谭平的抽象作品很注意细微的感觉，这种感觉往往是别人注意不到的。在谭平的铜版画中，几根精致的曲线的排列；在他的木刻中，偶然出现的白点或黑色，都构成画面的内容，这些细小的符号在空间的位置和移动，相互之间的距离和比例都以他自己的感觉为基准，对这些关系的把握形成形式的美感。在他的大型抽象绘画中，这种感觉仍然十分重要。与小型作品比较纯粹的视觉关系相比，大型作品增加了心理的深度与距离。这种心理不是单纯的视觉心理，而是生活心理，用他的话来说就是“生活的回忆”。抽象艺术与现实生活的关系不是一目了然的，更不是用逻辑来演绎的，它在画面上的表现是一种深度的距离，而不是平面的形式感觉。那些像细胞一样的黑色形状表面上是平面的空间排列，实际上形状的大小有一种隐性的前后关系，作用于视觉心理就是一种深度的空间，决定这种排列组合的不是形式的设计，而是个人心理的使然。普通观众从谭平的画中看到的可能是形式的关系，对于谭平来说，则是形式显现的契机。谭平并不关心观众怎么看他的作品，是否能看懂或看出什么东西，他关心的是用什么方式实现形式的纯粹，生活、生命的记忆，现实生活的精神状况，心理的压抑与释放，都会成为形式的出发点。
　　在这批抽象作品中，黑色的形状也是心理的符号，不仅指示着视觉的张力，也隐含心理的暗示，两者之间有密切的联系。在一件抽象作品中，形状的位置与关系是视觉张力的基础，如果去掉了形状，也就失去了张力的基础，同样，依附于形状的符号也失去了心理的暗示与联想。从某种意义上说，抽象艺术没有视觉与心理的基础，就会向观念转化。观念的抽象，最早出现在极少主义艺术，它不依赖于形式与设计，也没有心理的联想和暗示，按照阿瑟•丹托的说法，非艺术品的艺术的规定性在于它与艺术世界的关系，在于艺术的各种要素与它的内在联系。谭平的近期作品确实在向观念化发展，与前面的作品相比较，这批作品几乎消解了所有的符号，巨大的画幅上只有单纯的颜色，红色为主，也有少数的黄色与蓝色。从一定的距离看去，这些作品非常的“极少”。但是，谭平并不认为他的作品是极少主义的，因为他的作品是有内容的，而不是单纯的视觉呈现。在巨大的画幅上，先前的符号只留下一点可有可无的痕迹，在一定距离之外这些痕迹都看不见，这些痕迹作为作品的延续性并不为了记忆，而是要从视觉的张力过渡到观念，并在观念的作用下创造新的形式。观众很难识别痕迹的意义，甚至感觉不到其存在，但是在显性的痕迹的表面下还有隐性的痕迹。关于人的观看方式，美术史家李格尔曾提出过“触觉表象”与“视觉表象”，触觉表象指人的视线像触觉一样，一个局部一个局部地观察，在局部组合的基础上形成整体的印象；视觉表象则是在一定距离之外的观察，一眼看到整体。两种观看方式没有优劣之分，却是一个历史的过程。谭平显然不知道这个理论，但他的这批作品却包括了这两种观察方式。一般的作品都要求相对固定的观看位置和距离，以保证观众看清楚画面的内容和体验其形式。远看谭平的作品只有整块的颜色，尤其在巨大展厅的作用下，色彩之间的区别和相互间的位置，有明显的视觉冲击力，犹如现代建筑和景观的视觉构成。但是这种关系并不是单纯的极少主义的表现，或仅为依赖于布展的效果。极少主义不仅喻示着绘画向物品的转移，在颜色上也具有商业化与景观化的背景。谭平的作品不是这样，除了符号的痕迹可能的暗示外，以红色为例，谭平的颜色略为晦暗，有一点接近中国寺庙建筑的那种暗红色，谭平说他想调出那种中国红的感觉。具体地说，就是那种既有别于商业化，又不同于极少主义热衷的颜色，他不是追求民粹主义的观念，而是寻找一种适合自己心理的色彩表达。这样，又涉及到对谭平作品的另一种观看，即“触觉表象”。“触觉表象”意味着近距离的观看，这种观看没有“视觉表象”的整体性，却有着视觉表象看不到的东西。谭平的“中国红”只是一种感觉，并没有固定的色相，他追求那种与众不同的“红色”，“追求”在这儿有很重要的意义，因为这是一种内心的向往与欲求。“红色”的实现介于有意与无意之间，一种方式是对颜色的反复调和与实验，一般是同类色的调和。即使是同类色的调和，在反复的过程中也会逐渐沉稳和混浊，变成由自己的把握的与众不同的暗红。这还不是最终的目标，因为作画的过程比调色更重要。近看谭平的作品可以看到在颜色的底子下面还有约隐约现的黑色印记，这显然是在一个抽象的画面上覆盖的颜色。抽象的图形近似谭平早先作品中的符号。对于谭平来说，在抽象绘画中总是重复这些符号已失去了意义，最初的动机显然是把不满意的符号涂掉，寻找新的感觉，但覆盖后从底子上显现的痕迹改变了原有符号的性质，它如同记忆与现实的关系，现实的积累逐渐把记忆的符号推向生命的深处，有些符号在现实的启动下会浮现出来，有些则会永远深埋。这种偶然性为他实现纯粹的平面或抽象带来启示。近期的这些作品每幅画几乎都画了十遍，一般是重色先画，再用浅色覆盖，重色既是符号，也是笔触或随意流淌的痕迹，下面的痕迹从覆盖的浅色中显露出来，层次十分丰富，形式也非常单纯。但是，单纯之中包含着过程与观念，红色对符号的覆盖与涂抹，既是把符号推向记忆的深处，也为红色找到意想不到的色相与表达。谭平说：“现在看来，绘画完全是个纯观念的东西，如果观念不同，即使是同样的颜色画出来会完全不同。”
　　看谭平的作品恍如隔世，在当前商业主义、唯美主义盛行的形势下，他还执着地追求他的艺术理想，不懈地探索形式语言，真是单纯得就像他的画一样，平静的水面下有着涌动的激流。
　　Quest and Exploration—the Artistic Trajectory of Tan Ping
　　Tan Ping’s abstract art stirs us with subtlety, a subtlety that often passes unnoticed. It could be a few delicate lines in his copperplate prints, or the seemingly accidental presence of white dots or black shapes in his woodcutting, all of which constitute the body of his art. These diminutive symbols navigate along a two-dimensional space, with their distance and proportion arbitrated by the artist.  His arbitration of these relations results in a pure esthetic of forms. In his large-scale abstract works, such arbitration is of crucial importance, for comparing with the relatively simple visual disposition of smaller artworks, large-scale works demand an extended psychological depth and distance, which goes beyond pure visual psychology to a life psychology, to quote from the artist’s own words, “the memory of life”. The relation between abstract art and real life is not immediately recognizable, nor could it be judged logically. It intends to convey a sense of depth instead of flatness. The black shapes resembling living cells appear to be arranged two-dimensionally, but on closer inspection, the variation in size betrays a spatial relation indicative of distance, which interacts with the visual psychology of the viewers. Therefore it is individual human perception that governs the interposition of visual elements instead of deliberate composition. For ordinary viewers, Tan Ping’s art may be no more than pure composition of forms, while for the artist himself it is an occasion for form to unveil itself. Tan Ping is not particularly keen on making himself understood, instead, he is very passionate about realizing the purity of forms, the memory of life, of living, the mental state of real life, the imprisonment or emancipation of minds, all of which inspire his forms. 
　　In the present set of works, the black shapes are psychological symbols that not only display visual tension, but also carry subtle psychological implications, with the former closely associated with the latter. In a piece of abstract artwork, the disposition and interposition of shapes provide the basis for visual tension, which would dissolve with the absence of shapes. By the same token, the symbols that rely heavily upon shapes loss their psychological implications and associations when shapes disappear. Without any visual or psychological basis, abstract art turns arguably into conceptual art. Conceptual abstraction, first appeared in minimalism, does not rely on form or composition, nor does it involve psychological suggestions or implications. According to Arthur Danto, the artistic definition of non-artistic objects lies in its relation to the art world, in its internal alliances with various artistic elements.  Tan Ping’s latest works do show an inclination towards conceptual art. Compared with his earlier works, these set of works are virtually clear of any symbols. They are large-scale monochromatic paintings, the majority of which painted in red, some in yellow and blue. Seen from a distance, these works appear extremely “minimalist”, and yet the artist does not think of his works as minimalism, since all of his works embrace substance beyond pure visual presentation. In his large paintings, symbols give way to traces practically unidentifiable at a distance. It is not for visual reminders that such traces are preserved, but for the smooth transformation from visual tension to concept, and for the creation of new forms under the influence of concept. Viewers may not perceive the meaning, or even the mere existence of such traces, not to mention the invisible traces hidden behind the visible. About the ways people perceive objects, art historian Alois Riegl once put forth two terms: “haptic vision” and “optic vision”. Haptic vision refers to the way when humans come very close to the object, examining it by fragments, and drawing a general impression based on the combination of fragments, while optic vision refers to the way humans immediately obtain an overall impression by viewing the object from a distance. Neither way is more preferable than the other since they both are parts of a historical process.  Apparently Tan Ping does not have the theory in mind, however, his present works envisage both visions. Normally artworks are expected to be viewed from a certain distance and angle to ensure the viewer’s clear vision of contents and forms. Seen from a distance, Tan Ping’s works appear to be nothing but huge color plates, especially in the circumstances of enormous exhibition halls. The variation and interaction between different colors strikes us almost as strongly as the visual appearance of modern architectures and landscapes. But his work is not all about that. Besides the possible implication of trace-like symbols, it also takes on emblematic colors. Take the color red as an example, Tan Ping’s slightly subdued red evoke the typical dark red of Chinese temples.  The artist mentioned he wanted to mix a Chinese red, and yet entirely different from the popular “Chinese red” in commercial or minimalist art.  Instead of pursuing a conceptual representation of cultural traditions, he seeks a color expression that best reflects his own psyche. Here we come across another way of viewing Tan Ping’s works, “haptic vision”. “Haptic vision” means you have to look very closely at the object. You may not get an impression as wholesale as those gained through “optic vision”, nevertheless you could witness details usually overlooked by “optic vision”. Tan Ping’s quest for  “Chinese red” is a sensual experience that doesn’t address itself to any particular hue of color. The word “quest” plays a crucial role in his art, for it reflects his longings and aspirations. The result is the realization of a unique “red” both purposeful and yet unplanned, through repeated blending and experimenting with colors, especially through blending similar colors.  Even when mixing the same red, the effect is the toning down and increased opacity of red after repeated mixing, thus the fulfillment of a unique color completely at the mercy of the artist. Having said that, the blending of colors is not remotely as important and ultimate as the process of painting. On closer inspection of Tan Ping’s paintings, one may spot the vague appearance of black marks beneath the surface, which shows that layers of paint have been added to cover these abstract shapes that resemble the symbols in the artist’s earlier works. For Tan Ping, there is no point of repeating the same set of symbols in his abstract art. The original intention is to erase unsatisfying symbols and look for new inspiration, however the traces that appear obscurely after the covering process serve to change the symbols’ original meanings.  It mirrors the relation between memory and reality. The progressive accumulation of reality gradually pushes the symbols of memory backwards into the depth of one’s life. Some symbols may reemerge when triggered by reality; others, buried deep forever. Such chanciness has inspired the artist’s realization of a purely two-dimensional abstraction. Nearly each one of his latest works have been rendered about ten times, first painted in solid color, and then painted again and again in thin layers. The solid background contains both symbols and traces left behind by the casual flow of brushstrokes, which reemerge from the blankets of thin layers. The ultimate effect is a richness of layers and purity of form, a purity that encompasses both process and conception.  The covering and smearing of symbols by red paint on the one hand pushes the symbols into the depth of memory, on the other hand it helps to achieve an unexpected hue and expressiveness of the color red. Tan Ping once said, “Come to think of it, painting has become a mere conceptual process. With different concepts, even the same color will result in completely different works. ”
　　Viewing Tan Ping’s works almost estrange us from our time, a time when commercialism and estheticism seem to dominate our esthetics. His devotion to artistic pursuits along with his persistent quest for formal languages is just as pure as his paintings—a passionate flow of undercurrent beneath the seemingly serene surface.

作者：易　英