大师悠游于岁月山河，他们的符号和意象简洁、跳跃、鲜明。瓦格纳的神祗，福克纳的乡村，齐白石的虾，陶渊明的菊，如同光与影，在人类的书本、记忆、心灵深处摇曳伸展、呼吸不止。生而有涯，美无涯，这是艺术独特的魅力与召唤，一代代优秀的画家，诗人应运而生，为美歌唱，献祭。

　　但凡爱莲之人，阅读汤志义的《印象·莲蓬》系列，必定欣喜，世间有同道，莲蓬遇知音。莲荷之恋，自屈子以降，李商隐、周敦颐再到朱自清，曲径通幽至中国文人的精神后花园。其实在文人传统之外，莲意象始终在佛的国度里格调庄严，且保持了质朴清越的民间性，“江南可采莲，莲叶何田田”，“低头弄莲子，莲子清如水”。莲可生于帝王庭院，亦可旖旎于乡间清寂的方塘，迎秋风起舞，“留得残荷听雨声”言说此境。

　　基于儒释契合之上的洒脱超然，莲给予了汤志义精神滋养的无限空间。而东游西历，锐意创新的艺术家对莲的当代性，则表达了更多的反哺愿望。似乎多年的努力，正在加深或调整业已形成的莲的美学经验与视觉表达的文化传统。

　　在汤志义郊外的工作室，有个苗圃，挖了沟渠，其中漂着莲。莲不在多，三两朵即是。它们的意义，不仅仅提供观察和摹写，还有沉思、念想。夏季的夜晚，大概就有蓝色的月光，流泻在半亩小小的荷塘，或许蛙声，笑语，人类的情思，都笼在那些不说话的花儿上。

　　莲，汤志义画了很多，想必以后还有更多。这些莲季节不同，晨昏不一，场景各异，整合成有意味的形式，我们于其间，可以真实地触感莲的生活和生命。她们也梳洗妆扮，也爱恨悲喜，基调却明亮温暖。因现代漆画语言对于传统绘画语言的有益补充，我们不仅承接到画家从历史之河传递而来的一盏灯，一份艺术赤子心的中国情结，同时大面积中国红，黑，金的大胆渲染铺陈，材料技法背后的眼与心，充分淋漓地建构艺术家自己的莲之形象。

　　流连于汤志义的《印象·莲蓬》系列，瞬间视觉的震惊不言而喻。丰盈的物象，饱满的色彩，一步步挖掘进我们内心的感动。禅与诗，“艳与寂”，一场无声的争战在审美的领域展开。辽阔的大海危崖耸峙。所谓的共鸣，有时表现为更高的坐忘。

　　成就一幅漆画，耗时耗工十分巨大。里尔克撰写罗丹传时揭示，艺术的全部秘密在于劳作。这一艺术创作的朴素真理，在汤志义身上得以彻底呈现，必须历经上万遍的汗水打磨，那些荷塘里的花、叶、莲蓬方才灼灼其华，如同得到天堂荣耀的一束光。灵感不能靠祈祷，必须在耐心的劳作与守候之间孵化。

　　先锋到大师，这条路很远很漫长。天赋是前提，重要的在于是否能够承担，承担艺术的责任与使命。安妮宝贝写了一本小说《莲花》，写人的内心朝圣之旅。历时数载，汤志义始终不渝地描绘、刻画他的莲花，二者异曲同工。

　　莲，上苍赐予东方的神秘礼物，性清凉。在象征、隐喻的旧文本时代，莲不断地复制关于高贵、纯洁的神话。在当代，莲何为，艺术又何为?汤志义用笔触上行、下行，为了拓宽历史思考的边界和深度。

　　但毫无疑问，正如瓦雷里眺望水仙，梵高燃烧向日葵，汤志义以莲蓬奠定了他的当代漆艺术。不知是汤志义选择莲，还是莲选择汤志义，恋人间只有絮语，毋庸理由。一枝莲，一抹色彩，目击而道存。

　　Whispers of Lotus

　　—A Read into Tang Zhiyi's Impression • Lotus Seedpod Series

　　-Liu Weiqun (poet)

　　Masters can always find the ease to swim smoothly in the rivers of time. The symbols and images they have created, more often than not, are extremely minimal and simple in form, but very dynamic and striking in effect. The gods composed by Wilhelm Richard Wagner (1813-1883), the countryside written by William Faulkner (1897-1962), the shrimps painted by Qi Baishi (1864-1957), and the chrysanthemum depicted by Tao Yuanming (365-427) are like lights and shadows, swaying, expanding and still breathing vividly in the books, memories, and souls of men. Life ends eventually, but beauty knows no boundaries. This is the unique charm and calling of art, and generations of outstanding painters and poets have emerged to sing and offer homage to beauty.

　　Whoever loves lotus will find delight in Tang Zhiyi's Impression · Lotus Seedpod series, because there is nothing like finding a like mind in the world and people who shared a common love for lotus feel affinity to one another. Chinese letterman’s appreciation for lotus starts from Qu Yuan (340-278 BC) to Li Shangyin (812-858 AD), to Zhou Dunyi (1017-1073 AD) to Zhu Ziqing (1898-1948 AD), is like a secret quite path leading to their spiritual backyard garden. In fact, apart from lotus representing the noble pursuit of Chinese literati, the imagery of lotus is always elegant and solemn in the realm of Buddhism. Besides, it also relate to folk legends as something clear, simple and pure, as evidenced by poem verses such as “thou can gather lotus in the Jiangnan watershed, lotus leaves stretching in green fields”, “bend thy head to collect lotus seed, they are clear as water”, etc. Lotus flowers are perfectly cultivated in gardens of the emperors, they are also seen growing widely in the countryside pond. They dance with autumn wind, and “watch the withering lotus and listen to the sound of rain” is considered to be a fantasy image in Chinese culture.

　　Based on the ease and freedom connotation given both in Confucianism and Buddhism, lotus has provided unlimited space of spiritual nourishment for Tang Zhiyi. He has been travelling around, and as a vibrant and innovative artist, he has a strong desire to give new contemporary meaning to lotus. It seems that after years of effort he has deepened or slightly adjusted the aesthetic heritage of lotus and visual expression of cultural traditions.

　　In Tang Zhiyi’s studio, located in the outskirts of Fuzhou, there is a nursery garden with a small pond dug out where a few lotus flowers scattered around floating. There is not much lotus flowers, but two and three would suffice to make up for a perfect picture. They are there not only for observation and inspiration for painting, but also the object for meditation and calm consideration. On summer nights when blue moonlight pouring on the tiny 1/2 acre pond, sometimes with frogs croaking and children’s laughter, people’s emotions are felt by the all those non-vocal flowers.

　　Lotus, based on which Tang Zhiyi has done a lot of paintings, presumably there'll be more in the future. These lotus are from different seasons, from dawn and dusk, in different settings. One can truly feel the life of liveliness of these lotus. Like humans, they are portrayed as cleaning and dressing up, and they also have joys and sorrows. The general tone is bright and warm. Modern lacquer painting language can serve as a useful complement to traditional painting language. Tang not only inherits the lamp passed on through the river of history, he is also proud of his Chinese heritage and applies large areas of Chinese red, black and golden. Such a bold color combination in rendering the background of paining and particular considerations of materials and techniques have help carve out a unique image of lotus in the eyes of the artist.

　　The moment you cast your eyesight at Tang Zhiyi's Impression · Lotus Seedpod series, the instant visual shock is evident. The rich images and vibrant colors dig into our hearts step by step. Zen and poetry, “bloom and silence”, a silent battle is waged in the field of aesthetics. The cliffs erect out from a vast sea; the so-called resonance is sometimes manifested as looking at each other from a place up high.

　　The completion of a lacquer painting is extremely time-consuming and effort-consuming. Rainer Maria Rilke revealed that all the secrets of art lies in strenuous labor. The plain truth of artistic creation can be fully seen in Tang Zhiyi. Hundreds of thousands of polishing must been gone through for all those lotus flower, leaves, and seedpods to glow and shine like a beam of light shined down from the glory of heaven. Inspiration can not rely on prayers, it is only cultivated between moments of labor and patient waiting.

　　It is a long tough road from being a pioneer to a master. Talent is a prerequisite, but more importantly is whether willing to assume responsibilities and missions of art. Renowned contemporary female writer Annie Baobei wrote a novel titled Lotus, which is about write the pilgrimage of the heart. For decades, Tang Zhiyi has been consistent in his portrayal and carving of his favorite lotus. The two artists have a lot in common in this process.

　　Lotus is mysterious God-sent gift to the oriental. It, in its very nature, is cool and distant. In the ancient Chinese literary world where symbolism and metaphor prevail, lotus has constantly repeated being portrayed as a pure and noble myth In modern times, what does lotus stands for and how is true art? With his brushes and strokes, Tang Zhiyi has broadened the boundaries and depth of the history of thinking.

　　But there is no doubt that, as Paul Valery (1871-1945) overlooking the daffodils and Vincent William Van Gogh (1853-1890) rending the burning sunflowers, Tang Zhiyi builds his contemporary lacquer art on lotus seedpods. We do not know whether it is Tang Zhiyi that chooses lotus, or it is lotus that chooses Tang Zhiyi, but there is no reason for the dedicated soft whispers between lovers. A lotus, in a touch of color, those who have seen the painting can feel the philosophical Tao reference behind it.

作者：刘伟群