視覺是理性的，當我們注視透明物體時，

理性便穿越過對象，和創造它的主體相遇。

理性在此渴望溝通。

這正是玻璃藝術的獨特之處。

   

如果外星文明和人類相遇，人類要送給外星人一件禮物，應該選擇甚麼？我想: 非玻璃藝術品莫屬。因為我們和外星文明唯一的共同之處是理性，沒有一種人造物件如同玻璃藝術那樣表達了透明的理性，以及通過理性互相交流的渴望。

自古以來，藝術就是技術的一部分。現代科學技術的興起使藝術從技術中獨立出來；但是即使藝術和科學互相分離，表達理性仍是其最高目標。到二十世紀下半葉，無論是現代科技產品還是當代藝術本身，都在每個人的日常生活中合一，藝術創造再次和科技合流，成為日新月異新產品的一部分。科學理性和藝術理性開始尋找將其統一起來的表達對象。在此意義上講，玻璃藝術是和手機、掌上電腦一起登上生活即創意舞台的。這是相當年輕的藝術，它力圖使科學技術和藝術合一作為人類理性的結晶。

十年前，我和青峰在南潯琉璃莊園認識李鋒時，已對他把複雜的玻璃技術和藝術溶為一體印象深刻。但看到李鋒將展出的六十余件作品時，仍有點吃驚。這不僅因其獨特的震撼力，還在於我在李鋒的作品中看到了新的東西。表面上，這似乎是當前很流行的裝置藝術。在某些方面，這也是一個彫塑家對形體的把握；在另一方面，又是一位表現主義畫家對自然界光和色的表達。但是只要我們想一想自己看到了甚麼，立即發現一切過去的界定統統不再適用；因為李鋒所運用的郤是對玻璃技術的通透、無暇，折射和反光的反覆研究和實驗。

這裡，要克服的困難仍然是巨大的。但從李鋒的自述中可以感受到科學技術和藝術結合的自覺。他曾這樣講:「界定玻璃的審美狀態，首先是技術性審美和審美的技術性，它成型的精湛技術延伸和拓展了我們對材料美學的理解。玻璃本身的特質使得技術變得尤爲重要，技術成爲藝術品的一部分。技術成爲審美的對象，這是我對玻璃藝術的界定。

    在當代藝術追求個人感覺表達，但已喪失公共性的今天，恢愎理性這一藝術最高目標便不可抗拒了。即使理性曾一度束縳感性，使藝術家不得不去破壞，窮畢生之力來擺脫它以恢复主體性。但當人再次意識到自己是自由的時，理性才真正成為藝術家追求的目標。唯有理性才能達到不同主體之間的溝通，克服相對主義和多元主義帶來的虛無。李鋒明確意識到玻璃藝術的這種使命。

我們看到一個玻璃藝術家正站在新的起點上。李鋒這樣宣稱: 「這個領域沒有破壞，只有建設。這是與國畫不一樣的地方。藝術家不需要破壞，對中國整個玻璃界來說，更是如此。」這是李鋒在藝術追求中的雄心壯志，也是我和青峰對李鋒的期待。

                                                                                 2014.10.04

 

                          Preface: Rationality in Transparency

                                            Jin Guantao

 

                                          Vision is rational. When we attend to transparent

                                      objects, our rational sense penetrates them and meets,

                                      there, their creator, where reason desires

                                      communication. This is the uniqueness of Glass Art.

             

     If the alien civilization met humans, and we were supposed to present them gifts, what choice should we make? For me, it’s going to be nothing other than Glass Artworks, since the only shared thing between us and the aliens is rationality, and there is nothing better than the Art of Glass, which shows fully human reason in its pure transparency, and also the desire to communicate through rational thinking.

    Since time immemorial, art was part of technology. Art gained its independence later from technology, due to the rise of modern science and technology. However, even when art departed from science, the expression of rational thinking was still its utmost goal. In the second half of the 20^th century, products of modern science-and-tech and contemporary art found their unification in people’s daily life; artistic creation converged again with science and technique, becoming part of the ever changing daily products and commodities. Scientific reasoning and artistic rationality started to seek an object of expression which would unify them. In this way, the Art of Glass came onto the stage of creative life, together with cellphones and hand-helds. This is a new form of art, which tries to fuse art and science-and-tech into one and reach the consummation of human rationality.

    Ten years ago, Qingfeng and I met Li Feng at the Liuli Manor in Nan Xun. It was then we were deeply impressed by his effort of fusing art and the technology of glass together. Still, when viewing his 60 or so pieces of work for exhibition, I am amazed. It’s not only due to their power to strike people, but also because I see things new in Li Feng’s creation. Superficially, they seem to belong to Installation Art which is quite popular today. In some sense, it shows the sculptor’s grasp of shape; in some other sense, it reveals an expressionistic painter’s representation of natural light and color. Nevertheless, when we deliberate what we’ve seen, it’s easy to discover that all conventional labels fade off, because what Li Feng creates comes from his repetitive study and experiment with the transparency, purity, and reflection of glass. 

    In this new field, there are huge difficulties to overcome. Yet, in Li Feng’s own statement, we perceive a consciousness of combining art with science and technique. He once said, “To define the aesthetic state of glass is to define the aesthetics of technicality and the technicality of aesthetics. Its well-developed shaping skills extend our understanding of the aesthetics of materials. The unique quality of glass gives primary importance to technique, and skill becomes part of the artwork. Technology becomes also the object of aesthetic observation. This is my definition of Glass Art.”

    Today’s art pursues the expression of personal sensations, ignoring its public dimension. In this case, the revival of rationality as the ultimate goal of art becomes irresistible, although reason had once put tight restraint on emotion and forced artists to use their life’s energy to destroy so as to gain autonomy. When people again realize that they are free, rationality becomes the real goal of artists’ pursuit. It depends on rationality to reach true communication between individual subjects and break through the nothingness brought forth by relativism and pluralism. Li Feng recognizes, with sharp consciousness, this mission of Glass Art.

    We observe an artist of glass embarking on a new journey. Li Feng proclaims, “In this field, there’s no destruction, but construction. This is how it differs from the field of Chinese painting. Artists need not to destroy, which is especially true for the Glass Art in China.” This is Li Feng’s ambition in his artistic pursuits, which is also the expectation of Qingfeng and me.

                                                                               Oct. 4, 2014 

作者：金观涛