张霭维老师，从艺、教学、作画，凡几十年，纵生平历尽坎坷颠沛与孤寂，然瞬眼云烟之往事，在一览她的画作之后，即如雨过天晴，没有苦难的记忆，看不到伤痕的刻画，只觉得一切都在新的萌动中，在欢快的笔触与色彩间，她仍用年青的心在唱着生命的赞歌。

　　同许多在上世纪六十年代初毕业的美术学院学生一样，张霭维以优异的成绩留校任教时，怀着对新中国美术事业发展贡献自己才能的热情，投入到她所教的第一个班级的教学中，我就是这个班里的学生。在公众和个人生活空间都被异化了的年代，在最终只能以个人意志去承担所有生存挑战的岁月里，绘画——画幅与画者之间这方寸之地，成了张霭维心灵的避风港，成了她皈依艺术神灵的净室。

　　当一个时代脆弱的社会理想破灭之后，艺术大潮从追逐政制的意识形态话语权的桎梏中决堤而出，俄而又倾覆于各式急功就利的"伪主义"的急流之中。多少同门又成了新的弄潮儿;又多少人因忙于他顾而在艺术探索的路途上消失了。张霉维对这种大变数有如朦然不知，她谨守着心中一点可能巳被视为过时的唯美观念、战战兢兢地还在磨练着自己色彩造型的能力，怀着虔诚之心，不懈不怠地在描绘与塑造中去追寻冥冥中的一种梦想。绘画对她来说是一种内心的欢娱，一种精神的飨宴，绘画就是她生存的价值。她虽然明嘹艺术的社会功能，但她的绘画她的艺术与焦虑、愤恨、怨恼无关，而只一心在不断提升画面单纯、宁静的意境中传达出生命的礼赞。

　　和许多画家一样，出于绘画题材的爱好，也出于生存需要，张霭维画了众多的肖像绘画，从身边的亲人、少数民族人物、到名人大亨。因她为人真切诚恳，天性开朗、不工心计，她的肖像画也画得诚挚而深入，不事矫饰。她所描画的对象复杂的人生阅历在她的画中如临静水，变得深邃而内敛。许多名人企业家或正是出于这个原因而乐意请她画肖像。张霭维的肖像以其平实、贴切、恬适、庄重而自立门户。

　　张霭维的绘画，从未想过要归为某家某派，但她每每以感激之情论及在艺术与技巧上滋养与熏陶了她的众多前辈，尤其在她的油画色彩技巧中，深铭着她师从过的徐坚白先生从域外带回的遒劲爽朗、色彩饱满的表现力;在形体塑造中她也明显具有留苏学派反复锤锻而在造型结构上练就的深入概括的功夫;更有从钟安之先生处感悟而来的出奇不意的洒脱和流畅。她以永无倦意的好奇心去吸收更新更强有力的技巧，所有技巧最终又都融化在她那种对色彩的丰盈与纯净的永无止境的追求中。

　　张霭维的风景画最能表达她这种对自然对色彩的造型力去探寻内心意境的几近宗教热诚的礼拜。在她到加拿大之后画的风景画尤其是海景画中，清凉沁润的空气，和煦宁神的阳光、清澄透沏的海水，那海水，我们从未见过的透明和洁净，让人感到她的精神巳沐浴在内心的大自然里，铅华尽洗，在无休无尽的绘画中，一种对生活感恩的幸福冉冉而升。

　　简宣义

　　2006年11月29日凌晨

　　简宣义：法籍华裔油画家，曾任教于中央工艺美术学院，曾任广州大学艺术系主任

　　Studying art, teaching art and creating art are the life of my teacher, Ai-Wai Chaung,although it has been a harsh life_rising and falling, unlucky and rough, with loneliness her companion for several decades. Viewing her paintings, I see a clear sky after the rain. All the past has vanished in a puff of smoke. In her work, you see no scars, but new shoots of growth, happy brushwork dancing with color. She still sings her praises to life with her youthful heart, a heart that never ages.

　　Ms. Chaung graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts with excellent grades and became a lecturer at the Academy. Like most of the Academy graduates, she devoted herself with great enthusiasm to art education under the new Republic and began her lectures in her first class. I was one of the students in this class under her guidance. Later she experienced many blows because in society everything became politicized.Her student dreams shattered, she was at a loss, unable to understand what was happening,but had to throw herself into the complex social currents. During those years when both public and personal lives were greatly distorted, a person had to meet all the challenges with their own personal will in order to survive. During those years, the narrow space between the artist and her canvas became the only haven of her soul, a calm space to contact the spirit of art.

　　When the social ideals of that era vanished, a huge tidal wave of art broke through the established rules of the political system, and flooded cultural life with a sea of "artificiality" in pursuit of all kinds of immediate success and profit. Many people in the art field drowned in the new tide and many others disappeared from the field of art research, busily engaging in other businesses. However Ms. Chaung paid no attention to this situation in the arts, and insisted on remaining true to her own concept of beauty-seeking, although it tended to be regarded as somewhat out of date. She continued faithfully to improve her ability to use color with an honest heart. In pursuit of her dream, she has never stopped practicing. Painting is her inner pleasure, her spiritual food. Painting gives value to her survival. Although she understands that art has its social function, her art has nothing to do with anxiety, hatred and anger, but instead eulogizes life, conveyed in an increasingly simple and serene atmosphere.

　　Similar to many other artists, because of her interest in the subject matter but also out of practical necessity, Ms. Chaung has created many portraits, from friends and relatives, minorities, to famous CEOs. Out of her pure, honest and broad-minded personality, the portraits are created sincerely and profoundly, without any 'beautification.' The complex lives of the people she portrays are successfully displayed in her work. Maybe that is why so many celebrities and entrepreneurs have invited her to paint their portraits.

　　Ms. Chaung has never thought that her paintings should belong to a certain school or "ism," but she never has forgotten to attribute her success to those predecessors whose thinking or techniques nourished her. For example, the color techniques in her oil paintings especially reveal the deep influence of her tutor, Xu Jianbai, who brought color techniques back from abroad. These techniques enable the color in her oil paintings to be vigorous, bright and powerful, full of strength.The impact of those tutors who studied in the former Soviet Union can be seen in the structure of her work. Her free, almost mysterious, brushwork mentioned above melts within her rich and endless pursuit of colorful effect.

　　Ms. Chaung's landscape paintings best convey her warmth and worship of nature and color, similar to a religious belief. Scenes in her paintings contain a vivid depth, especially those seascapes made after her arrival in Canada where viewers can almost inhale the cool, fresh air, bathe in the warm sunlight, or play in the dear and transparent ocean. The water is so pure,calm and transparent that the viewers feel the spirit of the artist bathing in the nature of her innermost heart. Within her creations, her gratitude and happiness emerge naturally. The dust of the past has been washed away.

　　by Xuanyi Jian

　　Nov. 29,2006

作者：简宣义