不知是上帝的指引,还是心灵的驱使,在一片空白的过去中,我选择了绘画,把它作为终生事业来追求,于是有了十年的沉迷和那些作品。

　　东方悠远而厚重的文化渊源是我玄想和述叙的理由,这盘桓与流淌在血脉中的情愫,早已冷却了我对世俗与潮流的热情,于是有了对中国文化的研习,对西方富于创造力的艺术经典的景仰与追慕,才有了那批有着浓浓中国画味道的系列作品,也才有了我拿西画材料演绎东方古典精神意象的行为,追求古典气质下的当代精神。

　　我们站在中西方文化的交汇点,经历了中国现代艺术向当代艺术转型的时期,探求与实验已成为我的一种创作习惯,无法定型的风格样式和多重系列的作品,正是血脉间潜流的本在,也是因为大量的探寻风险,才给这些作品不断带来生机.从而思想认识一步一步走向自由。

　　在我画中射线的运用,即是一种现当代的元素,也是一种个人情感符号,有延伸,连接的寓意,也有光明深远的指向未来的方向,我固执的以为继续走“东方气质”路线,那些简约,洁净,质朴,清虚,并且有一种高贵的气质在画幅间流动的作品面貌,将是我永远探求的主旋律,更是我能呈现的个性视觉图式 。

　　其实，风景系列是我08年以前的作品。但不是简单意义上的再现风景。我个人本身对精神性的东西有一种偏好。现在我所思考的是如何做成一个有个性的语言系统。比如我比较喜欢宋代意境层面的东西，那这个层面是不是诗情画意呢，我认为这显然不能完全概括精神层面的内蕴，我认为是一种情怀，是一种内心的感觉，是一种气质。更是一种冥想的结果。谈到这个转向，其实，语言系统还是一样的，只是在观念的表达上有所深化，以前的创作思路已经不能完全表达我现在的想法，一直在探索和实验，不同的时期，所思考的东西是不一样的。近期，这个延伸系列是我现在所着力表现的，无论从形制上还是思想表达方面都与我现在的思维相一致。

　　线本身有绵延、连接的意思，我想借助线这一符号同古代发生一种关联，达到一种对话的效果。从造型角度来看呢，线还有一种现代感，有一种光的感觉，颇为简洁。尤其是光线洒下来的那种效果，颇具神秘感，很有效果。光是西画里最典型造型要素，但在这里不是一般的阳光普照，也不是散光弥漫，而是光明，是圣灵的光，来自宇宙，超越现实，是人类探求的理想之光。这些与我所追求的中国古代文化精神内蕴的思想是相吻合的，于是，线作为一个尤为特别的符号融入到画面。虽然，整体形式借用于西方，但是表意系统还是构建于中国本土，亦即我所倡导的东方精神。

　　这其中蕴含了古代文化精神的当代诉求，同时，作为画面的主体，所呈现的视觉效果和传统文化是相呼应的。而关键在于一种全新的方式重新演绎文化经典。西方的媒材在再现表现等方面的造型优势，舞动起来，灵巧运用，结合中国古典气质，演绎出别开生面的画面效果。何乐而不为呢?没有了创造的惊喜，却得到了发现的快乐。

　　当时创作“延伸系列”的时候，触动了我很多感觉，画面中小孩的描述，可以说是对儿时的一种回忆。创作时，感觉有一种悠远的东西，不由自主地就往那个靠拢，也就是所说的意境吧。大雁几乎在画面中反复出现，有时候站在空旷的原野上面，看大雁远去的那种感觉，好像也把我的灵魂带走了，这是情愫的自然流露，比较神秘、莫名，阐释古人那种孤寂的情怀。也是自己内心向往的天堂。最初的时候，考虑用什么元素去表达呢，元代戏剧家马致远的越调散曲“天净沙。秋思”中写到：枯藤老树昏鸦，小桥流水人家。古道西风瘦马。夕阳西下，断肠人在天涯。这首曲就颇有意境，勾起人们那种深远的感觉，也就是精神层面的东西。再者，我的画面大多做模糊处理，越是模糊的东西，精神性的东西愈加宽阔，演绎的东西愈多，表达的元素亦更加多元，精神性的表达更加丰富了。

　　我的创作呢，形式上可能是西方的系统，只是媒材的不同。但是，最本原的东西还是取意于本土系统。这里有两个方面，一方面采用西方普通油画媒材，营造纯东方意境。而另一方面放弃再现写生的方式，像闭门造车，却是迁想妙得，在工作室里发生的冥想，更接近内心的东西。所以我遇见很多的朋友来我工作室，想知道我是怎么弄出这批古怪的东西，我笑而作答：这是个秘密!

　　具体来说，东方的玄想我一直在探索和实验，不断拓宽领域，使这条路越走越远。整体创作还是有逻辑的，很系统的一套原则，最根本的还是忠实于自己的感觉，忠实于自己的内心感受。前提是养，没有东方这片土地的滋养，没有几千年文化的延伸，我想这是个大问题。然而我们更需要有一份东方人的自信与执着，在中西方文化发生剧烈碰撞的今天，东方文化的价值更有待于发扬光大。

　　像古代文人所谓的那种雅致，其实就是一种气质。不需要太多的说明，作品本身的意境，就像古人对物象的描述上升到精神层面一样。再者，还有一个和观众互动的过程，看观者是否有感觉，这样才有更多的东西产生，正所谓仁者见仁、智者见智吧。谈到是否和当下有关联，我认为现在存在很严重的一个问题，就是传统精粹的东西，放到当下语境中，很多传统绘画中美好的东西，现代人已经没有了以往的感触，甚至是漠视的感觉。古代系统中那种精神性的东西流失了。现在我所进行的“延伸系列”创作基于此，希望能够引起人们对古代精神性的美好一面的重新关注，这是我现在着力在做的工作。

　　Guided by God or prompted by my soul, in the confused past, I chose painting as a life long career, hence there’re ten years of enthrallment and those works.

　　The long and rich oriental culture gives me the best reason to think and narrate. Because sincerity flowing in my blood vessels has already quenched my passion in secular trend, I learn Chinese culture and admire creative western art. That’s why I draw those series of works full of Chinese painting taste, show oriental spirit with western painting materials and pursue contemporary spirit under classical temperament.

　　We now stand on the crossroads of Chinese and western cultures. After experiencing the period of Chinese modern art transforming to contemporary art, exploring and experimenting become my working habit. Various styles and multiple series of works are the essence in blood. Risks in exploring bring about vigor to my works and liberate my thoughts.

　　The ray in my drawings is a modern element, a personal emotional symbol, which means extension, connection and bright future. I believe I should continue to take the rout of “Oriental's makings”. Simple, clean, pristine and transparent works with an air of dignity is always the main theme and individual visual figures that I would pursue.

　　In fact, scenery series are my works before year 2008. They are not only representation of scenery. I have a preference on spiritual things, and what I think about now is how to make an individual language system. I like things at the conception level in Song Dynasty, then is this level poetic? Obviously it cannot cover all meanings of spiritual level. Instead I believe it is a sentiment, an inner feeling, a disposition, and a result of thinking. When it comes to this point, actually language system is still the same, but deepens in expression of ideas. Previous creation thinking can no longer express my thoughts at present. So I’ve been exploring and experimenting, thinking of different things in different periods. Recently I exert myself to create this extension series, which tallies with my thoughts from forms to idea expression now.

　　Line has the meaning of extension and connection, so I’d like to correlate with ancient times with the symbol of line to achieve a result of dialogue. Viewing from style, line looks modern, light-like and brief. The effect of light rays spraying is mysterious. Light ray is the classical modeling element in western painting. However, it is neither common sunlight shining, nor discrete lights permeating, but the light of the Holy Spirit coming from the universe and beyond reality. It is the light of idealism of human being. These accords with the ancient Chinese culture. So line is integrated into my paintings as a special symbol. Although western formation is used, expressive system is based on China, i.e. the oriental spirit I advocate.

　　The paintings imply contemporary requirement of ancient culture spirit. Meanwhile, the visual effect of the main body of picture responds to traditional culture. Most importantly, it is a new way to interpret essence of culture. By playing the advantage of western media in modeling, and combining with Chinese classic temperament, a fresh picture can be presented, why not do it? No surprise of creation but happiness of findings is therefore obtained.

　　When creating “Extension Series”, I had plenty of feelings. The depiction of the little child in painting can be understood as memories of my childhood. I felt something remote and created toward it unconsciously, that is so-called artistic conception. The swan geese appear repeatedly in pictures. Sometimes I stand on the clear weald, watching swan geese flying away, like taking away my soul. This is natural flowing of sincerity, mysterious, nameless, implying loneliness of the ancients and heaven of my heart. At beginning, when I considered how to express those feelings, I came up with a Sanqu of Ma Zhiyuan, a dramatist of Yuan Dynasty, i.e. Tian Jing Sha. Meditation in Autumn. It says “Withered vine, old tree, crows at dusk, Tiny Bridge, flowing brook, and cottages, Ancient road, bleak wink, bony steed. The sun sinking west, A heart-torn traveler at the end of the world.” This tune brings people far-reaching feelings and thus is at spiritual level. What’s more, my paintings are mostly given fuzzy treatment. The more blurry something is, the broader its spiritual level will be, the more things can be presented and the richer spiritual expressions will be…

　　Regarding my works, the system is maybe western, only with different media, but their essence originates from native system. There’re two aspects. One is that common western oil painting media is adopted to create oriental prospect; the other is that I give up painting from life, and shut myself up in room to meditate for drawings close to my heart. A lot of friends of mine come to my studio to find how I create these weird things. I always smile and reply: It’s a secret!

　　Specifically, “Oriental Thinking” is what I’ve been exploring and testing, aiming at broadening painting filed and going further. The overall creation is of logic and system, but basically is faithful to my feels. Cultivation is precondition of success. Without nourishment of this land and several thousand years of cultural heritage, it cannot be even possible. We should have the confidence and obsession of easterners. Chinese and western cultures collide and mingle today, and eastern culture is to develop to a higher stage.

　　The so-called “elegance” by ancient literary man is a kind of quality. Not much explanation is needed since the prospect of the work itself is to be tasted. Besides, the process of interaction with spectators is important because different people got different ideas. When it comes to the relationship between oriental thinking and presence, I think there is a serious issue, that is, traditional essence in painting is ignored by modern people. The spiritual things in ancient system have lost. Based on this point, I create “Extension Series” and wish it could arouse people’s interest again in ancient spiritual beauty. That is what I’m endeavoring to do.

作者：李奇安