & Love" Paintings By Zeng Jianyong,  Preface
Yan Gallery & Gallery by the Harbour, Harbour City, Hong Kong