藝術(shù)是心靈的召喚
——訪知名油畫藝術(shù)家許江

文/肖艷艷 祝融融

人物名片

許江，中國文學(xué)藝術(shù)界聯(lián)合會(huì)副主席、中國美術(shù)家協(xié)會(huì)副主席、中國油畫學(xué)會(huì)會(huì)長、浙江省文學(xué)藝術(shù)界聯(lián)合會(huì)主席。

許江。Xu Jiang.

杭州白馬湖畔，一片蔥綠中，有一個(gè)院子。紅墻磚與灰水泥錯(cuò)落組合在一起的建筑，依山就勢，自然得體，既有江南的典雅，又透著現(xiàn)代感。

這就是“最葵園”藝術(shù)中心。

徘徊其中，幾個(gè)由紅銅鍛塑而成的葵盤，分散在戶外區(qū)域，平均重量都在兩噸以上，陽光下閃現(xiàn)出源自土地的色彩。

近20年來一直以葵為題材創(chuàng)作的許江，在這里讀書沉思、會(huì)友雅集，更多的時(shí)候則一個(gè)人揮舞畫筆。

眼前的許江正襟危坐，兩眼炯炯有神。不像是接受采訪，更像是應(yīng)約上一堂藝術(shù)課。

他拿出的一個(gè)本子上，用黑筆密密麻麻而又工工整整寫了3大頁，還用紅筆做了各種標(biāo)記。

在茶香氤氳中，我們開始聆聽他時(shí)而激越時(shí)而低沉，時(shí)而靜默時(shí)而聲如洪鐘的思考。

“藝術(shù)是心靈的渡筏”

盛夏的午后，天氣悶熱。路過杭州地鐵站，前去拜會(huì)許江時(shí)，我們特意在武林廣場站拍攝了他10年前創(chuàng)作的銅雕作品《陽光 · 葵園》。

我們把照片拿給他看，原本師者威嚴(yán)的眼神變得柔和起來。“好久沒去了，我要抽時(shí)間去看看。”他湊近并端詳照片，如同面對多年沒見的孩子。

那幅滿墻怒放的向日葵，在川流不息的城市空間中，熱情奔放，流光溢彩。這是對城市生生不息的禮贊，更是對普通人心靈的無聲滋潤。

“人們在城市里趕路，藝術(shù)能帶來片刻的寧靜?！彼f，美可以撫慰心靈，所以他一直堅(jiān)持為大眾創(chuàng)作美的作品。

“新冠病毒讓平靜生活了半個(gè)多世紀(jì)的人類一下子不知所措?！痹S江說，“藝術(shù)是心靈的召喚，對那些深陷疫情中的人們來說，藝術(shù)是超度焦慮和恐懼的竹筏”。

“我發(fā)現(xiàn)我的藝術(shù)家朋友，相對其他人更為平靜。他們在疫情期間抓緊讀書，抓緊畫畫，有的人還把拖了很久的‘文債’還上了，音畫讀物成了他們生活的重要伴隨?！痹S江說。

拿起畫筆，繪心中所想；拿起文筆，寫心中所思。因?yàn)橐咔?，文化交流活?dòng)減少，但也讓他有更多時(shí)間讀書思考和藝術(shù)創(chuàng)作。

藝術(shù)之路，不癡心者難入佳境。許江說，自己的這股“癡”，源于多年對美和藝術(shù)的執(zhí)著。他說，搞藝術(shù)，是一種精神的堅(jiān)守，既要有國際視野，也要有本土關(guān)懷。

“全球視野與本土關(guān)懷共生互動(dòng)”

訪談中，突然下起了大雨，雨聲沙沙，窗外的綠色氤氳如油畫。而室內(nèi)更加安靜，講中國美院，講中國美院與世界，許江富有磁性的聲音，與外面的雨聲形成奇妙的復(fù)調(diào)。

對許江而言，國美是一個(gè)繞不開的話題。一講到國美，他一臉虔敬。

“國際化視野不是我們這一代人所獨(dú)有的。”許江說。1928年，蔡元培選址杭州西湖創(chuàng)建國立藝術(shù)院時(shí)，就以調(diào)和中西藝術(shù)為辦學(xué)宗旨。國美初創(chuàng)時(shí)的那一代人，大部分都有留學(xué)和研學(xué)的經(jīng)歷?？梢?，國際視野從來就是國美的追求。國美是世界的國美，不僅要扎根中國沃土，還要有世界眼光?！叭蛞曇芭c本土關(guān)懷共生互動(dòng)，這是國美的精神之源。”許江說。

從在國美讀書、執(zhí)教到擔(dān)任院長，在校40年，鍛造了一種國美情結(jié)，他說，這是國美精神的延續(xù)。

“我們這一代人趕上了改革開放，生命個(gè)體的節(jié)拍和整個(gè)社會(huì)、整個(gè)民族命運(yùn)的節(jié)奏踩到了一起?！痹S江說，在國家資助下，他出國留學(xué)，開了眼界。

擔(dān)任院長后，他提出全球視野與本土關(guān)懷共生互動(dòng)。他說：“國際視野是動(dòng)力，本土關(guān)懷是內(nèi)核。我們所有的專業(yè)，都要通過世界的眼光、國際的視野來催生、再造，這是我們國美的獨(dú)特法門。”在這個(gè)理念的帶動(dòng)下，國美為上海雙年展和上海世博會(huì)的成功舉辦積極貢獻(xiàn)了力量。

這時(shí)，他從筆記本下抽出一本厚厚的書。這本名為《地之緣》的“巨”著出版于2003年。書已微微泛黃，但他摩挲其中，珍愛有加，眼神溫和而動(dòng)人。

2002年，他擔(dān)任國美院長時(shí)，有感于亞洲各國之間的文化隔膜，開展了一系列亞洲當(dāng)代藝術(shù)考察。他選了杭州、伊斯坦布爾、孟買、德黑蘭、曼谷等亞洲城市，成果最終凝結(jié)成眼前這本書。

先生還提及一段往事。美國舊金山美術(shù)學(xué)院前院長馬丁把自己40多件藝術(shù)作品捐贈(zèng)給國美。許江說：“這既是對國美的敬意，更是對中國藝術(shù)的敬意?！?/p>

上海美術(shù)館展出的許江作品。Works by Xu Jiang are exhibited at the Shanghai Art Museum.

許江在自己的作品《向日葵》前。Xu Jiang stands in front of his work, Sunf l ower.

上海美術(shù)館的許江作品展現(xiàn)場。Works by Xu Jiang are exhibited at the Shanghai Art Museum.

2021年7月，“百年擔(dān)當(dāng)—浙江藝術(shù)特展”開幕，許江擔(dān)任媒體導(dǎo)覽。At the opening of the “A Hundred-Year Mission — Special Exhibition of Zhejiang Arts” in July 2021, Xu Jiang is seen introducing the works to a group of reporters.

“給年輕人創(chuàng)造更多出彩的舞臺(tái)”

許江愛聽?wèi)颍瑒?chuàng)作間隙偶爾會(huì)哼上兩句?！扒岸螘r(shí)間，81歲的汪世瑜先生和弟子們同臺(tái)演出《汪門薪傳》，我看了之后很感動(dòng)。汪先生作為昆曲界領(lǐng)軍人物，為浙江戲劇培養(yǎng)了眾多優(yōu)秀人才。這一臺(tái)演出，薈萃了昆曲、甬劇、越劇、婺劇、紹劇、甌劇6個(gè)劇種?！?/p>

其實(shí)，許江自己也是一位毫無保留的師者。在國美，不管是做老師、當(dāng)院長、還是現(xiàn)在擔(dān)綱學(xué)術(shù)委員會(huì)主任一職，他都非常關(guān)注青年人才的培養(yǎng)，弟子中不少人已經(jīng)成為海內(nèi)外名家。

如今，作為浙江省文聯(lián)主席，他把一部分精力放在策展上。他說，要給年輕人創(chuàng)造更多能出彩的舞臺(tái)。

今年上半年，許江花費(fèi)大量心血策劃了之江國際青年藝術(shù)周。這個(gè)活動(dòng)每次都會(huì)把全杭州的美術(shù)館“占”滿。連辦4年，已經(jīng)成了這個(gè)城市的文化節(jié)日。許江說：“我們希望全世界的大學(xué)生、青年藝術(shù)家，在西湖之畔用藝術(shù)交流心靈，同時(shí)把靈感帶回世界各地。這也是蔡元培、林風(fēng)眠那一代開拓者的夢想。”

許江說，新峰人才作品展上，他看到美術(shù)界、書法界、攝影界新的一代已經(jīng)成長起來了，很是欣慰。

接下來，他希望通過“詩畫江南、活力浙江”省域品牌主題詞的帶動(dòng)，借助之江藝術(shù)長廊、宋韻今輝文化節(jié)等活動(dòng)，推動(dòng)浙江文化精品的創(chuàng)作，培養(yǎng)更多文藝生力軍。

“這些活動(dòng)的背后，其核心都是重塑傳統(tǒng)，激活文化品質(zhì)，推動(dòng)浙江藝術(shù)人才成長和文化精品創(chuàng)作形成高潮。”許江邊說邊站了起來，雙手在空中劃了一個(gè)V字手勢，如一個(gè)樂章戛然而止。

窗外雨停了，天空如一巨幅畫布，云或如淡墨，或如濃彩，美美與共，渾然天成。

院子里的巨型葵盤，遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)望過去，就像是一塊塊滾燙的烙鐵，嵌入這座綠意蔥蘢的葵園中。

“來吧，一起留個(gè)影！”先生熱情地邀請我們在銅雕前合影，“有空常來，我再把故事講給你們聽”。

（感謝戚建衛(wèi)、王智媛、王金雙戈對本文的貢獻(xiàn)。）

Arts: A Call to the Heart

By Xiao Yanyan Zhu Rongrong

At the shore of Baima (or White Horse) Lake in Hangzhou,among an expanse of lush green there is a garden. A complex of red brick walls with gray cement, it is built naturally along the mountains, appearing elegant and modern at the same time.

This is the Sun flowers on the Horizon Art Center. Strolling inside, you canfind several red-bronze sun flower plates scattered outdoors, each weighting over two tons. Under sunlight, they re flect a color of soil.

This is the place where Xu Jiang, a painter who has been dedicated to sun flowers for the last two decades, reads, meets his friends, and, most of the time, paints on his own.

Now Xu was sitting seriously straight before us, with sparkling eyes. It seemed that he was ready for an invited art class instead of an interview: on his notebook, three full pages had been written thickly yet neatly in black, dotted with red marks.

Between a cup of tea, we began to listen to his thoughts,which flow dramatically like a symphony with silent intervals.

On a sultry summer afternoon, we went to visit Xu, and on the way we intentionally took a picture of a bronze sculpture “Sun and the Sun flower Garden” Xu created 10 years ago.

When we showed him the picture, his eyes softened. “It’s been ages since I last saw it. I really should make time and drop by.” He looked at the picture closely and carefully, like looking at a long lost child.

The blooming sunflowers painted on the wall shine passionately against the hustle and bustle of the city, a tribute to the city’s vitality, and also a silent nourishment to the hearts of its people. “People are rushing around the city, and arts can bring a moment of peace. Beauty soothes the soul,” said Xu. Therefore, he has insisted on creating works of beauty for the public.

“All of a sudden, the coronavirus has overwhelmed us, who have lived in peace for more than half a century. And arts are like a call to the heart. For those caught in the epidemic, arts serve as the ark to transcend anxiety and fear.”

“I found my artist friends to be calmer in comparison to others. They caught up with their reading and painting during the epidemic, and some of them paid off their long-delayed literary debts. Music, paintings, books ... these became important companions to their lives,” Xu said.

許江 孔凡博 《清平樂—六盤山》（油畫）。To the Tune of Qing Ping Yue — Liupan Mountain, an oil painting by Xu Jiang and Kong Fanbo.

2022年7月，第7屆全國青年美展開幕式，許江致辭。Xu Jiang delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the Seventh National Youth Fine Arts Exhibition in July 2022.

Because of the epidemic, cultural exchange activities have been reduced, but it has also given him more time to read, think and create.

In the pursuit of art, it is difficult to achieve a pleasant stage without obsession. To Xu Jiang, his “obsession” stemmed from his years of dedication to beauty and arts. He said that arts are spiritual perseverance, which require both global vision and local care.

During the interview, it suddenly rained heavily. The rustling sound of rain and the dense, oil-painting-like green outside the window made the room very quiet. Xu talked about China Academy of Art and the world, his magnetic voice forming a wonderful polyphony with the sound of rain.

For Xu, China Academy of Art is a topic that could not be avoided, and is to be brought up with reverence. “An international perspective is not unique to our generation.” In 1928, when Cai Yuanpei (1868-1940) chose the West Lake in Hangzhou to found the National Academy of Fine Arts, he intended the institution to integrate Chinese and Western arts. It is clear that international vision has always been the pursuit of China Academy of Art. It must not only be rooted in the fertile cultural soil of China, but also embrace the world. “The symbiotic interaction of global vision and local concern is the source of China Academy of Art’s spirit.”

During his 40 years from studying, teaching to serving as its dean, Xu Jiang has developed a special attachment to China Academy of Art, which he calls “a continuation of the China Academy of Art spirit”. “Our generation embraced the Reform and Opening-up, and everyone’s beat of life stepped to the rhythm of the fate of the society and the nation as a whole.”

After he became the dean, he proposed a symbiotic interaction between global vision and local care. “International vision is the driving force, and local care is the core. All our disciplines need to be spawned and recreated through a global vision, which is our unique weapon.” Driven by this philosophy, China Academy of Art has greatly promoted the Shanghai Biennial and the Shanghai World Expo.

At that moment, Xu pulled out a thick book from under his notebook. This “giant” book, Edges of the Earth, was published in 2003. The pages were already slightly yellowed, but he was fondling it with love and affection, and his eyes were warm and moving.

In 2002, as the dean of China Academy of Art, Xu Jiang sensed the cultural divide between Asian countries and thus carried out a study tour of contemporary arts in Asia. He selected Hangzhou, Istanbul, Mumbai, Tehran, Bangkok and other Asian cities as the destinations, and the results were eventually condensed into this very book.

Xu also mentioned an anecdote. Fred Martin, the former president of the San Francisco Art Institute, donated more than 40 pieces of his artworks to China Academy of Art. Xu said, “This is a tribute to both China Academy of Art and the Chinese arts.”

He is also an unreserved teacher. At China Academy of Art, whether he was a teacher, a dean, or now the director of the academic committee, he has always paid great attention to the cultivation of young talents, and many of his students have become famous artists at home and abroad.

Nowadays, as the chairman of the Zhejiang Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Xu Jiang invests part of his energy into curating exhibitions. He revealed that he wants to create more platforms for young people to shine.

In thefirst half of 2022, he spent a lot of time planning the fourth edition of the Zhijiang International Youth Art Festival, an event that “fills up” all the galleries in Hangzhou when it is being held. For four years in a row, it has become a festival for the city.

From the festival, Xu is pleased to see that a new generation of artists, calligraphers and photographers has emerged. Next,he hopes to promote the creation of Zhejiang’s cultural products and cultivate more literary and artistic talent through activities such as the Zhijiang Art Gallery, driven by the provincial brand of“Picturesque and Dynamic Zhejiang”.

“The core to all these activities is to reinvent traditions, and boost the growth of Zhejiang’s artistic talent as well as the creation of excellent cultural products.” While saying these, Xu stood up,gestured a “V” in the air with his hands, like a putting a sudden rest to a music chapter. The rain stopped. The sky looked like a giant canvas, interspersed with light or thick colored clouds.

“Come on, let’s take a picture together!” Mr. Xu warmly invited us to take a photo in front of a bronze sculpture. “Come again next time, and I will have more stories for you.”