用最東方的筆寫最世界的書法

周懿

潮牌墨鏡，耐克球鞋，愛喝咖啡，隨身iPad……這位洋范兒的長(zhǎng)者，信最中國(guó)的道，用最東方的毛筆，寫最世界的書法。他，就是王冬齡。

東方與西方，傳統(tǒng)與新潮，內(nèi)隱于外放，堅(jiān)守與實(shí)驗(yàn)，本味與洋氣，青春與沉淀，所有看似矛盾的詞匯，在王冬齡身上合適地?zé)o縫銜接。

他的藝術(shù)、他的成功無疑得益于他的天分與勤奮，但不可回避的是，這也是時(shí)代的造就。而他能一次次站在潮頭，是緣于他恰到好處地捕捉到了這個(gè)時(shí)代最銳利的一把鑰匙——包容，或許就是天地間的大“道”。

大潮大浪：改革開放的第一個(gè)10年

提起“改革開放”，王冬齡的思緒一下就被拉回到40年前。那時(shí)的他，從南京師范學(xué)院美術(shù)系畢業(yè)后，在江蘇當(dāng)?shù)爻闪艘粋€(gè)文藝骨干。1978年12月一個(gè)尋常的冬日，街口的大喇叭播報(bào)了新聞——十一屆三中全會(huì)公報(bào)發(fā)布?；蛟S當(dāng)時(shí)的人們并不知道，自己的生活、腳下的土地、未來的中國(guó)將從這一刻開始發(fā)生天翻地覆的變化?！熬o接著的變化很明顯，好像窗門打開了，春風(fēng)一下吹了進(jìn)來”，王冬齡說，“年輕人起個(gè)大早去新華書店買書，排很長(zhǎng)的隊(duì)，就為看看那些過去沒有見過的書籍”。

1979年，中國(guó)書法界發(fā)生了一件大事——浙江美術(shù)學(xué)院（現(xiàn)中國(guó)美術(shù)學(xué)院）首次招收書法系研究生，這是中國(guó)書法首次脫離私塾的師徒傳授，進(jìn)入高等課堂，用現(xiàn)代的藝術(shù)教學(xué)方式進(jìn)行授課。王冬齡毅然選擇了回歸校園深造學(xué)習(xí)。就是這個(gè)決定，使他成為當(dāng)時(shí)全中國(guó)首批書法專業(yè)僅有的5位研究生之一，師從陸維釗、沙孟海等書法大家，他的生命就這樣在如此歷史性的機(jī)遇下，與中國(guó)的書法事業(yè)聯(lián)系在了一起。

“像我們這樣工作之后又重新進(jìn)入課堂的人，真的特別珍惜。改革開放把優(yōu)秀的青年人才挖掘出來，給社會(huì)注入了元?dú)??！笨涨暗陌菖c開放，給了年輕生命蓬勃的機(jī)遇，王冬齡像無數(shù)個(gè)重返課堂的莘莘學(xué)子一樣，對(duì)新鮮的知識(shí)如饑似渴。

1981年，對(duì)于中國(guó)書法界來說又有了一件大事——中國(guó)書法家協(xié)會(huì)在北京正式成立，全國(guó)的書法家們有了屬于自己的“組織”。而后的整個(gè)80年代，中國(guó)掀起了前所未有的全民“書法熱”，對(duì)知識(shí)的渴望、對(duì)傳統(tǒng)美學(xué)的熱愛，也由于書法的準(zhǔn)入門檻低、工具簡(jiǎn)單，男女老幼都有人加入書法學(xué)習(xí)的大軍中。據(jù)記載，當(dāng)時(shí)全國(guó)最大的書法函授學(xué)?！獰o錫書法藝術(shù)學(xué)校，一年招生可達(dá)1.8萬人。

在大眾的書法狂歡中，專業(yè)的藝術(shù)家們則開始了書法前衛(wèi)性與先鋒性的嘗試，那些青春的靈魂，迫切地希望世界聽見自己的聲音。已經(jīng)留校任教的王冬齡也不遺余力地投身其中，1987年，他的第一次個(gè)展在中國(guó)美術(shù)館三層舉辦?！爱?dāng)時(shí)沒有電梯，布展一口氣跑到三樓很累的。做展覽沒有錢，到處找贊助，很辛苦”，王冬齡回憶展覽往昔，不勝感慨。好在辛苦歸辛苦，他交出了改革開放第一個(gè)10年從“而立”走向“不惑”的人生答卷。

似書非書：現(xiàn)代書法的不破不立

上世紀(jì)90年代初的電影《大撒把》、電視劇《北京人在紐約》成為當(dāng)時(shí)膾炙人口的影視作品，形象地描繪了80年代人們想見識(shí)世界的夢(mèng)想。那時(shí)的中央臺(tái)有“FOLLOW ME”（跟我學(xué)），出版界有《英語900句》，收音機(jī)、磁帶機(jī)滾動(dòng)播放著“ABC”。1985年，國(guó)家提出了支持留學(xué)、鼓勵(lì)出國(guó)、來去自由的方針，一場(chǎng)史無前例的出國(guó)熱潮席卷全國(guó)，第二年自費(fèi)留學(xué)的人數(shù)就突破了10萬人。

1989年3月1日，王冬齡也隨著這片出國(guó)大潮，之后伊利諾威、堪薩斯、哈佛、斯坦福、伯克萊等20多所大學(xué)競(jìng)相邀請(qǐng)他前往開設(shè)書法班、舉辦講座與展覽。就這樣，一個(gè)中國(guó)藝術(shù)家在吃著漢堡、喝著可樂的美國(guó)，推動(dòng)中國(guó)書法藝術(shù)教育開拓生發(fā)，這是前所未有的。在這片當(dāng)代藝術(shù)的熱土之上，他向西方教授著最中國(guó)的書法，也學(xué)習(xí)著最先鋒的西方藝術(shù)。中國(guó)書法的線條美，深深吸引著美國(guó)師生；而西方藝術(shù)的創(chuàng)新精神，也進(jìn)一步打破了曾經(jīng)套在中國(guó)書法上的教條禁錮。

三年零十個(gè)月后，王冬齡毅然地放棄了當(dāng)時(shí)人們欣羨的美國(guó)綠卡，回歸故土，回歸母校中國(guó)美術(shù)學(xué)院任教。最初的“去”，是為了向西方傳播中國(guó)書法，而這次的“回”，是為了向國(guó)內(nèi)傳播新的藝術(shù)理念?！爸袊?guó)書法從來不缺乏創(chuàng)新性，每一種書體的創(chuàng)立，都是對(duì)前人的革新。沒有創(chuàng)新，王羲之不會(huì)成為王羲之?！蓖醵g的書法從此有了截然不同的面目，融音樂、舞蹈入書法；他用粗壯如腕的幾十斤毛筆書寫百米巨幅；甚至冒“書法之大不韙”，故意打破“章法”的金科玉律，將字與字交疊“亂書”，使得作品看上去似書非書，似畫非畫，亦書亦畫。

而每一次全力一擊的“打破”背后，是他對(duì)于傳統(tǒng)書法精神的深深敬畏。工作室里放著厚厚一沓練字用紙，如果沒有其他事務(wù)，每日雷打不動(dòng)地進(jìn)行基本功的練習(xí)，篆、隸、草、楷、行，一絲不茍。又如他在書寫創(chuàng)作之前，要對(duì)內(nèi)容進(jìn)行成百上千次的背誦、練習(xí)。為了hold住長(zhǎng)達(dá)1小時(shí)甚至幾小時(shí)貓著腰揮動(dòng)粗重毛筆的大字創(chuàng)作過程，他平日通過游泳、打拳積蓄體能。所以，“亂”不是無序之亂；“大”也不是想大則大的。寶劍鋒從磨礪出，好藝術(shù)是“十年一劍”的苦心經(jīng)營(yíng)。

2002年，中國(guó)美術(shù)學(xué)院率先成立現(xiàn)代書法研究中心，由王冬齡任中心負(fù)責(zé)人，現(xiàn)代書法第一次進(jìn)入高等藝術(shù)教育。越來越多人加入到現(xiàn)代書法的行列中來，相較于30年前的“寂寞”，如今的王冬齡有了更多也更年輕的同行者，然而“但開風(fēng)氣不為師”，王冬齡始終強(qiáng)調(diào)個(gè)人性與創(chuàng)造力，在教學(xué)中更是如此，這或許正如吳昌碩所言：“化我者生，破我者進(jìn)，似我者死”，書法藝術(shù)的創(chuàng)新也永無止境。

獨(dú)樂眾樂：筆墨當(dāng)隨時(shí)代

藝術(shù)界的王冬齡鼎鼎大名，但在大眾心中，對(duì)于這個(gè)名字的熟知與“蘋果”息息相關(guān)。2015年新年伊始，在人潮如織的杭州平海路，亞洲最大蘋果官方旗艦店的白色外墻上出現(xiàn)了一幅巨大的書法作品，龍飛鳳舞的字里行間，還有一個(gè)小小的紅色蘋果標(biāo)記。當(dāng)年，蘋果公司CEO庫(kù)克特意打“飛的”遠(yuǎn)渡重洋來向王冬齡學(xué)書法，于是就有了中國(guó)書法與蘋果的不解之緣，“這個(gè)委托項(xiàng)目最吸引我的是，大型書法在進(jìn)入戶外空間后會(huì)產(chǎn)生怎樣的效果，因?yàn)楫?dāng)代藝術(shù)和傳統(tǒng)藝術(shù)最大的區(qū)別之一，就是和現(xiàn)代人生活所發(fā)生的關(guān)系，在美術(shù)館看書法作品是一回事，而當(dāng)書法在公共空間、以非常規(guī)方式呈現(xiàn)的時(shí)候，又是另外一種效果?！被貞洰?dāng)時(shí)的情景，王冬齡也感慨互聯(lián)網(wǎng)帶來的神奇緣分，“庫(kù)克就是在網(wǎng)絡(luò)上看到了我的書法，很喜歡，他就來了。”顯然，這次書法與科技的公共藝術(shù)跨界嘗試是極其成功的。記得，當(dāng)時(shí)不少朋友特意趕去現(xiàn)場(chǎng)拍照紀(jì)念，一個(gè)即將開業(yè)的數(shù)碼產(chǎn)品旗艦店，是如何帶著詩情畫意的優(yōu)雅氣質(zhì)來到杭州；而“王冬齡”這個(gè)名字也隨著鋪天蓋地的媒體報(bào)道進(jìn)入了尋常百姓視野；更重要的是，老百姓知道了：原來書法還可以這么玩。

中國(guó)書法從來不是小部分精英的特權(quán)，從過去家家戶戶的春聯(lián)，到帝王百官的收藏，中國(guó)人惜字愛字是一種血液里的傳承。2011年，王冬齡與浙江日?qǐng)?bào)報(bào)業(yè)集團(tuán)合作創(chuàng)辦蘭亭書法社，憑借媒體的品牌力量，大力推進(jìn)浙江書法藝術(shù)的全國(guó)化、全球化傳播：通過“蘭亭書法社雙年展”挖掘書法界的創(chuàng)新力量；通過一系列的進(jìn)課堂活動(dòng)，用生動(dòng)有趣的書法體驗(yàn)課，激發(fā)孩子們對(duì)書法的興趣。

當(dāng)年的大喇叭廣播聲還縈繞在耳畔，當(dāng)年的激情歲月仍在燃燒，40年，大潮奔流，一代人的起起落落。而王冬齡在這滾滾大潮中，用他的經(jīng)歷，成為中國(guó)書法事業(yè)發(fā)展的一個(gè)見證者、參與者和推動(dòng)者，也將成為中國(guó)漫漫書法藝術(shù)長(zhǎng)河中一個(gè)歷史的刻度，一座未來的坐標(biāo)。

（部分圖片選自視覺中國(guó)）

Wang Dongling： Calligrapher Portrays World in Eastern Style

By Zhou Yi

A look at 73-year-old Wang Dongling reveals nothing about his global reputation of Chinese calligraphy. Among his wardrobe are trendy sun glasses and Nike athletic shoes； he is a coffee buff and carries an Ipad wherever he goes. But he embodies seemingly clashing combinations of the west and the east， tradition and avant-garde， introvert and extrovert， adherence and experiment， nativity and internationalization. All these contradictions juxtapose in him. Though his calligraphy indicates his genius， dedication and hard work， his reputation bespeaks the successful four decades of Chinas reform and opening-up to the outside world.

He remembers clearly a December day 1978 when he heard the communiqué of the third plenary session of the 11th central committee of the Communist Party of China broadcast everywhere in Nanjing， where he had already established himself an outstanding artist after graduation from the art department of Nanjing Normal University. It was an epoch-making session and epoch-making document. Sweeping changes soon took place in China and in everyones life. “Young people rushed to Xinhua Bookstores early in the morning long before business hour and stood in long queues to buy novels， novels they had heard of but never read before，” Wang recalled.

In the following year， calligraphers all over the country learned about a piece of unprecedented news： Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts， the predecessor of present-day China Academy of Art， was to offer a graduate course in calligraphy. It was the first time ever that calligraphy was to be taught and learned in a graduate course in higher education. Before then， all calligraphy education was conducted privately between a master and a student. Wang Dongling knew what the news meant. He decided to take the chance. He became one of the five graduate students enrolled in that course and studied under the guidance of renowned calligraphers such as Lu Weizhao and Sha Menghai. His life became intimately entangled with calligraphy in this historical encounter.

“Reform and opening to the outside world gave young talents opportunities. The move injected meta-energy into the society. I treasured the opportunity to receive an advanced education after my college graduation，” recalled the calligrapher.

Another big event concerning calligraphy occurred in 1981 when China Calligraphers Association came into being in Beijing. The 1980s saw the booming of calligraphy education across the country. A school in Wuxi offered a correspondence course on calligraphy and within a year about 18，000 people signed up.

While amateur calligraphers everywhere were grappling with the basics of calligraphy， some master calligraphers began exploring whether they could add an avant-garde touch to the traditional Chinese penmanship. Wang Dongling， a teacher with Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts， went all out to chase his dream. In 1987， he held his solo exhibition at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing.

March 1989 saw him start his series of lectures on calligraphy in the United States. His first stop was at University of Minnesota. Then he held exhibitions and gave lectures at 20 some universities including Harvard and Stanford.

Three years and ten months later， he came back and resumed teaching at his alma mater. In the United States， he promoted the beauty and majesty of Chinese calligraphy. Now back home， he promoted innovation. “Chinese calligraphy has kept innovating itself all the time. Each new script is an innovation. But for innovation， there would have been no Wang Xizhi，” Wang Dongling said. Wang Xizhi （303–361） is generally regarded as the greatest Chinese calligrapher in history.

By then he had already been experimenting on writing with a supersized brush pen which weighed more than 15 kilograms and which was as thick as a wrist. Since then Wang has broken away from traditional rules. He writes larger-than-life characters that overlap each other. His calligraphy looks like something half calligraphy and half painting. Though his calligraphy looks chaotic， there is an innate order. Large-size characters present beauty and power irresistible and fascinating. He offers a modernist twist on a classic form， an approach that has garnered him critical acclaim. He has expanded the ground for modern calligraphy and transformed traditional elements， making them compatible with contemporary experience. What he has accomplished with his monumental calligraphy is more than a technical breakthrough. He has enhanced the visual experience of calligraphy and reconfigured its image as a form of contemporary art.