现代科技的突飞猛进，令现代人的视野远远超越古人，对大自然的观照，也从简单的「鸢飞戾天」、「鱼跃於渊」拓展到太空和海底，而现代艺术家更得以从辽阔高远的视觉经验，激发心灵的自由和解放，缔造充满时代感的艺术创作及审美意趣。神秘的海底深渊，因潜水运动的流行，引起艺术家的探索，开拓了现代绘画的新领域。虞兰因女士正是此一新题材的先行者。她将多年的潜水经验和感受，傾注入《海底斑澜》系列的创作，与我们分享这多姿多采的水下世界。

中国传统绘画中的水下世界是以游鱼为主体，重点在如鱼得水，悠然自得。正如荘子在濠梁观鱼时所云：“鯈鱼出遊从容，是鱼之乐也。”同时也因应“鱼”的音义特色，历代衍生了多层面的吉祥寓意，寄托人民对美好生活的期望。此类《鱼乐图》和「吉庆有余」的题材，至今仍见诸现代画家的笔下。虞兰因的《海底墨语》系列，显然在传统之外别出路径，亦不着意於刻画千奇百怪的深海鱼类或其他生物奇观。她畅泳於水中深处，感受海底世界的幽深、神秘与静穆，与大自然融为一体，消遥自在，这里没有世间的纷扰，俗务的羁绊，一切平和澄明，让她能够静观反思，寻觅自我精神的归宿，凝聚而为艺术的结晶。

虞兰因的《海底墨语》系列，正是她消遥海底的感悟的艺术升华。细赏她的画作，感受她超越地心吸力的自由和水底无垠的空间。点划之间，幻化为万千游鱼，组成涡卷式的阵形，奏出流转不息的生命旋律，在珊瑚、礁石及海草中激荡。毫无疑问，《海底墨语》系列的最大亮点，在其瑰丽缤纷的色彩。只见明蓝、翠绿、艳红、鲜橙、嫩黄、粉紫在墨韵中流动变化，时而错叠，时而晕散，犹如天上的彩虹，洒落在水中，闪烁生辉，令人赞叹不已。珊瑚和礁石形态亦是变化万千，随意率性，自然生成，在画面上或左或右，或下或上，时前时后，时高时低，你随着水中泳者的视角而飘移。至於描写这些珊瑚、礁石或其他海底景观的技法，兰因的取态是极之明确的。她不再满足於传统山石的笔墨程式，进而探索现代水墨的实验性，利用各式拓印、流淌、洒泼、滴溅、水拓等半自动性技法，构成画面丰富的肌理和造型，在抽象的表现中释放创作的神思。但是，兰因並未放弃她的画笔，层层的平涂和晕染，加强了画面的层次感与深度，而流动的游鱼及飘浮的水草，更见证了她精湛的笔墨造诣。纵观《海底墨语》系列的艺术风格，既融汇了画家对中国传统与西方现代艺术的理解和表现，亦沟通具象与抽象的界限，创造了鲜明而强烈的个人新画风。

早在香港中文大学艺术系就读时，同学们都听闻系主任虞君质教授的爱女在美国深造艺术，名叫兰因。直到大学毕业后在纽约进修始有缘相识，並蒙多方照拂，时在念中。虞君质教授原是台湾著名学者兼艺术评论家，兰因在父亲悉心栽培下，自小便得黄君壁、高逸鸿等名师新授国画。在她从台湾大学历史系毕业之后及负笈美国深造艺术之前，已在台北中山堂举办首次个人国画展，甚得好评。在美国进修当然是以西方现代艺术为主，这大大扩阔她的艺术视野。她获颁艺术创作和艺术理论双硕士学位，其后定居纽约这世界当代艺术中心，继续深造並全面投入当代艺术的熔炉，探索融合中西艺术的自我表现。近十余年回归国土，找到她安身立命之所。她的人生道路，从中国的家乡到台北的成长，至美国的侨居，最后返国定居，像是一个由东方到西方，再回到东方的圆环。而她的艺术创作道路，也是一个东寻西找的过程，或是徘徊於传统与现代之间思量。近作《海底墨语》系列雄辩地说明兰因长期处身在中外古今的交汇处的深刻领悟和她化解种种矛盾冲突的独特蹊径。她以大胆的构思，强烈的色彩，自由奔放的情感，引领我们进入一个崭新而奇妙的艺术领域。

                                高美庆

香港中文大学艺术系教授

                                        香港中文大学文物馆馆长

                                        香港公开大学人文社会会科学院院长

 

 

Yu Lanying’s Journey to the Deep and Within

 

Spectacular advances made in modern science and technology have provided the modern men with a much broadened horizon than the ancients. Our observations of nature have progressed from admiring the birds in the sky and the fish in the water to outer space and deep sea. The modern artists are thus inspired to seek greater breadth and height in their visual experience in their pursuit of a freedom of spirit and mind. The artworks so produced embody the spiritual essence and aesthetic sentiments of our age. Moreover, the mysterious deep sea is open for exploration with the increasing popularity of deep sea diving, leading to a new area in modern painting. Madam Yu Lanying is a forerunner in this new theme. Her series of paintings entitled Journey into the Deep and Within derives from her many years of experience in diving. Her works allow us to share with her the beautiful and colourful underwater world.

 

The underwater world by itself is not new. Chinese painting traditionally depicts a underwater world where the main inhabitants are swimming fish. These fish in water exude feelings of relaxation and contentment which are desirable in life, interpreted by Zhuangzi as “the joy of fish” as early as the fourth century B.C. In addition, because the pronunciation of the Chinese word for fish is “yu”, it has become a pun for “abundance”. Numerous auspicious meanings have derived from the motif to manifest the hope for the good things in life by the Chinese people over the centuries. “The joy of fish” and relevant auspicious themes continue to appear in Chinese paintings of the modern period. Lanying’s series of paintings clearly departs from this tradition. Neither is she interested in giving graphic representation to the myriad creatures and plantations that occupy the deep sea environment. Her artistic intent is to give expression to her feelings and moods in the depth of the sea, a world of silence, serenity, mystery and transcendence. As she swims around freely without disturbance from the mundane world and without shackles of human affairs, she becomes one with nature. All is peaceful and clear. In contemplation she reaches into the depth of her spirit and finds peace within herself. Therefore, these paintings are not just crystallizations of her journeys into the deep sea, but also a quest within for self realization and fulfillment.

 

Journey into the Deep and Within successfully captures Lanying’s spiritual journey beneath the sea. We can feel her freedom in defying the earth’s gravity as she floats in the limitless space of the sea. Schools of fish appear from nowhere through dots and strokes of her brush. They form into swirling patterns that reverberate among coral reefs, rocks and water plants in rhythmic movements. No doubt the most attractive element in these paintings is Lanying’s bold use of colour. Vivid and intense tones of blue, green, red, orange, yellow, purple and many other colours flow freely among rich tonalities of ink. At times they overlap, other times they disperse, as radiant and colourful as rainbows in the sky falling into the sea. The coral reefs and rocks also appear in many different shapes and forms as natural and whimsical as the fancy of the artist. They float and move in the composition in all directions as if following the angles of movement of the diver. Lanying’s depiction of the coral reefs, rocks and other motifs of the undersea environment is also noteworthy. Apparently she is no longer content with using the brush formulas for traditional mountains and rocks. Instead she ventures into the experimental techniques of modern ink painting. In other words, she creates rich textures and changing forms by applying various semi-automatic techniques of transfer printing, free flowing, splashing, dripping and water surface marking, etc.. These abstract expressions help to give her greater freedom in releasing her creative thoughts. However, Lanying has not abandoned entirely her paint brush. She uses it to apply layers of colour wash to give a richer surface and greater depth to her paintings. At times she demonstrates her superb skill in manipulating the brush in some of the paintings through swimming fish and swaying water weeds. Yu Lanying’s artistic style, as exemplified by Journey into the Deep and Within, synthesizes her understanding and expression of the Chinese tradition and modern art in the West, at the same time breaking the boundary between representational and abstract art. She has successfully created a refreshing and powerful style of her own.

 

When I was a still student at the Fine Arts Department, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, I and my classmates knew that our Department Chairman, Professor Yu Chun-chih, had a daughter named Lanying who was studying fine arts in the United States. I finally made her acquaintance when I went to New York for further study after graduation from the Chinese University and her many kindnesses to me were treasured memories in my heart. Professor Yu Chun-chih was an eminent scholar and art critic from Taiwan. Enjoying expert guidance from her father on her artistic path at an early age, Lanying received personal tutelage from Huang Chunbi, Gao Yihong and other famous artists in Chinese painting in Taiwan. She won critical acclaim for her first solo exhibition of Chinese painting at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei soon after her graduation from the History Department, Taiwan University and prior to her departure for further study in the United States. Her advanced study in the US no doubt focused on modern trends in Western art which substantially broadened her artistic horizon. After attaining double M.F.A. degrees in studio art and art theory, Lanying moved to New York to continue her studies. Without hesitation she plunged herself into this crucible of contemporary art in order to seek a personal expression through the forging of Chinese and Western arts. Some fifteen years ago she embarked upon a homeward journey, like completing a full cycle from leaving China as a child, growing up in Taiwan, living as an overseas Chinese in the US to finding a home for her body and soul in China. Her passage in life goes from the East to the West, and then returns to the East. Her creative path similarly looks to the East and West, straddling tradition and modernity.  Her series of painting of Journey into the Deep and Within demonstrates clearly a deep sense of understanding derived from living on the crossroads of East and West, and ancient traditions and modern trends. She comes to her own in resolving the contradictions and conflicts in formulating a highly personal style characterized by bold conceptions, intense colours and a freedom of spirit, leading us into to a new and wonderful world of art.

 

 

                                                            

Mayching Kao

                    Professor of Fine Art,The Chinese University of Hong Kong

                    Director,Art Museum The Chinese University of Hong Knog

 

 

 

作者：高美庆