张伟是一位令人感兴趣的艺术家。

　　这种兴趣的建立，并非单纯因为他作品的画面形式。随着时间的推移，那些“个性”的视觉标签，往往是最早被洗刷殆尽的部分。创作者急于在作品中定位终极的形式风格，正如讨论者急于给对象套上一副典型面孔的做法一样，往往能将艺术所有的个性与生命力消灭殆尽，指向一个乏味而一厢情愿的结局。当然，这两者相结合，不乏为一个有效且能高产地制造出一批批“艺术家”的方案，且早有付诸实施者。倘若以后有人研究这一段历史，反倒应是一件趣味无穷的事情。之所以说张伟令人感兴趣，在于相当长一段时间内他坚持着“写生”这一已不那么具有“前沿”意义的作画方法，用平实的笔调描绘着普通的人群。那唤起了我们记忆中意味悠长的一部分——单纯而不单调的童年、躁动却日日如常的青春、细雨扑面的三月、以及兴奋而又感伤的毕业季。加缪在评论普鲁斯特时说：“在一种高级的统一中，他把失落的回忆和现时的感觉、扭曲的脚和那些幸福的日子汇聚在一起。”张伟对于青春题材的不断发掘，是否有着相似的共通点，我不敢妄断。但正如加缪紧接着补了更为直击心扉的一句：“返回幸福和青春之处是困难的。”也许因为如此，记忆与现实生活交织在一起，成为了珍贵而不亚于宏大叙事的描绘对象。正是在这个切入点上，张伟以朴素而感性的方式，引导观者进入了那些如同河流般不断流淌过身边的日常情景。

　　这位在上世纪90年代便展现出成熟绘画能力的油画家，早期的作品如《海阔天空》中有意强调的物象轮廓以及空旷的场景，明显带有超现实主义的形式意味。数年前，我在他位于LOFT345的工作室中，也观摩过譬如《好好学习天天天向上》、《花样年华》等等一系列大幅面的“大人头”作品。那如同反转负冲的Pop色调和摆设味颇重的人物动态，显示出画家对于艺术的潮流同样有着良好的把握能力。我至今未正式地请教过张伟在这些作品中所作出的选择基于什么动机。但我总觉得，这种新潮的感觉，无论在地域的范围内还是时间的范围内都不难找到它在当代艺术里面的族类。这种并不明显相像却似曾相识的感觉，广泛地存在于很多画家的作品之中，不管他是否为此而感到困扰。如果形式仅仅只是为了拉开个性与传统之间的距离，而无法连接画家的精神与现实世界，那么，那些看似前卫且具“当代性”的样式，也许在一开始便与它们所要反对的陈旧过时的画风只有一纸之隔。甚至，如果曲意的解构和故意的重复成为了反叛的法门所在，这最终将成为毁掉创作者情感与想象力的开端。当然，张伟的这些作品并非如此。或者说，这并非他的兴趣点。他在不断的探索与自由的描绘中，逐渐将自己的基调定位在真实的存在——他的所在。

　　近年来，张伟的主要描绘对象是身边真实存在的人物，这种真实并非画学意义上的写实。在技巧上，他的笔触有意地避开了之前过于强调轮廓带来的分离感，而逐渐趋于轻松的节奏，展现了大部分作画过程中画笔运动的印记，从而带出了一丝时间的不确定性。人物的造型与动态大都处于自然的状态，而背景往往以简略的色块带过。张伟将他的兴趣点更多地放在了与绘画对象的互动上面。在《我们在一起》这组群像之中，所有的描绘对象皆是出现在张伟生活中的人，那些少男少女大部分是他的学生一一对应着每一个可以叫得出来的真实的名字，其中包括他的儿子。观摩这组作品时，

　　我们可以从描绘对象轻松的表情中看出那个并不存在于画面上的角色——他们的张老师正站在对面，饶有兴趣又一本正经地观察着他们，亦同时被他们所观察着。这种思路的开辟，可以从他创作于几年前的《最后一课》中看出端倪。一个个青春的面孔就站在对面，在与真人等大的尺幅以及画面的场景气氛面前，观者很容易就代入了绘者身为老师的角色。同样是青春的题材，《好好学习，天天向上》、《我们的未来不是梦》、《花样年华》等作品中那种略为雕琢而带有距离感的描绘，在这里已经转变成身边触手可及的气息。当这些实际上并不存在于同一个时间、甚至并不存在于同一个空间的对象在画面上通过写生的手法被组合到一起之时，张伟也在他者的存在中，巧妙而隐晦地完成了自己的存在。

　　显然，这种观看与被观看的方式有效地消弭了张伟之前在数种不同风格中切换时略显紧张的不适应感。他悠闲的个性与充沛的好奇心在这里找到了合适的表述方式。而且，在更深层地发掘了青春主题意味的同时，也扩大了他的视野。如果说之前的题材主要来自于身边熟悉的人物的日常再现，《童年》、《居家》这些作品则进一步地让张伟进入了更为多重的他者的生活。张伟没有刻意地美化童年这一常见的题材，画面并不合理的空间背景似乎暗示了他在写生的所在地度过的时间段，而平铺直叙的造型手法和自然的色调如同日记般记录下了绘者与被描绘对象之间在此刻的放松状态。《居家》则更为直接，那些不加筛选和刻意安排的场景，以及人们毫无防备的神情，使得观看与被观看的过程开始变得好玩了起来。即使是《屋顶上的玉米地》这类完全没有人物出现的场景，我们依然可以看到画家心平气和而放目四望的乐趣。这种乐趣无须上升成为任何冠冕堂皇的文化使命。图式的设计和语言的编排已经不再重要，此刻，张伟确切地在得心应手的自由挥洒中，获得了身心的满足。

　　张伟令人感兴趣的地方，除了他的写生，也许更在于他这一路探索的轨迹。始于《看得见河流的风景》那种唯美意境的营造，到90年代的“新生代”油画，再到2000年以后当代性的探索，乃至于当下如实叙述中的自我呈现，这位当代油画家的艺术历程构成了一个耐人寻味的视觉框架。观者不难看出各种文化情境下艺术家所作出的反应与选择，而熟悉他个性的人则更能体味他的近作中那种平淡所体现的况味。写生对于张伟不只是一种手法，更是他在绘画中逐渐找到自身所在的方式。这种存在其所具有的不可复制的价值，已经超越了画面个性风格的意义。当极端的自我剖析与冷漠的机械复制不断地在某些艺术家的画布、装置上繁衍时，张伟已经开始在另一个地方寻找自己的所在。尽管追求永恒的哲学意味和强烈的社会意识是当代中国艺术家内心深处的崇高理想，但事实上，在激动人心和推波助澜的作用方面，绘画比起其他媒介往往显得无关紧要。相对应的，在都市的同一化中我们往往更容易被个体的自我意识所打动，那些温情脉脉的自我调适恰恰有着更大的感染力。这使我想起了一句古老的箴言：“我之为我，自有我在。”石涛和尚在数百年前给出的这个近乎禅机的答案，在今天，或许可以成为一剂不必深究的心灵鸡汤。

　　王艾

　　2013年9月台风“天兔”来袭时笔于未至书屋

My Own Peculiarities

The Conversation about Zhang Wei’s Recent Works

Wang Ai

Zhang Wei is an interested artist.

　　It is not simply due to his forms in works to this interest establishment.As time goes by,those personalized visual label tend to be the easiest part to decline.The creators are urgent to position their ultimate styles,as the debaters are anxious to attach a typical mark for their objects,which generally will die out all the art characteristics and vigor and point at a dull and just wishful ending.Actually,if both are combined with,undoubtedly,it will be a effective and highly productive solution to produce a group of artists,and in fact that has come true.Providing that someone studies this history,on the contrary ,this will be funny.The main reason why Zhang Wei makes us interested is that he has insisted on his own sketch for a long time,and it has been not at the leading edge yet that the painting method by plain tone to describe the common people.That arouses our past memory in long time ago,the pure but not monotonous childhood,the restless but not changeable youth,the March with flowing rain ,and the exciting and sentimental graduation.When Camus made a comment on Proust,saying,“Under the senior unity,he gathers the lost memory,the feelings at present,twisted feet and these happy life. ”Zhang Wei continually explores the theme of youth, and I am afraid to claim whether there are any common point.However,as Camus added a more electrical sentence next,saying, “It is difficult to come back between the happiness and youth. ” It is possible for this consequence that the combination of the memory and reality becomes the precious object ,which is no second to the magnificent narrative one.In this point,Zhang Wei guides the viewers into the flowing daily scene in a plain and sensitive method.

　　This has ever presented mature painting ability oil painter in the 1990s ,and his earlier works,for example,Boundlessness,put emphasis on the objects forms and boundless scene,which is obviously full of surrealistic style.Many years ago, I observed his works ,a series of works about adult heads,such as Good Good Study, Day Day Up,and the Mood for Love and so on in his workshop located in LOFT345 .The figures movement ,as the cross processing Pop tone and full of decoration style,reveals the excellent control ability for artistic fashion of the painter.So far,I has failed to consult Zhang Wei formally about the intention of this choice in those works.However,I always think it gives us a fashionable expression,and it is not so hard to find this kind of works in the modern art whether in the geographic spread or time.While this unclear similarity but filled with some vaguely familiar feelings widely displays in many artists works,whether he has felt confused for this or not.If the forms can only broaden the gap between personality and tradition but fail to connect the painter spirit with the real world.So,those apparently avantgarde forms with modern characters might only keep at a piece of paper ’s length for what they aim to object to firstly.Indeed,if deliberate deconstruction and intentional repetition become the rebellious key,which will be the preface to destroy the painter’s emotion and imagination.In other words, it is not his interesting point.During his constantly exploration and free description,he has gradually positioned himself in the real existence----where he is.

　　In recent years,Zhang Wei has mainly painted those figures that are real and close to him,and this reality is not realism in terms of paint.Technically,his brush intentionally avoids the isolation from the overemphasis of frame before with gradually comfy rhythm to present most of the imprinting during the painting process by the brush flowing,so that the uncertainty of time can be revealed.Most of the figure model and dynamic are in a natural condition with simple color swatch description in background frequently. Zhang Wei’s interest focuses more on the interaction with objects.In the series of Let us Together,all the painted objects have ever come up Zhang Wei’s life,those boys and girls are all Zhang Wei’s students,and he can remember all their names one by one,and so does Zhang Wei’s son.When observing this group of works,we can see the non-existent figures in the paint from the description of their relaxed expressions.While their teachers was just standing in front of them with amusement and serious observation,and he was watched by his students as well.In the Lass Class painted several years ago,we can have an inkling of thinking.All the young figures standing oppositely are equal to the real ones with the same size,accompanying with the scene atmosphere ,which makes the viewers easy to think of themselves as the painters.Meanwhile,there are a little rhetorical and removed description in the works,such as Good Good Study, Day Day Up,Our Future Is Not Just A Dream,and the Mood for Love and so on,and those descriptions has turned into accessible flavor.It is a fact that they do no exist on the same space and time ,but being combined with by sketch ways.In the existence of otherness,Zhang Wei completes his own existence subtly and vaguely.

　　Obviously,the way of viewing and being viewed can effectively eliminate a bit in-adaptability prior to Zhang Wei for the shift among various kinds for style.His easygoing personality and vigorous curiosity can gain a proper expression method here.Nevertheless,in the deeply exploring the youth theme,his horizon is broaden as well.If the former materials are mainly from the familiar figures with daily reappearance,those works,including Childhood,At Home and so on,further enables Zhang Wei to enter multiple otherness life.Zhang Wei does not deliberately glorify childhood this common subject,and the unreasonable space background seems to indicate the period when his sketching,as records the relaxing moment between the painter and being drawn ones by a pedestrian sculpt and natural tone . At Home tends to be in a more direct approach for the scenes without filtering and deliberate arranging,and defenseless expressions,which makes the process of observing and being observed more funny.Even though in the scenes without figures ,just like the Corp Field on the Proof,we can still find the pleasure of the painter ,who looks around in a calm mood.This pleasure is not necessary to be enhanced as any splendid cultural mission.It has not been crucial on the form design and language layout .At this moment,truly,Zhang Wei has a good command of his painting with mental and physical contentment.

　　More interesting thing is in Zhang Wei exploration trace apart from his sketch.This modern oil painter’s artistic road has formed a subtly visual frame from the beginning of the purely aesthetic atmosphere establishment in the work Visible River Landscape,the new generation oil painting in the 1990s, post-contemporary exploration after 2000 to personal presentation with factual narration at present.It is not hard for the viewers to observe the reaction and choice of the artist under various cultural circumstance,and those who are familiar with him can better understand his pure and plain spirit in his works recently.Sketch is just a method of Zhang Wei,and he has gradually achieved his own value.This existence value cannot duplicate ,and has surpassed the significance of personal style in the pictures.When some extreme self-analysis and chillingly machinery reproduction continually appear some artists’ canvases and settings,Zhang Wei has already begun to seek his position in other place.Although it is the innermost lofty ideal for modern Chinese artists to pursue permanent philosophy significance and social awareness.However, in fact,it seems to be less significant for painting in terms of excite and tidal wave effect in comparison with other medias.Comparatively,we are inclined to be touched by personal self-consciousness in the metropolitan assimilation,and those tender self-adjustments exactly possess huger passion.As an old proverb says,“I am who I am due to my own peculiarities.”Shi Tao,the monk,has given us an answer almost full of Zenic enlightenment for hundred years ago.Nowadays, it might be a chicken soup for the soul without necessarily deep study.

　　Written on September,2013 when Typhoon Usagi hit in Weizhi House

作者：王艾