The finger painting is an undoubtedly exotic flower among all the Chinese traditional paintings, which has made a significant impact in the Chinese painting history. In the middle age of the 20th century, famous master Pan Tianshou enjoyed a good reputation in the circle of painting with his extraordinary and fresh finger paintings. In contemporary, Han Guodong is such a famous painter whose finger paintings are characterized by broad themes, natural vitality and modern atmosphere.

唐代張彥遠在《歷代名畫記》里曾描述張璪以“手摸素娟”的作畫情形,這或許是以手指作畫的最早記載。從某種意義上講,雖然張璪創發了以指作畫的先機,但之后卻并沒有演變成一個宗派或畫種,只不過指畫是歷代文人畫家偶為的“墨戲”而已。直到清初遼寧鐵嶺人高其佩才完整提出以指作畫的法理及審美取向,并窮其畢生精力探索指墨藝術規律與真諦,創作了大量題材豐富的指墨作品,在中國繪畫史上產生了深遠影響。自此,指墨畫成為中國繪畫之一畫科或畫法。
20世紀中葉,國畫大師潘天壽以其別開生面的指墨畫作品享譽中國畫壇,指墨畫作為一種畫法與別調,再次進入現代人的審美視野。從歷代諸多傳世優秀指墨作品來看,可以毫不夸張地說,這些指墨作品的“筆”墨效果并不比毛筆作品遜色,甚至在“筆”墨表現趣味上更是技高一籌。中國畫筆墨所崇尚的“屋漏痕”、“折釵股”、“錐劃沙”、“印印泥”,以及所謂的“金剛杵”、“雨淋墻頭”、“高山墜石”等審美意趣,都在指墨畫里得到了充分的發揮與顯現。因此,指墨畫無疑是中國畫百花苑里的一只奇葩。


我所熟悉的韓國棟君,即以指墨畫見長。國棟的指墨題材涉獵廣泛,山水、花鳥以及道、釋人物皆能信手拈來,渾然成趣。特別要強調的是國棟的指墨山水,其指墨渾厚古拙,生辣峻偉,奇趣卓然超出;其畫境既得古法之蘊,又不為前人矩矱所縛束,而極具時代氣息,別有一番新意。其指墨點染皴擦,圓渾飽滿,指跡圓中見方,頗具雄沉的力量感。……