邵大箴

　　中央美术学院教授,《美术研究》主编

　　长期在美国纽约生活和创作的钟耕略先生，在绘事上辛勤耕耘与探索，不断有新成果问世。他曾在中国接受过系统美术教育，于1977年来到纽约，接受西方现代美术思潮的洗礼。钟耕略最初受当时流行的“超级写实主义”的影响，用精密而富柔性的笔法描绘纽约下城建筑物的入口和台阶，着眼于建筑物局部的横斜交叠线和阳光的投影，创作了“阶梯系列”。用钟耕略自己的说法，他“从此展开了油画和素描创作的艺术人生之旅”。他所以如是说，是因为，虽然他在国内曾经受过良好的素描和油画教育，但作为一位中国艺术家，文化背景主要来自水墨艺术;观察、体验和表现客观对象的方法，与西方的写实艺术特别是超级写实主义有所差异。因此，摆在钟耕略面前的课题是，既要深入体会西方写实艺术的要旨与奥妙，又要发挥传统中国艺术的长处。使这两者有机地结合和“交融”的努力，清楚地反映在他早期的“阶梯系列”和“树影系列”的作品里;也一直贯穿在他尔后各个阶段的艺术创作之中，从而形成了他的艺术风格的鲜明特色。当然，对他艺术风格形成所发生作用的，还有一个十分重要的因素，那就是他的稳健、沉着、冷静的性格和他崇尚的理性精神。他以明朗、清晰的的态度认识和把握客观与自然，审慎地把自己对物象的观照、分析的心得和体会诉诸于纯净、明朗的画面。

　　钟耕略在敏感于西方流行的美术思潮之时，始终保持着自身的立场和独立的主张，而决不随波逐流。例如，他充分理解和评价“观念”在绘画中的作用，但不赞同用“观念”取代艺术形象和取代绘画的做法。他坚信，绘画艺术只要真诚地表现人的思想、感情和愿望，便有永恒存在的价值。当然，绘画表现的媒介、手段和方法，需要而且能够随著时代的变化而不断改良和完善。此外，他不论运用何种理念和方法进行创作，都有自己独特的视角和切入点，都力图注入自己的思考和个性。

　　钟耕略在创作中不断探讨新的课题。这些新课题的产生，基于他受现实生活的启发和他从大自然中获得的感受，也与他对艺术本质的思索和不断提高的艺术修养有关。尤其是九十年代以来，它的艺术面貌变化较大，作品的文化内涵和诗意明显增强。在“水石云山系列”中可以觉察到他受中国山水画的启发，隐含着中国文人的情怀。而在“室内系列”和“花果系列”中，他在更为细致、精密的描写手法中，在复杂的光影交错中，注入他对身边普通景物和对生命真挚的感情。读到他的表现宁静空间的“室内系列”，使人不由想起小荷兰画派的作品。虽然钟耕略在画中没有描绘人，但在平静的室内似有人在，它们是人的活动场所。他的一幅幅描绘花果的作品，色彩或艳丽或清新，都具有纯正的艺术格调。还有，它们那类似册页的形式，它们的构图与空间的处理手法，都明显地感觉到文人花鸟画的影响。钟耕略一直对中国传统艺术怀有深情，也一直关注国内当代艺术思潮的变化。近十多年来中国画界掀起的“复归传统”的潮流相信也深深地感染了他。他把从传统文人画中吸收的养料，创造性地运用在他的创作中。

　　精细写实的画容易板滞而缺乏神韵，容易平淡而缺乏奇幻感。钟耕略深谙此理，他凭自己平和的心态和学养;让景物在宁静的诗意中真实地向人们展示和叙述;他力求寄寓对生命的关注与沉思于縝密的绘画技巧之中，力求藏奇幻的因素在真实的描绘里。他的作品不仅给人们带来视觉的愉悦和审美的享受，且耐人回味和思索。

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　　注：本文原载《清朗的观照：钟耕略的绘画艺术》画册，2006年11月，中国美术馆展出。并刊出于北京《中国图画》，2006年12月;北京《中外文化交流》，2007年第一期

　　By Shao Dazhen, Professor

　　The Central Institute of Fine Arts, Beijing

　　October 2006

　　For a long period of time Mr. Kang L. Chung, the artist, has been living and doing his creative art works in New York City, his striving and exploring for the art of painting with continuing new achievements to face the world. Recently, an exhibition of his works will be presented in National Art Museum of China, entitled “Reflections of Clear Purity”. Around fifty pieces of his works, oil, pastel, colored and plain pencil drawings, with focus on the works from the most recent years, “Interiors Series”, “Flowers and Fruits Series” and “Niagara Falls Series”. Some of his works on “Waters, Rocks, Clouds and Mountains Series” (from 90’s) and works on “Trees and Shadows Series” and “Stairs and Steps Series” (from 80’s) will also be presented. In fact, this is a retrospective on the artist’s passage of his several decades’ efforts striving for his art on paintings.

　　Chung, armed with his systematic traditional art education in China, arrived in New York City in 1977. He was inspired by modern western arts after thorough survey and understanding. The artist started out by accepting the influence of “Super Realism”, with precise and gentle brush strokes to describe the entrances and stairs of buildings in the city by taking advantage of those inter-crossings and overlapping of structural lines in contrast with the shadows created by the sunlight, hence the creation of “Stairs and Steps Series”, Chung expressed himself by saying, he “from then on, started his journey for the art of oil paintings and drawings in his life”. Such a statement implied his realization that as a Chinese artist with decent artistic trainings, his cultural background is basically in Chinese ink painting, which is quite a difference from the western “Super Realism” in observation, experience and means of expression for his intent objects. Thus, what Chung really faced is how to synthesize organically the essence and wonder of western realism together with those best qualities from the Chinese ink paintings. Such an effort clearly reflected by his early works of “Stairs and Steps Series” and “Trees and Shadows Series” as well as his later stages of art endeavor and became his own distinctive artistic characteristics. Certainly, the temperament of the artist played an important factor, his steadfast firmness, his tranquility and rational spirit, with a clear and clean attitude to understand and to describe his objects in nature, carefully presenting them to reflect his analysis and feelings with clear purity.

　　Chung, although sensitive to what the western art is about, stands firmly to his own independence, no way to ride with the tide. He understands the importance of “concepts” in painting, but disagrees on substituting shape and form of an object solely by “concepts”. He believes firmly as long as the painting is with the utmost sincerity for ideas, feelings and hopes, it shall be of everlasting value. Of course, the media, means and methods have to be improved along with the needs and changes of different times. So whatever concepts and means one applied, his own view and cut-in point are of his own ideas and personalities.

　　Chung, in his striving for art, always comes up with something new. Such new discoveries are based on revelations from daily living and the feelings for the greatness of our nature, in addition to his desire for the essence of art and his continuous improvement and break-through for his paintings. Especially after 90’s, there are more substances and better poetic flavors in his works. In his “Waters, Rocks, Clouds and Mountains Series”, the influence of classic Chinese landscape paintings, a passion of educated Chinese scholar, is obvious. In his “Interiors Series” and “Flowers and Fruits Series”, the techniques and strokes are more delicate and precise. His sincerity for ordinary life and near-by objects are expressed by the complicated interactions of lights and shadows. The tranquil spaces in “Interiors Series” induced one’s recall of the works of “Holland’s Small Painting”. Although no one is present in Chung’s paintings, but the tranquil spaces seem to suggest some one is there. After all, these are living spaces for people’s activities. One of his works on flowers and fruits with bright clear colors is an excellent representation of the artist’s pure artistic personality. The format of pamphlet and the space management are clear influence of Chinese flowers and birds paintings. Chung, with his deep feelings for traditional Chinese art, is highly attentive to the development of arts in China. For the past decade and more years, Return to Tradition” is a passionate tide for the art field in China. This affects Chung deeply. His art absorbs nutrients from traditional Chinese ink paintings and creatively utilizes them in his works.

　　The paintings of realism, however precise and delicate, are easily trapped by lack of spiritual inspirations, plain and defective in imagination. Chung understands this. He relies on his tranquility and learning. He let his objects reveal and express themselves in poetic stillness, trying very hard and carefully to impregnate life into his painting techniques, hiding fantasy and curiosity in the description of reality and truth. His works bring not only aesthetic enjoyment, but also lingering reflections.

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　　English translation: Dr. Sheau Loh Yang, Ph. D., New York

　　Original publication: Catalog for exhibition of “Reflections of Clear Purity: The art of Kang L. Chung,” National Art Museum of China, Beijing, November 2006