访谈人物：张伟

　　采编：曾丽坤

　　时间：2014年

　　地点：广州美术学院

　　您早期的作品在观念及表现手法上都是比较现代前卫的，而现在的作品却显得更为朴实写意，画面中的人物经常是你身边的人，是什么契机促使你做出这样的转变?

　　我自己倒不太觉得以前比较前卫，早期及近年来的作品都有一条线索贯穿其中，就是以年轻人为题材。转变也没有你说的那么大，我原来的画面是先设想好主题构思、构图，再找学生来当模特拍照然后按自己的想法进行组合改造，自己主观的东西多，包括颜色上的设置，构图的想法等等，设计的感觉会多一些。近几年逐渐转向直接面对人物对象作画的创作方式。

　　当然下笔之前会大致在脑海里把整个画面的布局勾勒一下或者做些草图。但会随着画的过程不断调整，其中有很多偶然的因素。比如约了某一个人有事来不了需要替换另一个，这与用照片做素材不一样，有更多即兴的东西在里头，不完全是你预想的那样，我感觉挺好玩的。这种过程中的偶然性会派生出意想不到的鲜活，掌控画面的能力也就变得非常重要了。创作时，我会同时铺开几个人物一起画，通过不断揣摩来调整画面的关系。这种现场作画的创作模式灵感源于一次偶然的经历。某次作画过程中，学生们都踊跃当我的模特，结果越画越多人，最后把一个班的学生全都画进去了，这就是2010年画的《最后一课》。这幅作品参加了广州美术学院的教师作品展以及2010年我在广州美术学院岭南画派纪念馆举办的个展。后来还参加了第四届中国当代油画艺术展 并拿了作品最高奖。这鼓励我后来又陆续创作了一批群像组合的作品。

　　您在什么时候有了这种风格的转变?

　　大概是在2006年，当时我给学生上课作示范，课堂上模特老打瞌睡，为了让大家提起精神，我建议同学们轮流当模特，这种方式感受性很强，很生动，后来我就尝试着把这种课堂的方式挪到我的作品上来，这样持续画了七八年。

　　能否再谈谈您现阶段的创作?

　　多年过去后，当年我画过的学生们都长大了，有时再跟他们聊起以前画画的事大伙都觉得挺有意思的。于是我想能否继续去画他们现在的样子和各自不同的生活环境，把这种时间留下的痕迹表现出来，到不同的人家里去画。目前这还是一个未实施的计划，但我不知道可行性有多大，可能会比较麻烦，需要把画具挪到不同的家里去，可能各种条件限制比较大，前期的沟通准备工作会很多。不过我也不太想依赖照片，因为觉得看照片给人的信息没有眼睛直接去看的那么好，照片是一个平面，它会减弱很多东西，如果到现场去感受的话，要生动、丰富很多。能感受到对方的气息，有气场。对着照片画，感受相对会单薄。

　　刚才您谈到的对家庭题材的创作计划，能否解读为仍是您面对青春主题的一种深化的思考?一种青春生活化片段的延伸?

　　也可以说是对生命的思考，青春是生命的一部分，去表现这种在不同时间段上的状态应该会很有意思。

　　在您的作品中大部分描绘的是当代青年，而且没有过于复杂的背景修饰，甚至没有背景，这是否有什么其他的思考?

　　在创作过程中，人物形象本身已经足够打动我了，有很强的感受力，你就会想把注意力全都集中在描绘他们具体的形象特征上，画了背景，有时候会觉得多余，视觉上反而减弱了。我为了使有些作品的人物形象特征更加突出索性就不画背景了。

　　杨小彦老师曾经写到“张伟试图恢复真正的写生，让写生成为真正的审美，让审美具有现场的效果。”您怎么看他这种说法?

　　这是杨小彦老师在2010年为我策划的个展前言里面写的一段文字，当时展出的是我近年通过直接面对学生写生创作的一批青年人群像作品。这批作品扑面而来的鲜活气息和饱含激情的作画现场感恰恰是写生真正的生命力所在，也是打动观者的魅力所在。我想杨老师说的有这一层意思。

　　我发现您在创作那一批《我的学生们》中，相对前期的创作越往后期的画面更为写意，用笔更为粗犷，为何有这种绘画语言的改变?

　　我越来越喜欢写意和平面化，这是画面改变的根本原因，我在人物的造型上逐步放弃掉繁琐多余的细节，追求更加纯碎的表达，用笔也相比早期的画更加轻松随意，忘掉技术是我的理想状态。

　　您2013年的作品《童年》描绘的似乎是某所小学的场景，风格清新，给人一种童真的感觉，能否谈谈这幅画的创作背景?

　　我这件作品是暑假时候画的，在番禺沙湾文化馆属下的一个青少年活动中心，当时他们请我过去讲课，跟孩子们一起画画。这帮小孩都是外来工的子女，中心免费给他们提供教育。我觉得挺有意思就产生了想画他们的念头，我跟负责人孟老师说，能否过来画这帮小朋友，他一口答应。我就运了四个两米大的画框和工具材料过去，直接在活动中心里面画。这是我头一回画这么小的孩子，他们大多都是七八岁、十一二岁的小朋友，活蹦乱跳的太难画了。我开始以为可以让他们老实站着或坐着，后来发现全都坐不住，还得买糖买吃的来哄。

　　画一个孩子的过程不能太长，必须同时铺开画几个，时间安排上很紧张，有时约了两三个小孩，只来了一个，而有时又一下子都来了，最多试过一天里面画四个，把我累到不行，从早上九点开始画一直画到下午七八点。这张画前后花了半个月时间。当时我还找了一个以前教过的学生龙遂洋 ，他后来去了法国学电影的，拍了一条纪录片，记录我创作的整个过程。这过程很新鲜，也富有挑战性，我画得也很尽兴，最后加了些背景跟之前的作品有点不一样，我在室内画完人又移到外边画树，都是在现场完成的，画面效果出来大家都觉得挺轻松的。

　　除了人物画，您也画过一批静物画，如《桌上风景》，能谈谈对这批画作的创作感想么?

　　我比较喜欢莫兰迪的画，有时候摆静物写生会摆得有点像。我一直都喜欢简洁朴素的东西。《桌上风景》系列组画是1998年为了应邀在香港浸会大学做的一个展览而画的二十几件作品。画的是家中的小摆设，着重表现生活中的某些有趣味的细节，色调偏向明快。这类静物后来也陆续画过一些但不多。

　　同时您也画了一些风景作品，在风景画的色彩与笔触上有怎样的讲究?

　　我的风景画大多也是写生完成，都是每次出外或带学生下乡时所画。手法上也和画人物一样比较写意，笔触比较奔放有流动感。我不太喜欢沉重的画面，我喜欢亮丽明快的色调，看了心情比较舒畅。

　　您是经历过 “85美术新潮”的画家，能否谈谈对当时那种学习西方现代派热潮的看法?面对上世纪80年代西方美术思潮的涌入，当时在求学阶段，都受到了哪些影响?谈谈您以前在美院学习的一些经历?

　　我是1980年考进广州美术学院附中，1984年考进广州美术学院油画系，1988年毕业。刚好基本上经历了从“伤痕美术到乡土绘画”再到“85新潮美术”的整个过程。前一阶段我在读附中，那时候从有限的资讯上看到的是从伤痕美术到乡土绘画转变，再后来西方现代艺术逐渐被介绍到国内，我们才接触了更多新的东西。刚刚接触到西方美术思潮大家都会显得比较着急，从未看过的各种现代流派风格的画面一起涌来。以前我们受的是苏联的影响。这段时间我们才知道有野兽派、立体派，超现实，达达主义等。觉得都很新鲜，都很想去学，什么都想试一下，思想转变得也快，又正值我们的青春期，老想爆发自己的创造力、颠覆一些传统概念，有着年轻人特有的那种逆反精神，后来慢慢了解多了经过梳理才确定哪些是适合自己的。我当时考的是油画系李正天老师主持的教学改革实验班。这个班在当年全国的艺术院校范围内，算是走得比较超前和比较活跃的教学改革试点班。负责教学的老师是李正天、杨尧、沈军和司徒绵、 他们常和学生聚集在美院教学大楼105室探讨交流艺术、哲学等问题，于是有了上世纪八十年代在南方先锋艺术领域里非常有影响力的所谓“105画室”，他们这种实验精神走在了艺术的前沿，同时也把探索的方向与教学互相结合起来，鼓励学生的创新精神，发挥大家的创作热情。实验班还进行了很多交流活动，李正天老师带我们班去北京跟中央美院的老师学生学习交流，邀请一些知名艺术家来学校开讲座，包括摄影，音乐，舞蹈等领域的杰出艺术家。老师的指导思想是重在引发，开拓视野，这使我们受益匪浅。学习的东西和创作的思维相对活跃。

　　那时虽然接触的美术杂志不多，但从《美术》，《江苏画刊》还有广东岭南美术出版社的《画廊》等刊物上面还是了解到很多新的东西，作为学生，会自然而然地受到影响。

　　八十年代初期广东的前卫艺术氛围十分活跃，后来全国各地先锋艺术风起云涌。广东却慢慢地淡出了人们的视线野，我个人认为跟广东率先改革开放经济起步的迅猛有很大的关系。我们很多同学一毕业就下海投身到商业大潮中拼搏去了，在艺术道路上坚持下来的人比较少。

　　当时您在报社工作还有画画么?

　　我88毕业后在南方日报社当美术编辑，白天上班晚上画，条件不是那么好。那个时候画作品更多是为了去参加展览，当时展览的机会不多，年轻的时候也很想努力画出点名堂来。94年调回学校任教。

　　当代油画创作观念迭进，在某种程度上稀释了传统油画写实基本功的作用，您认为良好写实功底在当代油画创作中是否仍然十分必要?

　　我是经过从附中到大学八年的学院教育长期的写实基本功训练过来的，我是这么认为，基础训练是很有必要的，这种训练培养的是一种观察、思考和表达能力。比如你看到一个对象，你去感受它、分析它再去表现它，都需要这样的能力。如果不去重视或者缺失这种训练的话，那会影响到你判断和把握的准确性。虽然现在很多人都不从事传统写实的架上绘画了，或做观念的、影像的、装置的等等，但是艺术家除了智慧外作品的分寸感依然离不开早期的基础训练。回过头来看基础训练是一种判断能力的培养，是通过观察去了解本质。如果是继续从事架上绘画的话就更加要求手的控制力能够准确传达出你的意图了。

　　A Dialogue with Zhang Wei

　　Interviewee:Zhang Wei

　　Editorial Staff:Zeng Likun

　　Time:2014

　　Place:Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts

　　You early works present to be more modern and avantgarde in the concepts and techniques,while they tend to be simpler and more freehand at present.The figures in the paints are always surrounded with you, what opportunities do spark you to make such transformation?

　　I do not think it was more avantgarde in the past.In the early time and recent years, there is a clue throughout them,which is regarded the young as painting materials.There is no such huge change as you say.The former paints are envisaged the theme firstly,composition,and then the students are found to be models for taking photos.Later,I will combine and reform them with my own ideas with much more my own objective ideas,including the colors setting,composition thoughts and so on,which might be full of sense of design.Recently,the creative methods have gradually transferred into directly facing the figures to paint.

　　There is no denying that I will consider about the whole setting of the paint in my mind before drawing or drafting.However,with the gradual adjustment of the painting process,there are full of some occasional factors.For instance, when making an appointment with someone ,he might not cancel this meeting but other people replace his position.There are plenty of impromptu things in painting process,which is extremely distinction as you expect, and I feel funny for it.The randomness in this process may kindle some special sparks.Hence,the control capability becomes rather crucial.When creating,I will roll out several figures to paint together by continually conjecturing to adjust the pictures relationship.This creative pattern of scene painting originates from once occasional experience.During some painting process,students are actively willing to be my models,as a consequence,more and more students are drawn into the picture.At the end , all students in the whole class are painted into one picture, which is the Last Class painted in 2010.This paint entered the exhibition of teachers in the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and my solo exhibition in the Memorial Hall of Lingnan Art School of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 2010.Later, it has also attended the 4th Chinese Contemporary Oil Painting Exhibition and won the highest award,which encouraged me to create a combination of paints in succession later.

　　When did you begin such style transformation?

　　It was approximately at six years earlier when I was setting an example to students in class,and the model in class always dozed off.In order to motivate everyone, I advised classmates to be model in turn.This method was full of strong perceptibility and vividness.Subsequently,I have managed to adopt this way in class to my works for almost seven or eight years.

　　If it is possible to talk something about your creations at the present stage ?

　　Many years have elapsed.Having been painted by me, those students have already grown up.It is interested for us to talk about something about painting in the past.Therefore, I consider whether to continue to paint their appearances at present and different living environment,exhibiting the imprints of time and painting to different people ’s home.Now this is still an unimplemented project,and I do not know its possibility.Perhaps it may cause some problems in need of fetching some furniture to different homes with all sorts of conditional limits and demands lots of previous preparation.Nevertheless, I am unwilling to depend too much on photos,because watching photos is not so good as seeing directly by eyes.Photos are a plane,and they can cut down many details.It will be vivider and richer when watching near the scenes.Their power and presence can be felt everywhere throughout the scene.It seems to be weaker comparatively by watching photos.

　　Just now you talk about the creative project of family theme,can it be interpreted as your deepening consideration for youth theme,or the stretch for a slice of youth life ?

　　That can mean a kind of thinking for life,and youth is a part of life.It is supposed to be funny to present the different situations in different time.

　　In the majority of your works are described the modern young people without over complex background ,even no background,is there anything to consider?

　　During the creation process, if the figure itself could touch me adequately with strong sensuality, you might tend to totally absorb yourself in describing their objective image characteristics. Something may be superfluous if drawing the background,which may fade down the visual effect.In order to give prominence to personal characteristics in some works ,I might as well abandon to draw background.

　　Mr.Yang Xiaoyan has ever written that Zhang Wei has attempted to resume the true sketch ,aiming at spurring the sketch to be the true aesthetic, and enabling the aesthetic to exhibit the effect of the scenes. What do you think about his opinion?

　　That is what Mr.Yang Xiaoyan has ever written in my solo exhibition preface in 2010,and at that time the exhibition displayed my works ,which were a group of the young through directly facing the students to sketch. The fresh flavor and the passionate sense of painting scene in those works blew to us ,which was the key to touching the views.I think that is what Mr.Yang Xiaoyan means.

　　I find that in your works My Students you paint with more freehand and harsher compared with the former creation,why do you change such painting language ?

　　The main reason is that I increasingly tend to enjoy freehand brushwork and plane.In the figures pose,I gradually abandon the fussy and superfluous details to aspire after a much purer expression with more cushily and easily expression,in comparison with the earlier paints.It is my ideal to forget the skills.

　　In your work Childhood seems to describe a scene of some elementary school with fresh style allied to a feeling of something childhood.Would you please talk something about its creation background?

　　This work was painted on summer holiday.A youth activity center ,which affiliated to Panyu Shawan Cultural House, invited me to give lessons and paint with children at that time.Those children ’s parents were migrant workers.The center provided them with free education.I thought it was interesting and sprang up the idea to paint them.I told with the center director Mr.Meng,whether I could paint for those children.He dictated a favorable reply.I moved four picture frames with two meters long and some tool materials,and directly painted int the center.It was the first time that I had painted so young children,most of whom were about at the age of seven or eight, and eleven or twelve.It had difficulties in painting them for their alive and kicking behaviors.At first,I thought I could comfort them to stand or sit ruly.Later,I found that all of them could not sit quietly and had to coax them with candies.

　　It should not take too much time to paint a child,and should roll out canvas to paint several children at a time.It was a bit urgent in time.Sometimes,only a child came after making appointments for two or three children.However,sometimes all of them came together.Once a time,I had painted four children one day from 9 am to 7pm -8pm,which totally spent me half a month to paint.At that time ,I had found a student called Long Suiyang,and later he studied movie in France and shot a documentary to record my whole creation process.It was a novel way with challenge,and I painted with full content.Eventually,adding some backgrounds that were different from what I had painted before,I finished the figure painting internally and moved outside for drawing trees,which was presented in the scene.Everyone felt relaxed for the paint effect.

　　Apart from figure paintings,you have painted a group of still life paintings,for instance,the Landscape on the Table.Would you please talk something about the creation feelings?

　　I prefer to enjoying Giorgio Morandi’s paints,and sometimes I may set up the style as him in the still life paintings.I am always fond of simple and plain things.This group of the Landscape on the Table ,over 20 pieces of works, were painted for the exhibition due to the invitation of Hong Kong Baptist University in 1998.There were some family knick-knacks in the works,focusing on some funny details in daily life with deliberately bright tone.Afterward,this kinds of still life paintings have been raggedly drawn but not too much.

　　Meanwhile ,you have painted some landscapes works,and are there something particular that should be paid attention to between the colors and brush stroke in the landscape works?

　　Most of my works are accomplished by sketching and painting when going out or leading the students to countryside.The painting ways are similar to paint figures with freehand style and full of much bolder flowing feelings in the brush stroke.I do not like the picture filled with heavy style, and preferring to the bright and clean tone ,which can comfort us.

　　You are the painter who has experienced the 85'Artistic New Trend,what do you think about the fashion crazy for studying western modern style at that time?When the western art ideological trend swarmed into in the last 1980s,during your studying period ,did it have any influence on you?Would you please talk something about your study experience in the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts ?

　　I was enrolled into the Affiliated High School of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 1980,and was taken on the Department of Oil Painting of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 1984.It so happened that witnessed the whole process from Scar Arts to Folk Arts,and then the 85'Artistic New Trend.I just studied in the Affiliated High School of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts during the former phase.At that time we watched the transformation from Scar Arts to Folk Arts by limit information,and then the western modern arts were gradually introduced at home,so that we could approach to more new things.It was urgent for most of us to come into contact with many new western art ideological trend.All kinds of modern schools and styles were crowed into .In the past ,we had been influenced by the Soviet Union.During this period,we had learned the Fauvism, Cubism, Surrealism, Dadaism and so on.They were novel for us to thirst for studying and attempting to everything with fast thinking.At the same ,we were at adolescence with the young ’ s rebellious spirit,after a long time of study we were able to make sure which could be the right one for ourselves.At that time,I studied the experimental class of education reform held by Li Zhengtian in the Department of Oil Painting, which was a much more leading and active pilot class of education reform among all the national art colleges. Those who took budgetary responsibility for teaching were Li Zhengtian,Yang Nao,Shen Jun and Si Tumian.They always gathered with students in Room 105 of the Art College building to exchange the ideas of art and philosophy.Therefore, the so-called 105 Studio with powerful influence appeared in the southern pioneer art field during the last 1980s.Their experimental spirits were at the leading edge of art,and combined with the exploring direction with teaching to encourage students’ creation spirit and fulfill everyone ‘s creative passion.Lots of exchange activities had been launched in the class.For instance,Li Zhengtian led us to exchange ideas with Beijing and the teachers and students in the Central Academy of Fine Art.Some well-known artists were invited to hold a speech in the school,including the artists in the filed photograph,music,dance and so on.The direct idea of teachers focused on enlightening ,broadening our horizon ,which were of great benefits to us.What we leaned and the creative thinking were comparatively active.

　　Although we were few contacts with art magazine at that time,yet we still could learn a lot through Fine Arts, Jiangsu Pictorial,and Gallery by the Guangdong People ' s Press and other periodicals.As a student, it was natural to be impacted.

　　In the early 1980s ,the advanced artistic atmosphere in Guangdong was very active. Subsequently,the pioneer art was tiding all around the world.However, Guangdong had gradually faded from the public.Personally,there was a close connection with the dramatic economic surge for the leading reform and opening up.Plenty of our classmates plunged themselves into business,and only a few insisted on the artistic road.

　　Did you continue to paint when working at newspaper?

　　Since I graduated in 1988,I had been worked in the China's Southern Daily Group as a graphic editors. I worked during the day and painted at night in spite of the poor condition at that time.The works in that period mostly aimed at participating the exhibitions,but the opportunities were not so many.When I was young ,I longed for making some achievements .In 1994,I was recalled to teach at school.

　　There has been very large renewal of the ideas in modern oil paints,which may weaken the basic function of traditional figurative oil paintings to some degree. Do you think the good figurative painting foundation still plays a crucial role in the modern oil paints?

　　After eight years long term figurative painting foundation training from the Affiliated High School to college, I hold the idea that basic training is of great necessity.It can cultivate the observation ,consideration and expression capability.For example, if you see an object ,feeling ,analyzing and illustrating it.And it is necessary to have this ability.If we fail to lay emphasis on or lack of this kind of training, and then it may exert a great influence on your judgment and accuracy.Although many people do not draw the traditional figurative painting from easels,but work on concept,photo-taking or devices and so on.While it is of great significance for artists to have the earlier basic training of the sense of propriety in works apart from wisdom.When looking back, you will find basic training is a cultivation for judging ability by observation to attain the essence.If continuing to go on easel paintings,it will require more control in hands to accurately express your attention.