去年冬天，去彭斯工作室看他的新作。尽管事先对他的“变法”已经有所耳闻，但还是被面前作品的全新面貌给震住了。再看看几张挂在墙上的“老”作品，完全看不出来是出自同一个人之手。我脑中闪过两年前彭斯的纠结，以及他对自我纠结的解决。去年四月在北京画院的个展，可以说是彭斯走出纠结的宣告。展览名为“景物斯和”，印在展览海报上的那张题为《鱼山晚照》的作品，给人描绘了一派温暖祥和的景象，刚好切中展览主题。但是，一团和气背后，却是长达三年的挣扎。如果用x光透视技术来检视这幅作品，会看到背后是一遍又一遍的修改和推倒重来。平静的和解背后，是长达三年的左右互搏，说是惊心动魄也不为过。我不由得想起温克尔曼对古希腊雕塑的评价：“希腊艺术杰作的一般特征是一种高贵的单纯和一种静穆的伟大，既在姿态上，也在表情里。就像海的深处永远停留在静寂里，不管它的表面多么波涛汹涌，在希腊人的造像里那表情展示一个伟大的沉静的灵魂，尽管是处在一切激情里面。”彭斯的作品如同倒转的大海，外表平静，内心汹涌。

　　然而，久违的和解没有阻挡彭斯的探索步伐。事实上，彭斯并不是那种追新求异类型的艺术家。他之所以纠结和变法，目的是要找到忠实于自己内心的艺术方式。是忠于自我的驱动，让彭斯走上不断探索和自我否定的艺术道路。

　　作为80后的艺术家，彭斯在中央美院受到了良好的学院教育。但是，不可否认，由于西方现代性的影响，在今天的学院教育中我们的文化传统已经被冲击得七零八落，面目全非，甚至荡然无存。彭斯像大多数同龄人一样，在学院学会了用“外语”做画。但是，与前辈艺术家不同，80后艺术家的成长赶上了中国经验的高速增长，相应地他们收获了文化上的自信。尽管彭斯用“外语”做画，但他对中国传统文化酷爱有加。在作画之余，吟诗抚琴，挥毫作书，完全是传统文人做派。在经过对油画语言和材质的仔细研究之后，彭斯决定回到用“母语”作画。回到“母语”，意味着游回中国文化的汪洋大海。有了对古琴、古诗、古代书画的心追手摹，彭斯有了不至于被大海淹没的自信。即使淹没在文化的汪洋大海之中，也能收获一份相忘于江湖的惬意。

　　有什么样的语言，就有什么样的世界。同样的自然，从“外语”的角度来看是风景，从“母语”的角度来看是山水。山水与风景，不仅是绘画技法不同，绘画对象有别，更重要的是两种不同的在世方式和生活方式，是两种不同的世界观和价值观。一些对中西文化都有深入研究的汉学家，近来开始侧重从世界观的角度来研究中西艺术的差异。美国的包华石（Martin Powers）和法国的朱利安（Francois Jullien）等人的研究成果，正在世界范围内发酵。彭斯则以他的创作触及同样的问题，形成了理论与实践交相呼应之势。

　　今天的人们已经明白，文艺复兴时期确立的绘画模式，也就是通常所谓说的西方绘画模式，实际上是建立在一种观看模式的基础之上。不接受这种观看模式，就不能接受相应的绘画。换句话说，我们今天看起来非常自然的西方绘画，实际上是我们已经接受西方观看模式的结果，是我们习得的产物，并不是我们生来就是如此观看世界。换句话说，是西方现代性向全球范围蔓延，才让生活在欧洲文化之外的人们学会按照西方的方式看世界，西方绘画才会让人觉得更加自然。根据焦点透视画出来的绘画，要求用一只眼睛观看，所见景象按几何规则后退缩小。它与我们置身景象之中，用两眼观看所见景象不同。更何况，人的视觉系统并不是光学仪器，我们对于事物的理解会影响到视觉经验。从纯粹的焦点透视的角度来说，一只迫在目前的蚂蚁会比远在数丈之外的大象要大，但是在我们的视觉经验中大象依然比蚂蚁更大。我们关于大象和蚂蚁的理解，参与到对它们的视觉经验之中，改变了焦点透视的几何规则。因此，即使康斯特布尔宣称绘画要象科学一样在实验室里进行，他画出来的风景画跟后来拍出来的照片仍然大异其趣。我们的视觉经验比焦点透视要复杂得多，对于事物的理解、所习得的观看模式，无不参与到视觉经验的构成之中。人类不可能用一只上帝之眼看世界。焦点透视的画面，正是不食人间烟火的上帝只眼看见的画面。

　　与西方文化中上帝冷眼旁观相比，古代中国人的仰观俯察、周流六虚似乎更加自然，至少对以中国文化为“母语”的人来说真是如此。静观风景与卧游山水的区别，实际上是中西方两种文化的区别。这两种文化不仅意味着两种观看方式和生活方式，它们对绘画的理解也非常不同。中国绘画不专注描摹事物的外形，而在意胸中丘壑。郑板桥在一段题画短文中，触及眼中之竹、胸中之竹和手中之竹的分别，我们权且可以将它们解读为自然、心灵和文化的分别。这种分别的目的，不是舍此取彼，而是寻找一种和谐共处的方式。中国画家力图以自己独特的手法，化干戈为玉帛，让自然、心灵和文化相得益彰，这正是中国艺术的魅力所在。朱利安等人已经尝试恢复中国传统美学中一些列范畴，让它们加入当代谈论艺术的话语之中。他坚信，中国传统美学范畴的加入，不仅会让我们更好地理解中国艺术，而且会让我们在艺术中看到许多被遮蔽的东西。他自己对风、气、势、韵等范畴的研究成果，已经在西方文化中发生影响，他们已经开始学着从风、气、势、韵等范畴的角度来读解艺术，我相信他们一定会看到全然不同的内容。

　　对于彭斯创作这些新作品，我们也需要从中国美学的范畴来观看。我们可能会从中看到雄浑与散淡，温润与萧瑟，但我们看不到西方美学中的形式与色彩。画家的用笔和节奏，将我们带入了气的运行之中，随着山水的形势，我们的气息或聚或散，或滞或舒，进而参与到宇宙造化的作息之中，分享远超自我的生命的节奏。或许这就是中国艺术的目的，不仅绘画如此，音乐、书法、园林、建筑莫不如此。

彭锋

北京大学艺术学院教授

北京大学美学与美育研究中心副主任

国际美学协会执行委员　　

2015年4月13日于北京大学艺术学院

Mountains-and-Waters and Landscapes——Thoughts on Peng Si’s New Works

　　Last winter, I visited Peng Si’s studio. Although I had heard about his "change" ,I was totally impressed by the new look of his works in front of me. Looking at some "old" works on the wall again, you can not tell all these works are created by one same person. It occurred to me that two years ago Peng Si was tangled and he dealt with the entanglement on his own. Last April, his solo exhibition titled Harmonia, which was held in Beijing Fine Art Academy was the declaration of the end of the tangle. The work titled “Scenery by the Cao Zhi’s Grave,”which is printed on the poster , depicts a warm and peaceful scene ,which is just to the theme of the exhibition. While right behind the peace ,it is a tangle for three years. If this piece of work is examined with x-ray ,revision and starting over again and again will be seen.However,behind the calmness ,it is a quandary for three years, which is not a stretch to say it is heart-stirring.I can not help but think of the ancient Greek sculpture of Winckelmann: "the general characteristics of Greek art is a kind of noble simplicity and a quiet grandeur, both in attitude and in the expression.  like the deep sea stays in silence forever, no matter how rough the surface is.In the Greek art ,expressions display a great and quiet soul,which is in all the passions,though ." Peng Si's works are as the rough sea with calm surface but turbulent inner side.

　　However, the reconciliation does not stop the pace of Peng Si’s exploration. In fact, Peng Si is not the kind of artist who is to pursue different arts. The reason he is tangled and changes is that he aims to find a kind of art which is true to his heart. It is the self- driving ,which is true to himself that motivates Peng Si to go on the road of exploring and self-denial.

　　As an artist born in 80’s, Peng Si received a good education at Central Academy of Fine Arts .However,undeniably,our cultural traditions in today’s college education have been impacted hideously ,even beyond recognition and gone due to the influence of Western modernity.Peng Si, like most of his peers, learned to use "foreign language" in painting in school. But, unlike the senior artists, the growth of 80’s artists meets the rapid growth of Chinese experience,hence they accordingly harvest the cultural self-confidence. Although Peng Si uses "foreign language" to paint, he loves Chinese traditional culture. In his spare time of painting, he plays the guqin, reads poems and creates calligraphy, which makes him look like a total traditional literati. After a careful study of the language and material of oil painting, Peng Si decides to return to his "mother tongue". Returning to the "mother tongue" means to swim back to the vast sea of Chinese culture. With obsession to the guqin, poetry and ancient calligraphy, Peng Si has his confidence not to be drown by the vast sea of Chinese culture. Even if submerged in the vast of sea of culture, he also can gain a carefree comfort.

　　The language corresponds with the world. From the “foreign language” point of view, the nature is landscape while it is mountain-and-water from the “mother tongue” point of view.For mountains-and-waters and landscapes, there are different painting techniques, different painting objects,and more importantly, there are two different ways of of living and life, two different world outlooks and values. Some sinologists who have in-depth study of Chinese and Western culture, recently begin to study the differences between Chinese and Western arts from the view of world outlooks.The research results by American Martin Powers and French Francois Jullien are now in fermentation within the scope of the world. Peng touches the same issue with his art creation ,which forms the echo of theory and practice.

　　Today, people are already aware of the painting mode established in Renaissance, which is usually called the western painting mode and is actually based on a viewing mode. If this viewing mode can not be accepted ,then the corresponding painting mode can not be accepted. In other words, the Western painting,which looks very natural to us, is actually the outcome that we accept Western viewing painting mode ,which is a product of our acquisition and we are not born to view the world in that way. In other words, it is the spreading of western modernity to the whole world that makes people outside European culture learn how to view the world in the Western way,so Western painting looks more natural to us. According to the focus perspective painting, one eye is used and the scene seen will be backed down and narrowed to the geometric rules ,which is different from what we see with our eyes.Moreover, the human visual system is not an optical instrument ,so our understanding of things will affect the visual experience. From the perspective of pure focus point of view, an ant in right front is bigger than an elephant several miles away ,but in our visual experience,an elephant is still greater than the ant. Our understanding of elephants and ants brought into the visual experience have changed the rules of geometry perspective. Therefore, even if Constable claimed the painting is supposed to be carried out in the laboratory like science,while the landscapes he painted were greatly different from the later taken photos .Our visual experience is much more complex than the focus perspective.Viewing mode, understandings and the acquisition of things are all involved in the visual experience. It is impossible for humans to see the world with only one God’s eye. The image of focus perspective is just what can be see with otherworldly God’s eyes.

　　Compared with Western culture, in which the God looks coldly from the sidelines, it seems to be more natural for ancient Chinese observe thoroughly , at least for those whose  "mother tongue" is Chinese culture. The difference between viewing scenery silently and traveling in mountains is actually the one between two cultures. These two kinds of culture means not only two ways of viewing and living, but also their understanding of the painting are quite different. Chinese painting does not focus on tracing the shape of things, but on feelings in heart. In one short passage with a picture,Zheng Banqiao dealt with the difference among bamboo in the eyes, bamboo in the chest and bamboo in the hands, which can be interpreted as a difference among nature,mind and culture.The aim of this differentiation is not to take one and dump the other one but to find a way to live with each other harmoniously .Chinese painters try to complement nature, mind and culture with each other in their own way ,which is the charm of Chinese art.

　　Julian and others have tried to restore the China traditional aesthetics in some areas, making them part of the discourse of contemporary art. He believes that with the involvement of Chinese category of traditional aesthetic, not only can we have a better understanding of Chinese art but also we will see many hidden things in art. His research achievements on the categories of wind, breath, potential and rhyme have an influence on Western culture. Westerners have started to interpret art from the perspective of wind, breath, potential and rhyme , so I am convinced they will see a completely different content.

　　For these new works of Peng Si, we also need to appreciate from the perspective of Chinese aesthetics. We may see magnificence and light ,warm and bleak in them, but we can not see the form and color in Western aesthetics. We are brought into the operation of of breath by the painter’s pen and the rhythm.With the situation of the landscapes, our breath, which is gather or scattered, lagged or smooth and then participates in the creation of the universe life, shares life rhythm that is beyond ourselves . Perhaps this is the purpose of art and it is not only for painting ,but also for music, calligraphy, gardening and architecture.

Peng Feng

April 13, 2015

at Art school of Beijing Peking University

作者：彭锋