線行記
——譚平藝術創作集評

線行記
——譚平藝術創作集評

Following the Line: Collection of Reviews and Criticisms on Tan Ping’s Works

編者按：作為現當代知名的藝術創作者，譚平幾十年如一日地堅持自我詮釋世界的方式。他筆下的抽象藝術作品不僅跨越了繪畫本身的意圖——再現自然，更是深入地探究精神融入圖像之后的再生與重塑。在“彳亍——譚平藝術展”中，他不僅展出了抽象油畫作品，觀看者還驚喜地發現許多熟悉的素描作品融入其中。“彳亍”二字雖合而為行，然亦步亦趨卻不經意間流露出猶豫、徘徊的意味。這一名稱的情感定位，無疑也反映出藝術家本人對于現今社會飛速發展、信息擠壓侵占個人空間的內省與反思。那么，會是什么樣的契機，造就藝術創作者再次將關注點轉移到線條構筑的黑白世界中去？在這里，我們擇取了外國批評家簡述、藝術家自述、ASU 美術館短評與創作者訪談四個部分，來幫助觀看者走進創作者的藝術世界，了解一個不一樣的譚平。

Editor’s Note: Mr.Tan Ping, as a well-known contemporary artist, has been adhering to his own way of interpreting the world for decades.His abstract art has not only surpassed the intention of painting itself—representing nature, but also is the rebirth and reshaping after his spirit of in-depth exploration is combined with images.At“Follow My Line: Tan Ping’s Solo Exhibition,”he not merely exhibited his abstract oil paintings, but the viewers also found, to their pleasant surprise, a lot of familiar drawings.Although the combination of“”(two characters in the Chinese title of the exhibition) means“traveling”, some overtone of hesitation and wandering is also revealed.The emotional positioning of the title has undoubtedly reflected the artist’s introspection and refection about pressing and occupation of private space by information in the present rapidly developing society.Then, what has caused the artist to shift his focus again on the black and white world composed of lines? Here, we have selected a short essay by a foreign critic, the artist’s self narration, a brief comment by AUS Art Museum, and an interview with the artist, to help the viewers to enter into the artists’ world and learn about a different Tan Ping.

線行記——譚平的素描創作

托尼 · 布朗

第一次參觀譚平工作室時，我驚訝地發現他在一張平坦的大桌面上創作素描，而繪畫作品則在畫架上完成。這兩種完全不同的工作方式或許不應該令我驚訝，但因在參觀其工作室之前，我一直將譚平的創作歸類于西方傳統和文脈中的抽象藝術，在我的想象中他的繪畫是在平面上進行，而素描應該是在畫架上完成。這個意外的發現促使我思考他創作時所采用的全部方法和他所選方法的動因，以及這些方法對于他作品的意義。同時我還發現譚平的素描作品使用木炭條創作，僅有純粹的黑白兩色且大小一致；而其繪畫作品則大多色彩強烈且尺幅差異很大。并且盡管譚平的繪畫與其素描一樣都帶有線的元素，但繪畫中強烈的色彩顯然凌駕于線條之上。恰如馬克·羅思科（Mark Rothko）的繪畫，譚平的色彩在畫布空間中流動，給予觀者一種視覺體驗，所有的色彩形態似乎都暫時跳脫了物質層面的局限，達到了形而上的境界。然而，那些素描作品則呈現出強烈的線性特征，層層疊疊的線條界定了邊界和區塊，如同從空中鳥瞰一條條層疊縱橫交錯的車道與繁忙的交通，充滿了強烈的運動感與方向感。與繪畫作品相反，這些素描呈現出非常夸張的、強烈而且形而下的物理屬性，強化了某種與作品被創作的過程直接相呼應的身體感知。我知道譚平被稱作是一位中國抽象藝術家。作為一個西方人，在目睹了他的創作方式之后，我此時第一次自問：應該如何定義一位中國抽象畫家？當然，我也知道抽象藝術在中國并不熱門，直至最近，社會現實主義與學院派繪畫的影響與歷史優先性都一直在中國占有重要地位，以致烏托邦社會主義的俄羅斯構成主義藝術家們，如羅琴科（Rodchenko），其前衛作品在俄羅斯和中國仍不被接受。然而，如何定義中國抽象畫家這個問題卻依然不容忽視。

Following the line: Tan Ping’s Drawing

Tony Brown

The frst time I visited Tan Ping’s studio I was surprised to discover that he drew his drawings fat on a table and the paintings were painted on an easel.I know this is perhaps not very surprising but it was for me as I thought it would be the other way around, because before this studio visit I had seen Tan Ping’s works and viewed them as abstract art that I placed primarily in a Western tradition and context.This made me think about the way he makes his work in general and why he made the choices he does and what they mean about his work.Other than being struck by this I also discovered the drawings were all black and white and all the same size, made with charcoal and the paintings always used color and differed wildly in size.The paintings even though had a strong linear element like the drawings the linear element was overridden by the importance of color.Like the paintings of Mark Rothko, Tan Ping’s colors foat spatially giving an optical experience such that the shapes of color evoke an ephemeral non physical quality to the extent of being metaphysical.In the drawings, however, they are dominated by strong linear quality with overlapping lines that define boundaries and zones almost like looking from a bird’s eye view, viewing an auto route from above with all the different levels of roads and passages overlapping and intersecting and like the auto route giving a strong feeling of movement and direction.Unlike the paintings the drawings have a very strong and defant physical and material sense about them that reinforces a physical almost corporal sense that corresponds directly to the process of their being made.I knew Tan Ping is referred to as an abstract Chinese artist so on this occasion for the frst time I found myself as a Westerner asking, what it means to be described as a Chinese abstract painter.Of course I am aware that abstraction in China was not embraced to say the least and the infuence and historical precedence of social realism and academic painting in China dominated until recently to the extent even the avantgarde works such as the utopian socialist Russian constructivist works of artists such as Rodchenko were rejected in both Russia and China but the question remained what it means to be a Chinese abstract painter.

譚平 素描 炭筆 78.7×109.2cm 2014年Tan Ping,Drawing,Charcoal,78.7×109.2cm,2014

在我看來，西方一般意義上所指的抽象藝術源于歐洲，特別是法國。然而，抽象表現主義中的非具象藝術（nonfigurative art）、非客觀藝術（nonobjective art）和非寫實藝術（nonrepresentational）等確實起源于美國，如美國藝術家杰克遜·波洛克（Jackson Pollock）被尊稱為這場藝術運動的鼻祖，因為大多數人認為杰克遜·波洛克是這場運動中最重要的美國抽象表現主義畫家，人們將其風格專門稱為滴色畫或行動繪畫。波洛克說：“我的繪畫并非來自畫架。”它們其實來自地板，因為他把畫布直接鋪在地板上，然后把顏料滴落、潑灑、噴濺在上面。波洛克放棄使用畫架，把傳統的調色盤換成裝滿顏料的桶，用木棒代替了畫筆——當時，這是徹底地背離具象繪畫傳統的激進之舉。具象繪畫的目標是將客體、某事或某人現實地呈現出來，而波洛克拋棄了畫架的垂直性，他將自己置于畫作中心，讓觀者感受他內心個人化的表達和過程。繪畫的過程成為了主體，作品反而是藝術表現的記錄。波洛克常常稱他好像看到自己在畫里，他也確實站在自己作品的精神世界的中心。波洛克對其作品眾多的注解中，他提到了美國納瓦霍族原住民（Native Navajo Americans）的沙畫技巧和過程，用沙子在地上繪畫的神秘藝術形式與西藏僧侶們的壇城沙畫技巧如出一轍。

For me what is commonly referred to as abstract art in the West has its roots in Europe and particularly in France, however, for me the term abstract expressionism as being nonfgurative art, nonobjective art, and nonrepresentational is strictly American in origin, with an artist such as Jackson Pollock being regarded as the grand farther of this movement.As most people consider Jackson Pollock to be the most important American abstract expressionist painter of this movement, with his style being specially referred to as drip or action painting.Pollock said,“My painting does not come from the easel”, in fact it came from the floor as he placed the canvas directly on the foor and dripped, poured and splashed paint onto it.Jackson Pollok’s abandoning the easel and trading in the traditional palette for buckets full of paint and sticks that he used instead of brushes; at the time doing this was seen as a clear radical step away from the tradition of representational painting.Representational painting is goal oriented with the objective to realistically represent something or somebody, what Pollock did by abandoning the verticality of easel and representational painting was to place himself as the subject object in the center of the art work, leaving the spectator to experience the residue of his inner individualistic expression and process.The process of making the painting became the subject and conversely the painting a record of the artistic expression.Pollock would often state he saw himself as being inside his paintings; he literally was in the center of his inner universe of his artistic production.In one of the few references he made about his work Pollock refers to the technique and process of sand painting used by Native Navaho Americans, a technique of using sand to draw on the ground, a mystical art making practice, which is interestingly the same technique used by Tibetan Monks.

譚平創作過程 攝影：見濤Tan Ping’s Process of Creation,Photography: Jian Tao

譚平創作過程 攝影：見濤Tan Ping’s Process of Creation,Photography: Jian Tao

美國藝術評論家克萊門特·格林伯格（Clement Greenberg）在波洛克的作品中看到了一種與以往完全不同的、全新的繪畫形式，因其獨特的美式風格而強烈推薦。格林伯格反駁了其風格參照超現實主義畫派中自動主義的論點，因為其源頭在法國而不是美國，格林伯格認為波洛克的風格體現了美國的表達自由的精神與個性。馬克·托比（Marc Toby）的繪畫可能是這一時期僅有的參考了中國書法的作品，也許因為他是唯一一位公開談論此事的藝術家。眾所周知，這一時期的美國抽象繪畫被用于支持強烈的國家認同感，因此成為支持這一時期（冷戰時期）政治議程的政治工具。杰克遜·波洛克這位狂野牛仔于酒醉中因車禍喪生，接著就有演員步其后塵，進一步傳播了與波洛克相同的美國神秘形象。因主演電影《無因的反叛》（Rebel Without a Cause）而成為一代偶像的詹姆斯·迪恩（James Dean）也因高速行駛發生車禍，死在自己的保時捷中。直至新表現主義藝術家讓·米榭·巴斯奎特（Jean-Michel Basquiat）因吸毒過量而死，這些叛逆的美國藝術家的神秘形象已經成為一個被持續關注的主題。

Clement Greenberg the American art critic saw in Pollock’s painting a new kind of painting that was distinctly different from anything before and he passionately promoted it as uniquely American.Greenberg rebutted any reference made to automatism from the surrealistic school of painting as it was French not American in origin, for Greenberg Pollock’s style embodied the American spirit of freedom of expression and individuality.Marc Toby’s paintings are probably the only artists of this period that had any reference made to Chinese calligraphy, probably because he the artist was the only person who spoke openly about it.As is well known today American abstract painting of this time was used to support a strong nationalist identity and consequently a political tool to support the political agenda of this period (the cold war).Jackson Pollock the wild individualistic cowboy who was killed in a car crash while drunk and later like the actor to follow in his footsteps and further propagate the same American mythical image as Pollock, James Dean the main actor in his most celebrated flm a ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ would also die in his Porsche in a high speed car crash.The mythical image of these American artists as rebel has become an ongoing theme all the way to the Neo-expressionist Jean Michel Basquiat’s drug over dose.

“彳亍”譚平個展 偏鋒新藝術空間 2014年“Follow My Line” Tan Ping Solo Exhibition,PIFO Gallery,2014

“彳亍”譚平個展 偏鋒新藝術空間 2014年“Follow My Line” Tan Ping Solo Exhibition,PIFO Gallery,2014

然而，這樣的形象與譚平作品所表現出的感覺并不相符。譚平作為一位藝術家，其作品并非基于這位美國藝術家的神話或是圍繞美國抽象藝術的辯論，而是屬于與后者迥然不同的更具冥想性和反思性的方式。

在譚平最新的展覽中，他的紙上黑白素描第一次擺在不同高度的展臺上展出，其中六十厘米高度的展臺讓觀者可以體驗藝術家作畫時的視角。觀者可以自由穿行于素描的迷宮，探索畫面在各種不同高度和視角下的轉變，而這些視角無一不在揭示創作的過程。這并非譚平第一次決定以一種創新的方式來展示作品，他曾經在中國美術館個展上展出過只有一根40米長的粗獷線條的版畫作品。而在此次展覽中，將素描作品置于通常用于展示雕塑的展臺上，譚平從觀念上和視覺上強化了其素描的形而下特性。與此同時，以這種方式展示作品，便有力地認可了中國畫與中國書法在水平面上進行創作的傳統，在這種傳統中，自然的重力和人的力量扮演了重要的角色。在記錄譚平素描創作的視頻中，可以看到他作畫時炭棒破裂，碎片落到紙上。我們看到了運動的規律性和連續性，他的手隨心所欲地控制著壓力和強度，在紙面上勻速而有規律地移動著。這既不是波洛克在畫布上的瘋狂移動和起舞，也不是羅伯特·賴曼（Robert Ryman）的過程藝術中的機械動作，在他的畫中，他嘗試用蠟畫顏料畫一條完美的直線。這是完全不同的創作方式。

多年前當我第一次在中國的大街上看到有人拿著大毛筆蘸水往地上寫字時，我曾感到相當困惑：他們是在表演還是在練習？這是在做什么？我的第一反應是，不管這是什么，看他們認認真真寫了半天到最后卻不留一點痕跡，實在是一件極有意思的事情。直到后來我了解到，他們既是炫耀自己的才藝，也是在練習。每當我看到有人這樣寫書法時，我總是會駐足觀看，就如有機會邂逅一位書法大師一樣。我知道他們的姿勢體現了他們多年的練習和一種高度結構化體系的具有千百年歷史的傳統。譚平不是一位書法藝術家，但他的姿勢也體現了他多年的練習和一種高度結構化體系的具有千百年歷史的傳統，不過我相信，其中的區別是，他將這一體系加以再造并重新定義為他自己的視覺語言。譚平常被人稱為色彩大師，然而在我看來，他也是一個扎根于中國傳統、具有高度視覺構建能力、追求豐富藝術創作過程的大師。

This image does not correspond to the sensibility of Tan Ping’s work.Tan Ping as an artist and in his work as they are not rooted in either the American artist’s myth or the polemics surrounding American Abstract painting but is of a very different more contemplative and refexive manner than the latter.

In Tan Ping’s latest exhibitions for the first time his black and white paper drawings are presented on pedestal giving the spectator the same vantage point as the artist when the drawings were made.The spectator can freely walk through this maze of drawings, discovering the shifting visual elevations in the drawings, with each drawing’s elevation reveals the process of its making; lines drawn and then whipped away to leave; traces, residue, phantom lines turned into gray zones.Tan Ping’s decision to present his work in an innovative way is not new for this artist, as he had presented a bold single line 40 meters long print for his personnel exhibition at the National Museum.In choosing to mount his drawings on the pedestals which are usually reserved to the domain of sculpture, he has conceptually and visually confrmed the physicality of the drawings.Concurrently, presenting the works in this manner strongly acknowledges the Chinese traditions of drawing horizontally as it does with the tradition of ink calligraphy drawing, a tradition where the use of gravity and force play an important role.In the documentary video of Tan Ping’s drawing we see charcoal sticks fracture and shards of the stick shatter off falling onto the paper as he draws.We see the regularity and consistency of movement, his hand moving at the same even regular strong speed with his controlling the pressure and force varying it as he desires.This is not Jackson Pollock frenetically moving and dancing in the middle of his canvas, neither is it the mechanical movements of the Process Art of Robert Ryman paintings where he tries to paint a perfectly straight line with encaustic paint, it is something else.

When I first saw calligraphy painting on the street painting with water I was totally bemused.Were they doing a performance were they practicing what was this all about? My frst reaction was, whatever it is, it is very interesting to see an act of painting that left nothing behind.I was to learn it was a combination of both showing off their skill and practicing.When I see these painters I always stop to watch as I do if I have the chance to see a master calligraphic artist.I understand their gestures embody year of practice and hundreds of years of tradition of a highly structured system.Tan Ping does not make calligraphy but his gestures embody years of practice and relate to hundreds of years of a highly structured system but I believe the difference is he has recreated and redefined this system into his own visual language.Tan Ping is often referred to as a master of color but for me he is also a master of a highly organized visually rich process of art making rooted in a Chinese tradition.

譚平 素描 炭筆 80×152cm 2015 年Tan Ping,Drawing,Charcoal,80×152cm,2015

觀看的方式——譚平自述

對我現在這個階段來說，其實既不是畫我所看、所知的，也不是畫我內心所想。畫我所“什么”是有對象的，無論是“畫它”，它是一個實物，還是一個概念，象征性的東西；還是“畫我”，是一個想象的東西。“它”都是有對象的。

沒有對象，就不再是畫什么。畫什么，是一個投射的狀態。而“我畫”，“畫”是一個動詞，一個過程，是一個很主體和個性化的過程，是一種認同感。在當代藝術的范疇里面，有非物質化的趨向，取消一個物質化的結果，要一個過程的體驗。

The Different Experience of Seeing: Self Narration of Tan Ping

Now I’m painting neither what I see nor what I know or what I think about.To paint what I see, look or think about, I have to fnd an object which can either be a real object or myself, something imaginary or my concept.There has to be an object.

When there is no object for me to paint, I should not say I’m painting something but I’m painting.To paint something means to project.It was what I used to do.Now when I say I paint, I mean it is a process of subjectivity and individuality, involving identity as well.In contemporary art there is a trend of dematerialization, that is, to replace the materialized result with the experience of the process.

譚平 素描 炭筆 80×152cm 2015 年Tan Ping,Drawing,Charcoal,80×152cm,2015

做展覽就想交流，和觀眾交流。想要觀眾通過觀看體會更多。聽起來有點玄虛，但我一直強調把作品當作一個現成物，或者是一個介入物，放入不同的環境當中時，它會因空間環境的不同而呈現出不同的意義。這次展覽我特意把素描放在平臺上展示，觀眾看的時候與掛在墻上觀看的視角，獲得的是不一樣的感受。擺放作品的時候，相互之間有近有遠，整體有一個大的結構關系。比方放在六十厘米高的平臺，與我畫畫時的狀態一樣，觀者就可以體會到我正在畫畫時的感覺；一米二的高度，有點側視去看作品，線條也具有一種動感；作品擺放越低，越穩定，放置十五厘米高的時候，就給人以永恒的感覺。我希望觀眾在觀看這些線條時，也會因為距離的變化，體驗到不同視覺與心理的感受，體驗到我在畫和看的狀態……

The end of an exhibition is to communicate with the audience.I wish they can have a lot to think about and understand more.It sounds impractical, but I always stress the importance of taking an art work as something ready-made, or an intervention, which will take on different meanings in different contexts.Put on the platform, my sketches at this exhibition are to be viewed from four sides, which will allow the audience a different feeling from watching them on the wall, as is the case for most sketch exhibits.The distance between sketches has a lot bearing on the overall structure.When they are put on a 60 cm high platform, as high as I was doing them, the audience can share how I felt while working on these sketches.If they are put as high as 1.2 m, the audience will look at them sideways and get the visual experience that all the lines were moving.The lower they were placed, the more stable the lines look.At 15cm, they give a sense of eternity.When the audience look at these lines, I hope, they can have multiple visual and psychological experiences due to the changes in distance, sharing the moment when I painted and watched them...

譚平 素描 炭筆 78.7×109.2cm 2014年Tan Ping,Drawing,Charcoal,78.7×109.2cm,2014

ASU美術館短評：藝術家和觀者之間重新建立起一種聯系

譚平說他的作品是對靈魂的直接映射。“我們去亞利桑那州立大學設計學院看學生上課，同學們似乎都試圖在自己的作品中去表述外部世界；而在閱歷經過多年積累后，我想表達的世界是關乎我本身的。”譚平如是說。

在《彳亍》中，譚平與其媒介的互動、交融，淋漓盡致到即使他本人的簽名都成為其作品中渾然天成的一部分。譚平作品中的黑白二色和不同的灰度，讓其每一個手勢和炭筆的一筆一畫都清晰可見。

Comments: Follow My Line Exhibited in ASU Art Museum

Speaking through an interpreter, Tan told me that his work is a direct reflection of spirituality.“We went to see students at the design school at ASU, but they were busy refecting the world outside,”he said.“After years of practice and experience, the world he wants to refect is about himself.”

Tan’s interaction with his medium is bar none in this exhibit.Even his signature plays a part in the way the work is created.With white, black and shades of gray, the viewer can see every movement of the hand, every stroke of charcoal.

在譚平的創作中，他從來不會因為擦除而更換紙張，而是在同一張紙上保留所有創作中擦除過的痕跡，體現著只有黑與白的世界。

譚平說：“人們在畫畫的時候，總想快些結束。但于我而言，過程非常重要。”加之對身體的運用，譚平的創作甚至可以被稱為行為藝術。

展覽還包括兩件影像記錄，其中一件是譚平的訪談，另外一件則是對他創作過程的記錄。這些影像記錄不僅講述了藝術家及其創作的背景，也更加向觀者證明這些畫作絕不僅僅只是靜止的藝術品。了解藝術創作背后的故事和了解藝術作品本身一樣深具意義。

Rather than leave a piece of page clean, Tan will erase lines and use the same paper, giving a depth where there was only black and white.

“When people draw, they want to fnish quickly,”Tan said.“With (me), the process means a lot.”You can call it performance art, because he uses his body.

Also included in the exhibit are two videos, one an interview with the artist and another showing the process he uses to create each work.Watching these brings context and more awareness that these drawings are not just static pieces of art.Thinking about the context of production is as important as the fnal piece of work.

“彳亍”譚平個展 亞利桑那州立大學美術館 美國 坦佩 2015年“Follow My Line” Tan Ping Solo Exhibition,Arizona State University Gallery,Tempe,USA,2015

譚平的作品被置于分散在美術館畫廊周圍的基座上，于是，作品中不同的灰度開始作用于觀者和藝術家之間，建立起一種強烈的內在連接。然而，一件藝術作品向展品的過渡總是指向一個假設：這件藝術作品完成了，完整了。而譚平卻不這么想。“藝術品的最終結果并不是藝術的最終目標，”他說，“如果作品通過不同的方式呈現，那么觀者和藝術家將得以角色互換。藝術品成為展品之后，作品本身與觀眾之間就產生了距離，而這次的布展方式是要試圖消除這種距離感，從而讓藝術家和觀者之間重新建立起一種聯系。”這種強烈的互動方式打破了傳統平面藝術作品的局限，使人們得以圍繞著每一個基座360度地欣賞藝術作品。

The intense connection between the viewer and the artist only just begins with the shades of gray, however.The works are presented on pedestals scattered around the gallery.“The fnal result is not the fnal goal,”he said.“If you present the work in a different way, you can play (my) role.(The audience) is like the artist.They can replay that role.”There’s an assumption that when an artwork is hung on a wall, that means the artwork is finished and complete.“That creates a distance between the artwork and audience,”Tan said.“This tried to cancel the distance, and reconnect the audience and the artist.”

“彳亍”譚平個展 亞利桑那州立大學美術館 美國 坦佩 2015年“Follow My Line” Tan Ping Solo Exhibition,Arizona State University Gallery,Tempe,USA,2015

彳亍之間 我之如我——聽譚平說《彳亍》（節選）

受訪人：譚 平

采訪人：蔣岳紅

蔣岳紅（以下簡稱蔣）：從什么時候開始你想要把這些素描作品拿出來展覽的？

譚平（以下簡稱譚）：從2000年以后，我做作品都是分階段的，一個階段做銅版，一個階段做木版，再一個階段畫畫，然后又開始做木版或者銅版。2013年開始集中到素描，畫到現在，差不多兩年了，語言本身已經非常完整了，完全可以作為獨立的表達形式存在。我覺得大家看完展覽之后，會把“素描”這個詞改成“作品”，它不單單只是一個訓練的方式。

蔣：在這一些素描作品中，你會對哪一張作品印象特別深？

譚：有一張素描，是一個交叉的線。我記得當時畫完之后，我突然感覺找到了一個方向。我原來一直是畫圓圈的，我在中國美術館圓廳做了“1劃”，畫那么長的一根線，也可以說是一個大圓，是不能重復的體驗。這一張素描，上面有很多直線，當時的感覺就是把中國美術館那一“劃”，變成無數段的線的感覺，實際上還是一“劃”。

蔣：感覺是有一部分只是沒有在落在紙上，有“頓”？

譚：有“頓”。但是筆筆相生，它們相互之間是連接的，還有一脈相承的體驗和意味，只不過視覺上是一段一段的。

蔣：這是線畫完之后又把它……

譚：擦掉了，擦掉再畫。用的是木炭條。還是覆蓋的概念。擦掉如同覆蓋，會有一層一層的效果，在擦掉的層次之上再畫線，就產生了節奏。同時木炭給我的感覺更直接。粗、細、輕、重的變化，都是你我的手在把控。

蔣：什么時候開始你就是畫，而不再是畫所想？

譚：一旦你沒有了預設，“畫”這個行為本身就變得很重要了。有預設時，畫是在幫你實現，畫什么可能會比怎么畫要重要。關系正好相反。

蔣：畫這些畫，你的興奮點在哪？有什么會讓你自己被吸引？

譚：有很多畫，看起來挺好看的，但是不興奮，也不特別。這些素描，里面有一部分屬于這一類。但還有一些素描，是你根本不知道這樣的結果是如何形成的。畫完之后擦掉，又開始畫，又擦掉，最后一遍，忽然另外一個東西就出來了，這個東西特別令我興奮，它就留了下來。我這兩天選作品的時候最能感受最初令我興奮的東西。

Following My Line and Finding Me There: A Dialouge Between Tan Ping and Jiang Yuehong

Jiang: When did you finally make the decision to show these sketches at an exhibition?

Tan: After 2000, in each period I concentrated on one particular kind of works, seldom doing more than one during a certain period.In one period I might be doing copperplate and in another painting, and then woodblock or copperplate.Since 2013 I’ve been doing sketches.It is about two years now.It is more or less an integrated system in terms of language and can stand on its own as a means of expression.After seeing the exhibition, the audience, I hope, can understand“sketch”as“work of art”in the real sense of the word, for it is more than mere training or something preliminary.

Jiang: Among your sketches which one impressed you most?

Tan: There was one with crossed lines.I suddenly found what I needed the moment I fnished it.I had been drawing circles.Then came my“A Line”at the National Art Museum.Drawing such a long line, like a big circle, meant that experience could not be reproduced.There were some lines in the sketch.I felt fairly confdent then, I should say, but I still struggled a lot because“A Line”, though having multiplying visual effects, was a stroke only, nothing more.

Jiang: What the audience saw on the paper was just part of the sketch.Is it what you mean? Were there pauses?

Tan: Yes.But from one pause came another, so the pauses were connected with each other.There was a sense of connection, although they looked discrete.

Jiang: You drew the lines, and then…

Tan: I erased them.Then I drew them with charcoal bars.They were still sketches, conceptually speaking.There were layers in a sketch.On the basis of these layers, lines were drawn, and then there would be rhythm.They give a sense of directness.You can handle it with ease for any effect.You can draw line as you wish, thick or thin, light or heavy.

Jiang: When did you begin to paint without planning what to paint?

Tan: Quite long ago.When there is nothing planned, painting, as an action, becomes important.When you have something in your mind to paint, painting helps you to bring it into reality, so in this case what is more important than how.They are opposite.

Jiang: What interests you most while doing these paintings? What is the most attractive?

Tan: There are lots of paintings that look nice but not exciting, not special.Some of the sketches fall into this group.Others become what they are without your knowing it.You draw the lines, you erase them, then you draw them again, then you erase them… again and again until something strikes you.Here it comes.It makes me very excited, and I decide to keep it there.I’m making selections for the exhibition these days.The moments of selection take me back to what once excited me most.

蔣：你是用什么標準去選的？

譚：標準就是“不同”。有的作品，很干凈，畫的時候，一定是非常清晰的、自信的狀態，那些線看起來就是很肯定的。還有的作品，很多遍，一層一層的，意味著當時處在比較糾結、比較困惑的狀態。

蔣：你找到的是你作畫時的十種不同狀態？

譚：沒那么多。我感覺大的區別會有三四種，再加上一些小的差異。我們都希望能夠不停地突破自己，但事實是，你想完全跳出個人受到的限制，非常不容易。比如，畢加索，那么有創造性的一個人，現在看來，從早期到晚期的脈絡也很清楚，并沒有太大的變化。我也問自己，對于畫面自身我們還有多大的突破？也可能這一張，那一張，不同的畫面組合，不同時間的作品相互之間組合，看起來會顯得更有意思。同樣用炭筆畫的線條，不同時間畫的都不一樣。“畫”時不同的狀態，放在一起對比更加明顯。回頭再看這兩年的素描作品，你會發現冬天的情緒和夏天的情緒都不一樣。當我決定哪些被保留，哪些被擦掉時，我會把它們放在地下看。當作品平鋪在地上的時候，那些被保留下來的作品，上面的線條具有一種“永恒”的感覺，當然這是我個人的選擇和判斷。我希望的是觀眾在觀看這些線條時，也會因為距離的變化，體驗到多種視覺與心理的感受，感受到我當時畫和看的狀態……

蔣：你說過，你突然發現我不是要畫一根線，我是在“畫”線。如何理解這句話？

譚：我突然間發現，我其實沒有畫我所看，也沒有畫我所知，也沒在畫我所想。畫我所“什么”是有對象的，無論是“畫它”，它是一個實物，還是“畫我”，是一個想象的東西，還是一個你的概念、象征性的東西，它都是有對象的。當你已經沒有對象，就不是畫什么，而是我畫。原來是畫什么，是一個投射的狀態，現在是畫，是一個動詞，是一個過程，是一個很主體和個性化的過程，是一種認同感。在當代藝術的范疇里面，有非物質化這樣的一個趨向，取消一個物質化的結果，要一個過程的體驗。

（本篇集評感謝藝術家譚平先生本人搜集提供）

Jiang: What is your standard?

Tan: Being different.Some of the works are fairly clean.I must have been in a very clear and confdent state of mind then, as the lines show that they are the result of deep thinking.In other works there are traces of reworking and layers, indicating that I was struggling in confusion.

Jiang: So you’ve found ten different states of mind when you worked?

Tan: Not that much.There are three or four that differ a lot, I believe.Then there are minor differences.Everyone wishes to make breakthroughs and to go beyond himself, but it is actually very hard.It is what I learn from my experience.To get released from all the restraints is by no means easy.No one can change completely.Take Picasso for instance.In this creative talent we fnd a very clear clue to his art.Not much has changed over time.What do I need from the work? Sometimes I ask myself.I looked at one and then another, finding that different combinations contrast differently.It will be more interesting when there is contrast.The same approaches and techniques are used, but we can fnd the artist was in different moods while painting.When an artist“paints”, his state of mind is of primary importance.It is the state of mind an artist has when he paints and observes.Looking at the sketches I did in a year, I fnd my state of mind in winter is different from that in summer.When I want to decide which one to keep and which one to erase, I will place these sketches on the foor.When spread on the foor, those to be kept show lines of“eternity”.It is of course my own choice and judgment.I hope the audience can share my experience when looking at these lines.By changing the view distance they can get a fairly clear, confdent and justifed experience, I hope.

Jiang: You said that you suddenly found you didn’t want to draw a line but you were“drawing”a line.How to understand this sentence?

Tan: I fnd suddenly that now I’m painting neither what I see nor what I know or what I think about.To paint what I see, look or think about, I have to fnd an object which can either be a real object or myself, something imaginary or my concept.There has to be an object.When there is no object for me to paint, I should not say I’m painting something but I’m painting.To paint something means to project.It was what I used to do.Now when I say I paint, I mean it is a process of subjectivity and individuality, involving identity as well.In contemporary art there is a trend of dematerialization, that is, to replace the materialized result with the experience of the process.

(We thank the artist Tan Ping for providing these reviews and criticisms he has collected himself.)

Tan Ping: vice president of and professor at China Central Academy of Fine Arts