Page 155 - Christie's Irving Collection Lacquer Bronse jade and Ink March 2019

Wu began to focus on ink painting during the mid-1970s, extensively 1970 年代中期，吳冠中開始了「水墨風景現代化」的探索。學生時代他曾大量的
copying works from masters like Shitao, Bada Shanren, Zheng Xie, the Four 臨摹中國水墨大師，特別是石濤、八大山人、鄭燮、元四家、清四王的作品。尤其
Masters of the Yuan Dynasty and Four Wangs of the Qing Dynasty. He 對石濤推崇備至，在吳冠中看來，石濤對繪畫與自然的關係的闡述，主張「借古
particularly admired Shitao’s oeuvre for his interpretation of the relationship 以開今」，「筆墨當隨時代」的繪畫理論是中國繪畫歷史上最開明，最先進的藝
between painting and nature. Shitao advocated “borrowing the past to 術思想。在巴黎學習期間，吳冠中已領悟了印象派、後印象派、表現主義等西方
develop the now” and “the ink and brush should follow the present,” which 現代藝術之精髓。對吳冠中來說，重返水墨，是藉以水墨紙張的載體，結合西方
Wu considered the most progressive ideology in Chinese painting history. 現代繪畫觀念，在造型、結構、用色、筆觸等方面，以觀念和技法的創新和突破，
During his stay in Paris, Wu immersed himself in the art of Impressionism, 來繼承和發展中國水墨繪畫藝術，發展「時代性」的新水墨。1980 年代，吳冠中
post-Impressionism and Expressionism. To Wu, returning to traditional 的水墨畫進入自由創作的高峰期，注重發揮筆墨的功用，用色捨去繁華復歸平淡
Chinese painting meant using the paper medium as a vehicle, to explore 淳樸，以偏抽象的藝術風格來描繪自然風景。《龍翔風翥》則是這一時期以瀑布
the possibility of combining the concept, composition, structure, coloration, 為主題， 融合以上觀點而集大成的傑作。與傳統水墨畫家不同，吳冠中的水墨創
and brushwork of Western painting with the heritage of traditional Chinese 作過程是在與自然接觸中是去尋找其獨特的表現形式，既不是照景的直接摹寫，
painting. It was an attempt to develop a new, “contemporary” approach to 也不固守古代山水繪畫臨摹的傳統。他強調在戶外對景寫生，甚至「在一副畫中
ink painting. 根據構思到幾個不同的地點寫生」。

Wu reached the peak of his creative prowess in ink painting during the 吳冠中探尋過各式瀑布，對這一傳統題材，他寫到：「我國傳統山水畫幾乎每幅
1980s, when he emphasized the versatility of the ink and brush, and 中都有瀑布，瀑布奔瀉，一個老人攜杖或背手來觀瀑，作者往往自題曰《觀瀑圖》
preferred a more subdued color palette instead of a vibrant one. Waterfall 。深暗的山石叢林間，白練飛來，那垂掛的或曲折奔流的白色的遊動之線成了畫
is a masterpiece from this period which embodies all of his most cherished 面最活躍的命脈，也正是這黑白對照，塊線對照，動靜對照的造型因素吸引了畫
ideals mentioned previously. Unlike many traditional Chinese painters, who 家，啟發了畫意。但畫面之成敗主要依靠整體結構，單憑一線瀑布點綴救不了千
mostly learned painting landscape from other landscape paintings and 千萬萬平庸的山水畫」。( 吳冠中，《吳冠中文集》，山東，2011年)
sometimes duplicating the scenery they see, Wu’s creative process involved
a commune with nature in order to discern each element’s unique expressive 吳冠中以瀑布題材的橫幅水墨創作並不多見，雖都是通過自然風景寫生後，再進
form. He stressed the importance of painting landscape outdoor, even 行提煉和意象化的釀造，但對美感的表現程度不同，隨著他對不同景致的觀察，
“visiting diferent sites and vantage points for a single compositional idea” 各有偏向。由構圖上方和下方的曲線與漩渦所表達的活力，為《龍翔風翥》注入
了吳冠中所謂的「最活躍的命脈」。在上方的層層淡墨，代表著在壯觀瀑布之後
so one could distill the aesthetic of the scene.
的遠山，給予圖像空間更多的深度。整體來看，這幅畫帶給觀眾大自然的雄偉壯
Wu Guanzhong has visited various sites of waterfalls and has expressed 麗，也就是吳冠中的初衷。
his opinion on this subject, “There is a waterfall in virtually every traditional
Chinese landscape. The gushing water is accompanied by an old man holding
a staf or his hands folded behind, viewing the waterfall. The painter usually
entitled the work ‘Viewing Waterfall.’ Among the dark rendition of mountains,
rocks, and trees, the white spaces representing the waterfall fying across,
quietly drop down or turbulently meander, are the most lively pulse. It is this
contrast of black and white, of two-dimensional forms and lines, of stillness
and movement, that attracts and inspires painters. However, the success of
the painting rests on the complete structure of all the elements, and a
waterfall alone cannot salvage myriad of ordinary landscape” (W. Guanzhong,
The Collected Works of Wu Guanzhong, Shandong, 2011).

Few of Wu Guanzhong’s works have waterfall as their themes. Although
they were all completed after “sketching from nature” in the outdoors and
subsequently distilled and abstracted into the fnal image, they varied in
expression and composition, following his observation of diferent scenery.
The dynamism in Waterfall, as expressed by the curvilinear and swirly brush
strokes at the top and the bottom of the composition, injects the painting
with “the most lively pulse” he cherished. Layers of ink wash at the top as
mountains in the distance behind the spectacular waterfall lends depth to
the pictorial space. Overall, the painting imparts a sense of grandeur of the
natural world, which, as we know, was always the aim of Wu Guanzhong.

153