泰州古称海陵，学术史上与书法史上都出过了不起的人物。如唐代书法家、书法理论家张怀瓘，他的传世书法论著《书断》、《评书药石论》，乃书学理论重要著作。开创泰州学派的明代大哲王艮，曾论断“百姓日用是道”，对政治、经济、文化都有重大影响；现代诗人、学者、书法家高二适融章草、今草、狂草于一体，风骨峻朗，古朴遒劲，有“天下一高”之美誉。看来，谈泰州必谈文化、谈书法。著名学者熊秉明说书法乃中国文化核心之核心，书法家如何在黑白二相中创造一个介于文字意象与精神抽象的美学世界，以栖文化心灵，这是一个值得探求的艺术命题。

Calligraphers, using black and white, create an aesthetic world of Chinese characters, a spiritual home to rest in. As the famous scholar Xiong Bingming has pointed, calligraphy is the core of the essential Chinese culture. And Taizhou, known as Hailing in ancient times, is the birthplace of many great minds and calligraphers, such as Zhuang Huaiguan, calligrapher and calligraphic theorist of Tang Dynasty, whose contribution includes two important books on calligraphy. And Wang Gen, philosopher of Ming Dynasty, was the founder of Taizhou School and his thought “the common people master the Way” has exerted great influence on China’s politics, economy and culture. Gao Ershi, poet, scholar and calligrapher of modern times, was called “the First Gao of the World” for his unique integration of different calligraphic styles.

书法乃人生之法。所谓人艺俱老指的是人生阅历与其修养的关系。但历史上不乏年轻即臻高境者，其条件除天份之外更多是勤奋积累。我熟识之黄明君有此气象。他是海陵才子，也许这片土地的文化渊源使他少年老成。黄明研习书法有年矣，他工于楷、行、草、隶、篆诸体，功力颇深，我欣赏其有三。一赏精。用笔精到，行书手札、小楷手卷、尺牍、斗方、长卷、短笺，入骨三分。此主要在于他深入传统而悟得其妙。二赏书卷气。所谓书卷气，是文风在书风中的体现，是书法的字外之象和诗性特征。黄明吟哦诗经，得其文韵。三赏气度与勇气。书法有法，讲究出处，提按使转变化，既遵循笔性，还服从主观情感，在似与不似之间，体悟古帖精、气、神。黄明有着自觉的艺术追求。从把一笔漂亮的字到写出“丑”，写出“拙”，写出“支离”来，这不仅需要气度，需要勇气，更需要胆识。从书技，书艺到书道，黄明渐臻佳境。

Calligraphy contains the Way we live. It is commonly taken that one’s cultivation is directly proportional to his or her life experience. However, from past to present, there have been many exceptions, who are young but who have acquired high cultivation, thanks part to their talents and part to their diligence. My old friend Huang Ming, a talent nurtured and nourished in Taizhou, is one of such exceptions. He has studied regular script, running script, cursive script, official script and seal script, etc. and can write all of them beautifully. I appreciate him in three aspects. The first is his depth. He knows deeply the tradition and essence of Chinese calligraphy, which helps him to write distinctively each of the script types. The second is his unique style or the poetic feature of his calligraphy, which bears the flavor of Book of Songs, the Chinese classic that Huang Ming is so in love with. The third is his tolerance and courage. Calligraphy has its own Way. In imitating, a calligrapher should fully understand the spirit, energy and essence of the model calligraphy. Their strokes not only follow the style of their predecessors but the emotion of themselves. Only by doing so can they get the essence of the model writing while acquire their own unique style. Huang Ming has been through three stages of calligraphy: techniques, art and the Way. He can write beautifully “ugly”, or “clumsy” or “broken” scripts, which cannot be achieved without great tolerance and courage.

“精神到处文章老，学问深时意气平”。所谓书道，既万象具，又万象空，归结为一种渺渺的精神，借墨的线条、点画与块面所表达的空间结构与字的结体，构成双重审美，呈现旋律节奏，或强烈夸张，或不激不厉，于圆润隽永中，于坚锐方刚中，获得感觉与意志同步于笔墨的运行，这种过程呈现出多面性和不规则性。有矛盾冲突，有各种力量的分离、交合、定向，这就需要艺术家任凭丰富的想象和灵性去把握这变幻的世界。黄明有很高的悟性与灵性，也有韧性。坚毅与灵敏，造就了他艺术的刚柔相济。

The Way of calligraphy can be concluded as a kind of vast spirit, being empty but reflecting a world of everything. The strokes, points and chunks of ink form a spatial structure on the white paper, which seems to flow with musical rhythm, sometimes bold and passionate, sometimes tender and mild. In the process of writing, a calligrapher’s will is in synch with the move of the brush when various energies separating, mending or flowing to certain directions. To control this ever-changing process, he must fully use his imagine power and wits. Huang Ming is such a calligrapher. In addition, his determination and keenness also help him form an artistic style integrated with masculinity and tender beauty.  

从唐代的张怀瓘到现代的高二适。 佐证了海陵的文脉是悠长而深厚的，在这一千三百多年历程中，文化的绵延为这片土壤注入了优良的文化基因。我期待从这沃土上走出来的黄明不负众望，继续着书法艺术的创新之路，在人生与艺术的大道上取得更为丰硕的成果。

In a history of over 1300 years, from Tang Dynasty to modern times, Taizhou has nurtured many talents of culture. We all believe that Huang Ming, a talent from this land, will go further in the road of his artistic life and will become a bright star in the sky of Chinese calligraphy.

 

2010年3月

于中国艺术研究院美术研究所

March, 2010

Research Institute of Fine Arts, Chinese Academy of Arts

 

吴为山：全国政协委员、著名雕塑家、教授、博导，中国艺术研究院美术研究所所长、中国雕塑院院长、南京大学美术研究院院长。

About Professor Wu Weishan: famous sculptor, member of CPPCC National Committee, director of the Research Institute of Fine Arts, Chinese Academy of Arts, President of China Sculpture Academy, director of the Research Institute of Fine Arts, Nanjing University

作者：吴为山