美术理论家贡布里希有一句名言：“绘画是一种活动，所以艺术家的倾向是看他要画的东西，而不是画他看到的东西。”在今天这个欲望喷涌和体验翻新的消费文化时代，贡布里希所揭示的原理是否还适用呢?如果你去琢磨江衡的美女系列作品，也许会有所发现。在他的图像学里，一个独特的图像形态——美女——跃然画面。更有趣的是，这些长相各异的美女脸上，一个突出的图像符号一以贯之：大得不合比例的眼睛。那一对又一对大眼睛正凝视着什么?当你作为观者去凝视这一凝视时，又会有何种发现?

　　The art theorist Gombrich has a famous saying that, “Painting is an activity, so the artist’s tendency depends on what he wants to paint, rather than painting what he perceives.” In today’s overwhelming flux of desire and the ever-renewing experience of consumption culture, is Gombrich’s principle still applicable? If one reflects upon Jiang Heng’s series of femme fatale, perhaps one would find the unique image of the femme fatale. What is more interesting is, among the varying faces of these beautiful women, one symbol transgresses them is their disproportionate eyes. What are those big eyes staring at? To stare into such gaze as an observer, what would you discover?

　　我以为，大眼睛作为一个标志性的图像符号，或许就是画家美女系列作品“要画的东西”!

　　I believe, the big eyes are a remarkable symbol is perhaps what the artist “want to paint” in his femme fatale series.

　　我们都知道，消费社会是一个高度视觉化的社会，看不仅是消费体验的通道，更是生存的在场证明。文化与视觉的关系，在当下实现了前所未有的合谋。“好酒不怕巷子深”的时代一去不复返了，只有那些看得见并吸引眼球的东西，才有难以想象的魔力。法国思想家德波所谓“景观社会”的预言已成现实。美女的大眼睛在看我们的同时邀请我们去看。于是，看本身及其艺术表现遂成为江衡绘画的基本主题。

　　As we know, the consumption society is a highly visual society, viewing is not only a way in which to experience consumption but a proof of existence. The relationship between culture and visual culture have reached unprecedented conspiracy in the present. The time of “discovering a good drink in the deep alley” has been long gone, what is before us are those in front of our eyes, emitting unimaginable power. The French philosopher Guy Debord’s so-called “Social Landscape” has became a reality. The femme fatale’s eyes while gazing at us invite us to stare back. Therefore, the act of viewing and its artistic representation became the basic top of Jiang Heng’s paintings.

　　毫无疑问，画家最关注看，但并非每个画家都自觉地把看本身作为表现对象。在江衡的诸多系列画中，反复出现的美女构成了一个贯穿性的符号原型，姑且称之“美女系列”。仔细审视这些美女，不免会被那些关于看的赤裸真理所震撼。我注意到，在江衡的美女系列作品中，多少有点像瓷娃娃的各式美女，必定个个眼睛大得眩惑恐怖。这些超出了正常比例的大眼睛，把视觉这个消费社会的最要紧的感知体验方式，用一种极端夸张的方式彰显出来。不仅如此，透过那形色各异的眼神和视线，花花世界的种种视觉诱惑暗中传递出来。注意一下黑眼球的高光点处理，从模糊的圆形斑点(如《散落的物品36》)，到类似惊叹号的反射(如《散落的物品54》)，再到仿佛是窗框的映射(如《美丽的花儿2》)，这不同的表达方式折射出眼睛对大千世界的渴望，映射出视线对生活万般神奇的流连。我们不禁为那些夸张的眼睛所惊异，为那些企盼的眼神所感召，为那些欲望化的眼光所迷魅。或许有理由说，美女之瞥不啻是一个关于消费社会的视觉文化寓言。

　　Undoubtedly, the painter is most interested in viewing, yet now all painters consciously  treat viewing as the object of representation. In Jiang Heng’s numerous series, the reoccurring image of the femme fatale became the transgressing emblem, thus entitled the Femme Fatale Series. Examining these women in detail, we cannot help to be shocked by the naked truth about viewing. I noticed that Jiang Heng’s femme fatale series are somewhat akin to the ceramic dolls, because their eyes are nevertheless scarily large. These usual proportions have displayed the most crucial sensation for this consumption society with the most exaggerated manner. Moreover, behind the plethora of gazes and stares, myriads of visual enticements sip out. Noted is the highlight of on the dark eyes, from the ambiguous round dot (in Scattered Object 36) to the reflection similar to an exclamation mark (in Scattered Object 54), or the seemingly reflection of the display window (Beautiful Flower 2). These ways of expression reflect the eyes’ desire to the wonders of this world, and the lingering visions on the enigmas of life. We cannot help but to feel appalled by those exaggerated eyes, drawn to those longing eyes, and attracted to the gazes of desire. Perhaps there is reason of these women’s glance is a visual culture fable of the consumption society.

图一，马格利特《虚假的镜子》(1928)  

  图二，江衡《蝴蝶飞飞》(2007)

　　这里，我想通过参照比较两幅画来比较，从中也许我们可以解读出江衡大眼美女图的复杂意味。一幅可以比较的是比利时超现实主义画家马格利特的《虚假的镜子》(图一)。在这幅画中，马格利特借助眼球的镜面反射，清晰再现出一幅蓝天白云的真实景象。作为超现实主义画家，这幅画也许反映了记忆中的梦幻之景，但却是以极其真实的自然景象来表现，颇有些“假作真来真亦假”的意趣。反观江衡作品，比如《蝴蝶飞飞》(图二)，美女的眼神充满了好奇，她在凝视这个世界。不仅用自己的眼睛，而且借助放大镜来审视这个世界，要把这个世界看个清楚。假如说马格利特超现实主义的眼光折射出的真实景观是以反语方式的梦幻来表达的话，那么，在江衡的美女那里，眼光却是高度梦幻地真实表达。换言之，美女作为一种审视这个充满了物欲的消费世界象征符号，逼真地彰显出今天这个视觉文化时代的真谛：用眼睛去大量并消费这个世界。这里，眼睛被高度象征化和夸张化了。的确，只要对当下日常生活稍加打量就会发现，一切诱惑人的东西首先呈现为景观(spectacle)。整个世界都已转化为形象，德波说得好：“景观是由以下事实所导致的，即现代人完全成了观者。”这就导致了景观在现代社会中的统治和暴力。当人们沉溺于日常生活审美化的讨论时，一个重要的事实在江衡的作品中被揭示出来了，那就是今天的文化是一种体验性的文化。体验的首要方式就是视觉，眼睛不仅打量着一切，恰如画面上那美女高度象征性的眼神一样，更重要的是，人们还要借助各种技术手段在视觉上消费这一文化，放大镜不过是各种数字技术、传播技术、视觉技术和消费技术的表征符号而已。于是，看这个原本最常见的行为，以某种“陌生化”的效果呈现出来，它昭示出在消费时代的视觉文化转向中，视觉欲望及其快感已升格为存在的确证方式——“我看故我在。”马格利特式的梦幻镜像已经远去，美女本身作为视觉对象的大眼凝视，既是一个被表现的图像符号，又是一个吁请观众进入视觉消费并享用视觉盛宴的邀请。不但用肉眼去体验，更要用放大镜一类的技术手段去放大体验。

　　Here, I would like to make a comparison by referring to two paintings, from which we will perhaps decipher the complex meaning of Jiang Heng’s images of femme fatale. One of the paintings is the Belgian surrealist painter Rene Magritte’s The False Mirror (Image I), in this painting, Magritte used the reflection of the eye to represent the realistic image of white clouds in the blue sky. As as surrealist painter, perhaps this painting reveals the dreamlike view found in one’s memory, yet are presented in its actual natural form, which can seem to have the somewhat “tromp l’oeil” effect. Looking back into Jiang Heng’s paintings, Fluttering Butterfly (Image II), the gaze in his femme fatales is filled with curiosity, she’s staring into this world. Not only with her won eyes, but uses a magnifying glasses to examine this world, because she wants to see the world with clarity. If Magritte’s surrealist gaze reflect the actual view is a sarcastic approach to express imagination, then the gazes of Jiang Heng’s femme fatale must be the true expression of utter imagination. In other words, femme fatale as a symbol of material desire of the consumption world, has vividly revealed the truth of today’s visual culture: using one’s eyes to wager and consume this society. Here, the eyes are highly exaggerated and symbolized. Indeed, with slightest attention to our everyday life, one would notice anything that is attractive is first shown as a spectacle. The entire world has been transformed to images, as Debord stated, “the spectacle is caused by facts, in other words, people today are observers.” This let to the spectacle’s monopoly and violence in contemporary society. As people are absorbed in the discussion of the everyday aesthetics, an important fact is revealed in Jiang Heng’s work, that is, today’s culture is an experiential culture. And the primary approach to experience is seeing, the eyes not only approximate everything, just as the symbolic gaze of these beautiful women, but most importantly, people need to appropriate various techniques to consume such culture visually. The magnifying glass is the representation of various digital technology, communication devices, visual technology and consumption methods. Therefore, viewing, the most common behavior is shown in a rather “estranged” effect, it displays the visual desire and its gratification has been augmented to ways in which to verify one’s existence in the transformation of visual culture of the consumption era – “I see therefore I am”. Magritte’s dreamlike mirror is behind us, the beautiful women as the visual object, stares with their big eyes, are visual emblem represented, as well as the invitation to the viewers to enjoy such visual feast. Not only can one experience with their naked eyes, but also with the assistance of the magnifying glass to enlarge such experience.

　　至此，我想说，画面上那些大得可怕却又异常真实的美女眼睛，成为一种当下体验之文化的象征。美女及其眼光的双重性质赤裸地呈现出来。作为观者，面对这幅画，我们其实是在看那美女看，凝视那美女的凝视。一方面，美女是作为我们的镜像而存在;另一方面，我们在凝视美女的凝视的同时，也成为美女凝视的镜像，此乃视觉文化的视线互文性的辩证法。说到这里，我们更深刻地理解了梅洛—庞蒂的话：“看正像一个十字路口一样，是所有方面交汇遇合之点。”“人们所见和使之被见的东西，在存在之物上的这种进动，就是看本身。”

　　Therefore, I would like to comment that the scarily large yet real eyes have became the cultural emblem to experience current culture. The dichotomous quality of the femme fatale and their gazes are presented literally. As a viewer, confronted with this painting, we are in fact viewing the gaze of this beauty and stare into her stare. On the one hand, these beautiful women exist as the image in the mirror; on the other hand, while we stare into their stares we’ve became the image in the mirror of their gaze, this is the dialectics of visual culture. It helps us to further understand Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s statement, “Viewing is like being at the crossroad, it is where all directions meet…. What people perceive and made seen, evolves above existence, is the act of viewing.”

　　接着，我们来比较另外一幅画，即美国波普的代表人物维塞尔曼的《伟大的美国裸女第59号》。我不知道江衡的美女系列是否受到美国波普艺术的这位代表人物的启发。但比较两人的系列是耐人寻味的。一系列显而易见的相似不必强调了，比如美女系列这种创意本身。我感兴趣是如下发现，在维塞尔曼的美国裸女系列画中，从来就不画眼睛，由此来突出地强调了美女的性感特征;而在江衡的美女系列中(如图三《蝴蝶飞飞17》)，性感的艳俗仿佛被瓷娃娃式的玻璃效果间离了，但却凸现了美女的大眼睛及其盛满欲望的眼神。

　　Then let’s compare the other painting, the American Pop artist Tom Wesslemann’s The Great American Nude 59. I am uncertain whether Jiang Heng’s femme fatale series are influenced by this American Pop artist. Although the comparison of these two artists can be mesmerizing. Without mentioning the similarity of their series of works, in terms of their creativity. What interests me is that Wasslemann’s Nude series have never painted the eyes onto the women, in order to emphasize the sexy characteristics of women; whereas in Jiang Heng’s femme fatale (Fluttering Butterfly 17) the kitsch sexiness seem to be separated from the glassy effect of the ceramic-like dolls, yet highlights the big eyes and her desire filled gaze.

　　图三，江衡《蝴蝶飞飞17》(2008)  

图四，维塞尔曼《伟大的美国裸女59号》(1965)

　　从绘画传统上说，中国绘画历来强调眼睛是“传神写照”之“阿堵”，所谓画龙不点睛的故事是耳熟能详的。维塞尔曼画女不点睛显然有另外的考虑，也许是在他看来，这些裸女已沦落到了只有身而没有心的地步了，因此作为心灵窗口的传神阿堵也就没有必要了，或者说，只有那红唇、乳头等符号，才具有凸现好莱坞式性感特征高度象征意义，眼睛已退化为可有可无之物。江衡的美女系列作品反其道而行之，眼睛乃此系列作品最核心的图像符号。画女不但必“点睛”，而且以极其夸张方式来“点睛”。性感的艳俗在江衡笔下的美女那里已经不再是什么新鲜主题，他要表达的也许是眼睛与世界的象征关系：这是一个受到视觉统治的时代，生存的快乐和体验有赖于视觉的把握。由此，江衡的美女系列作品便越出了美式波普艺术的艳俗性感窠臼，切入一个当代文化的视觉主题：看的质询性。王尔德早就指出，看一样东西与看见一样东西全然不同。我们可以天天看世界，却有可能什么也没有看见。江衡美女系列那瞪大的眼睛和富有穿透力的目光，或许是在质询看本身，召唤看的在场，把看径直转变为看见。因为“事物存在是因为我们看见它们，我们看见什么，我们如何看见它，这是依影响我们的艺术而决定的。”(王尔德语)这不正是画家想要我们明白的真相吗?

　　Speaking of traditional painting, Chinese paintings have always emphasized the “key” of “passing on the spirit” through the eyes, which explains not drawing the eyes to dragons. Wasslemann’s women without eyes perhaps originate in other thinking, perhaps in his view, these nude women have became soulless bodies, therefore it is unnecessary to draw the window to their soul, or perhaps only the lips and nipple can best represent the sexual characteristics of Hollywood symbolism, and the eyes became dispensable. Jiang Heng’s femme fatale series on the contrary, depict the eyes are its core emblem. It is not only a must to paint the women with eyes, but had to be done in the most exaggerated approach. The sexy kitsch is no longer a novelty under Jiang Heng’s brush, what he would like to express is the symbolic relationship between the eyes and the world, where the world is in a visually dominated era, the joy of one’s existence and experience relies on one’s visual command. Hence, Jiang Heng’s femme fatale series transcends the American Pop art kitsch art, but penetrates into the visual topic of modern culture: the inquest of viewing. Wang Erde has pointed out before that, to view an object is entirely different from having seen an object. We look at the world daily, but could have seen nothing at all. The big eyes in Jiang Heng’s femme fatale series with piercing gazes is perhaps questioning the act of viewing, calling on the presence of viewing, transforming viewing from seeing. “The object’s existence is because we have seen them, what we see, how we see it, depends on the art influencing us.” Isn’t that the truth the artist would like us to know?

　　作为结语，我想说，画面上那些浸润了看的吁请力量的目光，不断地在打量和考验着观者的目光，质询着我们：你是否感悟到消费时代的视觉体验的真谛了?你是否把看变成了看见?你是否从看见中看到了看的反思性?一如梅洛—庞蒂所言：“对象在我们眼睛下面，排除并散发出它们的实体，它们直接询问我们的目光，它们考验着我们的身体与世界达成的共同协议。”

　　In summary, I would like to say that the gazes on the images soaked up with invitation constantly approximates and contests the viewer’s gaze, questioning us whether we have understood the truth from the visual experience of this consumption era? Whether you have transformed seeing to viewing? Have you witnessed the reflexive nature in viewing? As Merleau-Ponty stated, “the object is below our eyes, that rejects and disperses their truth form, they question our gaze directly. They challenge the agreement we have reached with our body and this world.”