中国油画家在当代所面临的课题，不仅比西方的画家要复杂，也比他们的兄辈要复杂得多。包括油画在内的西方当代绘画进入了一个更难以捉摸的阶段，西方人在它面前往往困惑不解，何况处于被动接受状态的中国人或中国画家呢!倘若说，八十年前，中国油画家的主要任务是引进那时引进的目标比较单纯，在引进的过程中，投入自己的创造，那么今天的画家则要首先进行选择，引进什么成为重要的问题。此外，还有面对民族遗产和传统审美观念与情趣的挑战，面对宏扬个性和独创性的诸多难题。总之，中国画家身上背的包袱太重，往往使自己无所适从，从而裹足不前。在这样的情况下，艺术家的创作心态即沉着应付的能力便是很重要的了。

　　邓国源在跨进油画的门槛之初，其兴奋的情绪是可想而知的，那是带有某些盲目性，也带有“初生牛犊不怕虎” 的生气的兴奋。但在兴奋的状态下画了一些“不错”的画之后，他便面临着上面说到的种种难题。他能沉得住气去拓展视野和增长知识，在中央美院的研修和对绘画技法，材料学的钻研，特别是1 9 9 5年赴德国、法国等欧洲国家去考察，观摩了大量西方古典的和观代的艺术品，他的眼光和观念都有了悄悄的变化。他开始懂得，对一个艺术家来说，最重要的是创造。这种创造当然不是抛弃和背离前人成果的主观臆造，但也不是按照前人的作品依样画葫芦。西方现代绘画的重要经验，可以使他们能够借鉴的，是他们的观念性，既作品所要体现的作者的思考。这思考不只是基于个人情感的体验(当然不排斥这种体验)，而且还包括社会的、历史的文化判断。缺乏观念的绘画当然只是技巧。然而技巧的概念和范畴是在不断拓展着的。用文艺复兴和古典主义的绘画技巧也可以表现当代的观念，既所谓旧瓶装新酒，但是新的工业和科技时代以及与之相适应的现代主义的种种探索，无疑丰富了原有的绘画技巧。西方现代艺术把“语言”提高到重要位置，已经把原有的笔触、色彩、空间等技巧范畴加以极大的延伸。新的质材，新的制作方法， 无不体现语言的力量。邓国源的创作大概是受上面所提到“观念性” 和“材料性" 两方面的影响和启发，来选择自己创作的方向和位置的。自然，他不能超越他生活和创作的大背景～中西文化的冲突和交触。也就是说，他做的，是作为一个中国青年画家的他，所能做的。这就是他以纸、布、油彩等多种材料为媒介和手段，所做的有关山水的系列。在这些作品中，山、水、云彩、干枯的树，或绘、或拼贴，笔触涂绘和拼贴之后涂色的欢畅感，以及他创造的图式，包括他使用中国水墨画上特有的红印章，又都说明他的中国文化和艺术的情结。观念性和材料性，是来自西方的;对绘画感的钟情与留恋以及某些图或处理手法，是本土的，民族的。而两者的有机结合，形成了他邓国源独特的艺术面貌。 读邓国源的这些山水系列，人们不会满足于在其作品中享受美感的愉悦，不，他有时要破坏这种愉悦感。人们会自觉不自觉地随着作者的艺术语言去思考当代社会的现实文化问题。其实，这些问题，就在我们身边，只是我们经常视而不见、听而不闻而已。假如真的读他作品中美感的话，那就是用各种手段所组成的有微妙差异的细节、细部统一与一定空间中所造成的视觉和触觉的力量或力美。他的画如现代音乐，有谐音，也有噪音，或者更准确地说，是含有噪音的合声。应该说他的现代绘画创造还是在传统的框架之中，虽然他采用了很多新的手法。这是邓国源创作的难以捉摸的矛盾，也许正是因为这种矛盾性和冲突性，才使他的作品具有一种特有的力度。他也会在处理这些矛盾和冲突的课题时，不断闪出他才智的火花。总之，邓国源在探索，在前进。他的探索成果和探索勇气都应该受到人们的赞许。

　　当代油画家精品集—邓国源山中98(油画集)87页

　　The problems the Chinese.Oil painters are faced with at present are not only more complex than those the Western painters are faced with，but much more so than those that lay ahead of theilr ancestors.The contemporary Western painting，including oil painting.has entered a stage more elusive than before.Even the Westerners tend to be perplexed at it，lelalone the Chinese，or the Chinese painters，who are receiving it passively.If the main task of the Chinese oil painters several decades ago was to introduce it (the objective of introducing then was comparatively simple), and to add their own creation to it in this process, today the first thing for the painters to do is to make a choice, and what to introduce has become an important matter. And what is more, there are also some other difficult problems, such as how to cope with the challenge from the national heritage and the traditional aesthetic standards and interest, and how to emphasize the artist's individuality and originality. In a word, the burdens on the Chinese painters' backs are so heavy that they are often at a loss what course to take and hesitate to move forward. Under such a situation, the artist's state of mind in his artistic creation, i.e., the ability to cope with these problems cool-heartedly, becomes Important.

　　The excitement in which Deng Guoyuan first stepped into the threshold of oil painting is conceivable, though it was excitement with some blindness, and also with some vitality of a fearless youth. However, after making some "retty good" paintings in the state of excitement, he was confronted with the various difficult problems mentioned above. He could keep calm and try to widen his field of vision and to increase his knowledge. The further training he received at the Central Art Institute, his intensive study in' techniques of painting and various materials, and especially a large number of both classical and modern Western works of art he beheld during his investigation in such European countries as Germany and France, have brought about subtle changes in his views and ideas. He began to know that the most important thing for an artist is creation. Creation, naturally, is neither subjective fabrication, discarding and deviating from the achievements of our predecessors, nor the slavish imitation of their works. The important experience of the modern Western painting that we can use for reference, is its ideological nature, the artist's speculation that is intended to be embodied in his work. This speculation is based on not only his personal emotional experience (this experience, of course, is not to be excluded), but also the social and historical cultural judgment. Works of art that lack ideas are onlyhandicrafts that lack or have no Cultural significance. The thing used to embody the ideas is surely the technique. However, the concept and the categories of technique are expanding unceasingly. Although the contemporary ideas can also be expressed by using the the painting techniques of the Renaissance and classicism, just like putting the new wine in an old bottle, the new era of industry, science and technology and the various explorations of modernism fitting in with such an era have certainly enriched the original techniques of painting. The contemporary Western art, by elevating the "language" to an important position, has already greatly extended such existing categories of technique as brush stroke, color and space. New materials and new methods of execution, without exception, have embodied the power of language. It is probably under the influence and inspiration of both the "ideological nature" and the "material nature" mentioned above that Deng Guoyuan has chosen the direction and the position of his artistic creation. Naturally, he cannot transcend thegeneral background of his life and creation—the conflict between and the blending of the Chinese and the Western cultures. That is to say, as a young painter of China, he has done what he can.The results of his efforts is the mountains and waters series he has created with various materials, for instance, paper, cloth and paint, as media. In his works, the mountains, waters, clouds, dry trees, which he painted or stuck up, the delightful sensation of applying color after drawing and sticking up, and the schemata he has created, including his use of the red seal impressions peculiar to the Chinese ink and wash, have indicated his sentimental attachment to the Chinese culture and art. The ideological nature and the material nature are derived from the West, while the deep love for and the yearning for the sense of painting, and some techniques in which schemata are made use of, are native and national. The organic Combination of the two has formed the characteristic appearance of Deng Guoyuan's art. When appreciating the mountains and waters series by Deng Guoyuan, one will not be satisfied with enjoying in his works the aesthetic pleasure. No, sometimes the artist would destroy this sense of pleasure. Following the artist's artistic language, one will consciously or unconsciously reflect on the real cultural problems of the presentday society. These problems, in fact, are just around us, but we often ignore them. If we talk about the aesthetic feeling in his works seriously, that is the power or the delightful feeling of power in terms of visual and tactile sense created by the unity, in a certain space, of the details with subtle differences formed by various media. Like modern music, his paintings consist of both partials and noises, or more precisely, they are harmonies containing noises. It should be said that his modern paintings remain in the traditional framework, though he has adopted manY new skills. This is a contradiction hard to get rid of in Deng Guoyuan's artistic creation, and perhaps it is due to this contradiction and conflict that there is a particular kind of power in his works. The sparks of wisdom will flash unceasingly when he deals with these contradictory and cornflicting problems. In a word, Deng Guoyuan is exploring and advancing. And both the achievements and the courage in his exploration deserve commendation.

作者：邵大箴