■ 康河新书| 安妮·马兴《当西方遇见东方—东亚毛笔画》英法双语版在英国出版

值得一提的是，安妮的东亚艺术导师之一，是中国艺术大师徐悲鸿的大弟子费成武的徒弟彼得·卡瓦鸠迪(Peter Cavaciuti )。

英国意大利裔艺术家彼得·卡瓦鸠蒂深深痴迷中国传统绘画，20世纪70-80年代，他曾在伦敦师从中国画坛大师徐悲鸿的大弟子费成武学习中国画，为了心中的中国情缘，80年代他远赴中国留学，在中央美术学院学习中国艺术。他对中国文化和美学，特别是茶道和禅宗的长期研究和学习，也进一步提升了他绘画艺术作品的魅力。

彼得不仅把中国画画得非常出色，多次在英国皇家艺术学院、英国皇家水彩画协会，以及欧洲和亚洲等地区举办展览，更把一批又一批西方人带进墨海堂里学中国画，授艺 30余年，他被学生们称为“一松大师”。安妮是最早跟随他学习东方绘画的英国艺术家之一。‍‍‍‍‍‍

点击以下图片，观赏关于彼得·卡瓦鸠迪的纪录片：‍‍

                                        安妮·马兴

在过去的两年中，我们都重新评估了生活中重要的事物，但有些事物始终如一：我们对自然之美的迷恋和对其无穷无尽变化的欣赏。作为人类，我们可能正在步入一个新的世界，一个新的意识层面，但我们仍然受益于从自然界中获得的鲜活精神力。无论作为画家还是观众，当我们无法外出旅行，并且被禁止参与正常活动时，我们仍然可以欣赏绘画带来的慰藉。

我想在这里与大家分享一些我四十年来一直运用传统东亚文人（士人）画家的技法所创作的艺术品。

传统的东亚绘画使用浓淡不一的黑色墨水。这种艺术形式，由受过高等教育的中国学者（被称为文人）实践了几个世纪，基本上涉及与书法相同的技法，用笔蘸取黑色墨水或有色颜料而作。墨水的“颜色”本身就足以进行自我表达，但通过添加色彩，能够创造出无穷无尽的可能性。对于传统的中国文人而言，绘画桌是宇宙的一个缩影——直到今天也是如此。

在西方，我们倾向于追寻一幅画所描述的内容；而在东方，人们首先询问其含义，吉祥隐喻的释义使观众能够进一步理解这幅图画。例如，花是美的普遍象征，但在东方和西方，它们可能有许多含义，尽管它们的含义可能不尽相同。比如说，在西方，菊花因持久绽放而经常与墓地联系在一起。在中国，菊花由于经久不衰而被认为是不朽之花；它们也被认为是预示好运将至，象征着乐观和喜悦。并且因为菊花在秋季盛开，所以也会被认为是与秋季相关。同样的，梅花代表着冬季，兰花代表着春季，竹子代表着夏季。这四种花被称为“四君子”，用于描绘一年四季的变化。

初学者通常是通过学习绘制“四君子”，从而踏入东亚绘画领域，其主要原因在于绘制这四种植物所需的笔触范围几乎是完整的，而且它们象征着中国人所珍视的美德——正直、纯洁、谦逊和在恶劣条件下生存的坚忍毅力。

安妮·马兴作品《陡峭山路》（42x22cm）

我早期对于艺术史的认识和绘画训练都是基于西方艺术、素描和我所从事的西方绘画修复工作。但自从1986年访问中国之后，我对东亚绘画的材料和技法便产生了兴趣，进而热衷于东亚的传统哲学和文化。除了水墨画，我现在还会练习太极和书法。

中国画的发展历程已有2000多年了，近年来，许多画家逐渐吸收了西方的思想，因此我并非第一个发现这种文化融合激发活力的人，但我的创作确实形成了东西方在技术和观念上的协同效应，并以我个人的方式去表达。中国画的材料独特，其用途是无穷无尽的，因此我一直感到备受挑战。事实上，我对东亚绘画历史的了解越多，并持续探索东亚绘画的技艺，它就越来越成为一种完全展现自我的方式，几乎成为了一种沉思。

在使用中国墨水和水彩时，我通常在手工纸上绘画，然后将其湿裱到卡片或纸上，这样它们就可以以西方风格装裱和悬挂。我使用红色朱砂膏用中式的篆刻或印章签署我的作品（通常是刻有我的艺名“马静珠“的古老印章，那是一个方形的凸印或阳印——白底红字），使其成为整体画面的一部分。这种东西方艺术的结合是我绘画风格的固有组成部分。在过去的三年里，我一直在使用一种辅助印章，一个椭圆形的凹印或阴印（红底白字），翻译过来就是“创意70年”。我可能会根据作品的主题，加印我的收藏的其他印章。在东亚绘画中，印章远不只是一个签名；印章可以丰富构图，有时还可以增加图像的含义。

安妮·马兴作品《来自英国花园》（48x29.5cm）

During the strange times of the past two years, as we all re-evaluated what is important in our lives, some things remain constant: our sense of enchantment in the beauty of nature and our appreciation of its infinite variety. As human beings we may be moving into a new world, a new level of consciousness, but we still benefit from the refreshment provided by the natural world. When unable to travel and not allowed to participate in normal activities, we can still enjoy a painting – either as painter or spectator.

I would like to share with you here some of my artworks using the traditional East Asian techniques of the literati (scholar) painters, which I have been using for almost four decades.

Traditional East Asian painting, uses black ink in various concentrations. This art form, practiced for centuries by highly educated Chinese scholars called literati, involves essentially the same techniques as calligraphy and is done with a brush dipped in black ink or coloured pigments. The ‘colours’ of ink alone are sufficient for self-expression, but with the addition of colour, the possibilities are truly endless. For the traditional Chinese scholar, the painting desk was a microcosm of the universe – as is true today.

In the West we tend to ask what a painting represents; in the East one inquires first after its meaning, and the interpretation of auspicious metaphors allows viewers to further appreciate the image. Flowers, for example, are universal symbols of beauty, but they can have many connotations – both in East and West, although their meanings may differ. For example, in the West, the chrysanthemum, due to its long-lasting blossoms, is often associated with graveyards. In China, because they are long-lasting, chrysanthemums are considered the flower of immortality; they are also thought to bring good luck, and symbolize optimism and joy. And since they bloom in autumn, they are associated with that season – while the plum blossom represents winter, the orchid spring and the bamboo summer. These four flowers, used to depict the unfolding of the seasons through the year, are known as the Four Friends. 

The beginner’s way into East Asian painting is usually by learning to paint the Four Friends, also known as the Four Gentlemen, mainly because the range of brush strokes required to paint these four plants is almost complete, but also because of their symbolism of uprightness, purity, humility and perseverance against harsh conditions – virtues valued by the Chinese people.

My early training in art history and painting was based on Western art and on life drawing and my career was as a restorer of Western easel paintings, but following a trip to China in 1986, I became interested in the materials and techniques of East Asian painting and then in the traditional philosophy and culture which are very much a part of it. As well as ink painting, I now practice tai chi and calligraphy also. 

Chinese painting has been evolving for over 2,000 years and in recent years Western ideas have been slowly incorporated by many painters, so I am not the first to have found this blend of cultures stimulating, but my own creative work has definitely become a synergy between East and West, in technique and outlook, and in my own personal way. The materials of Chinese painting are unique and their versatility is endless, so I have always felt challenged. In fact, the more I learn about the history of East Asian painting, as well as continuing to explore its varied techniques, the more it has become a way to be fully present with myself, almost a meditation.

When using Chinese ink and watercolour I usually paint on pieces of handmade paper which I then wet mount onto card or paper so that they can be framed and hung in Western style. I sign my work with red vermilion paste using a seal or chop in the Chinese manner (usually with an antique seal of my artist's name Majingzhu (which is a square relief or yang seal - red characters on a white ground) and this becomes an integral part of the overall image. This combination of aspects of Eastern and Western art is an intrinsic part of my painting style. For the last three years I have been using a complementary seal, an oval intaglio or yin seal (white characters on a red ground), which translates as ‘70 years of creativity’. Depending on the subject, I may add other seals from my collection. In East Asian painting a seal is much more than just a signature; seals add to the composition and sometimes to the meaning of an image.

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Ann Massing