很多人画石头。而雪松所画，却是众多石头中很有特别意思的那类石头。他会画成他的调味。就像很多人都会下面条，而雪松下的面条就有他很不能逃脱的个人调味。当然，他并不调成怪味。但他硬是要把这碗面里的菜丁子、肉末子，再加上辣料等，这弄一匙那弄两滴的，东匀匀西拌拌的，最终弄成他的一碗很有热情、很有心趣的那么一碗面。你说他烦不烦？但这便是一个天生爱在过日子吟咏探摸中找取自得韵味的艺术家之必然。搞不好，这和他生长在四川这个既像是粗莽莽大山水却又是处处过得小日子那种风土背景有关。他画石头或许也是这样。雪松的山石是滴水的。譬似他初见这石是在桂林阳朔某个幽深的岩洞中乍然间临于眼前。这块山石犹未「底定」。或说，这块山石尚处于洪荒，还没落脚在某处博物馆或人家院中。不少块他的山石，往下方垂水的状态，已然形成整张画构图的特有形式了。也就是，这一缕缕垂下的水线，像是要将坚硬、锋锐的固体物安上几条流苏的那股心理。一如人们在剑柄上要安上缨穗似的。这或是作画者某种自发的、抛不开的心底习惯。似乎雪松最有兴趣的，是替这些石头找洞窟；然后在昏暗中，觅取光影。就好像对着这一块块的山石，他总在眯起眼睛审查这些石头凹槽的阴面与光面。而这些阴面、光面便构成他的笔法。他像是有时半夜从不知哪里回到家里，一屁股坐倒在椅，还没脱鞋，疲累中居然还往几方石头窥瞧了过去，倦眼下的石头，竟有太多太多可以窥得的东西，或说太多的不经意之变幻。这一盯看，往往又看上个好几刻辰光。有时看至睡去也不一定。而瞌睡醒来，又把眼盯着石头看。他大约是那么的爱「时时瞧一眼石头」的那种痴汉。为什么？不知道。但你再回头一想，其实太湖石（或灵璧石，或英石，姑且笼统称之）真是叫人看不厌。尤其是染上窥看它的癖好后，它与时浮显的阴暗凹陷与奇之又奇的天成模样，是绝对能惹得好些人整天为它沉醉不想醒的妙物也。雪松画的石头，这一块那一块，未必叫得出名字。也看不出哪一块比另一块有何特殊不同之处，它们不是冠云峰、瑞云峰这等经典名石。他不为这些名石做「著录」，他只是画「石头」。在许多背景深暗中所见的石头，令人像是看见太空中某个星球的那种极远极邈的宇宙一瞬感。这种时候，石头已不是明清园林里所置的情味矣，它们已然太寂寞太遥远太不与人间相干了。看这样的「山石系列」，压根像是观赏「石头的星际之旅」。而其中有些将石头的肌理抽析而后以毛笔的转折来牵动墨韵所现出如抽象画似的作品，倒像是凭空挥洒在天空中而呈现视觉暂留的书法了。另有一些，如同冰川将融的冰块似的山景，亦呈现某种冷冽的太古情境。可以说，雪松很不考虑这些山石的配置问题。他不让它们靠倚着墙，不让它们托着红木座子，不让它们旁边有屏风、盆栽、家具，更不让它们跟人在一起。就像他若煮一碗面，即使葱花、臊子、辣椒皆一丝不苟、分配均匀的搁在面上，然最终这碗面必须是呼噜呼噜吃进嘴里的那股面条核心的迷人滑劲浑郁。也于是面条必须「寂寞」的呈现它的魅力。绝不允许你看向这碗面时还会注意到碗的花色、筷子的材质、桌面的花布，更别提三数碟配菜这种扰人的繁文缛节了。他对石头的痴迷，或说热情，最终只能以最寂寞最遥不可及又最冰冷的形式将它们呈现出来，这便是雪松画石最绝妙之处。

舒国治

2015年10月

Rock paintings by Xue Song

By Shu Guozhi

　　Many people paint rocks. Among a wide array of rock paintings, the works by Xue Song is considered particularly interesting. He has lent a unique flavor to his paintings.

　　Even though many folks know how to cook noodles, Xue Songís personal flavor could never be hidden in the noodles he cooked. He certainly wonít add any odd spices to the noodles, but instead ladles some ground meat and vegetables, plus chilli condiments, into the bowl, mixing them into the cooked noodles with a palpable sense of enthusiasm and delight.

　　Whether he pleases you or vexes you, he is to be recognized as an artist who is born to pursue joy in his own way as he chants in the daily life. This might as well be related to the place where he grew up. Sichuan, surrounded on all sides by vast mountains, is nevertheless known for the cozy lifestyle of local residents.

　　That might precisely tell of his rock paintings.

　　Water appears to be dripping from the painted rocks by Xue Song. It seems that the rock he first saw inside a deep cavern in the county of Yangshuo suddenly made a vivid reappearance in front of the viewers. The rock remains in an ill-balanced position. In other ways, it is still mired in a primitive state, and yet to settle down in a museum or someoneís backyard.

　　Drops of water, it looks like that, are falling from many of the rocks painted by him, framing a special composition in his paintings. Lines of water drops hanging down look set to equip the ironbound, sharp solid with decorative fringes, just like tassels hanging from a swordís handle. This might reveal some habit, spontaneous and inescapable, hidden deep inside the painterís heart.

　　Xue Song comes across as being most interested in seeking out the caves for these rocks, and after that looking for light and shadows in the dusk of the very cave. It is as if he always squints to examine both the day side and the dark night side of grooves on the rocks, when facing a handful of rocks. The day side and night side, as such, compose his brushwork.

　　It seems that he goes back home at midnight sometimes, not knowing where he had been, flopping down into a chair without removing his shoes. Despite the fatigue, he still looks into several pieces of rocks over there. Peeking through his weary eyes, the rocks unexpectedly contains way too much things, or too much inadvertent change, for him. The look could well turn out to be hours of enjoyment for him. And he even gives in to drowsiness while appreciating the rocks.

　　But when he wakes up, he would continue to fix his eyes on the rocks. He is probably that kind of man that loves to take a look at rocks then and now. No idea why it happens. But Taihu rocks, also known as Lingbi rocks or Ying rocks, on second thoughts, truly remain perennially fresh that people never get tired of seeing. The bizarre yet natural shapes of the rocks, as well as the shadows casted by the rocks as time passes along are genuinely a wonder that tempts many people to indulge in gazing at the rocks. That's particularly the case when people get addicted to peeping into the rocks.

　　You may not necessarily name many pieces of rock Xue Song has painted, nor could you tell the distinct difference between one piece and another. They are not well-known rocks such as Guanyunfeng and Ruiyunfeng. He never records these famous rocks in his paintings, but simply paints rocks.

　　Seen against various dusky backgrounds, the rocks evoke the feeling of a fleeting moment of in the breath of the universe while watching some planet in the outer space. At this moment, it feels like the rocks are no longer sitting serenely in the gardens established in Ming and Qing dynasties, but rather filled with loneliness, standing far off from the world of human beings.

　　The sight of rocks as such is therefore essentially a scene of rocksí trekking across interstellar space.

　　By contrast, some of his paintings extract the texture of rocks and translate them into some sort of abstract painting, enabled via the movement of brush strokes which elicits the lingering charm of Chinese ink. This pretty much looks like hand-written calligraphy viewed in the air owing to persistence of vision.

　　There are also some of his paintings that depict a somewhat nippy situation dating back into remote antiquity, just like the ice-like mountain scenery as glaciers melt.

　　It is arguable that Xue Song doesnít take into account how the rocks are arranged. The rocks are not allowed to lean against the wall, hold up mahogany trays, or adjoin screens, house plants and furniture. They are, furthermore, not supposed to be nearing human beings.

　　As is often the case when he cooks noodles, chopped scallion greens, minced meat and chilli that are delicately scattered across the top would not be sufficient to provide an enticing and chewy taste. The success of the cooked noodles ultimately lies in the slurping sound that speaks of its daintiness. The noodles must showcase its glamour all by its lonesome. When you look at the cooked noodles, you would never be allowed to pay attention to the design of the bowl, the material used for chopsticks, the tablecloth with flowers, let alone the annoyingly over-elaborate formality of dining etiquette.

　　His obsession with, or passion for rocks, eventually, could only be revealed in a coldest and most reclusive fashion that is far beyond reach. That is exactly the most fascinating part of the rock paintings by Xue Song.

作者：舒国治