亚明那幅在画《通向众冥的自由之路》的自画像，左手端着调色板，右手拿着长长的“笔”，光背，农民工级别的凉鞋，纷乱的须发，仰着头，凝望着他所创造的人物，稳稳地立在那里。与26年前我所认识的那个刚刚走出电影学院校门的可爱的小伙子相较，他显出更多的强毅和力量，甚至更像是一个立在堑壕里准备绝地突围的士兵！

　　也许，他的画作也正是一种突围！

　　一位我所敬爱的哲学家曾经说，从前别人称他为“哲学家”，他总是愧不敢当，总说自己是哲学工作者，所谓工作不过是阐释领袖人物的经典著作。每想及此，我总是止不住心里的悲哀。这不就是说，世界上只有少数几个人拥有真理的发现权，而多数人只配拥有学习权、遵照权，解释权吗？这岂不是人间天大的不平等，一个哲学家连真理的发现权都没有，只配去解释别人所说出的所谓真理！

　　那么，艺术家呢，也只能是艺术工作者？只能去反映、描摹、再现、图解别人所说的一切？

　　亚明的突围让我钦佩而且高兴的是，他让我看到一个孩子般真挚的人，举着一个火炬，那是他自己的心，像屈原、普罗米修斯、丹柯……那样的心！

　　那天，我曾对亚明说，可能生物界只有人类是明确知道自己会死亡的。另一层意思我没有说。就是，不仅如此，人类还认识到自己作为“类”、认识到我们所居住的这个星球，也会死亡。而当照耀天际的恒星以及它们的光焰也一起寂灭之后，宇宙将陷入一片黑暗！

　　说到这些，是因为我虽然没有和亚明交谈他的画，但我隐隐约约总是从他的画作中感觉到他内心的无法排解的伤感。我猜想这种伤感让他流了很多眼泪，让他彻夜难眠！那天看画，有人说到他作画的升降台，我听见他说了一句：“我害怕我会发狂，掉下去！”

　　那些恐惧、绝望、惋惜、疑惑、伤感、惊讶、悲悯，以及平静、坚定。如其说是众生的，不如说是亚明的，都是他，以及他的关怀。

　　那天，我们还说到，人明明知道个体生命如此短暂，明明知道几十亿年的生物进化，几亿年的动物进化，几万年的人类文明，也不过是一种暂时的存在，会在某一个清晨或夜晚归于尘土，而且万劫不复。但是，人仍然如此这般的执着生命，珍惜自己所爱的一切。这一面，亚明的《温暖》系列便是另一个有力的说明。

（作者系中华文化促进会常务主席）

Preface

WangShi

　　In theself-portrait of him painting “Toward the Freedom of the Nether World，” LiuYaming holds a palette in his left hand and a long brush in his right hand. Heis backlit， and he wears migrant worker sandals. Hi head is tilted upward， witha scraggly beard on his chin. He stands quietly， staring at the people hecreated. In contrast to the young guy fresh out of film school I first met 26years ago， he seems so resolute and powerful. He has become soldier in a trenchready to break through enemy lines， and perhaps this painting was his breakthrough.

　　Aphilosopher I admire once told me that he always felt uncomfortable when peoplecalled him a “philosopher.” Instead， he called himself a “philosophical worker，”because his work was interpreting classic works by leading figures. Thinking ofthis always makes me very sad. Doesn‘t this imply that only a select few havethe right to discover the truth， while the majority only have the right tolearn， obey， and interpret？ Isn’t this the great inequity of the human world？ Aphilosopher does not even have the right to discover the truth； he must simplyinterpret what others have called the truth！

　　So， areartists simply art workers？ Can they only reflect， depict， represent， andportray things that other people say？

　　What Iadmire about Yaming‘s artwork is that he has allowed me to see someone with achild-like sincerity， a torchbearer for the rest of us. This piece representshis heart， a heart like that of Qu Yuan， Prometheus， or Danko.

　　That day，I told Yaming that humans might be the only beings in the natural world thatknow that they will die. But there was another layer I did not discuss；humanity recognizes that it， as a species living on this planet， will die. Whenthe shining stars on the horizon are extinguished， the universe will descendinto darkness.

　　I mentionthis because， even though I have never discussed Yaming’s paintings with him， Ialways sense an irreconcilable sadness in his work. I imagine that this sadnessmust make him cry rivers of tears and lose sleep at night. I was looking atpaintings with a few other people that day. They asked him about the scissorlift he stood on when he painted， and I heard him say， “I‘m afraid that I’ll gocrazy and fall off！”

　　Thesefeelings of terror， despair， regret， doubt， pain， amazement， and pity， but alsoof calm and security， are true of all living creatures， but they seems truer ofYaming.

　　That day，we also talked about the fact that people plainly understand the brevity oflife. Despite our understanding of billions of years of biological evolution，hundreds of thousands of years of animal evolution， and tens of thousands ofyears of human civilization， we also know that our lives are short. One day， wewill become dust， and never come back. However， we must still continue to live，and cherish all that we love. Yaming‘s “Warmth” series is another powerful manifestation ofthis idea.

（The author is the Managing eChairman of the Chinese Cultural Promotion Society.）

　　这幅大画所展现的情景令人触目惊心……面对这个惊心动魄的虚拟场景，我真的有些惊呆了！

　　--贾方舟

　　The scene of this huge painting given makesyou heart quake. Facing this horrific fictitious scene， I was really stunned.

　　Jia Fangzhou

　　无言大家。

　　--王岳川

　　A silent master.

　　Wang Yuechuan

　　现在中国有这种创作状态的人已经很少很少，现在中国能够驾驭这样大画面的人也已经很少很少。

　　--罗中立

　　In China， there are few artists that havesuch an attitude in creating works of art； also， only a few artists are able tomaster such a huge tableau.

　　Luo Zhongli

　　他以冷静的眼光来观察中国社会。

　　--BillZimmer《纽约时报》资深批评家

　　He observes Chinese society with soberinsight.

　　BillZimmer， Senior reviewer for NEW YORK TIMES

　　这个会画画的巫师。他预言了什么，就发生了什么。

　　--王家新

　　He is a wizard with painting talents， hispredictions have become a reality.

　　WangJiaxin

　　他的艺术越出了画室，不再是技术的炫耀和形式主义的游戏，而是进入了社会，与当代问题发生了关联。当艺术家们纷纷选择以玩世、艳俗的方式拉近与当代社会的距离的时候，刘亚明用一种相反的方式取得了与当代社会的关联，用一种独特的方式成功地完成了自己的当代转型。

　　--彭锋

　　No matter which psychological reaction isbrought about， you are jarred from daily life by the tremendous effect andpower of the work. With the impact of the rejection and the acceptance， ourspirits rise up in a vertical direction， and enter a peaceful realm away fromthe impact； the outcome is that we reach the lofty realms and unity with thedivine. Liu’s art is beyond the painting studio， and is not a mere showcase forskill or means for playing a formalistic game， but to enter society and concernitself with contemporary issues. When the other artists choose cynical andflashy ways to close in on contemporary society， Liu Yaming‘s work is concernedwith society in a way that is to the contrary， using unique means to accomplishhis own contemporary transition successfully.

　　PengFeng

　　我面前这幅由中国油画家刘亚明历时四个年头，尺寸12米X9米的巨型油画，除了在某些方面，暗合了我上面提到的三个文学巨匠的人类文化史意义外，他还创造了迄今为止，由中国人创造的，二百年以来的世界绘画史上的新景象。一百多年来，在油画绘画历史记载中，谁能像他这样，画出现在的《苍穹之眼》呢？

　　--丁正耕

　　The 12mX9m epic huge painting in front ofme painted by Liu Yaming， who spent 4 years to accomplish the job. Except forsome aspects， the painting fits well with the significance of the human historymentioned by the three great giants of literature. Besides， it has created byChinese a new prospect in the world of oil painting in 200 years so far. Inmore than 100 years’ time in  oil paintinghistory， who can create such an epic masterpiece as “Seeing from the Heaven”except  Liu Yaming？

　　Ding Zhenggeng

　　刘亚明扬弃了历史性、经验性和社会性语境中的人云亦云的东西，同时他也消解了西方和东方绘画语言的区别。

　　就像毕加索在《格尔尼卡》中在沉思如何评论大屠杀一样，刘亚明在《通向众冥的自由之路》中决定以如此强烈的体验描绘心理冲击和内在恐惧，而不带丝毫责备之意。

　　--亚历山大德罗·梅西

　　Liu Yaming discards the majority ofhistorical， empirical and social contextualization， equally dismissing thefallacy of Occidental and Oriental distinction in the language of panting.

　　Similar to Picasso‘s contemplation as tohow best comment on the massacre of Guernica， Liu Yaming decided to depict thepsychological impact and horror inherent within such experience withoutcensure， entitled， “Toward the Freedom of the Nether World”.

　　Alessandro Masi

　　我更愿意把刘亚明这些极具文艺复兴基因的巨型作品。看作是无神论者的至高杰作。

　　立刻展示这些作品。它所处时代似乎还没做好准备。即便准备好了。对现存美术馆而言。又是一种羞辱。

　　无论如何。这是一部当代中国心灵史的艰难写作。它对于我们时代的意义。我们实在所知甚少。

　　--Hai Bo

　　I would rather take  Liu Yaming’s works as an atheist‘s topmostmasterpiece， as his huge works extremely contain Renaissance gene.

　　Promptly demonstrate these works. It seemsthat we have not prepared for them for the age， even if the right time iscoming， it is a humiliation in terms of present art galleries.  Anyway， this masterpiece is a description of  Chinese contemporary miserable souls. We knowlittle about what it means for our epoch.

　　Hai Bo

　　如果他没有终极关怀的价值观，没有宗教般的虔诚，是绝对创作不出这幅画的。而且在大家都在迎合市场的时候，他严肃地关注当下人的生存状况，这样的艺术家现在已经很少了。

　　--鲁虹

　　He could not create this painting withouthis higher values and religious like devotion. When most artists are cateringto the market， he still cares about the current state of the human condition.Such artists are really rare nowadays.

　　LuHong

　　史诗性巨构，民族精神圣经。

　　--邓平祥

　　It is an epic and the Bible for Chinesepeople.

　　Deng Pingxiang

　　我的眼睛一亮，看到了某种期待已久悠然而至的奇迹。我看到了某种心跳，其中激荡着感悟、强烈的忧患、绝望的愤怒、难以言表的痛心疾首、启示录的恐怖笼罩……我立即意识到，这是一幅从未在中国土地上降临的“启示图”。现在，终于轮到中国艺术家出场，不仅为时代作证，而且为人性审判拉开序幕。这是一次到场，也是一次远征之始。我相信亚明前程远大，不仅因为他正年富力强，而且因为他已经具备创作史诗作品的所有禀赋，他已经独自来到伟大艺术殿堂门槛前……

　　--王康

　　I saw a long awaited miracle， and my eyeswere shinning. I heard a certain heartbeat， within it： gnosis， deep misery，desperate anger， indescribable bitterness and apocalyptic terror. It wasimmediately apparent to me that this is an “apocalyptic painting” which hasfallen upon the land of China for the first time. Now， finally， it is time forChinese artists to take the stage， not only as a proof of the times， but alsoas an opening of a new chapter of human trials. This is a scene， as well as thebeginning of an expedition. I believe that Yaming has a bright future； not onlybecause he is young and full of energy， but also because he has the talent tomake epic works. He has already made his own way to the gate of the artisticpalace...

　　Wang Kang

　　鲁迅先生说知识分子，什么是知识分子？除了不人云亦云，知识分子是孤立的，必须是痛苦的，必须是不合时宜的，而且他是能够从天上看到深渊的，这幅画里头看到的就是深渊的。

　　意深技精。

　　--濮存昕

　　What is the intellectual like in Lu Xun’seyes？ An intellectual does not parrot others‘ words. He is independent， painfuland out of the times. He can see the abyss of misery in the society. I can seesuch an abyss from this painting.

　　Profound connotation and superb skills.

　　PuCunxin

　　其作品单纯从绘画技巧角度看，其功力绝非寻常，显而易见是属古典主义，尤其是将其与杰出的历史人物比较，反应尤为突出。可是又有所不同，与其称之为古典写实主义，不如称为魔术般的写实主义。这种与严格意义上古典写实主义的分支，比如说印象主义、超写实主义以及浪漫的绘画传统，又都不同。

　　--LesleyConstable美国著名美术批评家

　　His painting technique is outstanding，obviously belonging to Classicism， especially the historical phenomenon of thescene- an effective counterpoint to Classicism. However， it’s not quiteClassicism； I would rather describe it “magical realism” than “classicalrealism”. This branch of classical realism， in a strict sense， is differentfrom painting conventions such as surrealism， impressionism and romanticism.

　　Lesley Constable， famous US art critic

　　当今是一个小品时代，小品几乎毫不留情地挤占完我们所有的阅读空间。因为小品是市场的宠儿，小品可以满足大众的浅表化阅读欲望。然而，所有这些也很难阻止一些艺术家创作“大画”的愿望。刘亚明就是这一类画家。所谓“类”已不成类，目及全国范围，画“大画”的不过三五人而已。何谓“大画”？在我看来，至少包括三层意思：一是指题材巨大，含义丰富，具有强烈的主题性叙事功能；另一层意思是宏大，形象众多，画面具有尺幅上的压迫感和震撼力；再者，“大画”所要表达的是无我的崇高之境，不像小品那样一味地凸显所谓的“自我”。刘亚明的“大画”符合上述要点。数年来他一直沉浸于宗教般的境界中，思索着死亡、信仰、生命等重大主题。在画面上，他在一个秘境般的空间中展开这些主题，以冲突彰显出人类悲剧性的命运。当今，思索并表现这类主题的画家已经是少之又少了。刘亚明的肖像画亦达到了相当高的水准，富有激情的笔触，透明的调色，准确地传达出不同人物在不同语境中的精神状态。

　　--张晓凌

　　These are the times of “small paintings”；the effect of this has been the ruthless taking away of our viewing space. Thisis because the market loves small paintings which satisfy the public‘ssuperficial viewing desires. In spite of this， some artists will never give upaspirations for creating “big paintings”： Liu Yaming is most certainly amongstthese painters. When I say “these”， I am referring to perhaps three or fivepeople across the whole country. What is a “big painting”？ In my opinion， thephrase pertains to three qualities： one， deep subject-matter with a greatnumber of connotations implying a narrative； two， a grand scene with numerouscharacters， which is oppressive and highly emotive； three， a “big painting”represents a realm of loftily selfless thought， as opposed to “small paintings”blindly underlining “ego”. Liu Yaming’s “big painting” conforms to the abovecriteria. For years， he immersed himself totally in the religious-like state，meditating upon vital themes such as death， faith and life， amongst others. Liudeveloped upon such themes with the scene through a “no go” space， and usedconflict to illustrate the tragedy of the human condition. Nowadays there arefew artists that still consider and represent such themes. Additionally， Liu Yaming‘sportrait has reached great heights. The portrait， with emotive brushwork andtransparent tone， accurately communicates the psyches of individuals in variedcircumstances.

　　Zhang Xiaoling

《许愿》布面油画 创作2010尺寸227cmX162cm 作者刘亚明 

《暖光》布面油画 创作2011 尺寸 240cmx120cm 作者刘亚明

《作业啊作业》 布面油画 创作2012 尺寸160cmx80cm 作者刘亚明

《西迈》系列1  布面油画 创作2005 尺寸60cmx50cm 作者刘亚明

人类灵魂的歌者

--《苍穹之眼》博鳌展后记

　　认识亚明已有许多年时间了，2010年9月，一个金色的季节。沉寂了多年的中国美术馆，由于一个名不见经传画家的画展，突然引起各界超乎寻常的关注与震动。在一幅名为《世纪寓言》（曾用名《通向众冥的自由之路》）的巨幅油画前，人头攒动，人们屏住呼吸，伫足不前，被作品画面所呈现出的场景深深地吸引与震撼……

　　关于《世纪寓言》与那次画展，当时众多的公众人物与媒体都给予了不同寻常的关注与报道，同时也给予了极高的赞美与评价。亚明的作品无疑在当代，在二十一世纪美术与文化史上，都无可争议地留下了深深的印记与影响。虽然在《世纪寓言》对未来的思考与选择上，我与亚明有着一些争论与分歧，但对该作品我依然怀有深深地敬畏与感动。

　　在许多有亚明出席活动的公众场合，无论是在各种开幕式、研讨会或文化界朋友们的聚会上，他好像总是游离于主题之外，他只是静静地倾听、沉思，你会发现有时他虽身在此处，而思绪早已飞去远方。他的表现寡言，近乎木讷，与环境的喧嚣浮华显得格格不入……

　　但是如果你真正走近亚明，走进他的内心，你会发现他有着孩子般的真诚与童心，对亲人、对朋友炽热如火，肝胆相照，你会为他对艺术宗教般的激情与虔诚而感动。一旦拿起画笔时，他既像个在沙滩上玩耍，发现了大海的孩子，又像在战火中统帅千军万马的君王--自信、自由、目光如炬、豪情万丈。

　　在鲜花与喧哗之后，从刘亚明是谁？他从哪里来？到刘亚明在哪里？他的创作还会带给我们什么？他的艺术之路将伸向何方？这些年关心他的朋友们，一直在询问、在寻找、在等待……

　　岁月倥偬、洪荒一瞬，经过多年的酝酿、构思，呕心沥血，标志着刘亚明最新创作成果的恢弘巨作《苍穹之眼》，终于在博鳌这个全世界最为瞩目的地方与公众见面了。

　　《苍穹之眼》画面瑰丽雄浑，寓意深刻隽永，我们可以看到亚明在绘画语汇与表现形式上的探索与不懈追求，同时在东方神曲般的画面中，感受到他对当下社会面临的诸多问题的思考与批判。这幅作品的创作与展出无疑会给当下处于困惑与彷徨的艺术领域及社会各方面，带来巨大的海啸般的冲击与警醒……

　　每一次站在亚明的作品前，都好像他的灵魂在与你自己的生命对话，从他的作品“温暖”系列中--怀孕的妻子、咿呀学语的孩童，我们感受到对生命、对亲人的依恋。从“此岸”作品系列中，我们感受到了理想与现实的巨大鸿沟所带来的失落与痛苦。《世纪寓言》让我们感受到了信仰迷失后的沉沦与迷茫，而《苍穹之眼》的出现，则让我们感受并看到人类对自由、理想的渴望与战胜各种困惑与束缚的巨大勇气与力量。

　　追循亚明的作品与创作轨迹，我们感受到东西方文化的相互借鉴与融合对他深刻的影响，在亚明的身上与作品中，可以感受到屈原“路漫漫其修远兮，吾将上下而求索”，虽九死而尤未悔的家国情怀与高贵人格；我们感受到普罗米修斯为获取智慧之火的勇敢与无畏；米开朗基罗的恢弘与骄傲；米勒的悲悯与真诚。亚明的作品让你在感受艺术创作之美的幸福同时，一定会伴有思考的痛苦，你一定会审视自己的灵魂与它所相处的这个外部世界，我们为何而生？我们是否应该做得更好？为自己、为亲人、为我们生存的这个苍穹！

　　博鳌，在地图上虽是个弹丸小镇，但它却像是通向广阔无垠海洋的一艘蓄势待发的航船，《苍穹之眼》在这里展出，就像那条从五指山奔流而下，经过跋涉在博鳌汇入海洋的万泉河。他的心、他的目标一定是在远方，在路上，在更广阔的天空与海洋，让我们与他同行--在未来充满希冀与风浪的海上。

　　董克俭 2015年3月14日Singing theHuman Soul： “The Eye of Heaven” at Bo’ao

ExhibitionPostscript

　　I have known Liu Yaming for manyyears， since the golden season of September 2010. The National Art Museum ofChina had been quiet for many years， but because of an exhibition by arelatively unknown artist， the space suddenly inspired extraordinary interestand debate. When faced with the gargantuan oil painting “Parable of theCentury” （previously called “Toward the Freedom of the Nether World”）， peoplestopped in their tracks， looking upward with bated breath. All were deeplymoved by the expansive scene laid out before them.

　　At the time， “Parable of the Century” andthat exhibition received extraordinary attention from the media and publicfigures， who gave the piece the highest praise. Liu‘s paintings are undoubtedlycontemporary， and they have left a deep impression on the history of art andculture in the twenty-first century. Although Liu and I have debated about theideas and choices in “Parable of the Century，” I still have deep admiration forthis extremely moving work.

　　At the many public events Liu has attended，whether an opening， a symposium， or a party， he always seems to be somewhereoutside the event. He listens quietly， thinking. You might think that， eventhough he is physically present， his mind wandered long ago. His demeanor istaciturn， almost to the point of being dull， in a way that is entirelyincompatible with the clamor and flash of his surroundings.

　　But if you trulyget close to him， and learn something about his mind， you will discover that hehas a child-like sincerity and innocence. He is passionately devoted to hisfriends and family， and you cannot but be moved by his almost religious fervor forart. When he takes up the brush， he is both a child playing on the beach anddiscovering the sea， and a monarch leading a mighty army into the fog of war；he is confident， free， farsighted， and noble.

　　After the flowers and noise of an opening， weare left asking many questions. Who is Liu Yaming？ Where did he come from？ Whereis he going？ What does his work give us？ Where does his artistic road lead？ Formany years， his friends have been inquiring， seeking， and waiting…

　　The time has passed in a flash. After manyyears of consideration and contemplation， he threw all his energy into the grandartwork， “The Eye of Heaven.” As the result of Liu’s most recent efforts， thepiece will premiere on the grand stage at Bo‘ao.

　　“The Eye of Heaven” is magnificent，vigorous， and profound. We can see Liu’s untiring pursuit of unique paintedeffects and expressive forms. Like an Eastern Divine Comedy， the painting shows his ideas and judgments on manyissues faced by contemporary society. The creation and presentation of thisartwork will undoubtedly have a tsunami-like impact on an art and social worldthat is mired in confusion and hesitation.

　　Every time I stand before Liu‘s work， it isas if his soul is engaged in a dialogue with my life. From the pregnant wifeand babbling child in his “Warmth” series， we feel his longing for life andfamily. In his “This Bank” series， we feel the loss and pain brought about by thechasm between the real and the ideal. “Parable of the Century” allows us to experiencethe degradation and confusion that arise after all faith has been lost. In “TheEye of Heaven，” we feel and see the human longing for freedom and perfection，the desire to escape confusion， and the restraint of great courage and power.

　　In following Liu’s creative path， we cometo understand the influence that a blend of Eastern and Western cultures hashad on him. In Liu‘s life and work， we sense what Qu Yuan meant when he wrote， “Theroad is boundless -cultivation so distant， / I shall explore it from beginningto end.” Even if Qu were to die nine deaths， he would still maintain hisintense national spirit and noble character. We also feel the courage andfearlessness of Prometheus as he learned how to make fire； we see the greatnessand arrogance of Michelangelo and the regret and sincerity of Millet. In Liu’swork， you experience the joy of art‘s beauty， but you also experience the painof intense thought. You will re-examine your soul and the external world inwhich it exists， and ask why we continue to live. Should we be doing thingsbetter？ Here， he shows us a heaven for him， his family， and us.

　　Bo’ao is just a tiny speck on the map， likea boat traveling a boundless ocean. Here， “The Eye of Heaven” is like WuquanRiver， flowing down from the Wuzhi Mountains， passing by Bo‘ao before emptyinginto the sea. Liu Yaming’s thoughts and desires are in the distance； they are ona journey across the broad heavens and seas. This work allows us to travel withhim into a future full of hope and stormy waves.

　　Dong Kejian

​March 14， 2015

　　（转自：北京后页文库 ）