人之聚合，中国向有缘分之说，我不解何缘，得与侯北人先生相识。有趣的是，我1988年在堪萨斯大学访问，即拟往访旧金山一见侯先生，当时有诗书往还。我寄他的小诗记有此事： 　　灯前展读暑窗幽， 此日归来意兴尤。 　　华笺法书看不倦， 梦云轻逐到加州 　　但我当年经加州，却未能与之谋面，而后踪迹天涯，殊添怀思，特别是近二三年，我又客居加州，复蒙与侯先生见叙之念，虽尤未见，然觉身已近一层。我印象侯先生住旧金山南湾的丛林之间，似有半隐之乐。几度电话相约，见期又一再推迟，终于得趋访侯府，恰巧正是今年重阳佳节。自是艳阳蓝天，翠色满眼，也无风雨，也无愁吟，相叙之乐，游园看画，有胜似古人赏菊落帽之趣。侯先生见我，喜称“神交”我见侯先生，也并无“相见恨晚”之叹。谈叙移时，诚得古欢。 　　侯先生是很有个性的艺术家，性情又非常冲和。他的经历曲独特，历动不磨，而酷好书画。妙能将艺术与生活融而为一。他的室号，曰“老杏堂”，因园中有一株老杏，而居处南湾，颇多杏花，很似春雨江南之境，我想起的是齐白石的“杏子坞老民”，“老杏堂”似与之相接。又曰“百梅草堂”因屋周环植梅花，有朱梅、红梅、绿萼、白玉诸品，不下百株，迎春烂漫，惜此地无冰雪，但一般姣好，我又想起朱屺瞻的“梅花草堂”。今年元旦我还在上海探望康复中心的屺老，其时谈笑自若，未料他却在梅花开后仙去了。以画家享年一百又五岁，为古今画坛罕见之瑞。侯先生与齐白石未见，但与朱屺瞻却有深交。而且屺老在十年前曾在访美时作客于侯先生的“百梅草堂”。两人日夕书画挥毫，其乐也融融。由此观之，侯先生之室号具得仁者之心，寿者之相。他的性情与朱屺老也有相似，不求闻达而深嗜艺术。我看不出侯先生年已八旬。其活力仍一如年轻人，出则看自己驾车，居则操劳朝夕。一应园林花事：移栽、培土、疏泉、引池、莳花、养鱼无不躬亲。他的庭园中，真是遍植名花异卉，有云南来的名种黄山茶花，叶如翠玉，油光可鉴；有名种之海棠，幽兰，琼花牡丹之属，松竹掩映，翠影森森。园中还见老柿一树，垂实累累。更有一泓清水，深可见底，而鲤鱼数十尾，游曳其间，大红、金黄、黑红白三色、珍珠白、老虎斑，纷然五彩，辉耀池上。侯夫人笑说，他每日在园中忙碌，至今仍能爬树、理枝，闻者啧啧称奇，真乃仁寿之长者也。 　　侯先生之客厅、画室，更是列陈书画，琳琅满目。我见有几幅张大千的泼彩山水和仕女图，原来张大千六十年代住加州期间，他们交往颇密。其时张大千正处于晚年画风变法之期，他们相于探讨。张大千由香港赴法国访问，曾在毕加索家中见叙，以及旅居巴西以后住到加州，与侯家相去约二百里，一日张大千慨叹，中国画与现代西方画挂在一起，总觉得色彩暗淡，画幅轻，压不住，气势出不来，因此不变不行。遂探索泼彩之法。他最初的作品，犹挂在侯先生的客厅中。青绿蔚然，望之可喜。国内多有传言，谓毕加索曾去看张大千的画展，在展厅绕了一周，谓大千“你的画在哪里呵？”我特别问了侯先生，知此说实无其事，毕加索也无那般激烈和失礼。而张大千之变法也是他自己的艺术生涯水到渠成，特别晚年病目后也加强了其变法之决心。而侯先生却在张大千的影响下，很早就走上了笔墨求新之途。他1984年在北京中国美术馆举办个展时，那些色彩浓重的山水画幅，曾引起一时热潮，观者为之雀跃。 　　我观侯先生之画，本由水墨大写意所引发，其双钩皴染，具见功力，人物、花卉，多所涉笔，而尤精于山水，其邱壑胸次，在石涛、大千之间。而近期之作，似尤工于泼彩金碧山水。我于其画室，见其长帧短幅，泥金笺册，纷然堆积，闪铄照眼。其笔意颇为朴拙酣畅，信手自如，特别彩色，真也似“重若崩云，轻如蝉翼”，，石青石绿，古艳而新，极为大胆，他又特别喜爱黄山，曾经几度登临，明年还拟再往。他的泼彩，不限于石青石绿，一如张大千，但又不似张大千之秀雅，而更恣肆酣畅，更有在金笺上以橙红棕黄的暖调为主，大红、翠绿点缀其间，放笔去写他的皖南山色，追踪彩色的石涛，却又转在大千之外了。看其《松荫观瀑图》诸作，全由石涛化出，而彩墨一新，墨色的韵味尤其透入彩色之中，欣欣然，甚为自如。他又极善敷粉味和留白法，他大胆地在泼彩中也敷重粉，复匀淡，于彩艳金碧之中更觉白云轻烟之妙，有时在飞泉或人物点景之中留白，反胜于敷粉，更虽在金笺，人物也似置于烟云万仞之中。至若其写人物，也老而弥真，他的多幅钟馗，每有文雅之思，他说不想画得丑，想把钟馗画得漂亮些。又如一幅《山鬼》，颇为白净姿媚，与浓重的泼彩山色背景相映衬，将屈赋之意又表现一新。 　　读侯先生之画，真是赏心悦目，也颇增所感，中国画的这类泼彩新作常见张大千、刘海粟、朱屺瞻、谢稚柳诸先生晚年之笔多喜用之。今又见侯北人之金笺泼彩之作，更有触发。一般论者多以为这种创新是受西方绘画之影响而致。其实是有失偏颇的，如追溯其传统，一直可打通六朝。梁张僧繇即喜于缣素之上“不用墨笔独以青绿重色，图成峰岚泉石，谓之‘抹骨法’”，又谓“没骨山水”。唐代之杨升亦做“没骨山水”，全以重色皴、染、学渲、晕，红绿万状，绝妙千古。后董其昌又拈出此法，做《仿杨升没骨山水图》，安麓村称其为“以古反今”（《墨缘汇观》）。可见这“以古反今”有其一脉承传之妙。今人之泼彩，虽不必出于张僧繇、杨升，但这种重彩没骨法，乃共得其精神。今年春日，我在纽约看《中华瑰精宝展》，见三代和秦汉之古铜，器身所泛出之铜绿、铜花、灿然烂然，此非画法泼彩没骨之滥觞乎？又如敦煌之壁画，众彩交辉，特别多青绿、棕红之秦鸣。此又莫能摇撼画人之心如张大千者乎？故泼彩没骨法之“以古反今”，中外绘画之交流虽为其触媒之一，但中国画固有之传统却是其必径之依据。质诸侯北人画，亦当了然。我问侯北人先生，他说所用之纸笔、颜料都是中国的。如此，我亦了然心会矣。 　　重阳佳日，得访“老杏堂”，尽其园林书画之乐。与北人先生由神交面畅怀，曷胜快慰。适逢侯先生出版画集，邀我作序，岂不欣然，因更置三章，以续前咏。 　　老杏堂前松径斜，百梅堂外满庭花。 　　梦云酬我重阳日，赏取秋光色更加。 　　书画岿然照眼新，泼将五色见精神。 　　此翁诚添石涛意，黄岳流云总是春。 　　仁者之心寿者相，观鱼养竹不辞忙。 　　他时更酿青梅酒，重邀客来同尽觞。 　　一九九六年十月二十三日丙子重阳后于旧金山 　　InChina,it is often believed that people meet,get to know each other and finally become friends either by prendestination or face rather than by accident. My case with Mr. Pei-jen Hau certainly seems to be so .As early as 1998,when Iwas lecturing at Kansas University as a visiting scholar,I contacted Mr.Hua and planned to make a trip to San Francisco to pay him a visit .We talked over the photo and exchanged letters .In one of my letters to him ,Isent the following poem: Opening Your Letter by the Lamp on this lonely summerday Joy and excitement drive the dreay and melancholy away.Finding no end of joy and admiration in your letters and works, On clouds of dreams I fioat over to the San Francisco Bay. However,Iwas so pressedfor time that I passed by San Francisco on my way back to Beijing without stopping to pay a visit to Mr.Hau. Afterwards,I was traveling all over in China and to Europe and became intensified my longing to see him. For the last couple of yeara,Ihave come to lecture in North California and naturally the desire to meet Mr.Haucome back to me.l know Mr.Haulives in the SouthBayarealife of semi-seclusion.We made appointmets through telephone several times and for one reason or another postponed our meeting again and again.Yet even without ever meeting him,the closeness in distance between us made me feel closer with him.Finaally on the Double Nines Festival(the Ninth Day of the Ninth Lunar Month of the traditional Chihinese calendar),a traditional Chinese festival for family outing and paying respect to the elderly,I visited Mr.Hau at his home. It was a fine autumn day.The sun was bright and the sky high and blue and the foliage transparently green.Strolling and chatting in his beautiful backyard and appreciating his works and collections,I felt so close to him that I did not feel this was my first meeting with him. Mr.Pei-jen Hau is an artist of prominent personality and a man of benevolence.His tortuous and hardship-laden life experiences have tempered him and enhanced rather than impeded his unswerving life-long purstit of calligraphy and painting.What is particularly amazing is that he has successfully made his artistic pursuit and daily life into an harmonious union.Mr.Hau has given his house two names:The House of the Aged Apricot and The latter accounts for the more than one hundred rare species of plum trees surrounding his house,which give green,white,purple,red blossoms.However,these two names remind me of the Old Man of the Apricot Castle,by which Qi Baishi used to call himself and the Thatched Abode of Plum Blossoms ,by which Zhu Qizhan fondly referred to his residence.At this point,I cannot help recalling my visit with Mr.Zhu Qizhan in a health center in Shanghai on the New Year’s Day last year.He Was in such high spirits and we talked so heartily that I cannot help recalling my visit with Mr.Zhu Qizhan in a health center in Shanghai on the New year’s Day last year.He was in such high spirits and we talked so heartily that I could not believe that it became my farewell visit to him.He passed away peacefully immediately after the plum blossom season at a ripe old age of 105 ,unsurpassed by any Chinese painters at present or in ancient times. Mr.Hau has never met Qi Baishi,yet he did enjoy a close and long-standing friendship with Mr.Zhu Qizhan.When he visited the United States about ten years ago,Mr.Zhu specially went to see Mr.Hau and even stayed at Hau’s Thatched Abode of One-Hundred Plum Trees for a few days.The two of them painted together and talked extensively. Therefore,I would say that the two names Mr.Hau has dubbed his house embody both benevolence and longevity.In fact,Mr.Hau and Mr.Zhu share the same temperament and personality in which they are both devoted whole-heartedly to their pursuit and perfection of art and disregard fame and position. 　　（文章来源：艺术家提供）