Foreword

At the beginning of his painting career, Xu Yanzhou adopted a realistic approach like other oil painters. Despite the fact that the subject of his works is depicted in a realistic manner, Xu is not content with just making photo-like replicas.

Xu mainly paints portraits of women, usually just their heads or half portraits. He captures their different facial expressions－child-like innocence, subtle expressions, a captivating smile or sophisticated charm. The emotion in these faces is always the centre of attention.

In fact, Xu Yanzhou wants to paint the kind of beauty commonly found only in Chinese women. His subjects often tie their hair up in scarves of typical Chinese designs and colours. This obviously reveals the intensity of his love for Chinese culture.

Nevertheless, the figures in his paintings are set against a variety of backgrounds. There are farms, blossoming trees, the fantasy world of space, the legendary phoenix, a surrealistic setting with hares in birds’ cages or fishes swimming with butterflies……Xu juxtaposes creatures from nature in unnatural compositions. This reveals the artist’s sentiments towards the beauty of nature.

The works of Xu Yanzhou are realistic and yet also expressionistic. He is a master of different painting techniques. His paintings are not just abstract works; they express more than words are able to do. Xu uses his realistic paintings to convey abstract concepts, often challenging the audience with questions－Will the strong always remain strong? Are the weak destined to be weak forever? Can man go against nature? These are all questions that Xu wishes his viewers to consider.

We are very grateful for the support that so many friends have shown to this exhibition. Xu Yanzhou’s paintings have special meanings－worthy of your appreciation and to wonder.


Yeung Chun-tong
Director
University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong
11 July 2008

The World as Seen through the Eyes of Xu Yanzhou

Xu Yanzhou has developed his own style of realism, sometimes referred to as “surreal-realism”. His paintings are fresh and insightfully challenging. The viewer’s first impressions are pleasant and inviting. The invitation is to share Xu’s impressions of everyday sights, whether in China or in North America. Once one accepts that invitation and enters the world of his art, there are always important comments and interpretations of our modern existence there for our serious reflection. His subject matter can be seen by all, but Xu takes us beyond our casual observations to inspect interactions of different aspects of the modern world. He presents an optimistic perspective on everyday encounters, leading us into an area of hope and excitement about the future and away from the hardships of life so often seen in the work of other artists representing the same cultural milieu.

From Xu’s beginnings in Shandong Province on the eastern coast of north-central China comes a cultural perspective which he has maintained as he has developed from a young painter in the beautiful coastal city of Qingdao and the cities of Ji’nan and Beijing to an experienced and perceptive artist living and painting in North America. Xu’s early work was greatly influenced by French, Russian and other European realists, with a touch of traditional Chinese traditionalism. At the tender age of 21, his work brought him acclaim as he earned broad recognition within the prestigious Chinese Artists?Association in Beijing. As he then continued his evolving journey as a master artist, his work began to reflect the more exquisite techniques of the ancient Chinese mural paintings of the Jin Northern Dynasties of the third through the fifth centuries, also being influenced by the Dutch masters Van Eyck, Bruegel, Vermeer and Holbein.

His years in Regina, Canada provided an opportunity to broaden his scope, and to incorporate many modern ideas into his work. Moving to the United States, studying for his MFA at Tulane University and painting in Colorado and New York have provided him with the opportunity to expand his work even further. But to say that he has developed as an artist in the sense of youth developing into adults would be totally misleading, for his work has shown maturity and insight from his early emergence as an artist. When Xu was just 19, his paintings were exhibited in the National Art Museum of China in Beijing and appeared on Chinese Central Television. At 21, he was the only artist in China to have two oil paintings selected from tens of thousands for the prestigious Sixth National Art Exhibition, at which he won the excellence award.

Xu Yanzhou is a very perceptive and sensitive artist. He carefully observes the world around him, paying special attention to the relationships between people, places and items, both real and perceived. He has a positive and optimistic outlook on life. In his work, he allows us to share in his observations and introduces us to interpretations that we might have missed without his help. Xu paints beautiful subjects and themes in their own environment, often superimposing images that seem to be out of place or time, but which provide us with his view of the relationships that are so important in his world. He might provide us with views of a woman’s portrait, spring flowers, snowy winter landscapes, birds and insects of summer, or the fruits harvested in autumn united in disparate ways, yet it all fits and makes sense. One might see in the background of his paintings a summer plant growing in a snowy landscape, or a large egg in a birdcage suspended in mid air. Through Xu’s intellect, talent and imagination one can always find a perceptive way of viewing the world that is both enlightening and intriguing.

Xu constantly displays sensitivity, accuracy and an amazing attention to detail in his work. His often use of brilliant color and interesting subjects provides him with important tools to tell his story, to describe the reality of what he sees around him. His subjects seem to step right off the canvas, inviting us to join in new experiences and challenging our own intellects.

Xu is a talented artist who is not afraid to adopt a different and fresh approach. He has received wide recognition for the quality of his work, and his paintings can be found in many important art museums and galleries around the world. Those who have his paintings in their private collections are very fortunate indeed.

Donald O. Wells
President Emeritus, University of Regina
Former President, Mount Allison University

Introduction

In an art world dominated by abstract or conceptual avant-garde art, there are still artists for whom realism is their main means of expression. While classical realism is often labeled and misunderstood as being “cliché” or “antique”, there is nevertheless innovation among realist painters, not simply the pure depiction of objects. Realist painters are also modernist painters; realism is just the language that they choose. Realist paintings in China have undergone many developments, especially regarding its social functions. Xu Yanzhou has been searching for a style with which he can express his perception of the world. The technique he uses is realist, but the ideas conveyed, the composition, structure and colour in his paintings are complex and close to being surrealist in nature. Although he works in western media and techniques, Xu believes that the ultimate beauty in art lies in xieyi, literally, “drawing meaning”, which is the essence of traditional Chinese painting. In contrast, Xu, therefore, brings together the features of Western and Chinese art.

Western realism appears in modern Chinese paintings at the beginning of the 20th century. This was a radical and transitional period when there was a re-evaluation of traditional feudal ideas in Chinese society and culture, and new ideas replaced the old. The May Fourth movement of 1919 furthered the revolution in Chinese literature and art. The introduction of Western art indicated the direction in which Chinese art should go. At the same time, Chinese students who had travelled abroad to study art in the 1920s and 1930s, were returning with new knowledge and ideas with which they hoped to transform the existing traditional language of classical Chinese art. Both realism and modernism movements in Western art influenced Chinese artists, and they each had their own supporters. A debate regarding which of the two styles should be advocated in China ensued. Due to the social and political conditions in China, realism became the main trend, although ironically modernism was widely adopted in the West. Dissatisfied with the apparent detachment from real life of Chinese literati paintings, it was believed that realism could enlighten people. Another factor is the rise of realism in China is that art teaching followed the example of the Soviet Union in which realism was widely practiced. During the Cultural Revolution, realism was used as a tool of political propaganda and became an official language of the government. From its beginnings in China, realism has never had a solely aesthetic value; it has always embodied political or social needs.

Xu Yanzhou has always sought themes which may be related questions about the meaning of life, through which to paint his life experiences. As he has experienced different changes, his choice of topics and even styles has also changed. When Xu was in high school, he painted in an impressionistic style. Vivid brushstrokes and complementary hues tell of Xu’s ambition to be an artist of the future. In China, especially in the 1970s and 1980s, stylistic freedom was restricted due to contextual and institutional factors. Xu could not escape theme influences and his style gradually shifted from an impressionistic one to a more realistic one around 1984, which also marks the beginning of his career as a realist artist. Xu began to study at the Shandong Academy of Arts in 1979, and after graduating in 1983, remained there to teach. It was a time when realism and traditional Western art techniques were widely taught at academic art schools, following the Soviet system. Xu’s change in style was partly due to the social and political constraints on the artist at that moment, and the artists?great admiration for some Western realist artists, especially the French and of course, Russian masters.

“Chatting among the Yimeng Villagers” is typical of Xu Yanzhou’s paintings before 1984. Xu was interested in the everyday life of rural residents and their relationship to nature. More than a mere static image of villagers chatting after a day of work, Xu wants to show the beauty of rural villagers who earn their living by physical labour. Following the Cultural Revolution, scenes of rural realism became popular in China in the 1980s. Artists were drawn to the simplicity of peasant life instead of politics; paintings as pure representation of reality instead of as a tool of politicians. The French master of realism Gustave Courbet (1819 – 1877), was no doubt an influence on Xu at this time. Courbet painted the harsh life of peasants and depicted nature from
direct observation including all its flaws. Another realist French painter, Jules Bastien-Lepage (1848 – 1884) and Russian social realist painters such as Valentin Serov (1865 – 1911) and Arkady Plastov (1893 – 1972) were also important influences on Xu. He wished to depict pure human emotions, without social contradiction or disharmonies. During this period Xu painted with raw brushstrokes and an earthy toned palette. The figures have a blurry contour suggesting the influence of Impressionism.

After Xu Yanzhou began teaching at the Shandong Academy of Arts, his style had begun to evolve from an impressionistic one to a classical and realist one. “The Small Mountain Village” shows evidently this shift. The detailed depiction of the wood grain of the door to the wrinkles on the little girl’s clothes shows a more refined and delicate technique. Brushstrokes are no longer as coarse as before. The depiction of light from the exterior shows the influence of the Flemish artist Jan Vermeer (1632 – 1675) on Xu. Vermeer painted mostly interior domestic scenes of daily life. Xu is fascinated with Vermeer’s use of light in interior settings and the reflection of light from objects. The single unchanging element in Xu’s paintings is his subject, which remains rural China but which now contains more personal and individual depictions of emotion. The audience is captivated by the gaze of the little girl, who is simultaneously attracted by our gaze. Her trouser legs are casually folded showing an indifference to the way that she dresses, but this is actually the intelligently arranged composition and intention of the artist and it can be seen in a number of his drawings of children.

This marks the beginning of Xu painting the “yi” or “meaning” of the composition, instead of simply depicting figures and landscapes when he incorporated the twenty-four terms of the Chinese solar calendar into his paintings. The twenty-four solar terms developed in ancient times matches particular astronomical events and reflects natural phenomena such as climate change in China, serving as a reference for agricultural activities. Xu is interested in depicting changes in the nature even if they are hardly noticed by ordinary people. He is moved by the passage of time, the cycle of life and death in nature and in man, which has become a recurrent theme in his recent works. His series “Earth Awakening I – VI” depicts landscapes covered with snow. “Earth awakening”, jingzhe, also means the awakening of hibernating insects. Traditional Chinese farming culture believes that during jingzhe thunderstorms will
wake hibernating insects, and it is a time when the weather becomes warmer. In these paintings, snow white ground and brownish straw huts, wilting branches and newly sprouting grasses create a strong contrast between textures and colours, and tell a peaceful and quiet scene of a land reborn after a frosty winter.

Xu Yanzhou first went to North America in 1991 when he took up the post of a visiting professor at Luther College in the University of Regina, Canada. Going to North America was an important milestone in Xu’s life and his art. His experience of life in the West inspired his art in terms of style and subject matter. Xu did not give up painting scenes of rural life, his inspiration in China since around 1987, but his paintings become brighter and more vivid. In addition to a broader palette, Xu’s compositions also changed. He began to paint detailed female portraits, which is not a common format for typical drawings of the human figure. Usually portraits depict the subject to the chest or waist. Xu focuses on his subjects’ facial expressions. Sometimes the background is a typical rural household scene, while there are some unrealistic settings as well. Typical of Xu’s work during this period is his depiction of a girl wearing traditional Chinese cotton padded clothes with floral prints, her head bound with a scarf. Although the clothing is traditional, the girl wears many modern accessories, which are also evident in the background: a watch, a ring, a Pepsi can. Following his arrival in North America Xu has become interested in globalization and modernization. Modernization in suburbia shows how powerful globalization has been in penetrating China through consumerism. Xu’s works also tell of the artist’s culture shock. Xu wishes to express his admiration for the simple life of peasants and his love of nature through his art; on the other hand, he also tries to express his concern for the fate of the human race in the face of globalization, modernization and environmental problems.

In addition to the co-existence of modern and traditional elements in his paintings, Xu Yanzhou also plays with symbolism and displacement in works of this period. Plants, flowers, animals such as beetles, birds, cows and horses, or food such as eggs and corn, some having reproductive meanings, appear in his paintings of women and children as Xu explores the themes of sexuality and love. The artist uses metaphors and similes to express multiple themes. In “The Dream East of Palm Beach”, a palm tree is growing amid the winter snow to represent the violation of laws of the nature in modern times. Xu also plays with elements of different cultures in his paintings, depicting his own experiences in this modern world. A little blonde haired boy is shown lying curled up on a red blanket with floral embroidery and the Chinese character, xi (double happiness) on it. The boundary between cultures becomes blurry.

Furthermore, by placing incongruous objects together in situations that would be impossible to find in real life, Xu Yanzhou wishes to express the idea that the impossible could one day become possible through technology. “Winter with Summer” is an imaginative painting, that is close to science fiction. In this mysterious environment fish appear with man; plants and a rabbit; the world depicted is neither that of land nor water. The colours used are unusual. The title also suggests another paradoxical question to the viewers as to which season it is. Xu questions the nature of reality, and the position of nature in this technology and information flooded world. Man will no longer be able to differentiate between a nature created by “god” or that created by man. Xu thinks that art, as a medium should search for forms and signs that symbolize the “truth”. He paints to reflect what is happening in the world. When art can affect our state of mind, influence our way of living and gain our recognition, it fulfils its goal.

In Xu’s recent portraits, the background is even more surrealist in nature. Seen on the surface, the background and the figure appear totally unrelated. Nevertheless, the background hints at the state of mind of the subject being painted. “The New Century－Da Zhong Hua” is one of a series of paintings of a woman in outer space. It is realistically painted, yet surrealist in content. The woman is smiling, although viewers do not know why, the background suggests she maybe thinking of something magnificent and unknowable for most people.

Xu Yanzhou has created some large scale paintings on life and death and the relationship between man and the natural environment since he began living in North America. In “Innocence” a large tree trunk is being felled; a little bird is resting on it and looks as if it is dying. It shows man destroying nature for his own benefit; at the same time destroying the habitat of other living creatures. Xu is an artist who is touched by what he has seen and is inspired by his surroundings wherever he goes. “The Feast” shows the body of a deer, two lions and a vulture. The deer has clearly been attacked by the lions. It is an ordinary scene in nature but Xu compares man to the lions implying the role of man imposing his will on other creatures. The lions view their prey sarcastically, the whole mood of the painting is sordid and ponderous, which contrasts hugely from his portrait paintings. The animals in his paintings all bear human attributes. It is up to the viewers to decide whether animals have human qualities or whether man is in fact no different from a wild animal.

From the very beginning of his career as an artist, Xu Yanzhou has always questioned life and society seeking answers in, and expressing his views through his paintings. Though he paints in a realistic technique, Xu is never content to only depict or narrate what is seen by the eye. He has explored many concepts and he is still exploring. He does not merely adapt realist techniques but transforms them and the styles of the masters to create his own characters to express his conceptual and even surrealist thinking. Though realism was the style that the academy used to fight against the “escapism” of literati paintings, Xu Yanzhou has never forgotten the virtue of traditional Chinese paintings, xieyi. Yi could be a mood of work, an imagery, a meaning, an idea or a will; it comprises multiple meanings, which is what Xu wishes to express in his paintings. His surreal realism harmonizes the philosophies of Chinese and Western art and reflects the spirit of our time.


Gigi Leung
Assistant Curator

University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong
11 July 2008

徐彦洲作品於1987年被挑选参加在纽约展出的首届当代中国油画展

人民日报刊登中央美院油画系教授吴小昌评论徐彦洲绘画

人民日报海外版半版刊登中央美院院长靳尚谊教授评论徐彦洲绘画

中国美术馆馆长范迪安撰文数篇评论徐彦洲油画

Artist’s unique style modernizes realism

Fan Di’an*

The discovery of a unique creative language – one that an artist eloquently uses to speak emotion, aspirations and ideas into a given subject – is one of the hallmarks indicative of a painter’s maturity.  For over a decade now, Xu Yanzhou has been searching for just such a language. 

Xu has loved paintings ever since childhood.  In 1979 he entered the Shandong Art Institute and following graduation he remained on board where he served in the capacity of a professor.  In 1987 he was admitted to a special training program at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing sponsored jointly by the Ministries of Education and Culture. Following his training, Xu took the post of assistant professor at Shandong Art Institute in 1989. 

Xu’s two-year stint at the Academy was a prolific period in his life as a painter. While there he blended disciplined study with frequent excursions to mountain villages, where he created a large number of on-site paintings such as “Mountain Village Girl”, “Grandmother and Grandson” and “Awakening,” all of which are imbued with strong local flavor. 

Emblematic of this new direction in his works was Xu’s solo exhibition held in 1989 at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing, entitled “An Exhibition of Realist Oil Paintings.” 

Since the 1950s, realism has been a focal point for Chinese oil painters.  For historical reasons, however, many artists’ knowledge and understanding of realist traditions is quite limited – especially with respect to the literary dimensions, symbolism and metaphysics of painting. 

Realism

 In the early 1980s, painters sparked off a debate on realism in order to explore its true meaning and to enrich its subject matter.  Sadly, in the wake of the burgeoning avant-garde in modern Western art, realism became even more misunderstood, was routinely labeled as “antiquated,” and was consequently denied, dismissed and disregarded by many painters.  It was out of this anti-realist milieu that Xu Yanzhou emerged to present a significant body of work that stood successfully on it own terms. 

For years Xu has immersed himself in the countryside of Shandong Province where he has found himself fascinated by the vitality of rural life and the local peasants that help create it.  The latter have relied on the land for generations. Their joys and sorrows, successes and disappointments are closely linked with the nature, and their simple lifestyles belie an indomitable spirit which Xu feels richly reflects traditional Chinese culture. 

To complement his artistic bias, Xu constructs detailed compositions.  He studies and analyzes the language used in Western classical and modern oils with the intent of selecting and absorbing particular elements from masterpieces across a range of different periods, and then distilling them into a flavor and tone uniquely his own. In terms of broad methodology, he combines an emphasis on dominant colors (a technique common in classical oil painting) with the use of exterior light (a technique common in modern oil work). 

Two prominent features of Xu’s realism are his focus on the psychology of subjects depicted in ordinary rural scenes and an air of richness and elegance.  Concerning the former Xu has said, “The ideal world which I have illustrated is evolved from actual experience and yet it is somehow more precise than real life, so it enables people to perceive a new sense of vitality in things.” 

In his treatment of the personalities and emotions of his subjects, Xu fulfils the demands of contemporary viewers by reaffirming existing cultural values while at the same time stimulating philosophical reflection.  An illustration of this occurs in the unadulterated and altruistic love depicted in “Grandmother and Grandson.” 

One reason for the work’s success is its vivid depiction of details, which effectively creates a unity between objects and human emotion, imparting profound dimensions to seemingly simple and innocent scenes. 

Depiction

 In “Mountain Village Girl”, the viewer is drawn into the mind and fate of a mountain village girl.  The effect is achieved not only through the meticulous depiction of the girl’s facial expression, but also because of her clothing and posture, and of the rural settings.  Far from only a static record of the figure’s identity, this painting also offers an exploration of the village girl’s future as well as an affirmation of the value of life. 

Through tonal contrasts, perspective and texture, Xu succeeds in presenting a rich elegance by virtue of harmonizing art’s spiritual implications.  In effect, he imbues realism with a new sense of purpose. 

“The soul of my paintings is an inner ferment,” he says, “Look at the things of nature.  When spring comes, the land, the mountains and the trees exhibit the force of life itself.  What I emphasize is the vitality and the character concealed below the surface of pastoral simplicity and barrenness”.  This expression of the “force of life”, Xu feels, comes from his love of life and nature, and is best articulated in his landscape series. 

In Xu’s painting “Awakening”, half-melted snow on a country plain suggests the vicissitudes of time and life – an aspect of the work that is heightened by the perspective created by the path extending into the distance.  His choice of materials allows him to create textures dense enough to illustrate the qualities of each element, for instance, in the fluidity of the path, the solidity of the stone wall, the roughness of the tree, and the softness of the haystacks. 

These textures and brush-strokes are executed in varying directions to produce a rhythmical effect, broadening the picture’s perspective from foreground to background.  Incorporating both thick and thin layers of colors and using gentle, curving lines to create both real and illusory images, the work is rich, joyous and benign. Its detail encourages the viewer to break the boundaries of time and space. 

Xu Yanzhou has expended great effort in the study of techniques and the enrichment of the subject matter of his painting.  Xu’s images are simple, his language is elegant, and his work has unique artistic appeal.  Without question, his work serves as an important contribution to the development of the evolving traditions of Chinese oil painting.

 * By Fan Di’an, The Director of National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China. Published at “China Daily” (English Edition), “Chinese Literature” (English Edition) and “Chinese Literature” (French Edition), etc.  

诗人艾青之女著名作家韦黎明在北京周报撰文评论徐彦洲油画艺术

加拿大著名权威艺术评论家博文多仁在多伦多太阳报撰文整版评论徐彦洲艺术

徐彦洲与美国油画大师斯契米德的作品被刊登在同一张报纸上共同支持当地的公益事业

美国四艺术学会主席南西美托撰文介绍徐彦洲艺术

Preface

Nancy Mato*

 Chinese paintings is recognized as one of the major accomplishments of mankind. Never separate from its basic belief in the order and harmony in nature, it sought to depict fusion of spirit and matter in all things. Insight as well as technical skills are essential to successfully portray the inner as well as outer form.

 Contemporary Chinese paintings have inherited this great creative tradition and continue to enrich its development. At the end of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) and the fall of the “Gang of Four”, the cruel suppression of artists ceased. A resurgence of creativity has resulted in the present revitalization of Chinese Art. Yan-Zhou Xu’s paintings are the fruit of this new era.

...... Yan-Zhou was finally enabled to realize his dream to study art and entered the Shandong Institute of Art in Jinan to complete his Bachelor of Art Degree …... After several years spent as a Assistant Professor of art at the Shangdong Institute of Art, Yan-Zhou returned to graduate school for advance studies in oil painting at the Chinese Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.

At the same time as the rigid restrictions on individual creative efforts were being lifted, the Art of the Western world was reintroduced through visiting exhibitions of other countries including the United States. Artists now had the opportunity to become familiar with ideas in the Western art and to absorb them into their own artistic sensibilities.

 From 1979 through 1986, Yan-Zhou’s were greatly influenced by Russian art of the 19^th Century, French Realism, and the Impressionists. The late 1980’s and early 1990’s were a period of more independent thought and personal discovery for the artists......

Yan-Zhou, energized by American culture and his new multi-faceted environment, began to reveal these complex influences in his new work. The use of metaphorical imagery began to emerge as his paintings became increasingly surreal. As always, his works continue to be finely crafted and structured.

 It is an honor to introduce the work of this very gifted artist. Yan-Zhou Xu continues to develop a new vocabulary in his paintings, grounded in his own rich heritage, yet influenced by the radical mix of cultures he finds in the United States. Into this, he breathes a mystical spiritual presence which poses subtle questions to the viewers. 

 * By Nancy Mato, the Director of the Society of the Four Art, for book "Yan Zhou Xu's Art Journey", Palm Beach, Florida, USA

徐彦洲绘画艺术

盛力

在旅美画家徐彦洲的近十年来的作品中，存在着一种独特的特质。它们富丽堂皇、憨厚纯朴、五彩缤纷、多样共存。它们既虚幻悖谬，又真实朴素，既矛盾又 和谐，既空泛又充满诱惑力。这种让人产生丰富感受的特质，一方面来源于画面的形式结构、形式秩序和造型手法，一方面又来源于画面的内容，来源于那种极具隐 喻性、象征性的主题和那种把不同种类、不同地域、不同时空、相互矛盾、相互冲突的事物并置在一起的奇特构想。

在《新世纪》中，热带棕榈树矗立在雪地里，太阳和月亮同辉，鱼儿游在空中，棕榈树的树干上还生长着蘑菇、类似苦瓜的果实、蕨类植物和各色花朵。在《夏日冬 梦》中，雪地里除了棕榈树，还生长着结籽的罂粟、开花的蒲公英，裸体的金发小男孩蜷缩在一块红布上，那上面印着牡丹花和双喜字，它是中国山东农村人结婚时 用的红包袱。一只象报喜天使的燕子飞悬在半空中。在《爷爷的鸟笼子之六》中，一只巨大的似乎在蠕动的蛋撑鼓着鸟笼，蝴蝶的幼虫在鸟笼子的门上爬行，鹦鹉在 笼子外面啃咬笼底边。一个面对观者的女人头上围着大红围巾，眼睛斜视着她左前方的大蛋，但她的目光似乎并未真正落在那上面。照在她旁边巨蛋上面的光线来自 画面左侧，可是照在她身上的光却来自画面右侧。在视觉上鸟笼子的位置应该处在女人的背后，但它却被画在了女人的身前。在《天真世界》中，土生土长的中国小 女孩身上穿着印有当代西方卡通形象的背心，口含筷子。挂在树上的鸟笼子用红花布半包裹着。悠悠地站在老树上叫不上名字的大鸟，爪腕箍着金属箍。斑驳的黄土 墙上趴着壁虎，蝴蝶在一旁嬉戏，远处的山上生长着棕榈树。照在这些紧挨在一起的物体上面的光线，分别来自截然相反的角度。在《母与子》中，身着中国农村服 装的母子俩头上顶着光环，小男孩脚上穿着西式旅游鞋。在《空间外来的信使》中，中国小姑娘身穿裙子，头顶飞兔（它也许是克隆和转基因技术的产物）站在雪地里，她背 后的天空是只有在天文望远镜里才会显现的太空景象。在《蓬莱山上的对话》中，儿童、昆虫、小动物、树桩、野草、成了主要的描绘对象。在《等待》《春消息》 《春天的悄悄话》《日落云起》《漫步的云》《星星河》《遥远的歌》等作品中，棒状植物（通常是开花的大葱、仙人球、仙人柱）、弯曲树干、直挺的树桩、残 雪、鸟、马头、蝴蝶、蜜蜂、蜻蜓、知了，被有意地同鲜花、女人安置在一起。

这些形式上和内容上的特征表明，徐彦洲的作品在写实主义的表面之下，的确含有一种“超现实”意味。但是这种“超现实”不是马格利特和达利意义上的那种“超现实主义”，它不是那种“超现实主义风格”的重演，它还含有某种完全不同意义上的意蕴，它还有着其它的根源。

艺术和艺术作品通常被认为是反映现实生活的。但是现实生活却容身于由真理带来的本质性世界。真理在这里不是指正确性，而是指存在者之无蔽状态。存在者（存 在者整体指人类、世界、上帝）之无蔽就是存在者之存在的开启、解蔽、进入显现之中。存在者之无蔽状态不是一种现成的现存状态，而是一种生发。每当存在者之 存在被开启出来，并被固定下来，设置入作品，存在者之无蔽即真理就发生了。存在者之存在的开启、解蔽，把自身设置入作品即是艺术。因此，艺术和艺术作品的 目的并不是要反映现实生活，而是意在呈现存在者的真理。

存在者的真理把自身设置入作品，是在创作过程中完成的。创作的首要目标于是就是：寻求能够象征真理的形式符号、选择固定形式符号的媒介物质、确立制作的工 作方法。当能够象征真理的形式符号和承载这种形式符号的媒介物质被确立下来，那种固定即制作的工作方法，就围绕着全盘考虑：显现形式符号的象征性、发挥媒 介物质的质地性能、满足视觉生理学原则的要求（因为这种制作是在视觉的注视下进行的，所以视觉的因素便参与其中）而设计产生。当象征真理的形式符号被整体 的工作方法成功地固定在媒介物质中，获得具体稳固的形态，作品就诞生了。创作因此就是让存在者的真理在媒介物质中获得具体稳固形态的全部生产过程制作过 程。作品就是真理的固定形态，那种呈现、传递、象征、承载真理的媒介形式。当作品清晰、明确地呈现出了存在者的真理，它就是真正的作品。作品越清晰、越精 彩地呈现出存在者的真理，就越容易把我们移入这种真理展现出来的本质性世界之中，强烈地影响我们的精神面貌，改变我们的生活方向。这种进入作品呈现出来的 存在者真理之中，投身到真理展现出的世界当中去，海德格尔称之为对作品的保存。作品只有在获得观者的保存之际，才是完全实现了的现实的作品，否则便是非现 实的失败之作。需要说明的是，这种对艺术作品的保存，乃是唯一的真正的正确领会艺术作品的方式。那种流行的所谓“非功利”的“超然”的“审美”方式，并不 能使人真正地领会艺术作品，相反，它只会让人对艺术作品产生误解。

艺术作品的创作过程就是真理的生成过程，艺术作品的保存过程就是真理的发生过程（即真理在观者那里进入运动和发生之中）。于是“艺术就是对作品中的真理的创作性保存，因此，艺术就是真理的生成和发生”（海德格尔）。
 

真理的发生又是历史性的。如此，艺术作品的面貌也就跟随着存在者无蔽状态的转换而不断发生历史性的变化。以绘画为例，在古希腊，存在者之存在最早被理解为 “自然”。为了能够呈现出这种存在即“自然”，希腊画家首创了写实主义或叫现实主义风格的画面形相。后来成为西方绘画传统的各类题材（如：肖像、静物、风 景、裸体、日常生活场景、战争、宗教、神话故事等）和各类主题（如：爱与死、英雄主义、悲剧精神等）在此时就被确立下来了。透视缩短法、明暗阴影法相继被 发明出来用于画面形相的塑造。我们从一些书籍记载和传说轶事中可以看出，“逼真再现”是当时的画面形相所要追求的目标。

在中世纪，存在者转换为“上帝的创造物意义上的存在者”。随存在者成了上帝的创造物，世界被两元化为“感性世界”和“超感性世界”。感性世界是易变的因而 是虚幻的，而超感性世界（即上帝、理念、理想领域、永恒极乐的天国）才是真实的。当这种存在者真理被设置入作品，那种高度概念化、喻意化、符号化的否定 “逼真再现”尘世生活面貌的画面形相就出现了。此时画面形相中的形式是直接根据上帝创造万物时的等级秩序模式设计出来的，而它的题材和内容则只集中在圣经 故事里。

 文艺复兴时期，由于人们是从柏拉图主义的角度理解上帝造物意义上的存在者的，“真、善、美”成了人们关注的东西。“真就是现实存在者，即上帝、超感性世 界、理想和理念；善就是普遍地决定一切的东西；美就是存在者整体的秩序和统一性”（海德格尔）。于是那种“理想化的永恒之美”的画面形相应运而生。对 “真”的注重让此时画面形相的主题内容显示出从未有过的崇高、伟大与庄严。对“善”和“美”的注重，使焦点透视法、空气透视法、明暗对照法被发明了出来， 这些技法及解剖学知识在画面形相中的运用，不仅让画面形相中的物体首次获得了明确的空间感、厚重的体积感、强烈的光影效果，而且使画面形相的形式结构具有 了明晰的秩序、恢宏的整体感和高度的统一性。上帝造物意义上的存在者真理被空前明确具体地呈现了出来。如此看来，文艺复兴艺术与其说是复活了古希腊罗马艺 术，不如说是延续和完成了中世纪艺术。

十七世纪，人们对超感性世界的向往转入对尘世中人自身的关怀，绘画作品的画面形相开始出现现实主义倾向。人性成了主题，各类世俗题材大量涌现。画面形相中 的物体开始根据视觉感受到的直接经验来呈现，而不再根据理想化的普遍原则来表现。“现实化”的画面形相取代“理想化”的画面形相，预示着上帝造物意义上的 存在者真理已开始转化。
 

十八世纪至十九世纪中期，超感性世界进一步受到怀疑，无神论出现，尘世生活成了人们唯一关注的东西，各种主义纷至沓来。此时绘画作品的画面形相出现多样化 发展的面貌，浮华娇饰的洛可可风格、理想化的古典主义和浪漫主义风格、世俗化的现实主义风格相伴而生。人类的理智和情感成了主题，宗教题材不再为人重视。 至此上帝造物意义上的存在者真理的发展基本结束。

十九世纪中期至二十世纪中期，存在者转换为“可以通过计算来控制和识破的对象”（海德格尔）。人成了主体，存在者成了对象。这种存在者真理的生成，引导绘 画作品的画面形相呈现出形式分析的特征。即画面形相中的物体开始被当作由形体、光线、色彩、空间、体积、质感、量感等形式因素组成的对象来看待。此时画面 形相中的题材和内容只集中在无太多内容含义的风景、静物、肖像、人体及日常生活场景上面。当绘画自身的组成因素——那种基本规定性，如两维平面性、媒介特 性、形式秩序、造型风格、工作方法也成了画面形相要分析和呈现的对象，即当它们成了题材和内容时，抽象的画面形相就出现了。
 

当存在者成了对象，人成了主体，“一般主体的存在状态演变为自我意识的主体性，而自我意识则把其本质揭示为求意志的意志”（海德格尔）。求意志的意志即强 力意志，“强力意志就是设定价值的意志”（海德格尔）。如此，人就会把自身理解为价值设定的本源和尺度。当人意识到人除了自身之外找不到其它的根据，人自 己为自己设立提高和保存自身的条件即价值时，那种从主体出发以主体性为基础通达的存在者之存在便开始显现为“无”。随存在者之存在显现为“无”，那种反对 现代主义（现代主义即主体性对象化存在者真理的代表）的声音——后现代主义就出现了。后现代主义针对现代主义的普遍化、总体化、同一性、等级体系、本质 论、基础论和表象论，提出了多元化、多样性、差异、非中心、零散化、机遇、混沌、不确定性、流动和生成。后现代主义反对：主体性、理性、总体性思维、纵向 思维、同质性、总括性、人文主义、西方中心论。强调：个体性、自我关切、非理性、局部性思维、横向思维、分化、分歧、片断性、特殊性、间断性、多元文化和 相对主义。它用解构取代结构，用中小型叙事、女性主义、环保主义、微观政治学，取代宏大叙事、宏大理论、宏观政治学；用知识的不可通约性、不可预见性、不 确实性、灾变性、异质性、多元性、不可修正性、混沌、悖论、差异、谬误推理取代知识的统一、一致和共识。

为了能够呈现出这种“无”，艺术作品的面貌开始展现出反此前艺术的特征（此前艺术即被称为现代主义艺术的所有风格的绘画和雕塑艺术）。此前艺术自身规定性 的所有方面被各种反艺术流派从不同的角度分别加以了否定。这些反此前艺术流派包括：杜尚的达达主义、波普艺术、偶发艺术、环境艺术、极少艺术、表演艺术、 行为艺术、身体艺术、装置艺术、运动和光效艺术、观念艺术。它们通过运用后现代主义策略、反传统的形式手法（即把无形式、无规则、无逻辑、无秩序、甚至没 有物理稳定性的东西及无意义的行为事件指定为艺术和艺术作品）来呈现那种“无”——那种存在者之存在的拒绝被认识的不可知状态。

于是，传统的绘画和雕塑处于被否定和被埋没的状态，非传统的装置、摄影、表演等形式走上前台，成了自60年代以来西方艺术的主流样式。同时它们还伴随着西方文明扩展为世界文明的步伐，发散分布到了全球的各个角落。

旅美画家徐彦洲虽然没有彻底地否定此前艺术（他没有放弃绘画，没有用搞装置、搞表演的方式去直接参与“前卫”的艺术运动），但他还是以自己的方式与后现代 主义形成了某种默契。为了能够呈现出我们已经被抛入其中的那个由“无”带来的本质性世界，徐彦洲在他的绘画作品中借鉴和采用了许多后现代主义策略。
 

在徐彦洲近十年来的绝大多数作品中，女人、儿童、鲜花、动物、植物、昆虫、鸟雀成了主要的描绘对象。这表明他已经排除了宏大叙事的题材（如：悲剧、牺牲、 英雄主义、生与死、重大社会历史事件等），把注意力集中在中小型叙事的题材方面了。自我关切是他的立足点，性和情爱, 生命与自然成了他的主题。在徐彦洲的作品中，经常会出现蝴蝶、蜜蜂、鸟、 牛和马的形象，蝴蝶、蜜蜂和鸟在中国古代通常是指好色的男性和男性生殖器，而马在西方也有着同样的象征意义。徐彦洲把这些蝴蝶、蜜蜂、鸟、牛和马以及一些 外形酷似男性生殖器的物体（如《等待之一》中的木头柱头、玉米棒）和植物（如《星星河》《等待之二》中的仙人柱、《等待之三》中的大葱、《等待之四》中的 豆芽、《遥远的歌》中的树干、《漫步的云》《云后面的云》中的棕榈树干）同女人及女性的象征物——花安排组合在一起，其表现性主题的用意既隐蔽晦涩又昭然 若揭。这些暗示性主题的动物 、植物、昆虫、鸟雀又是以一年四季作为背景，也就是在春夏秋冬中得到描绘的，（如《新世纪》、《等待》系列、《春消息》、《春天的悄悄话》、《星星河》等作品）。通常大自然的四季轮回乃是生命活力的象征，（春天是生命萌发的季节；夏天是生命繁荣旺盛的季节；秋天是生命成熟的季节；冬天是生命终止同时又酝酿着下一次复苏的季节）。徐彦洲不断地描绘发生在自然中的爱欲生死，是意在再现顽强的自然生命力，这显示出了他对生命力的崇尚、敬慕与赞美。这种对生命本身的关注，乃是后现代自我关切的另一种形式。

徐彦洲还习惯于用隐喻和象征的手法，在同一幅作品中表现多重主题。在《夏日冬梦》中，开花的绿色植物生长在雪地里，这表现的是时空的矛盾与不和谐。西方的小 男孩躺在代表中国民间文化的红色包袱皮上，这表现的是文化的冲突与交融。天空中飞翔的那只燕子象是来报喜的，好像是在对这一场面表示祝贺，而被截断的棕榈 树干，深契在其中的斧头，罂粟和被剪裁的蒲公英又好像是在预示着某种危险与不详。在《蓬莱山上的对话》中，头扎辫子的小男孩爱怜地看着手背上的孔雀蝶，兔 子在一旁立足观望，知了在脱壳，蜻蜓在交尾，各色蝴蝶在花草丛中翩翩飞舞。这表现的是那种人与自然和谐相处的童话般的理想境界。但被齐齐锯断的大树，未孵 出的鸟蛋，在空中旋转的魔方，又似乎暗示出这种理想境界的破灭，或建立这种理想境界的不可知性。在这里徐彦洲运用的是后现代主义的不可通约性、不确实性原 则。另外，徐彦洲还运用了后现代主义的非统一、非同质性、多元化、相对主义的原则来表述画面内容。热带的棕榈树、沙漠中的仙人掌、各种正在发芽、开花、结 果的绿色植物生长在雪地里，鱼儿游在空中，这是时空的非统一。身着农村服装的中国小男孩手里拿着在西方语义空间中象征男性与女性的香蕉和苹果。中国乡村的 母与子头上顶着只有在西方圣母子头上才有的光环。中国土生土长的农村小姑娘身上穿着印有西方卡通图案的背心，而西方的金发小男孩则躺在印有中国农村双喜字 图案的红包袱上，这是文化的非统一。在《男孩与果实》中，站在农业文明时代环境中的男孩，手里拿着工业文明时代的产物——塑料皮球，这是历史的非统一。这 些非统一意在表明：存在者(自然和人文)的固有存在、原有秩序被以主体性为基础的当今西方文明打破之后，其所呈现出的多元性、相对化、不可知的混沌状况。

在形式方面，徐彦洲同样放弃了传统绘画的固有模式（如明暗对照法、焦点透视法、空气透视法、统一的光源、完整的空间关系、封闭聚合式的构图原则，这些传统 的形式在他的早期作品中都曾出现过），转而采用一些与传统的形式完全相反的形式来塑造画面形相，用以建立一种全新的绘画语言，形成他自己的绘画体系。在 《等待》系列、《爷爷的鸟笼子》系列、《天真世界》系列、《星星河》、《遥远的歌》、《漫步的云》、《春消息》等作品中，徐彦洲采用镜头裁剪式的方法把所 要描绘的物体——通常是女人形象、鲜花、鸟雀、昆虫、树木——从自然中截取出来，把它们放大，让其在失去正常的大小比例的情况下充满整个画面，他还使它们 的方向由画面的中心朝画框外的四面八方分散伸展，让它们处在非统一、非固定、多重光源的照射之中，他运用拼贴、并置、叠加的方法把它们组合在一起，使其在 画面中形成一种没有明确空间位置的平行并列关系（这一点在《等待》系列《爷爷的鸟笼子》系列《天真世界》系列中表现得尤为明显），这样画面中就有了多个视 线中心点，形成一种散点透视。如此一来，他就打破了传统画面的舞台景深式空间，打破了那种由焦点透视法带来的只有一个视线中心点的封闭统一式的画面空间结 构和那种聚合式构图的惯例，从而在他自己的画面中建立起了一种零散化的多重空间结构和分散开放式构图的新模式。

徐彦洲还频繁地使用具有明亮色彩的物体，特别是雪作为画面前景人物、植物的背景。我们知道，当暗物体出现在亮背景之前时，物体的轮廓就会充分地显现，其虚 实变化的幅度就会被减弱，物体的线条感、色块感、平面感就得到了加强。他使用这种方法的目的是为了：削弱传统的明暗对照法也就是大面积的明暗对比给物体带 来的团块化体量和浓重光影效果，消除传统的画面形式结构的那种统一性秩序，更好地强调画面中物体的各自独立性，以充分体现后现代主义的零散化、分散化、非 总括性原则。

另外，徐彦洲还在多种意义上使用了后现代主义的挪用手法。在画面中，他把各种物体挪离其原有的意义空间和位置空间，让它们在全新的环境中产生完全不同的含 义。例如在《星星河》《夏日冬梦》《天真世界》中，徐彦洲把农村婚礼庆典用的红包袱，或是当作头巾围在女人的头上；或是当作文化象征物垫在小男孩身下；或 是当作遮光布帘裹在鸟笼子上。这是改变用途式的挪用。在《等待之三》《鸟、男孩和母亲》中，他把宋代绘画作品中的形象——大红花和花篮——直接移到自己的 作品里，让它们在自己的画面空间中成为真实的物体。这是移植式的挪用。他还把敦煌壁画中的造型模式，形式结构直接引入到自己的画面中。如《夏日冬梦》中残 雪的形状及其律动感，就来源于魏晋南北朝时期的“飞天”造型。这是吸收式的挪用。
 

综上所述，我们得以看出，我们最初在徐彦洲作品中所感受到的那种“超现实”特质，就是他通过运用后现代主义策略呈现出来的由存在者之“无”带来的本质性世 界的特有面貌。它们既庞大复杂、变化莫测、自相矛盾、不可捉摸、难以把握、自由自在，又简单明了、触手可及、生机勃勃、五彩缤纷、奇幻瑰丽、充满诱人的魅 力。

这就是我们已经不由自主地处身于其中的世界。

徐彦洲以其敏锐的直觉、过人的才华呈现出了这个本质性的世界。在此意义上，他是个“现实主义”艺术家，他的作品可以真正地被称为是“现实主义”的。



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