一意孤行的继森

 

还是80年代末90年代初的天津油画展上，我第一次看到了继森的作品,那时候，他还是以一个集群——津南油画集群中的一员出现的。我一直就认为天津本身就是个文化沙漠。而天津的南郊，毋宁说更是闭塞。能够有一批有作为的当代油画家出现，非常不可思议。使我对他们刮目相看，并充满敬意，并且像一个谜一样使我不断地关注。

那时我和家乡的一些朋友就对天津文化界有一个认识，坐井观天，甘于平庸，我们的诗人哥们向峰把天津命名为“死港”，我觉得非常合适。其实我们是这种对家乡现状的不满正是一种恨铁不成钢的感情。

我们风风火火地搞展览，办沙龙，那时候，天津的油画群体“鸣社”“十个点”“无花果”等此起彼伏。就是要在这沉闷的都市点一把火。宗旨是希望天津文化能够活跃起来，发展起来。

之后的九十年代初。继森、明铸、海曾、秉华、跃波等一拨青年画家杀出来了。他们是不同于八五新潮美术的新一代画家，但他们的潜力、魄力和实力已渐渐地显露出来，他们没有负担也没有顾虑，他们的目光没有停留在四周“前辈”司空见惯的画面上，没有懒惰地借用别人的大伞乘凉，他们更敏感于周遭的人们和自身的生存环境及心理状态，同时他们也更强化精神上的主体意识。并且力图摆脱自己师辈的模式，而“孤注一掷”的向着一个深不可测的新领域迈进。他们顽强地在一片“不理解”的迷茫眼光中坚定自己的信念，他们深知观念艺术的高深莫测，并不好“玩”，既得不到官方主流的认可，也不会取悦于热衷“卖相”的画商。但他们执着地毫不迟疑地完善着自己已经选定的样式。继森用心地广采博取，执著的揣摩领会，反复地归纳熔炼。渐渐地在他的画面中，一个符号化的意象图式出现了，继森多画一种人格化的肖像。经常通过一种强化的神秘的手势来体现人的心理活动。在世纪末举办的“新蜕变”邀请展中，继森的作品脱颖而出，受到关注，著名理论家’范迪安就说他的作品“有点哲学思考和沉思，这并不是画家进入了哲学的沉思，而是要在画面上提炼出一种哲学思考的可能性，这很有意思。”

同行和理论家的首肯给了继森很大鼓励，他的创作进入了更旺盛的阶段。

为了一心一意，心无旁骛地作自己想做的事，继森做出了一个旁人不可理喻的举动，放弃了自己体制内的铁饭碗，孤注一掷地来到北京宋庄做了“北漂”。背水一战地把自己置于当代艺术的最前沿。这是各路豪杰集中之地，能否脱颖而出？继森没有考虑这许多。他倔强的性格使然，就是要挑战自己，一意孤行。

几年来，他的绘画更加走向极端，画面的“哲学思考”分量更突出。画面出现的是统一的面孔，统一的动作。我渐渐悟出他的创作意图。说来，我们虽属两代人，但做的却是同一件事：我的知识结构和画面模式都已难以改变。但我最近画的大量的文人和文人群体，不畏强权，刚直不阿，卓尔不群，高风亮节，张扬、呼唤的是一种知识人的独立精神，而继森从反讽的角度，揭示了由于“统一”所造成的麻木和束缚而出现的千人一面的顺从和奴性的中国人。我们虽一正一反但异曲同工。都是忧虑中国人独立精神的缺失，呼唤完整的有尊严有人格的中国人出现。这是我特别慰藉的。

去年我再一次来到继森的宋庄画室时，在明亮宽敞的大画室中，特别气派，我觉得继森的底气更足。我心中暗暗为他高兴。天津人并非都是不敢闯荡，不敢冒险的弱者或优柔寡断的机会主义者，继森已经做出了榜样，也得到了回报。我也祝愿他仍然保持自己旺盛的创造精神，以更前卫的姿态让家乡人刮目相看。

                                 孙建平2010-3-15

 

Jisen: Doing It His Way

 

The first time I came across Li Jisen’s work was at an oil painting exhibition held in Tianjin in appoximately the late 1980s or early 1990s.  Back then, he belonged to the Jinnan (southern Tianjin) oil painting group, and his work was exhibited as one of that group.  I have always thought of Tianjin as a cultural desert.  That south Tianjin would be even more cut off, goes without saying.  It was amazing that such a group of talented contermpary oil painters could have come from that area.  They commanded my admiration and respect, and in the manner of a mystery, have continued to hold my attention ever since.  

 

At that time, I, along with a few other friends from my hometown, all had the same opinion of Tianjin cultural circles: like frogs in the bottom of a well, their limited knowledge of the wider world made them content with mediocre standards.  My poet friend Xiang Feng once referred to Tianjin as a “dead harbor”, which I thought was very fitting.  Actually, this dissatisfaction with our hometown was a feeling of frustration that it was not doing better.

 

At that time our exhibitions, or salons, created quite a sensation.  Tianjin oil painting groups such as the “Ming Society”, “Ten Points”, or “Figs” were very active, and their aim was to inject a sense of vitality into Tianjin culture so that it would begin to develop.  

 

In the latter years of the 90s, young artists such as Jisen, Mingzhu, Haizeng, Binghua, and Yuebo, suddenly emerged, and they were very different from the previous new generation of artists that had surfaced during the ‘85 New Wave Movement.  Their potential, their magnetism, and their true ability soon become apparent.  They were not drawn to the work of their predecessors, whom they were so used to seeing around them, nor were they content to idly imitate the style of someone else.  They were more sensitive to how the people around them felt and the enviromnment in which they lived.  Moreover, they emphasized the importance of a spiritual element, and strove to break free from the example of their teachers.  “Staking everything”, they advanced into a fathomless new realm.  They stubbornly and firmly believed in themselves, despite attacks by the mojority of people who criticized them for being “difficult to understand”.  They were well aware that the profundity of conceptual art was beyond comprehension, and not something for amusement. They neither received the mainstream approval nor knew how to cater to the tastes of the art dealers, who were only interested in the “selling points” of artwork.  Instead, they applied themselves to the quest for perfection in the style they had unhesitatingly chosen.  Jisen carefully chose his themes from a wide range of sources, doggedly worked to consolidate a meaning through repeated experiment. Gradually his compositions developed a symbolic aspect.  Most of his paintings are portraits of persona.  Often an enhanced and mystereious hand gesture is used to reveal psychological activity.  In the exhibtion, New Transformation, held at the end of last century, Jisen’s work stood out and received much attention.  The famous theorist Fan Di-an remarked that Jisen’s work, “bespeaks philosophical reflection and contemplation.  This is not to say the painter has surrendered himself to a state of philosophical contemplation, but he has opened the potential for philosophical interpretation, which in itself was very interesting.”   

 

     Approval from fellow painters and art critics greatly encouraged Jisen, and has spurred his creativity.  In order to devote himself to art and avoid distractions, he did something that perplexed those around him; he gave up his secure job in the system, and, putting everything on the line, came to Beijing Song Village, to become a Beijing “drifter”.  It was a life or death struggle to place himself in the forefront of contemporary art.  Song Village is where outstanding talents gather from all over China.  Could he make a name for himself?  Jisen wasn’t troubled by such thoughts.  Driven by his stubborn nature, he would challenge himself and do it as he saw fit.

 

In recent years, his paintings have become even more extreme.  The “philosophical contemplation” in his compositions is more pronounced than ever.  His paintings now reveal a unity of facial expression and movement. Gradually I have come to understand why he creates these paintings.  Although we belong to two different generations, we are doing the same thing: the structure of my knowledge and the pattern of my painting are not amenable to change.  But most of my recent paintings depict scholars, or groups of scholars, who are uncowed by civil authority, standing on principles and not yielding to pressure, as well as eminent and independent spirit and upright character.  Theirs is an advocacy and a cry and for the independence of literati.  Jisen’s ironic depiction reveals the numbness and restraint created by “unity”, while Jisen takes the opposite approach with his work of 1,000 obedient and servile Chinese faces, all bearing the same expression.  Our different approaches, one positive and one negative, contribute to the same end.  We both worry about the lack of independent spirit among the Chinese people, and call for the emergence of a complete, dignified Chinese with moral character.  I find this prospect especially comforting.     

 

I visited Jisen at his studio in Song Village last year again.  There was a speical quality in his bright and spacious studio.  I sensed that Jisen’s inner energy was even more strong  In my heart, I quietly rejoiced for him.  Not all  Tianjin people were fearful of going forth in the world; weaklings averse to risk, or irresolute opportunists.  Jisen has set an example and has been greatly rewarded.  I pray that his creative vigor will continue to flourish, and that the ever-increasing avant-garde nature of his art will continue to make the people of his hometown regard him with awe.

 

 

                                Sun Jianping, 2010-3-15

 

作者：孙建平