张桂铭是当今画坛一个特别的人物，不仅因为它的画别具一格，更因为他的人也别具一格。

　　有人说张桂铭特别难打交道，有人说张桂铭非常好相处。

　　一个沉默寡言的人看上去总归比较深思熟虑。人们总是希望自己行事深思熟虑，而怕别人也如此，或者比自己更深思熟虑。做领导如果心里没底，有个诀窍，那就是缄口不语，别人就会感到莫测高深。张桂铭便是个沉默寡言的人。

　　但在这沉默寡言而看上去莫测高深的背后，却有着一颗童心。

　　很少有人看到张桂铭其实非常童心的一面。

　　看不到这一面， 便无法理解他的画。

　　我看了不少分析张桂铭绘画艺术的宏文，觉得越是理论高深者，离画家越远。

　　当我的儿子才5岁的时候，他翻看一大叠画片，上面印的都是当代海上名家名作。当看到张桂铭的画作时，他高兴地说：“我最喜欢这张了!”

　　犬子亦喜欢涂鸦。我从不教他，也从不让别人教他。但自从上了幼儿园以后，我就没办法了，现行的教育体制强迫他受教。于是我没兴趣看他画那些被迫学来的画，他也不像以前那么爱画了。但是，在他接受教育之前画的画，却颇有些个像张桂铭。

　　当一些知识渊博的大人在对张桂铭的画争论不休时，孩子的心早就与之相通了。

　　张桂铭欣赏吴冠中，吴冠中也欣赏张桂铭，虽然他俩并无什么私交。

　　他俩确实有些相通的地方。当人们都在说：“越是民族的，就越是世界的”之时，吴冠中却说，民族血统的概念将会淡化。张桂铭听了颇为赞同。

　　在艺术创作中掺杂了太多“阶级仇，民族恨”，对艺术家强加了许多本不该由他来承包解决的天下大事。在那些我们尚未淡忘的岁月里，这样的习惯思路并不奇怪，奇怪的是其生命力之顽强，现在变相出现在艺术批评中，只不过把政治口号转化为学术用语了。

　　人们往往容易把狭隘当作热爱。

　　艺术创作其实无所谓继承传统或是创新求变。风云际会，因缘巧合，自然而然，就象地球上有一天突然出现了新的物种，你说它是继承还是创新?无所谓继承还是创新，适者生存耳。

　　人是无法逃避自己所见所闻所历的经验的。当这个世界的居民互相间早已不再神秘的时候，一个艺术家除非他是瞎子，否则又怎能不受这五彩世界的影响呢?映入眼帘的，都是无法从脑海中抹去的。

　　每个人还是真实地根据自己的经验来画吧。把绘画回归绘画，这正是张桂铭作品的魅力。

　　画画，似乎任何一个手无缚鸡之力的人都可以从事的。但是，要画出头，却是非有大智慧、大勇气、大定力者不可也。

　　中国的绘画自古以来变了不知多少次。每次变，那带头变的人在当时大多要经受非议。艺术家宁可承受清贫，却难以承受蔑视。一旦你想出些新花样，就得承受人们的不屑：“这家伙画的什今也野狐禅!”

　　主流，往往是平庸的同义词。

　　或许主流本来并不平庸，然后一旦它历经坎坷磨难而成为主流以后，就会形成百鸟朝凤的平庸胜景。

　　张桂铭的画永远无法成为主流，永远不能成为衡量别人的标尺，因为，这样的画只能他来画，这就像齐白石，别人一学就完——是学的人完，不是齐白石完。

　　所以，张桂铭的画要永远保持与主流的距离，保持画家自己自由自在的状态，保持自己孩童般烂漫和倔强的心态。

　　这也正是其价值所在。

　　Zhang Guiming is known as an outstanding artist in China’s painting today, which is attributed not only to his unique painting, but more to his unique personality.

　　Some people think he is difficult while others think otherwise.

　　A silent person would be deemed to be considerate. People hope they can be considerate when dealing with things, but they are afraid that others act so, or even more considerate than they do. For example, as a leader, if he was a bit uncertain about something, a clever way for him is to be silent. At least, others can never puzzle out his intention. Zhang Guiming is such a man of few words.

　　However, what behind the silent and depth, hides a childish heart of Zhang Guiming.

　　Those who can not discover Zhang Guiming’s childish heart, will never understand his painting.

　　I have ever read a few analytic articles about his painting art, it seems those who get involved in more theories about the arts, they will get further steps from the real artists.

　　As a 5-year-old child, my son was fond of leafing through a number of paint pictures, where printed a lot of famous paintings from the genre of Shanghai artists. When he turned to the page of Zhang Guiming, suddenly, he pointed it and shouted excitedly, “I like it best !”

　　Of course, my little son liked drawing at that time, but he was never taught by me or others. After he went to the kindergarten, I felt helpless to set his spirit free from the complement control of current education system. Since then, I began to lose my interest in his compelled paintings while he didn’t love so much towards drawing as he did before. But, his previous painting ever got the some similar talents as Zhang Guiming before he received formal education.

　　When some knowledgeable adults argued about the merits of Zhang Guiming’s paintings, child’s heart may already made interlinked with his great works.

　　Without any private contacts, Zhang Guiming shows appreciation to the painting master, WuGuanzhong who also appericiates Zhang Guiming .

　　Actually, they have something in common. When the public say, “Those of the ethnic, those of the world”, Wu firmly believe that the conception of ethnic origin will gradually fade with the time, applauded by Zhang Guiming.

　　Too much ‘class hatred and nation grudge’ mixed in art works will impose extra political burdens on artists. During those unforgettable passing days, the traditional thought is not strange for us, what strange is the way of thinking, which has such a strong life and convert political slogans into an academic terms, with a disguised form of art criticism.

　　People tend to easily regard their parochialism as their favorite.

　　For Artistic creation, it doesn’t matter whether it is traditional or innovative. How can you mean it traditional or innovative under those international situation , coincidences. Those suitable survive, that’s it.People will never escape from their own experience. When residents of this world do not feel unfamiliar with each other any more, how can an artist not be influenced by the world unless he is blind? What comes into his eyesight will never be erased from his mind.

　　It is better for everybody to draw according to his own experiences. Return painting to painting, which is just the charm of Zhang’s painting lies.

　　Painting, seems to be something that anyone can do. However, if anyone wants to become famous, he must owe real wisdom, unprecedented courage and strong will.

　　Since ancient times, Chinese painting has changed a lot. The leader of every change has to withstand much criticism. Artists would prefer to suffer poverty, but contempt is unbearable to them. Once you come up with some new ideas, you have to bear the people's disdain: “This guy paints nothing but trashes!”

　　Mainstream, often is the byname of mediocrity.

　　Perhaps, the nature of mainstream is not of mediocrity. When becoming a mainstream after going through all kinds of trials, it will decorate into a mediocrity scene of “Birds Pay Homage to the King”.

　　Zhang Guiming’s painting will never step into the central of mainstream and never become a yardstick to measure other’s achievement. That is because Zhang Guiming’s paintings can only be completed by himself, just as Qi Baishi’s painting, which cannot be imitated. If only someone would like to try, there’s no doubt the learner will face the failure of learner rather than Qi Baishi.

　　Therefore, Zhang Guiming has always kept his free mind, childish appetite and stubborn heart, keeping far away from the mainstream.

　　All that is the core value of his paintings.

作者：林明杰