中国的花鸟画，是一个早就自成一体且长盛不衰的绘画门类。它以寓兴、寄情为宗旨，缘物而动，有感而发，以花鸟草木四时荣枯的形态寄寓作者的所感所悟，这使人想起了中国诗赋的“赋、比、兴”传统。而“与诗人相表里”的说法，更是强调了花鸟画作为一种精神产品的审美特征以及艺术创作主体的自我定位。讲求意趣，注重写生，尊重自然生态之规律，是历代花鸟画创作的共同取向。诚然，中国艺术是主张形神意整合一体的。正是在这一层面上，自然界的景物与人的精神生活，与人的志趣情怀是同构、契合和共鸣的。从根本上说，花鸟画乃是人自身的投射，观念的直白，是人精神世界的写照。

　　读赵紫林先生的写意花鸟画，首先让人感到他对于中国花鸟画注重“写意”的精神内核，有着独到的参悟和理解。这是一种依托于中国文化传统的审美体悟。他把人生历练、艺术修养、生活感悟与写意花鸟画的形式语言融为一体。在他的作品里，“写”是主导，“意”是灵魂,笔无妄下,形无虚设。威猛霸悍的苍鹰，迎风疾飞的翠鸟，洄环穿行的鲶鱼，傲视八面的雄鸡，均得笔墨酣暢、形神兼备、神完意足之境界。他涉猎的题材很广泛，乡间水畔，山花野卉，自然界的动植静潜靡不关注。即便是传统文人画常见的品类，在他笔下也被赋与了新的生活气息和新的寓意。

　　在赵紫林众多的花鸟画中，不乏春华秋实，夏荷冬梅之类作品。他能在或繁或简的画面中传达丰富的内涵，抒写天机与情趣。可见，作画不在画什么，关键在为何画，如何画。他的画作能繁能简，是繁是简,当由表象达意的需求而定。当繁者少一笔感不足，当简者加一笔则嫌多。但更能体现其艺术特色的，我以为应推他那些画面宏大，构图饱满的大幅作品。以紫藤为例，这一题材作品历来不知几许，要画出新意却很难。赵紫林先生出于对藤箩的钟爱知难而上，其所作令人耳目一新。他体悟到：藤萝具有“万古长青”、“普天同乐”等美好象征，它的自然形态能使写意笔墨有用武之地。于是，对画藤锲而不舍，查阅研究历代名作，到自然中观察体悟，如醉如痴，累年不辍，终有所得。他的近作《龙蟠虬结繁英霞帔》，为六幅八尺宣立轴组成的联屏，单幅亦是构图完整的独立画幅，排在一起便成左右呼应、气势连贯的巨幅通景。画中有历经沧桑的老干，有迎风摇曳的新枝。有香露欲滴的盛花，也有含苞未放的花穗。老干新枝纠缠盘绕，繁花簇拥铺天盖地。看似笔墨狼藉，随意挥写，实则从单幅到联屏的画面布局，点线面构成，顾盼取势等等，都做了精心推敲和整体把握。恰如题款所述，是满目春光燦然逼人的巨作。在他的作品中，不乏如此宏构巨制。如“荷塘系列”，“天鹅”等均为难度大，水准高，寓意深的成功之作。

　　显然,他的作品更着意于自然界的生机律动,要表达的是灿烂`焕然、生机郁勃的新意趣。他的创作理路，总体上属于传统型写意花鸟画，走的是传承拓展一路，却找不到以往花鸟画的冷逸、萧疏和寂寥。赵紫林的作品，是属于现代人的、充溢着生机活力、有着新内涵的当代花鸟画。

　　赵紫林的作品，从形式角度看，布局大度，笔墨雄浑，取象简约，笔法稳键而又灵动多变。他吸收了篆、隶及草书的诸多笔法，中锋、侧锋兼用，运笔朴拙，线条流畅，突出了“写”的韵味，墨渖苍润，运笔用墨能顺其心境自如伸展。他的画内涵丰富，意趣浓郁，格调高雅，寓意深刻，个性鲜明，自成面貌。这样的写意花鸟画，洒脱自然，对之者悦目赏心，有如欣赏美妙乐章，一曲终了仍有余音绕梁。从他的艺术个性和笔墨表达而言，其沉稳憨实中透着一股生拙老辣韵味，已得写意画真谛，达到写意画的高境界。

　　赵紫林先生多年执掌教鞭，桃李成蹊。在美术教育上成果斐然，而美术创作亦颇有建树。这是通过对传统文化的汲纳，经年累月地不懈求索，由传承、修炼、涵蓄人格心性，而铸就的敬业精神及艺术气质。我们对着赵紫林的这样亲切而生趣盎然的作品，会有眼睛一亮、心神一动之感。再稍作回味，还会发现这种单纯、质朴与率性天真的艺术表达中，流露出一种《般若波罗蜜多心经》所说的“心无挂碍”的清澈与澄明。

　　心无挂碍，神完意足。由是，方有了充溢于画面之上的，引人共鸣，让人动心的精神气格。

2012年10月18日写于京华

（梁江中国美术馆副馆长、中国美术院副院长、中国美协理论委员会副主任、博士生导师） 

Being Carefree and Spirited

-- On Flower-Bird Painting by Zhao Zilin

By Liang Jiang

　　Chinese flower-bird painting is a painting category that has its own style and has flourished for long. Its principle is to find spiritual sustenance and affection in painting, to paint as objects change and feelings are touched. It places the painter’s feelings and enlightenment on the seasonal change of flowers, birds, grasses and trees, which reminds us of the Chinese tradition of “narrative, comparison and symbolism”. The idea of “as a poet inside” emphasizes the aesthetic features of the flower-bird painting as a spiritual product and the orientation of creators. It’s the common orientation of flower-bird painting to pursue interest, practice sketch and follow the course of nature. Indeed, Chinese art focuses on the integration of appearance, spirit and connotation. In this aspect, natural scenery corresponds to and echoes human spiritual life and affections. In essence, flower-bird painting is the reflection of human beings, and the plain concept reflects human spiritual world.

　　The free idea flower-bird painting of Mr. Zhao Zilin suggests that he, with his unique comprehension, concentrates on the spiritual core of “free idea”. It’s an aesthetic inspiration supported by traditional Chinese culture. He integrates life experiences, artistic culture and daily inspiration with the form of free idea flower-bird painting. In his works, “free(dom)” dominates, “idea” is the soul and both play an important part. All of the fierce goshawk, fast-flying kingfisher, winding catfish and proud cock appear to be fluent, fulfilled and unified in form and spirit. He covers a wide range of subjects, including rural area, waterside, wild flowers, animals and plants in nature. Traditional as they are, they are still endowed with new vitality and morals by the painter.

　　There are works about spring flowers and fall fruits, lotus in summer and plum in winter in his flower-bird painting. He is capable of conveying abundant connotations and expressing nature’s mystery and spice with complicated or simple pictures, which clearly indicates that the key is why and how to paint, rather than what to paint. His paintings can be simple or complicated, which is determined by the demand of expression. It will be inefficient to have a stroke less in those complicated paintings and to add one more stroke will be too much for simple ones. What better reflects his artistic features, in my opinion, are the works with grand scenes and full composition. Take wisteria as an example. It is a theme that has been much portrayed, so it’s almost impossible to bring in novelty. But Mr. Zhao Zilin, due to his affection for wisteria, advanced despite difficulties and created refreshing works. He realized that wisteria, as a sweet symbol for “being everlasting” and “being joyful for all human beings”, can play well in free idea painting with its natural shapes. Therefore, after he persistently researched masterpieces on wisteria in history and observed it in nature as if being enchanted for years, he could achieve somewhere eventually. His recent work “Tangled Trunks and Blooming Flowers” is made up of six pieces eight-foot long rice paper, each an independent complete work, but all echoing and integrated with one another together. There are weathered trunks, as well as swaying shoots, dewy blossoms and spicas in bud. The trunks and shoots tangle one another and full-bloom flowers cluster over the sky and earth. It seems as if the inks are in disorder and randomness, but every aspect, including the layout of a single or a group work, the structure of dots, lines and planes and the contrast and conditions, are arranged elaborately on the whole. Just as its title indicates, it’s a great work of spring scenery and brightness. There are many more works like this, such as “Lotus Pool” series and “Swan”, both of which are successful works with difficulty, high level and profound moral.

　　Apparently, his works focus more on the vitality of nature and the new interest in resplendence and vigor, a traditional free idea flower-bird type. He has inherited and developed it, but abandoned its chill, desolateness and solitude. His works belong to modern people. They are contemporary flower-bird painting full of vitality and timely connotation.

　　Zhao’s works, formationally, have a grand layout, vigorous and firm strokes and compact images, with moderate and flexible techniques. He takes in calligraphy of seal characters, clerical script and cursive hand with different emphases. With plain strokes and fluent lines, the works contain the charm of “writing” and the lenitive ink marks reveal the skillful control of brushes. His works are abundant in connotation, rich in interest, graceful in pattern, profound in moral and distinctive in characteristics. Free idea flower-bird paintings like this are truly free, easy and natural, which bring audiences, who might be still lost in them after leaving, the pleasure of appreciating wonderful music. His artistic quality and expression has truly reached the tidemark of free idea painting with the plain, mellow and vigorous appeal.

　　Mr. Zhao Zilin has been a teacher for many years, with pupils all over the nation. He achieved high in art education, as well as in art creation, all of which results from the professional dedication and artistic tempermament formed in the absorption of traditional culture, the unremitting pursuit for years and the inherited and trained personality. We will be brightened and affected when we see his works that are so gentle and overflowing with joy of life. Appreciating them again, we will perceive, in the pure, plain, straightforward and naive artistic expression, the “carefree” clarity and brightness mentioned in Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra.

　　Being carefree and spirited endows the painting with the resonatory and beckoning spiritual character.

October 18th, 2012

Beijing

(Liang Jiang, deputy-curator of the National Art Museum of China, vice-president of China Art Association, vice-director of the Academic Council of China Artists Association, PhD candidates supervisor)

作者：梁江