03、十里洋場
對於上世紀繁華都市的特殊景觀，以及由這些景觀所産生的視覺符號群，常令我産生莫名地嚮往和沉醉。1982年隻身初到上海便被其深深感染，當即在眾人的圍觀下在外灘在南京路在蘇州河等處畫出了一批鋼筆速寫，整整20年後，當我獨自在畫室裏要用油畫表現它們時，倒有點發怵和忐忑的感覺，怵的是心裏沒底，忐忑的也是心裏沒底，不知能否尋找到恰當地方式切入畫面，從而把心理經驗轉化為視覺形象，把記憶還原為圖示。帶著矛盾和複雜的心情歷時近一個月，我畫出了表現老上海外灘的油畫《十里洋場》。2003年此畫參加了在中國美術館舉辦的“第三屆中國油畫展精選作品展”，這是我的油畫第一次參加國內重要的油畫展，也是我創作生涯中一個重要的分水嶺。
06、風雲十六鋪 2003到2006年這個階段，我特別喜歡聽電影《王子復仇記》中那些大段的臺詞，其中尤愛哈姆萊特的那段“活著還是不活”的獨白，莎士比亞的語言和孫道臨的演繹與感染力都令我為之傾倒。記得那時的我能夠脫口背誦出那些臺詞的段落。《風雲十六鋪》《黃浦江畔》《有軌電車》等都是這個時期的作品，我不知道是否是受到了什麼潛在的感染，還是近朱者赤，亦或是其他什麼原因，有人在看過這些畫時，會覺得有種傷痕藝術的傾向。上海朋友徐國勝先生在給我的短消息裏就曾説道“現代人很需要你畫面的滄桑感，（一種近似于傷痕藝術的悲情快感！）陳年往事對中産階級的成功之後是失落的寫照，由繁華成功失落缺憾交織的快感來自你的畫作裏！便是作品的價值”。
07、碼頭
藝術不是歷史境遇和現實生活的隨從，而是它們的認知者解析者和批判者，我希望從某種解析和批判的意義上，來畫這張《碼頭》，並由此體驗一種能夠與心靈相對應的情感，進而造就視覺感受中自由意志的産物，探尋精神的自由和釋放。但在具體表達時又不可避免地碰到感性與理性的劇烈衝突，恰如其分的制衡或者化解這種衝突則需要不斷地修煉。
10、海灘
帶有某種程度的抒情和恣意是畫《海灘》這張畫時的狀態，無為而為、不爭之爭在過程中不露聲色，在結果裏才被察覺。在順應自然中的偶然發現彌足珍貴，有時它並非你的初衷或本意，但當它偶有顯露時則需考驗你的神經敏感度，墨守成規易對意外閃現的光彩視而不見或擦肩而過。
11、這張《海景房》是在比較輕鬆的狀態中本著嘗試和探尋新經驗的情形下畫出的，畫面的處理力求肯定、明確，無論厚與薄、線與型的表現均下筆即成，不作反覆和疊加，以至於很多人都以為這是一張寫生作品。
14、長途大巴過去叫長途汽車或長途客車，兒時的記憶，撫今追昔。
15、《長寧別墅》是為2010上海世博會畫的。主辦方要求儘量尊重客觀，似與不似便是最應掌握的原則。
18、巡邏艇這張畫是2008年參加“拓展與融合-----中國現代油畫研究展”的作品，展出時被懸挂在中國美術館園廳的中間位置。其實這張畫畫的很不順利，儘管用時不多，但卻跨越了07至08近一年的時間，尤其畫至半程，畫面總感覺是呆板和木訥地，總也要不到那種想要的東西，很長一段時間裏都為此感到無奈何惆悵，在擱置了較長時間後，我嘗試以逆向程式再畫，才找到了某種所謂的突破，在這個過程中，我覺得最大的收穫是對油畫顏料的性能，以及用油的方式上有了新的認知。
19、致遠艦
記得馬蒂斯曾説“面對物象的表現，不拘泥于實際，而是反映它能在內心深處激起的某種情感”。《致遠艦》為中日甲午戰爭之著名戰艦，採用艦體的局部經營于畫面和以玫紅色表現，企望拉開具象繪畫對客觀過於依賴的距離，強調其主觀表達與視覺變異是當時的意圖。這張畫在十一屆全國美展油畫展時被放在展廳進門處比較顯要的位置，但總覺得沒能畫出自己真正想要的那種畫面。
29、海魂系列之一
36、在畫都市系列中涉及到的碼頭和船舶等相對繁雜圖式後，我轉而思考以化整為零的方式，從中提取某種個體圖像單獨表現，《船系列》就是基於這種考慮出現的又一個系列作品。
39、 畫《食既》的那個階段，我特別癡迷于海菲茨的小提琴曲,無論是在畫室還是開車的時候，全部是聽他的CD，我經常把音響的聲音放的很大，大到近乎于震耳發潰的程度，以此來盡情地享受他那無以言表的高超技藝，時常被他那種無與倫比的琴技和剃刀般鋒利的音色搞得汗毛都豎將起來，而後，滿腦子裏都是這些音符和旋律。然而這些感受是很難在繪畫中得到的，好的或者是特別好的繪畫作品，能令你肅然起敬或者陷入思考。。。。。，能使你的眼睛為之一閃、一亮，卻不會使你的汗毛豎立起來，這就是視覺和聽覺藝術訴諸器官功效之區別。想起吳冠中先生曾説：“小路藝術養眼，大路藝術養心”。
40、20世紀上半葉出現在上海的郵車，消失的風景，信筆拈來。
41、陣風系列這是一個側重體驗鬆弛和材料綜合運用的小系列，選擇摩托車作為畫面主體，是因為還算年少時曾被這種機械單車迷的近乎神魂顛倒。
47、一本明信片 2009年的某天，一個以前教過的學生如約到畫室看我，並帶來一套上世紀30年代拍攝的蘇州園林明信片，説是閒逛時在書攤上偶然所得，言我肯定喜歡就特意買了送我，明信片呈橫式長條狀的，高度類似香煙盒，寬度卻有一尺，明顯區別於現在常見的明信片，整套十余張顏色發黃的老圖片，獅子林、雙塔、楓橋、虎丘、滄浪亭等姑蘇園林及古城街景盡在其中，我當即眼睛一亮，忙不迭一張張翻看著，嘴裏直説好！好！我之所以喜歡這套明信片，是因為它鉤沉了上世紀初蘇州園林景觀所特有的靜謐、單純、和自然悠遠的意境，與現在古城的喧鬧、嘈雜、車流如梭形成了鮮明的對照。我時常細細地端詳這些圖片，想像著近百年前姑蘇古城恬淡、安逸的樣子，石板鋪成的街道、弄堂、以及淡淡地炊煙、偶有輕舟劃過的小河、錯落有致的粉墻黛瓦中赫然矗立的雙塔等等，每每端詳這些過去的、雖能傳續至今但卻物是景非的圖片，都能給我帶來無盡地回味和遐想。因為這些照片，我曾試圖從中找到對古城的某種情愫，期望以樸素的和最能夠接近我內心深處的情懷準確地畫出它們，但是，又似乎很難找到自己那種冥冥之中真正想要的路境切入畫面，所以，拖了很長一段時間也沒有著手去畫，可在內心卻依然惦記著這些既近在眼前又已遠去的圖像。 2010年我要調離蘇州，去南京藝術學院工作。此時，我已在這座古城整整生活了14個年頭，當坐在高鐵的車廂裏，望著窗外疾速遠去的虎丘斜塔，我忽然意識到必須畫一個蘇州系列作品，以紀念我的這段歷程，《姑蘇系列》就是基於此念，以這套明信片為藍本畫出的，這個系列的作品畫幅雖較小，但卻與我的“都市”與“海魂”系列拉開了一定的距離，也是我對這座古城認識、理解的表達和情感記載。愛過知情重 ，醉過知酒濃。謝謝這座古城和這位已成為高校教師的學生。
56、繼“巡邏艇”“致遠艦”後，把煙霧作為畫面形態因素，並力圖表達出一種極端感，是我畫阿芙樂爾艦的意圖。視覺形態和藝術媒材的變革，是現代藝術的重要標誌，任何藝術都是對客觀世界的再組合與重新解構，舊媒材的使用也應是手段與方式的改造和重構或是進化，如此才利於豐富繪畫語言的手段和表現力，促進繪畫視覺觀念的更新。
03、 東山國賓館
2002年我開始針對風景的現場寫生，當時的畫幅都不大，東山國賓館就是這一年的深秋所畫的寫生。
07、沂蒙寫生 2003年的初冬，當江南依然綠如藍時，我帶著一隊學生來到沂蒙山區寫生。北方冬天來的早，11月的天氣已有些寒風凜凜，山中樹木也已成枯黃狀了，這使得我們這隊人馬，尤其是第一次來到北方的學生多少有些不適應。既來之則安之，待安頓好後，第二天便開始了對沂蒙山區的寫生和體驗。
12、初到查濟乍一來到皖南山區小村查濟，有種脫離塵囂的感覺，小憩過後天色較晚時，便畫了這張寫生。
16、樓梯有雨的一天，沒法外出寫生，在住處的小樓裏東張張西望望，最後對著樓梯揣摩來琢磨去的，就有了這張畫。
17 皖南
皖南的新建房屋依然延續了徽派建築的風格或樣式，但如果純粹客觀的表達這種形態，容易落入俗套而索然無味。我爬上屋頂平臺，統攬視野內皖南村落，作畫過程中有意淡化建築個體造型特點 強化建築群的整體結構特徵，使之與山脈、田野形成節奏及強弱變化是畫這張寫生時的想法。
22、船頭
把船頭置於前景並佔據畫面近半幅的位置，有點類似電影中的主觀鏡頭，略帶有後印象主義傾向的用筆，于不經意間流露，爾後貫穿于整個畫面。
碼頭的油桶之一
我第一次畫這種較大尺寸的寫生，是在太湖東山的小碼頭，畫面主體圍繞著油桶展開，過程還算順利。當時主要是想體驗一下大尺幅寫生的感覺，圖個痛快，幾年後再端詳這張畫，覺得它比起小幅寫生來，能帶給自己更多“另外”的想法，也不枉“大”了這張畫。
碼頭的油桶之三 銹跡斑駁的油桶中間涂著濃烈的橘黃色，在陽光照耀下分外響亮、高亢、耀眼，怦然心動的表達令人亢奮，急切中在畫面要多了不該要的東西。
喘息外出寫生，經常會遇到比較緊張或意外的情景，比如正在畫時、雨來了，尚未畫完、天黑了，要畫車時、車開了等等。當然，這些不算什麼，但它或多或少會影響人的情緒。提著畫具走在碼頭的石板路上，眼睛左顧右盼東張西望揣摩著搜尋著某種畫面，一艘機動船砰砰叫著像一條大魚靠上了身邊的駁岸，並在海浪的推動下一起一伏地波動著，船老大言只是短暫停留，我稍猶豫便旋即支起畫布，用較短的時間趕在船開走之前，畫出了這張名為“喘息”的寫生。
標準房中午小憩後，溫嶺石塘鎮的天空開始降雨，低而厚的雲層把光線壓的很暗，令人鬱悶。無奈，打開日光燈，縮在門後的墻角處，聽著窗外劈裏啪啦的雨點聲和呼呼作響的風聲以及嘩啦嘩啦的樹葉聲，悠閒地畫了這張“標準房”。
修理鋪碼頭的修理鋪是為船隻做簡單修理而設的，看上去像馬路邊的汽車、自行車修理鋪一樣、並無二致。區別是，一種在路邊，一種在碼頭。
昂克雷 2010年仲夏，應邀與南藝同事一起驅車去無錫陽山寫生，昂克雷便是一同事的私車。
39 陸巷停車場
每次來太湖東山的陸巷，都住在這個停車場附近，2010年的“五一節”東山正在修公路，停車場也變成了料場，碩大的石灰堆在陽光的照耀下顯得格外刺眼。藝術中的再現現實不是在畫面中照搬現實，而是再現了藝術家對現實的一種“再認識”，善於觸及一些有悖于日常視覺習慣的景物，對思維的活躍和開啟是有裨益的。
40、雕花樓庭院園林式的建築和池塘對於我來説並不陌生，但當時看中的是在這個語境中，撐開的遮陽傘上的條紋由於透視所産生的形式因素，以及這種變化了的規則與周圍景致的對應關係。
藩切寫生之一
當畫完這張在越南藩切的寫生後，回首審視那些曾經的寫生畫面，由生疏到熟練的所謂自我滿足和得意于所謂的“辦法”，往往很快就變成了過眼的煙雲。積累的目的是不斷地創造，訴諸或者拜倒在藝術家危險的技藝之下，會失去必要的自我破壞性，使繪畫流於模式而無法重新獲得表達思想情感的力量，或許就是缺乏反省式沉思的結果。
03. The Metropolis Old Shanghai
The specific thriving cityscape of last century and the visual symbols it brought often attract and intoxicate me. On my arrival in Shanghai in 1982, I was appealed to them. At that moment, with a pen, I sketched several in the Bund and by the Suzhou River. 20 years after that, I was a little timid and disturbed when I painted them in a studio, because I was not so sure whether I could find a proper way to represent the images, to turn spiritual experience into visual images and to transform memories into images. In an ambivalent and complicated mood, I painted “The Metropolis Old Shanghai” about the Bund in old Shanghai within a month, which was exhibited in “the 3rd Selected Paintings Exhibition in China”. It was my first important exhibition, as well as a watershed in my art course.
06. The Shiliupu Wharf
From 2003 to 2006, I was dedicated to the lines in the film Hamlet, especially the monologue of “To be or not to be” by Hamlet. Both the words of Shakespeare and the performance of Sun Daolin were so stunning that I could even blurt out these lines. “The Shiliupu Wharf”, “Beside the Huangpu River” and “The Tram” were painted in that period. I was not sure whether it was influenced by something underlying, or for any other reason. People often relate these paintings with the scar art. A friend named Xu Guosheng from Shanghai once texted me, saying “Modernists need the ups and downs in your art, one similar to the scar art. The past brings a sense of loss to the middle class after their success. Your paintings bring a mixed feeling of prosperity, success, loss and regret. That’s the value of the paintings.”
07. The Wharf
Art is not an attendant of history and reality, but an analyst and repudiator. I would like to paint “The Wharf” in an analytical and critical way. Therefore, I could release an emotion from my soul, at my will. The conflict between perception and reason is inevitable, but I need to balance them appropriately.
10. The Beach
When I painted “The Beach”, I was in a lyrical and arbitrary state. My rule “to work with inaction and to strive without conflict” can only be detected in the result, rather than in the process. Sometimes the value just lies in the occasional discovery, instead of your original intention. Your acuity for the expected splendor is tested, and routinism would probably stop that.
11. “The Sea View House” was painted in a relaxed mood to try and explore, and I dealt with the painting affirmatively and explicitly. Thick or thin, lines or shapes, I finished it directly, without any repetition or overlying. Many people even mistook it for a sketch.
14. The long-distance bus was called a coach or a long-distance passenger car. It was from my childhood memory, just to compare it with the present.
15. “A Villa in Changning District” was painted for the Shanghai Expo. The sponsor needed it to be objective, so I had to balance between its difference and similarity with the original one.
18. The Patrol Vessel
It was exhibited in “Expansion and Fusion – the Contemporary Chinese Oil Paintings Exhibition” in 2008 and was hanged in the middle of the exhibition hall of the National Art Museum of China. Actually, although not too much time was spent, it didn’t come out smoothly, almost lasting a year from 2007 to 2008. When half of it was finished, I felt it was too stiff and dull, without the feeling that I wanted. I was disconsolate for a long period, and had laid it aside for quite a while when I broke it through with a converse procedure. In the process, I mastered the nature of oil paints and the method to use oil. That was probably my biggest gain.
19. Zhiyuan Vessel
Matisse once stated, “Expressions of physical images could be free from reality, but they could reflect the emotions rising from the bottom of the heart.” Zhiyuan Vessel was a notable vessel in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894. I painted part of it particularly with crimson to draw back from the object that representationalism relies too much on, and to emphasize the original intention of subjective expression and visual variation. The painting was exhibited in a conspicuous position of the exhibition hall. But I don’t think I’ve already expressed myself fully.
29. The “Sea Soul” series
36. After finishing the relatively complicated schemas of wharves and vessels in my cityscapes, I tried to break up the whole into parts, to extract one part for special representation. My “vessel” series is just for that consideration.
39. When I was painting “The Second Contact”, I was infatuated with the violin music of Heifetz, no matter when I was staying in my studio or driving. I often turned it up, even to a deafening loudness to enjoy his speechless skills. His incomparable skill and razor-like tamber always made my flesh creep, and my mind was stuffed with the notes and rhythm. However, these feelings could not be expressed in a painting. A fine or exceptional painting will arouse your admiration or meditation, or brighten your eyes up, but it can’t make your flesh creep. That’s probably the difference between visual and audio apparatuses. Just as Mr. Wu Guanzhong said, “Puny art can refine your eyes, but great art can refine your mind.”
40. It was a convenient painting about a mail-cart from the first half of last century in Shanghai, a vanished sight.
41. The “Gust” series
It was a series to relax and experience mixed media. I chose motorbikes as the subject because I was infatuated with it when I was younger.
47. A series of postcards
One day in 2009, a student of mine visited my studio as appointed and brought me a series of postcards of the gardens in Suzhou in the 30s of last century, explaining that it was bought from a bookstall and I would definitely love it. The postcards were transverse strips, as high as a cigarette box, but the width of them was around 30 centimeters. That was totally different from the current postcards. More than ten yellow pictures of gardens and vistas of the old town were presented, including Lion Grove Garden, Double Pagodas, Fengqiao Bridge, Tiger Hill and Canglang Pavilion. My eyes brightened up and I couldn’t help saying “great!” while incessantly looking through these pictures. The reason why I love the postcards is that they deposit the tranquility, purity and distance of the garden sights, in sharp contrast to the rumpus, din and heavy traffic of the old town at present. I often examine these pictures carefully, wondering about the tranquil and cozy old town of Suzhou nearly a hundred years ago. The streets paved with flagstones, the lanes, smoke from the chimneys, canoes passing by the river and the double pagodas rising from the neat pink walls and black tiles, all those images brought me endless aftertaste and reveries although they’d changed a lot. I tried to find sincerity about the old town from these pictures so as to paint them well and truly in an inornate way that was close to my affection, but it seemed to be difficult to break through. Therefore, I left it aside for quite a while, but I kept thinking about these close images that seemed to be far away. In 2010, I left Suzhou to teach in Nanjing University of the Arts. Till then, I’d lived in the old town for 14 years. When I was sitting in the high speed railway carriage, seeing the leaning tower of tiger hill, I suddenly realized that I must paint a series of works in memory of my experience in Suzhou. The postcards were the blueprint of my paintings. Although these were in smaller sizes, they were distinguished from my “Landscape” series and “Sea Soul” series and presented my recognition, understanding and emotions for the city. You will realize its power after something is gone. Thanks to the city and the student who has already become a teacher in a college.
56. After I finished “The Patrol Vessel” and “Zhiyuan Vessel”, I chose to portray smog in an extreme way, so I painted “The Aphrodite”. The innovation of visual forms and artistic media is an important symbol of contemporary art. Any art form is the reassembly and deconstruction of the objective world. Old media are reused after they are improved and altered to enrich the artistic language and expressions, or to update the visual perception.
03. The Dongshan State Guesthouse It was drawn in 2002 when I started to sketch landscapes. At that time, my paintings were not in large sizes. And “The Dongshan State Guesthouse” was produced in late autumn of that year.
07. Sketches in Yimeng
In the early winter of 2003, I guided a group of students to the mountainous area in Yimeng to sketch when it was still quite green in South China. Winter comes earlier in the north of China. It was a little bit chilly in November, and leaves had already turned yellow. These changes made us, especially those who came to the north for the first time, quite uncomfortable. We decided to cross the bridge since we’d come to it. After we settled down, we started to experience the mountainous area of Yimeng and sketched its sceneries.
12. Arriving Zhaji
On my arrival to the village of Zhaji in the south of Anhui province, I felt I had escaped from the madding crowd. After a break when it turned dark, I finished the sketch.
16. The Staircase
It was a rainy day and I couldn’t sketch out. I glanced around my place and the stairs aroused my interest. Then I finished it.
17. South of Anhui Province
The architecture in the south of Anhui province is of its own style. It would be conventional and dull to paint it objectively. So I climbed up the flat roof to have an overall view of the whole village. I weakened the individual characteristics of the architecture, but strengthened the integral features, to create a rhythm and strength between mountains and fields in the sketch.
22. The Prow
The prow was placed in the foreground and took up almost half of the painting. It was similar to a subjective spot in a film, as well as a post-impressionism one.
The Jerricans in the Wharf No 1
This was the first time for me to sketch in such a large size. It was going smoothly about the jerricans in a small dock in Dongshan of Taihu Lake. At that time, I was just trying to experience a large sketch to seek momentary gratification. Years later when I examined it again, I found, compared with smaller sketches, it brought me some “other” ideas. It was not a waste of its size.
The Jerricans in the Wharf No 3
The rusty jerricans were painted with bright orange, and shone in the sun. The expression stimulated me and I added too much in the painting.
Breather
When I sketched out, it was quite usual to be in an accident or in an uneasy situation. For instance, it rained or turned dark before you finished painting, or the car was driven away when you were drawing it. These were just trifles but they might have a negative influence on your mood. When I walked on the flagging of the dock with my paraphernalia in hand, I glanced around for something to paint, only to see a powerboat approaching the shore like a lingcod, fluctuating in the wave. The boatman said it was just a whistle stop. After an instant of hesitation, I unfolded my canvas to finish the sketch named “Breather” in a short period before the boat sailed off.
A Standard Room
It started to rain after a noon break in Shitang County in Wenling. The thick low cloud made me gloomy with dim light. I had no choice but to turn on the fluorescent lamp, and leisurely painted “A Standard Room” with the cracking sound of raindrops, wind and leaves.
A Repair Shop
A repair shop in the wharf is set for simple repairs of ships, one similar to repair shops for cars and bikes by the roadside. The only difference is one by the roadside and the other in the wharf.
Enclave
In the midsummer of 2010, I was invited by colleagues from Nanjing University of the Arts to sketch in Yangshan of Wuxi. Enclave was a car of one colleague.
39. The Parking Lot in Luxiang
Every time I came to Luxiang in Dongshan of Taihu Lake, I lived near the parking lot. On the May Day in 2010, a road in Dongshan was under construction and the parking lot was turned into a stock ground. Piles of lime in the sun were rather glaring. The recurrence of reality in art is not a copy of it, but a re-cognition by the artist. To touch scenes that go against ordinary visual experience could bestead your thoughts.
40. A Courtyard with Wood-Caving Pavilions
A garden style architecture and pond is no stranger to me. And I was into the context of the stripes in the sunshade in a perspective form, and its altered formula together with the surroundings.
A Sketch in Fanqie
I reviewed some sketches after I finished one in Fanqie of Vietnam. All the skills of drawing for me to be indulged in were soon gone like passing clouds. The purpose of accumulation is to create constantly, and the resort to artistic skills would destroy oneself, leaving paintings without any power to express your emotions. That was probably the consequence of lack of self reflection.