当我开始写这些文字的时候，我首先想到的就是――青春。
从认识他开始，就不曾离开过青春的话题，曾有一度，我的电脑，甚至手机桌面都用了他的那幅《好心情》。其实，我刚接触张伟与他的作品时，并未有意识地去解读作品中的青春符号，而只是那么直接地被打动――被这没有属于青春的热情与躁动，却异常平静的不张扬的青春打动了。
我将张伟的画作为镜头，去探究青春的命题。于是我看到的是当下的一代，在社会急剧变化的外部环境下，随之而来的好奇、兴奋、迷惘、彷徨却又充满憧憬、探究未来急切而复杂的心情。《花样年华》就是出色的青春系列作品，简洁的画面使女孩的形象显得格外突出，看似松散的人物关系暗喻着情绪上的反差……巧妙的留白空间，似有期待，却又清醒。青春就是这样的一种状态，时而欣喜，时而忧伤，我们不知道将面临什么，却自信而坚定。我以为这是我们所处的时代共有的情绪。我们既在场，又置身于外，既经历现在，又隐喻未来。  
张伟的青春系列作品把握的就是这样一种瞬间的状态。在他的作品里，看到的是青春的符号——年轻的面孔、玫瑰花、魔方、可口可乐、肯德基、数码相机、CD光盘和变形金刚……我们不知道画中的年轻人为何而笑，为何而愁，而这些支离破碎的符号，则迅速将画面的情绪植入到我们的时代中。瞬间，这些画中人便成了我们。这些或思考、或大笑、或跳跃、或弹奏吉他的年轻人，就构成了这个时代的青春群像，这些瞬间状态为我们展示了一个处于“青春期”社会的复杂心情，当中充满着憧憬与期待，夹杂些许疑虑，稍带困惑。我们就带着这样的心态与未来对话，与稍纵即逝的昨天对话，与自己内心深处的青春对话。
相异于大量关于反叛、张扬、悸动的青春题材，张伟的青春系列作品则透着安静与自信，一位朋友曾这样描述张伟和他的画面:“张伟不断地追求着平衡，生活中的平衡，感情中的平衡，画面中的平衡，色彩中的平衡。在他的画里所展示的青春是有生机、有活力的，但他却从不表现出青春的躁动不安，即使是明亮的色彩与跳跃中的人物组合在一起，都不会让你感到浮躁和张扬，张伟的性格里没有，我想他的画面也不会有。”确实作品中人物所表现出来的真挚、率真与浪漫，都深深的透着张伟的个人气质，他的语言和情感似乎都毫不吝惜的全部挥洒在这些青春画面上了，它不一定给你震撼，只是这样的一个表达——洁的符号，凝固的表情。我总认为青春的力量不是表现在力上的，而是表现在量上，这个量不是数量的量，而是含量，张伟的作品，很柔软，却有种说不上来的温柔的杀伤力。
张伟心中那个充满理想现实主义的青春之码，于我似乎永远也无法解开，但他却用一种安静的告白方式，给我打开了一扇特别的、面向未来的、解读青春的门――青春在路上，年华永远花样。
李纯
2006年12月1日  于北京
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When I started writing this article, the first thing that occurred to me was the idea of “youth”.

From the time when I got to know Zhang Wei,  the topics we talked about never deviated from “youth”. There was ever a period of time when the desk of my computer , and even the one of my cell phone was put on the digital file of the painting of “good mood” by Zhang Wei. Actually when I first got in touch with the paintings from Zhang Wei, I did not intentionally interpret the symbols of youth in his works, I was simply touched by its peacefulness and its youthfulness in low profile, which was unusual from the enthusiasm and restlessness normally attributed to youth. 

I look upon Zhang Wei’s painting as a camera lens, which I use to probe into the proposition of youth. And then I see different aspects of the complex mood of this generation under the circumstance of rapid social changes: their curiosity, excitement, perplexity and hesitation, as well as their anxiousness and longing for the future. “Flowery Age” is a series of outstanding works about “youth”, The succinct tableau makes the girl’s image stand out particularly, the seemingly loose relationship of characters implies the contrast of their emotions……The space is left by applying the artful “margin leaving” skill, and the characters seem to expect something, while remain sober. That is the state of youth, sometimes joyful, sometimes grieved. We don’t know what is to come across, but we still have confidence in ourselves, and that’s we are certain about. I think this is the sentiments we share in our times: to be present while being kept out of it, to experience right now while inviting future.   

The “Youth” series of works from Zhang Wei have grasped that moment of the state of youth. In his works, we can perceive the symbols of youth, such as young faces, roses, toy bricks, Coca cola, Kentucky Fried Chicken, digital camera, CD disk and the transformers. We don’t know for what the young people in the paintings laugh and worry , but those shattered symbols immediately bring along the sentiments which are running in our times. At that moment, these young people in the painting are becoming those among us, who are pondering, laughing, jumping or playing guitar, which makes up a group image of youth in our times. These instantaneous conditions display a complex mood of a society in its adolescence, full of longings and expectations, mingled with some doubts and confusion. With this state of mood, we have dialogue with our future, with the fleeting yesterday and with the youth which are buried deeply in our hearts.

Different from many other youth themes such as rebellion, aggressiveness and the phenomenon of heartbeat,  the “Youth” series of works from Zhang Wei reflect the peacefulness and confidence of youth. A friend points out in his comment on Zhang Wei and his paintings: “Zhang Wei has been unceasingly seeking the balance in life, the balance in emotion, and the balance in tableau and colors. The youth unfolded in his paintings is lively, but he never shows the restlessness in his works, even the bright colors accompanied with the jumping figures don’t look impetuous and aggressive, these characteristics we don’t identify in Zhang Wei’s personality nor in his paintings.” Indeed, the sincerity, innocence and romance shown from the characters in the works from Zhang Wei are deeply rooted in Zhang Wei’s temperament. It seems that he has poured all his words and emotions into these youthful tableaus. It doesn’t have to bring you a shock, but simply an expression – a brief symbol and a frozen look. I always believe that the power of youth is not expressed via the strength but the capacity, which does not refer to “quantity” but “content”. The works from Zhang Wei look soft, but they have a kind of indescribable tenderly killing power.

It seems that I can never break the youth code of idealized realism which is hidden in Zhang Wei’s heart, but he opens a special door toward future for us, a door to read youth in a peaceful way of proclamation. Since the youth is on the path, the age will blossom forever.      
                            
Beijing, December 1st, 2006

作者：李纯