文/鄧平祥
在十八世紀法國的偉大啟蒙主義運動之後，法國畫壇産生了一批具有新的審美思想的風景畫作品，其中科羅和盧梭的作品最為耀眼。藝術史在評論二位大師時，將科羅的作品定義為“詩意的風景”，將盧梭的作品定義為“史詩的風景”。
在美學品格上，徐曉燕的沒畫風景就具有有盧梭的意味，顯現出了可辨的史詩性品格。由於這種可貴的史詩性，徐曉燕的油畫在當代油畫風景體裁的作品就獨樹一幟，顯示出了很大的精神張力和藝術感染力。
風景畫何以有史詩性？——詩史作為一個文學概念，是文學的一種形式或方法。係指文學中（詩歌）那些結構宏在，反映有重大意義的歷史事件、傳説、人物的長篇敘事詩。而史詩性則是對具有意義的其他文藝作品的美學評價。
在人類精神文化史上，史詩性作品豐富的內容、深遠的意蘊、悲壯地精神，畫家在風景作品中表達的並不是一般風景的自然母題，而是以風景為載體，來表達人在歷史性活動中精神和情感，是人的精神和情感在對應物上下的象徵和隱寓。
徐曉燕的《秋季風景系列》、《原》、《野》，以及《樂土系列》等作品，作為她的風景主題的代表性作品，都不是表達一般美學意義（例如自然美學等）的風景畫。人們在她的作品中主要感受不是一般自然風光的怡然感覺，而是一各精神的震憾、一種情感的昇華，甚至是一種痛感，徐曉燕作品這中審感受和精神衝擊，使人感到畫家在抗拒流俗，讚美它，並給予它以意義，因此，面對一個“價值失衡”“情感沙化”以及人的精神平面化的世象，人們在徐曉燕的藝術中感覺到了一種久違了的崇高走向，一種久違了的壯美。在徐曉燕的作品人們可以讀出歷史，讀出信念，讀出苦難、讀出堅毅。
徐曉燕作品中的美學意義和精神力量，使人意識到精神的慰藉，精神的寄寓，精神的幸福和精神的追求，仍然是 勻所生存的世界中一種更為崇高的價值。
在徐曉燕的作品中並置著兩大母題，即歷史母題和處然母題。
對於歷史母題的表達，徐曉燕是通過形象的崇高和深沉來象徵的。我們的現實世界是一有關深度的價值就被不斷貶低，而有關平面價值不斷被抬高的世界。所謂深度的價值，它的內含是，歷史、精神、信念、理想等， 以及它相關的慨念。“找不到北”是時下很流行的口頭禪，它反映了當代人普遍的精神盲然，為什麼出現這種狀況？ 這是因為人們的為精神座標中失去了一個縱坐標，而縱坐標是與人的深度價值相關聯的，這樣人的行為就失去了精神的引導和激勱，而只有慾望成為人們的導盲犬。
通過作品，我們可以感油印到徐曉燕的精神中有一咱深度的歷史情緒和歷史感悟的形式投向，因此從這個意義上説，徐曉燕是一個很有自覺歷史承擔的人。
徐曉燕的自然母題，是她的藝術的感生表達的前提，這也是一個象徵的母題，它的內涵是：記憶、母土、親情等。徐曉燕通過象徵自然母題的最典型的感性符號：秋天、收穫後的玉米地，秸稈、土地，來實現她的藝術表達，但她的表達成功地使上述感性材料都具有形象意義和價值，這樣玉米地、秸稈不再尋常的感覺對應物，而是畫家精神的象徵物，它們成為了人、成為歷史、成為詩。
眾學術上説，徐曉燕好簡單地歸入一般地女性藝術之列。然而在她的作品中“自然母題”以及相關的“大地”，“原野”的內涵中，我深刻地感覺到了一種“母性”和“生命”的主題，它表達得如此地充盈、如此地深沉，使我意識到這一定是女性表達另一方式的投射，它不是流行的“小女人”式的，徐曉燕採取的是與男性平等對話，相視而立的方式。她的女性慨念首是博大和堅忍，否則她們何以承擔女性生命的自然使命和社會使命。在這個時候你就會發現徐曉燕體現繪畫中“女丈夫”氣概。從表達方式的角度説，徐曉燕的藝術是可以歸類于表現主義的。但好決非表現主義的樣式化。將她的世隨機應變放在當代油畫藝術的背景上比較，就可以清夢地意識到，徐曉燕的油畫的本土化特徵和個人性特徵。 從主題表達到語言方式，徐曉燕的油畫都實現了超越和轉換，從而有了獨特的個人價值。
還需強調的是，在徐曉燕的語言表達中，紅和黑的基調，以及紅和黑的豐富組合和變奏（通過沉鬱、堅實的筆法），不但成就了她的藝術主題，也實現了她的史詩性。
AN EPIC OF LANDSCAPES----ON THE EPIC QU ALITY OF XU XAIOYAN，S OIL PAINTINGS
In the wake of the Enlightenment in France in the 18¢ury, there appeared a number of landscape paintings distinguished by their original, fresh aesthetics, the most outstanding of which were the works of John-Baptiste-Camille Corot(1796-1875)and Theodore Rousseau(1812-1867). In the history of art, Corot’s paintings are described as “lyric landscapes”, while Rousseau’s as “epic landscapes”.
In terms of aesthetic significance, the landscapes in oil by Xu Xiaoyan, which unfailingly display and epic quality, remind us of the style of Theodore Rousseau. It is the valuable epic quality that sets Xu Xiaoyan,s works apart from all other landscapes in oil and demonstrates overwhelming spiritual tension and artistic infectiousness.
How can a landscape painting have the quality of an epic? Epic is a literary term, defined as a long narrative poem with a grand structure that tells about significant historical events, legends, and heroes. But epic quality is an aesthetic term that is used for describing other literary and artistic compositions that have the essential features of and epic poem.
In the spiritual and cultural history of humanity, works with epic quality, with their rich subject matter, broab and far-reaching significance, and tragic mood, often become the symbol of an etynic group or a nation’s spiritual and emotional history, exerting an everlasting influence on human souls like what the Holy Bible had done to the Western world.
The expression of epic quality in landscape paintings first comes in the poetic and historical significance of the images. What the painter is trying to express is not necessarily the conventional motif of natural scenery; instead, the view is being used as a medium to display the human spirit and emotion about certain historical activity, What genuinely matters is the symbolism and metaphor of human spirit and emotion reflected through certain elements in the imagery.
Of the major representative works of Xu Xiaoyan, like the “Autumn Scenery” series , “Origin”, “Wilderness”, and “Paradise” series, none are landscapes of ordinary aesthetic significance( i.e.a mere depiction of a natural spectacle). What the audience gets out of her paintings is not the pleasantness afforded by some ordinary natural spectacles, but a kind of spiritual shock, an emotional sublimation, and even something painful. Such aesthetic experience and spiritual shock make spectators see the artist’s efforts at repelling vulgarity and seeking transcendence. Xu Xiaoyan warns the world: material desires will lead to denegeration of humanity and we must pay attention to the spiritual ojfe, which should be celebrated and clearly defined. Therefore, in a world plagued by “unbalanced values”, “scarcity of genuine emotions”, and spiritual barrenness by viewing Xu Xiaoyan,s paintings, which are laden with history, conviction, misery, and fortitude.
The aesthetic significance and spiritual power of Xu Xiaoyan,s paintings hve enlightened as that the consolation, sustenance, happiness, and pursuit of the spirit are still a loftier value in the world where we live.
In Xu Xiaoyan,s paintings ,the two parallel motifs are history and nature.
In expressing the motif of history, Xu Xiaoyan resorts to the symbolism of the loftiness and profundity of her imagery. In this world, the values of profundity suffer constant deprecation while the values of flatness are gaining currency. The so-called values of profundity include history, spirit, conviction, ideals, among others. “Disoriented”, which is a popular catchphrase in China these days, reflects a widespread spiritual vacuum in people’s hearts. The reason is that a vertical axis is missing in people’s spiritual coordinated. Without the values of profundity as that vertical axis, humanity will lose their spiritual bearings and has no alternative but to follow the seeing-eye bag of material desires.
In Xu Xiaoyan,s paintings, we can feel that there is a kind of profound historical sentiment and enlightenment in her spiritual world. In this sense, she is an artist conscious of and burdened by history.
The motif of nature is a premise of the sensory expression in Xu Xiaoyan,s works. This motif, again one of symbolism, connotes memory, motherland, and family love. In realizing her artistic expression, Xu Xiaoyan has turned to the most typical sensory symbols of nature,like the autumn,corn fields after the harvest, bare crop stalks, and the earth. Her expression, however, succeeds in bestowing metaphysical significance and worth to the above sensory symbols. The corn fields and crop stalks are no longer the ordinary parallels of senses, but the symbols of the artist’s spirit. In the paintings, they have become human beings, history, and poetry.
Academically, it is simplistic and indiscriminate to categorize the art of XU Xiaoyan into the common genre of women’s art. In the motif of nature and related connotations like “the earth” and “wilderness”, I have frequently perceived the themes of “maternity” and “life”. There themes are conveyed in such a full, profound manner theat I’m convinced it is an alternative way of women’s expression. It is not the popular “little women” style; instead, Xu Xiaoyan is communicating with the male world as an equal. Her idea of femininity is dominated by a profound fortitude, which has enabled women to take up all the natural and social missions. It is here that you perceive the “masculine femininity” in Xu Xiaoyan’s paintings. While Xu’s works can be categorized as expressionism in terms of her methods of expression, they are definitely not the mere imitation of expressionism. Putting Xu’s art against the big picture of contemporary oil painting in China, we will see the distinct locality and individuality in her works. From the expression of themes to the styling of her artistic vocabulary, Xu Xiaoyan’s oil paintings have gained a unique individual value through constant transcending and shifting.
At last, if must be emphasized that, in Xu Xiaoyan’s artistic expression, the fundamental colors of red and black and their diverse combinations and variations in the calm, firm brushwork have not only effectively convey the thems of her art, but created the very epic quality in her paintings as well.