2023
译/ 马胜楠
路航的《碗》系列给人的第一印象是冷峻的绝望感，逼仄的空间中，赤裸的人体蜷曲着、匍匐着，在接近或远离一只空碗。这里，空碗成为中心意象，它的存在显得孤立而深刻，而这些全部背对着观众的身体，没有一张清晰的面目，赤裸的身体呈现出一种原始的、兽性的，甚或鬼魅般的状态。
这组令人惊心的作品，更像是一幕幕无声的剧目，那些没有面目的扭曲的人体，尽管失去了语言，但他们的身体姿态与空碗所构成的空间关系，让观者的情绪在这沉默的阴影中，迸发出绝望与悲怆之感。面部的消失正代表了个体身份的消失，而眼睛的消失似乎提出了一个问题，我们真的有“眼睛”吗？
Acéphale, founded by Georges Bataille in 1936
图源：Progressive Geographies
从时间线来看，《碗》系列作品几乎贯穿了路航2023年的创作，它的主题、符号和由此而延展铺陈开的表达，让人感受到其创作主题与思想阶段性的转变。它将艺术家从过去关于历史、集体与个人的叙事中，带入到一个更为本能的存在主义思考。透过这组作品，似乎有一种无形的力量，将我们从层层虚饰的世界里抽离，进入一个内心的荒原。
这荒原是艺术家本人的，还是我们内心的？
碗与人体：符号的塑造与象征的深意
《碗》系列的核心符号是碗，这一普通的日常物品在路航的画布上被赋予了巨大的象征意义。在这些画面中，碗仿佛是一个冷漠的存在，它既不是传统意义上的“食器”，也不是象征“丰盛”的标志。它空虚、冷寂，散发着一种极端简化的象征力量。
The “Bowl” as a symbol in Laurent LU's works
作为画面中的唯一物品，碗的存在让空间充满了张力。艺术家用碗打破了空白，让人不得不去思考它在整个场景中的作用。这些赤裸的身体，在空间中失去了其它可供依靠的参照，仿佛只能依附于碗作为唯一的中心，作为仅存的目的物。
碗 4-6 Bowl 4-6
三联画 Triptych
与碗相对的，人物的姿态也成为了另一个重要的符号。所有的角色都是赤裸的，没有服饰，也没有多余的修饰。他们的赤裸，不是传统意义上关于人体美的表达，而是剥离一切社会符号后的真实与本原。人物的身体姿态有的背对碗，似乎在逃避；有的与碗平行，像是在一种迷惘与不确定性中的找寻；还有的与之相向对峙，显示出一种背离姿态……正是这种对姿态的细致描绘，使得作品充满了情绪与不安。赤裸的身体本身象征了人的存在的脆弱与原始状态，在没有了社会赋予的身份和标签后，个体仅以身体的本能，呈现出其最基本的生存姿态。
这注定不是一场平静的凝视。碗成为了身体动作的中心，其不可逃避的焦点作用，影响着这些身体的每一个细微动作。每个身体的姿态都在碗的引力场中挣扎与失衡，仿佛每一个动作都在回应那不可填满的空洞。碗的存在凝聚了场景中的力量，也无声地向观者传递出生命中的无解与反复。
碗与人体，这两个符号的建构，二者间的凝视与抗争，将我们引向了一种永恒的拉扯之中。
2023
碗与空间：虚无中的紧张感
《碗》系列中的空间处理是另一个值得深入探讨的维度。作品中的人物、碗和空间并不是简单的三维关系，而是通过巧妙的布局让观者感受到一种难以名状的压抑感与孤独感。碗被放置在空旷而无特征的空间中，而人物则匍匐在画面中，仿佛他们与周围的世界是分离的，整个画面充满了隔阂与疏离的气氛。
这种空旷的空间是现代社会中人类的孤立状态的象征。人物和碗虽然都存在于同一画面中，但他们被一道无形的屏障隔开。身体与碗的距离和姿态，构成了人与物的空间关系，这距离不仅在测量空间，更在测量存在的意义。作为符号的“碗”，在此也成为了一种“镜像”，映照出人面对生存本能与物质时的复杂情感与极其强烈的匮乏感。
在这个极度简化的空间中，艺术家通过极少的元素创造出了一种空洞的视觉空间，给观者留下想象的巨大空间。观众在眼睁睁看着这些人物挣扎的同时，仿佛也被邀请进入这个空旷的世界，去体验这种存在的孤独与无助。空间的静谧与人物的无力感交织在一起，形成了一种压倒性的情感张力。人物为了靠近碗而弯曲、匍匐，他们所有的努力只是为了接近这一空虚的目标。这种冲突在作品中以一种无声的方式表达出来。
《碗》系列中的空间安排呈现出一种舞台般的开放、戏剧性的视觉效果。背景通常没有任何装饰性元素，色彩虽然是明丽的，但这种明丽反而营造出一种空洞和匮乏感。没有任何外部世界的痕迹，人物和碗像是被孤立在一个封闭的舞台上，成为了被观察的对象。观者被引导进入这个戏剧般的世界。这种舞台感强化了人与物质的对立，而碗在这空旷的舞台上，成为了不可忽视的权威象征。它是所有希望的汇集点，但也是所有挣扎的源头。
艺术家在作品中没有过多的叙述，而是用了极简的手法，去掉了一切多余的视觉信息，留下了最核心的元素。通过它，构建起的空间也并不仅仅是一个冷冰冰的三维结构，而是一种感性的、具有情绪层次的场域，让作品显得沉重、深邃。
2023
风格探索：从吕贝尔茨和培根到戈雅与马蒂斯
在《碗》系列的创作中，路航的风格转向显得深刻而内敛，这种变化表现为形式上的极简处理，更体现在思想的转折上。他早期的创作受马库斯·吕贝尔茨和弗朗西斯·培根的影响颇深，但逐渐，他的艺术语言中开始流露出对戈雅和马蒂斯的借鉴，作品从直接的表现性表达，转向更为内在、孤寂的存在主义探索。
早期，路航的作品带有新表现主义的烙印。吕贝尔茨在形体变形与情感张力上的处理，为他打开了情感表达的新维度，而培根的影响则在《碗》系列中得以突出。培根作品中扭曲的人体和浓重的心理氛围，使路航能够在视觉上通过孤立的碗与人物之间的关系来探讨个体的生存困境。他在这些作品中也表现出了对人物的极致简化与象征性表达，正如培根以极简的构图传递出内在张力，路航在碗的象征中凝聚出无声的叙事。
此外，路航汲取了戈雅黑暗与荒诞的力量。戈雅以其怪诞的人物和对社会的深刻批判性著称，在《碗》系列中，碗与人类之间的关系，与戈雅笔下那种极度扭曲的人物形象和社会的黑暗揭示，形成了某种呼应。尽管他未采用戈雅具象的场景和复杂的叙事，却通过极简的视觉语言，把社会与个体之间的对立张力，浓缩到碗与人物的对峙中。
而马蒂斯的影响则在路航对人体的处理上显得尤为重要，马蒂斯通过色彩和人体姿态的表现，传递了舞蹈般的生命力与律动感。但路航所表达的身体，不再欢愉，而是转化成了一种痛苦与屈从的姿态，让人倍感在物质世界中的无力与迷失感。
路航从戈雅与马蒂斯中汲取了形式与思想的精华，却以自己的方式进一步极端化了它们。在戈雅那里，怪诞的形象背后是社会的荒诞，而路航则将这一切剥离至极致，将人类与物质的关系简化为一个个荒凉的场景和孤立的个体。每一个碗都成为一个沉默的焦点，人物的姿态成了碗的对照物，而观者则在这种紧张的关系中感受到一种无法逃脱的宿命感。
这种风格上的转变，路航延续了他对人类生存状态的探讨，也拓展了这一主题的深度与广度。他将社会性与存在性糅合在一起，呈现出一个封闭且荒凉的世界。在这种视觉语言的转向中，感受到艺术家某种倾向的批判性，也看到他对内心深处那种本能欲望的深刻洞察。在这一点上，路航的《碗》系列标志着他从早期的直接表达，逐渐走向了一种更为冷静的艺术思考。
然而，整组作品看下来，这种极端的简化与剥离，也在某种程度上，将作品带入了一个孤绝而封闭的境地。艺术家将人物去除了他们的社会属性和复杂性，将人性压缩为一种纯粹的本能反应，难免呈现出一种过于单一的存在主义困境。
或许是为了对抗简化带来的对人类复杂性的过度削减与绘画本身的自我封闭性，路航近年的创作有着较为显著的特征——向艺术史寻求灵感，他开始以多套三联画形式组成系列去丰富主题的表现性，以此更多维度地呈现他的作品。正如《碗》系列所展现的那样，观者强烈领受着从肉体到尊严的失落，由此以直面替代自欺，以接受替代逃避，以向死而生的勇气表达着“存在”。
路航将创作视为人生每个阶段思考的印记呈现。由此看来，在极简的符号化表达中，继续拓展更深层次的人文关怀和社会意义，为人性赋魅，会否成为他下个阶段的命题？
舞者4-6 Dancer 4-6
三联画 Triptych
2023
The first impression of Laurent LU’s Bowl series is a stark, chilling sense of despair. In the confined spaces of the paintings, nude human figures are curled up or sprawled, either approaching or distancing themselves from an empty bowl. Here, the empty bowl becomes the central image, standing out in isolation with a profound presence. The naked bodies, all turned away from the viewer without revealing any clear faces, exhibit a primal, animalistic, or even ghostly state.
The core symbol in Laurent LU’s Bowl series is the bowl itself—an ordinary, everyday object that on LU’s canvas is imbued with immense symbolic significance. In these paintings, the bowl seems like a cold, indifferent presence. It is neither a traditional “vessel for food” nor a symbol of “abundance”. Instead, it stands empty and desolate, exuding a powerfully distilled symbolic force.
As the sole object in the composition, the bowl introduces a tension-filled space. The artist uses it to break the void, compelling the viewer to ponder its role within the entire scene. The naked bodies, devoid of any other points of reference in the space, seem to cling to the bowl as their only center, the sole object of purpose.
The bowl, as a symbol, embodies a dual nature of emptiness and containment: on one hand, it is a container meant to hold material substance, representing the satisfaction of life’s physical needs; on the other, its emptiness hints at an insatiable spiritual yearning and quest. In each painting, the bowl is never entirely filled, and in terms of scale, it often appears large, while the human figures are relatively shrunken and distorted. This size contrast and the hollowness of the bowl seem to signify the unfillable void present in human existence.
Contrasting with the bowl is the posture of the human figures, which emerges as another crucial symbol. All the characters are naked—without clothing or any extraneous embellishments. Their nudity is not a traditional expression of the beauty of the human body; rather, it reflects a raw, primal reality stripped of all social symbols. Some figures turn their backs to the bowl, seemingly in avoidance; others align parallel to it, as if searching in a state of confusion and uncertainty; yet others confront it head-on, displaying a stance of defiance. This meticulous depiction of posture fills the work with emotion and a sense of unease. The bare bodies themselves symbolize the vulnerability and primal state of human existence. Stripped of social identity and labels, the figures embody their most basic survival instincts through their bodily expressions.
This is destined to be an unsettling gaze. The bowl, as the focal point of the bodily movements, exerts an unavoidable gravitational pull, influencing every subtle gesture of the figures. Each body’s posture seems to struggle within the bowl’s gravitational field, as if every movement responds to the unfillable void it embodies. The bowl concentrates the power of the entire scene, silently conveying the unsolvable and cyclical struggles of life.
In the Bowl series, Laurent LU’s stylistic shift appears profound and introspective. This evolution is marked not only by a minimalist approach in form but also by a significant conceptual transformation. While LU’s earlier works were heavily influenced by Markus Lüpertz and Francis Bacon, his artistic language gradually began to incorporate elements reminiscent of Goya and Matisse. This shift moved his expression from direct and visceral to a deeper, solitary existential exploration.
In his early phase, LU’s creations bore the marks of Neo-Expressionism. Lüpertz’s manipulation of form and emotional tension provided LU with a new dimension for emotional articulation. Bacon’s impact is especially noticeable in the Bowl series, where the distorted human figures and the intense psychological atmosphere parallel Bacon’s portrayal of tormented existence. LU similarly employs the isolated relationship between the bowl and the figures to delve into the struggles of individual survival. His depiction of human forms is stripped down to their essence, employing symbolism to the extreme. Just as Bacon’s minimalist compositions convey inner tension, LU encapsulates a silent narrative within the symbolism of the bowl.
Moreover, LU draws from Goya’s dark and grotesque vision. Goya, known for his bizarre figures and deep social criticism, resonates with the relational dynamics between the bowl and the human figures in the Bowl series. Although LU does not adopt Goya’s concrete scenes or complex narratives, he uses a stark visual language to distill the tension between society and the individual into the confrontation between the bowl and the human figures.
Matisse’s influence is most evident in LU’s treatment of the human body. While Matisse conveyed a sense of vitality and rhythmic movement through color and pose, LU’s portrayal of the human form is starkly different—it is filled with pain and submission, reflecting a sense of helplessness and disorientation in the material world.
LU synthesizes the formal and philosophical elements from Goya and Matisse, pushing them further towards extremity in his own work. Where Goya’s grotesque imagery reflects the absurdity of society, LU distills these themes to their essence, portraying barren scenes and isolated figures to explore the relationship between humans and the material world. Each bowl becomes a silent focal point, with the figures positioned as counterpoints, drawing the viewer into a tension-laden relationship that evokes an inescapable sense of fate.
This stylistic transformation allows LU to continue his exploration of the human condition, expanding the depth and breadth of this theme. By merging social and existential dimensions, he presents a closed and desolate world. The shift in visual language reveals LU’s critical inclination and his deep insight into primal desires. Thus, the Bowl series marks his progression from straightforward expression towards a more contemplative artistic inquiry.
However, when examining the entire Bowl series, one can sense that this extreme simplification and reduction of elements inevitably leads the work into an isolated and enclosed realm. The artist strips the figures of their social attributes and complexities, reducing human nature to a raw, instinctual response. This approach risks presenting a somewhat narrow existential dilemma, characterized by a stark, almost barren vision of existence.
Perhaps as a counteraction to this reductive approach—where the complexity of human experience is overly minimized—LU’s recent works display a significant shift. He has turned to art history for inspiration, opting for series composed of multiple triptychs to enrich thematic expression. This method allows for a more layered and multidimensional portrayal of his ideas. As showcased in the Bowl series, viewers are confronted with a palpable sense of loss, from the physical to the existential. LU invites his audience to replace self-deception with direct confrontation, acceptance over evasion, and to find a life-affirming courage in facing the void.
The Artist
Author: Liu Siyuan
Artworks: Laurent LU
