迪兄如晤：

前次山上相聚甚歡，笑談當年粉墨登場的青春舊事不覺已近三十年矣！

昔日同窗，大款的大款，大官兒的大官兒，大師的大師。唯迪兄能淡然一笑：“閒著沒事兒畫小人兒。”仔細想來，畫小人兒正是畫家的本質。如廚師即便獲得了大師的稱號也不過還是個做飯的大師傅而已。小人兒畫好了，其他的文化意義和社會意義，自會有更閒得沒事兒的專業人士去猜想的。你知我向來不大看畫，也不寫畫評，多年關注的都是被世人詬病的“邪教”。不過兄弟所賜畫冊還是認真拜讀，且頗有驚喜。僅就畫小人兒的語言來講，兄弟的步伐已然大於其他童鞋了。

印象：兄弟少年補過“德表”的鈣，故壯年風骨尚健。另，雖久居歐洲浸淫于西方傳統之中，卻能注重東方意韻的修為，令人生故國舊交之感，可圈可點。

細觀：兄弟作畫如情人做愛，層層剝落，步步緊逼，行雲流水，兩情歡洽，手法老道，若醉後狂草，書寫自如，頗現文人風流氣象。

鑒定：一不裝時尚，不跟風潮，無標識性概念；二不批量生産，不玩兒工藝製造，保有偶發的鮮活個性；三是有筆有墨，堅守了畫小人兒的看家本領。

以上雖是胡亂誇幾句，兄弟盡可以當真，得意當忘形，望迪兄恣意揮灑，高潮跌宕！

一笑共勉之！

愚兄普林

2001年1月13日于東臺

Wen Pulin: Dearest Brother Di,

The last occasion of our meeting, on the mountain, was extraordinarily pleasant; joking in such a way about the adventures of our youth, one might never guess that nearly thirty years have passed!

Our former schoolmates have become rich men among tycoons, become authorities to even the highest officials, and the teachers of great masters. Only you, Brother Di can chuckle indifferently, “sitting idly and painting.” Thinking on this carefully, this seems to be the essential nature of any painter. As when a cook has earned the title of master chef, he is still but making food for others. When those paintings are finished, any additional cultural or social significance will be only guessed at by specialists with too much time on their hands. You know I’ve never been really been a great painting enthusiast, and I do not write about painting; everything I have followed with interest has been condemned as “cultish.” However, all the catalogs you’ve bestowed upon me I’ve read in earnest, moreover, they have provided me with rather pleasant surprises. In the language of painters, you have advanced far beyond your classmates.

An impression: you were raised with “German expressionism“ as a nutritional supplement, and thus, in the prime of your life, your style is rather robust. Also, despite your long hiatus in Europe, steeped in Western traditions, you are still able to focus on the cultivation of Eastern rhythms, intertwining a sense of the ancient culture into these Western-looking canvases. This is laudable.

A close observation: you paint like two lovers entwined, layer after layer is able to be unpeeled, each part pressed hard up against another, filling gaps like water, two sentiments that welcome contact, and your technique is venerable, like grass script after drinking, unrestrained, and with the distinguished air of the literati.

An appraisal: Firstly, your paintings do not attempt to be fashionable, nor to agitate, and they don’t purport any trademark concepts; secondly, they are not mass-produced, they don’t attempt any crafty manufacture, but maintain their spontaneous freshness and character; thirdly, there is ink and brush, holding fast to the special skill set of painters through the ages.

Despite these being a few slapdash words of praise, brother, please take them in earnest. Proudly lose all your bearings, I look forward to your recklessly free painting, to the bold and unconstrained joy of your losing yourself in climax!

A smile is mutual encouragement !

Humbly yours, Wen Pulin

January 13, 2011 Dong Tai