陽春水影，盛世花開
——記“花開盛世——中國美術館藏花鳥畫精品展”

文吳為山WU Weishan

中國文化對于萬物分科具有高度的概括性，譬如將中國畫分為三科：山水、人物、花鳥。與山水、人物相比，花鳥是最能反映人與動植物鮮活關系的畫科。無論是花鳥草蟲蔬果，還是翎毛鱗介禽獸，皆被歸入這一科，并體現其和諧自然、平衡發(fā)展的關聯性與生態(tài)性，堪稱花草王國、動物天堂，顯示出一派生機勃勃景象。

自宋代以來，中國花鳥畫獲得了高度發(fā)展。無論是采取工筆或寫意的手法，花鳥畫皆求真，不僅要畫出常形，更要畫出常理，因此宋代院體工筆花鳥畫與文人寫意花鳥畫均獲得了崇高的藝術史地位，為后世頂禮膜拜。尤其是其繪物之精、狀物之妙、體物之情、寫物之神，得到了全方位的表現，展現了中國人觀察自然的特色視角與抒情寫意的獨特方式。其間的花團錦簇，活色生香，開拓了這類繪畫題材的新境界與新意趣。蘇軾等文人畫思想的融入，更為“四君子”一類的花鳥畫注入新的氣象。藝術家不但將人們的審美觀念與動植物的自然特征巧妙相連，而且將它們的個性特征與人類的象征、比擬手法相結合，以物喻人，以物寫情，以物抒懷，以物壯志，極大地開拓了花鳥畫的意象與內涵。這一時期，以梅、蘭、竹、菊、松、柏等為代表的植物題材，以鶴、雁、馬、牛、猿、魚等為代表的動物題材得到了集中而深入的表現，并使中國人自古以來就有的托物言志的藝術與文教形式，呈現出熠熠生輝、光彩照人的繁榮景象。那些筆墨與色彩的綻放，呈現得意之妙，猶如自然與精靈的吟唱，不論是花間絮語，抑或是馨香一瓣，均可顫動人心，沁人心脾。

由于宋代官方的引領與民間的需要，構成了花鳥畫在皇室、文人與民間之間的互動，形成了早期的花鳥畫市場，將吉祥喜慶、寓教于樂的藝術題材與表現方式形成了新的傳統。無間的花語，歡暢的思緒，爛漫的情懷，詩趣的觀照，這些均對后世影響深遠。

元代，隨著統治階段文化政策的改變，文人士大夫將花鳥畫的象征功能進一步光大，將寫意、小寫意的藝術表現與文化作用發(fā)展到新的層面，突出文人士氣，甚至一朵花、一片葉、一塊石、一抔土，均使人油然生起家國之思，氣節(jié)之揚。

明清時代，隨著市民階層的壯大與工商業(yè)的繁榮，藝術與市場，文化與生活高度接軌，職業(yè)畫家隊伍倍增。以花鳥畫謀生的藝術家不斷以生動鮮活的內容，雅俗共賞的語言，喜聞樂見的情景，花容月貌的效果，討得口彩的形式，使文人藝術與貴族藝術、市民藝術相互借鑒、彼此影響，產生了諸多花鳥畫名家以及創(chuàng)一代風氣而光照千秋的花鳥畫大師。其中尤為突出的是以徐渭、朱耷為代表的寫意花鳥畫家，他們以書入畫，將家國情思融入畫中，求新求變，使花鳥畫的影響力突破了繪畫領域，成為那個時代最為突出的文化現象之一。無論是瀟灑揮就的雜花，還是冷眼示人的水鳥，無論是中鋒寫就的殘荷怪石，還是墨筆紛飛的寫意面塊，它們均借助于花鳥畫這種適于抒情的特殊載體，將中國畫的寫意方式發(fā)展到史無前例的境地，并影響了人物畫、山水畫的寫意方式與語言構建，使得寫意性成為中國畫的最大特征之一。

近現代以來，花鳥畫得到了長足發(fā)展，以任頤、吳昌碩、齊白石、陳師曾、于非闇、徐悲鴻、陳之佛、劉海粟、潘天壽、林風眠等為代表的藝術家不斷推陳出新，或立足傳統，或以西潤中，或中西結合，或依中而變，致廣大，盡精微，將花鳥畫的構圖、色彩、筆墨、內涵不斷拓變革進，也使花鳥畫的抒情性、表現性、象征性、文化性得到新的發(fā)展與深化。正是在這些基礎上，當代畫家們還向民間藝術學習，向傳統藝術取經，向西方現當代藝術巡禮。他們深入到花鳥畫科的方方面面，細化內容，開發(fā)題材，揣摩章法，探索色彩，研究特技，混沌邊界，引發(fā)新境，大膽推動不同畫種、畫材、畫法、畫境的交叉結合。新一代花鳥畫家的不懈探索，使得當代花鳥畫百花齊放、爭奇斗艷。

花開太平世，美在新時代。由中國美術館主辦的“花開盛世——中國美術館藏花鳥畫精品展”于1月25日至3月4日在北京展出，展覽不但匯集了中國美術館藏花鳥畫精品100余件，而且將中國宋元以來的花鳥畫發(fā)展脈絡通過具體作品得到了集中展現與有效梳理，共分為三部分：第一部分展出宋、元、明、清時期的花鳥畫；第二部分展出近現代花鳥畫；第三部分展出當代花鳥畫?；ú菔[蘢，樹木蒼翠；水之潺潺，石之珞珞；禽之翱翔，獸之奔走；魚之悠游，蟲之鳴唱。這些畫作中呈現的中國傳統經典審美內容與當代生態(tài)和諧理論是切合的，彰顯出自然之道。

The Chinese culture has a high degree of generalization for all things, for example, dividing Chinese painting into three categories: landscapes,figures, flowers and birds. Comparing with landscapes and figures, the flowers and birds are the best category reflecting the vivid relationship between human being, animals and plants. No matter flowers, birds, insects, fruits or fishes, they are all included in this section, reflecting the harmonious nature and development balance of relevance and ecology, namely the kingdom of flowers,paradise of animals, showcasing a vibrant scene.

The Chinese flower and bird paintings have witnessed a high degree of development since the Song Dynasty. Whether it is to take the artful or freehand brushwork,both birds and flowers paintings seek the truth, not only to draw a regular pattern,but also the common sense. Therefore, the academy-oriented flower and bird artful paintings and literati freehand flower and bird painting of the Song Dynasty have both received a lofty position in the history of art, worshiped by the later generations. The essence in painting, the wonder in status, feelings in experience and the charm in depiction, in particular, are comprehensively showcased,demonstrating the unique perspective of nature and special way of expressing emotions of the Chinese people. The flowers and lively fragrances in the meantime open up a brand-new realm and interest in such paintings. The integration of thinking of literati paintings, including that of SU Shi, has injected new charms into Four Great Figures flower and bird paintings. The artists not only link people's aesthetic concepts with the natural characteristics of animals and plants wisely,but also combine their individual characteristics with the symbolic and comparative approaches of human beings, borrowing issues to compare an individual, expressing emotion, showing up their hearts and inspirations and greatly opening up the image and meaning of flowers and birds painting.During this period, the themes of plants represented by plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, pine and cypress and those themes of animals represented by crane, wild goose, horse, cattle, ape, fish and others have been deeply showcased in a concentrated manner, allowing the arts and cultural forms depicting ambitions from different categories of the Chinese people from ancient time to show a glittering and brilliant prosperity. The blossom of ink and color shows the wonderful pride, as if it were singing of nature and elves, whether the flutter flowers or a sweet aroma, refreshing people’s heart.

Due to the government's guidance and civil needs in the Song Dynasty, it has established the interaction between the royal family, literati and the ordinary people concerning birds and flowers paintings and formed the early flower and bird painting markets, creating a brand-new tradition of a new artistic theme and expression of auspicious festivities and entertainments.Indescribable languages of flowers, joyous thoughts, brilliant feelings and poetic expressions… They have all cast far-reaching impact on the future generations.

In the Yuan Dynasty, with the change of cultural policies during the reign, the literati and scholars carried the symbolic functions of flower and bird paintings further, pushing the development of freehand and small freehand art performance and cultural functions to a new level, highlighting literati morale, even a flower, a leaf, a stone ora handful of soil arouses people’s contemplation and noble stance.

In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with the growth of the public class and the prosperity of business and industry, the art and market, culture and life were highly integrated, teams of occupational painters grew dramatically. Artists living by flower and bird paintings constantly made literati arts, aristocratic arts and civil arts to learn and impact each other with vivid content, popular and refined languages, favorable scenes, charming effect and lovely forms, creating a number of great masters of flower and bird painting. Among them, the most notable are the flower and bird painters represented by XU Wei and ZHU Da, integrating their national belief and thoughts into paintings with much innovation, making the influence of such paintings break through the field of painting and making it one of the most prominent cultural phenomenon. Whether the miscellaneous flowers, cold waterfowl, ruins of lotus, a residual rock, or chic and easy freehand brushwork, they all borrowed the flower and bird painting, a special carrier suitable for lyricism to develop the freehand way of Chinese painting into an unprecedented situation, influencing the freehand way and language structure of portrait painting and landscape painting and making the freehandness one of the most outstanding features of Chinese painting.

Since the modern times, the flower and bird painting has witnessed marvelous strides. The artists represented by REN Yi, WU Changshuo, QI Baishi, CHEN Shizeng, YU Feian, XU Beihong, CHEN Zhifo, LIU Haisu, PAN Tianshou, LIN Fengmian and others have improved with great innovation, following the tradition, combining the Chinese and Western styles or adhering to the tradition with changes, constantly leading the subtle transformation of the composition,color, brush and ink, and connotations of flower and bird painting and realizing new development and deepening of its lyricism, expressiveness, symbolism and culture. It is on these bases that the contemporary artists also learn from the folk art, prehistoric art and salute to the Western contemporary art. Refining the content, developing the themes, exploring the rules, search for colors, studying special technique, blurring the boundaries, triggering new situations and boldly promoting the cross-cutting combination of diverse category, material, rules and artistic conception of paintings, they have delved into all aspects of subject of flower and bird painting. The unremitting exploration of a new generation of flower and bird painters makes such painting of modern times blossom in full bloom and contests.

Blossoming in the new flourishing age, the "Exhibition of Flower and Bird Paintings Collected by NAMOC "hosted by National Art Museum of China" has been held from 25, January to 4, March in Beijing. The exhibition, not only bringing together more than 100 pieces of bird and flower paintings collected by the NMOC, but also focusing on the development of bird and flower paintings since the Song and Yuan Dynasties in China through specific artworks, is divided into three parts: the first part displays the flower and bird paintings in Song,Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties; the second part displays the modern flower and bird paintings; the third part displays the contemporary bird and flower paintings.Green flower and grass, verdant trees, gurgling water, hard stones, soaring birds, running animals, touring fish and singing insects, the aesthetic content of traditional Chinese traditions presented in these paintings is in line with contemporary ecological harmony theory, highlighting the path of nature.