艺术是崇高而美丽的，人类艺术创造的每一个成就，都像雪峰一样，高高地呈现在人们的眼前，而更多的雪峰，却依然在云遮雾罩之中，为了它们的呈现，需要人们奉献毕生的精力和全身心的爱去创造和攀登。生存之不易，生活之严峻，加深着创痛却更显示了生命力的顽强。这严岭之下的顽强的生命力，乃是我所希望表现和礼赞的。我之所以爱画藏族和一些山区的兄弟民族，这是原因之一。表现他们的艰辛和希望，也寄托了我的情思。

　　古今中外，群星璀璨，其最杰出者，人们称为 “巨匠”。这个“匠”字，包含着技术性的因素。艺术，有很强的技术性。作品，有功力才耐看，这是心然的一面、规律的一面。这是学校可以教，学生所心须学的，是基本功，是专业与业余的区别之所在。但，这只是一面，只有这一面就会枯燥、沉河。所以，要有另一面，要有偶然，要有悟性，有学识，有修养，有才气。这是灵气和田面品位的所在，是可以意会而难以言传的。

　　写苦，不可一味，需要对比。一点星火，可以村托出国面的黑暗、深沉，金盛的辉煌可以村托出老人的暗淡与憔悴。万绿之中需一点红，善用者自可以迁想妙得。

　　写实作品，由于受客观限制，在西面构成上是很困难的。长期到生活中去，就容易得之于偶然。我作画常酥酿甚久，有的画早在数年前就有构想，却迟迟不能动笔。往往先作小草图，如火柴盒大小，用铅笔，便于修改。由于小，可以忽路不必要的细节，见大的气势、大的构成、大的形体。或奇、或雄、或质朴自然，这样就有骨，站得住。然后是色彩，一幅国有时就是从一块色彩的联想开始的。

　　作画如作文，当止于不可不止。止于何时是与画家的才识、修养密不可分的。止于何地，是困难所在。既要完善精妙，又不可画蛇添足，过犹不及。在这方面，田画不如马文章，圈掉的文章可以圈口来，画过了的画就改不回原味了。

　　画是看的，有时候，好看就行。似是而非，似非而是，似有若无，心无还有，都行。要有一些随意的、抽象的色彩、肌理、笔触、水渍、斑点······有一些不此有什么道理的色彩或其他什么的存在，只要它起作用。我用卡纸作画，纸很光，色彩的流动难以把握，常产生没有道理的东西，这对我很重要。

　　我是把“水彩”倒过来读为“彩水”的。“彩，是主要的。”水“是用来驱使彩流动的，流动的速度因需要而异。故此，水中可以加胶、加蛋、加松节油、面糊、汽油……或者，千脆用千笔，只要最后出效果。自然，也就可以画、可以洗、可以刮刷、印、沾抹、洒、喷

　　······无所谓绝对的步 骤和方法。

　　作画忌过熟，熟里可生巧，但过熟则易经，要与自己作对，反其道而行之。作国不要太干净，常需要破坏，也就是常有失败，从失败中学到更多的东西，经过破坏，再收回来，面面就会有种苦涩、厚重、耐看的东西。

　　要多思，不只是立意、布局，而旦要考虑步骤、手法。要蓄气，要胸有成竹。但是，也要胸无成竹。作画如作战，常常意料不到，身不由己，就要顺势，顺其自然，存乎一心材料的改变，影响着技法，也推动着审美观念的变化。从绘画的历史而言，由蛋彩到油画、到丙烯······观念的变化，也驱使人们去探寻新的技法和新的材料。

　　由于客观原因，我的最好的时光白白地流逝了。看到现在的学生，有这样好的条件，那么年经，真叫人羡慕。多年的教学使我看到，有些最聪慧、最有接受能力、才华横溢的学生，往往在最后，赶不上似乎笨一点，但能持之以恒、不怕挫折、勤奋多思、外拙内秀的学生。

　　一说就懂、一看就会的学生，往往不是真懂、真会。往往少问了个为什么，少受挫折有时就体会不深。不经历风兩，就难以见彩虹；不经历磨难，就难以取真经。这种情况，令人扼腕，令人叹息生活是艺术的源泉，但在生活中的去荟众生，却大多不能成为文学家、艺术家。这里有技巧问题，有观察生活的角度问题。

　　是否有所借鉴，则是文野之分、高下之分的关键。就绘面来说就是除了写生之外，要借鉴前人的作品。要多看、多思、多读、多临摹。多看，广泛浏览，就能从宏观上认识，有所比较。多思，包括多交流、讨论才能加深理解，融会贯通，启发联想，探索新路。多读，是指读画，不光是读理论文章，国要读才能有体会。不论看画展、画册，对最能打动自己的作品，都可进行分解分析其构成和技法、色彩诸因素。只分析一点，也行。用白己的作画经验去解释，在大脑中想象作画的方法、步骤等等。这就是读，要记笔记。对于最喜爱的作品要临摹，没有原作，临画朋也行。可用不同的工具临，可以用水彩来临油画。可以临得很认真，也可以只取自己之所需。通过这些就可以提高自己的眼光和技巧。

　　现在，学校的基础课教学，写生太多，临摹太少。写生是寻源，客观存在是最丰富的，可以避免僵化。但临摹可以直接站在大师的肩上，用大师的眼光来观察世界。高屋建瓴，自有破竹之势。这里有高下快慢之分。中国人过去要从师学艺，外国人要进室当学徒，都有这方面的特点。这是捷径，可惜我知之太晚。

　　前面谈到，作画要顺势，要遵循作画的各种规律，要就画论面，根据画面的需要作画。博纳尔作画时，常在调到一种色彩时，在画上找需要它的地方。写实，也要调整。要在四面上创造出一个更生动、更和谐的世界。

　　近年来，国家多利用照片。就收集素材的速度来说，照相是具有极大优势性的，而且包括必要的细节，它对于有长期写生经验的画家是利大于弊，但对于少有野外写生经验的年经人则弊大于利。因为照片在冲印的各个过程都在损失，而写生的过程有着时间、光线及作四者情绪的变化。由于观察和作画的顺序会加强客观的特性，在观察了红色之后，再观察绿色，就会使这个绿色加强，反映到画面上就更生动。这个过程，在对着照片作画时就没有了，而且受到已损失了很多的照片的限制。所以，在使用照片上务必要有调整和节制。

　　画家终究靠国面说话。只有和谐就缺乏生气，只有对比就影响统一。这里有主有次，有使之响亮升华的东西。画面必须有最精彩、耐看之处，也心须有趣味之处，在显示功力、精心刻画之外，也应有似不经心之处。

《美术》1998年第11期

Random Thoughts on the Creation of

Watercolor paintings

Fu@izhong

​Fine arts， the Eleventth Issue of 1998

　　Art is both lofty and beautiful. Every accomplishment of human artistic creation is showed to people like high snowy mountains. But there are still many snowy mountain ranges under a thick pall of mist， which need people to devote themselves to discovering and climbing with full enthusiasm. The severe living conditions and stern life have deepened the pains of the minority people， strengthening their indomitable life force. It is the indomitable life force under severe circumstances that I really want to show and praise. That‘s one of the reasons why like to draw the Tibetan people and the minority

　　nationalities of the mountainous areas. I want to show their hardships of life and hope for the future， and give expression of my feelings.

　　There have been a large number of famous sartists in ancient and modern times， in China and foreign countries， among them， the most remarkable ones are called “great masters”， and the word “master” means the person has special skill. Art is highly skilled work. On one hand， paintings that show considerable skill can have lasting appeal. It is an inexorable law. The basic skill can be taught and learned at school， and it shows the difierences between professionals and amateurs. On the other hand， an artist must be intelligent， knowledgeable and accomplished enough， because it would be boring if he

　　only has the skill. It’s the fortuitous element， which shows the intelligence of the painter and appeal of the tableau. It can be sensed， but not explained in words.

　　We can‘t show the hardships of life in the same way， and contrast can be of help. A single spark can make the tableau look darker and deeper. The bright golden helmet is in contrast with the gloomy and haggard old man. A little red needed to show the bright green. Artists can use their imagination to apply the method of contrast.

　　Limited by the objective conditions， it is difficult to produce realistic works of art. If we go deep into the realities of life， it will be easier to create an excellent one by chance. It often takes me a long time to deliberate on a painting. Sometimes， I worked out the composition of a painting years before， but I couldn’t start drawing even after a long time. Usually I make a sketch as big as the matchboxin pencil first， which is easy to correct. Being small， it can leave out unnecessary details. The sketch can show the great momenturn great composition， and big form and structure， Being unusual， vigorous， or

　　simple， the painting has the strength to stand. Then I color the painting. The composition of a painting sometimes begins from the imagination of some colors.

　　Drawing a painting is just like writing a composition， we stop when it has to be ended. When to end the painting is related to the painters ability， insight and accomplishments， and it‘s difficult for the painter to decide where to end. It must be exquisite and perfect， but not added something superfluous to ruin the effect. Going too far is as bad as not going far enough. Drawing a painting isn’t like writing a composition in this respect； you can take what has been cancelled back， but you can‘t restore a finished painting in its original state.

　　The picture is appreciated by people， and sometimes it is okay as long as beautiful. Anything， apparently right but actually wrong， apparently wrong but actually right， or it may or may not exist， will do. There are some random and abstract colors， texture， strokes， water stains， and spots…Anything effective will be used.

　　I paint on the card paper. The paper is very glossy and it’s difficult to control the flow of colors， which often produces some unreasonable effects. It is of great importance to me.

　　I invert on the order of “watercolor” and read it “colorwater”， which emphasizes the use of “color”. “Water” is used to drive color to flow， and the flowing speed varies according to the need. So I can put glue， egg， turpentine， paste or petrol into water. I even use dry brush to paint as Long as it is effective naturally， I can draw， wash， scrape， brush， print， stain， apply， sprinkle， spray... There are no absolute procedures and methods.

　　Picture drawing should avoid being over skilled. Although practice makes perfect， being too skilled makes light strokes. We must make things more difficult and paint in a diametrically opposite way. Don‘t paint too clean. It needs damaging， which means we have to go through many failures. To earn from failures. The tableau will show something bitter， thick and attractive after damage and re-creation. To think more not only about the conception and composition， but also about the procedure and technique. To save up your strength and bear the image you are going to draw in mind. But， don’t bear the image in mind at the same time， because drawing is like fighting， in which unexpected things often occur and you have to deal with them. You should take advantage of the opportunity and let thinges run their own course.

　　The change in materials influences the technique and promotes the change of aesthetic conceptions. As far as the history of painting is concerned， there is tempera， oil painting acrylic painting..The change of conceptions has driven people to search for new technique and new materials My best time was wasted due to objective reasons. How I envy the young students when I see they have such good conditions today！ Years of teaching let me know that some most intelligent and capable students seem less successfu in the end than those who are not bright enough but persistent and hardworking. The students who understand what they hear and see at once don‘t really understand. Sometimes， thev learn less without asking a question and experiencing setbacks. It’s impossible to see the rainbow without wind and rain， it‘s impossible to get the Buddhist scriptures without experiencing hardships. I often sigh while wringing my hands when I see such students.

　　Life is the source of art. There are so many people in the world， but only a few of them can become writers and artists. There are various reasons for this， such as the technique and the way to observe life. It is the key difference between elegance and roughness， between superiority and inferiority whether to draw on the experience of others. Apart from painting from life， we should learn from the works of the forefathers. See， think， read， and copy as much as possible. By seeing extensively， we can have macroscopic knowledge and comparison. By thinking， communicating and discussing， we can get a deeper undertanding of the works， achieving mastery of painting through a comprehensive tudy， inspiring associations and exploring new ways， reading means reading paintings. We should not only read theoretica articles， but also read paintings， only by reading the painting， can we have a better understanding of it. While visiting an exhibition or reading an album of painting， we can separate the work which touches us most into parts and analyze its composition， technique and colors， it will do if we only analyze one of the elements. Try to explain it with our own drawing experience， and magine its painting method and procedure. That is reading paintings， to make notes. Copy the original picture or a picture album if there is no original. we can use different tools to copy， We can copy an oil painting in watercolors， we can copy carefully or only copy what is needed. By doing so we can improve our sense of judgment and painting technique.

　　There are too many basic courses for life painting at college now， but too few copying courses. Painting from life is to trace the source， and the objective world is abundant enough to avoid ossification. But copying a master’s painting can make us stand on the shoulder of the master and observe the world with the eyes of the master. It‘s easier to operate from a strategically commanding height just like pouring water off a steep roof with an irresistible force. There are differences of height and speed. That’s why people used to follow a master to learn a craft in China， and in foreign countries， people who learned art would-be apprentices in studios first. It is a shortcut to learn painting， but it‘s a pity that realized it too late.

　　I have mentioned above that a painter should take advantage of an opportunity and abide by the laws while painting， and paint according to the need the tableau. When drawing a picture， Bonnard would mix a color and look for a place to use it in the picture. To paint realistically also needs to be adjusted， we need to create a more vivid and harmonious tableau.

　　In recent years， many painters like to make use of photos. As far as the speed of gathering material is concerned， taking pictures has a great advantage， and it contains necessary details. It has more advantages than disdvantages for painters who have rich experience in painting from nature； but for the less experienced young people， it has more disadvantages. Because a photo offen has something to lose in the process of the development while there are changes of time， light and emotions of the painter in the process of painting from life. As the order of observation and painting will strengthen the character of an object， if we observe green after red， green wil become strengthened and look more vivid in the tableau. There isn’t such a process when we paint from a photo， and we are limited by photos that have lost many elements. So we must be careful when we make use of photos.

　　Painters depend upon the tableau to express his deas. The tableau will lack vitality if there is only harmony， and it will lack unity if there is only contrast. There are primary and secondary things in the tableau. The tableau must have something most exciting， appealing， and interesting. Besides the elaborate depiction which shows the skill of the painter， there ought to be something that seems careless.