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张书旂:花鸟丹青绘“外交”

2020-12-08沈爱群

文化交流 2020年11期
关键词:丁宁美术馆外交

沈爱群

北大教授牵线搭桥 浦江籍旅美画家作品“回家”

“疏影暗香——纪念张书旂诞辰一百二十周年艺术展”正在中国国家博物馆举行,展览举办到2020年12月。

本次展览,由中国国家博物馆与浙江美术馆主办,浦江美术馆协办,共展出86件(套)张书旂作品、30多件(套)相关展品。其中《翎毛集》以及重要代表作《孔雀》《鸡》,是张书旂之子张少书代表这位浦江籍旅美画家在美国的家属,特意捐赠给中国国家博物馆的。

进入白宫的第一幅中国画

张书旂何许人也?

还记得抗战时期赠送给时任美国总统罗斯福的那幅《世界和平的信使》(又称《百鸽图》)吗?

没错,《百鸽图》就是张书旂画于1940年的作品,也是进入白宫的第一幅中国画。

张书旂1900年生于浙江省浦江县礼张村,著名现代花鸟画家。

他毕生专注于花鸟画的创作和研究,其艺术博采众长,从徐熙、李鱓、任伯年、吴昌硕等不同时期的众多大师那里汲取营养,又巧妙融合西画的写生优势,作品妙造自然,雅俗共赏。

他在花鸟画题材上的拓展也卓有成就,画的鸽子在画坛独树一帜。尤为人称道的是他的花鸟画在用色探索上形成一种擅用白色、巧用白色的独特风貌,在20世纪30年代便以“白粉主义画家”著称于世,与徐悲鸿、柳子谷并称“金陵三杰”。

他的作品参加了民国时期仅有的3次全国美术展览会,也曾分别被徐悲鸿和刘海粟携至巴黎、柏林和莫斯科等欧洲多个城市参加中国现代绘画展览,屡获褒奖并被国外博物馆收藏,蜚声中外。

1941年秋,张书旂本人作为当时的“文化使者”到了美国,他的使命是向美国人民展现中国文化,推进中美友谊,同时积极争取美国帮助中国抗战。因珍珠港事件,无法顺利回到中国,张书旂就在美国生活了5年。第二次世界大战结束之后,他回到中国,而后又于1949年重到美国,一直居住在奥克兰山,直至1957年英年早逝。

美术界评论:张书旂注重写生、师法造化,将西画的写实技法和色彩理论与中国花鸟画的独特韵致巧妙结合,画作力求色彩与水墨的融合,善用白粉,能“粉分五色”,计白当黑,由强烈的单一对比化作柔和多变的层次变化,形成简洁静雅、恬淡柔美的画面意境。

宁波籍北大教授牵线搭桥

笔者参观此次画展时发现,86件(套)张书旂作品中,有14件在落款时与杭州、西湖和其出生地浦江有关。其中,落款为“浦江张书旂”的有《初秋鸟鸣》《鸡》《柳飘燕鸣》《岁朝春》《柳梢头》《戏水》等8幅,落款为“写于杭州”的是一幅《群乐》,落款为“写于西湖”或“作于西子湖滨”的有《孔雀》《杜鹃双鸣》《杏花春雨江南》《玉兰》等5幅。

“这可能也反映了张书旂内心深处对故土的那份深深眷恋吧。比如作于1953年的《戏水》和1955年的《柳梢头》,落款均为‘浦江张书旂,彼时他一直生活在大洋彼岸的美国。这样的落款,也许是无意识的,但却能权解他的乡愁。”采访时,北京大学教授、原艺术学院副院长丁宁这样告诉笔者:“正如著名诗人余光中《乡愁》说的那样:乡愁是一枚小小的邮票,我在这头,母亲在那头……”

作为国内最早在美国接触到张书旂儿子张少书的美术评论家,丁宁是让张书旂重回国人视野的“红娘”。正是在他的牵线搭桥下,2012年张书旂作品重回中国,在重庆三峡博物馆展出,稍后也牵出了35幅张书旂作品捐赠给浙江美术馆的佳话。

此次能在国博举办张书旂艺术展,丁宁感到非常欣慰。“由于张书旂于上世纪40年代后居于美国居多,又在美国去世,此前国人知道张书旂和其作品的并不多,一度在中国现代美术史上被过于忽略。”丁宁说。

丁教授是浙江宁波人。从美术史的角度,他对张书旂有着极高的评价:“张书旂用笔熟练、灵动,他在花鸟画中的用‘白做到了极致,有着明显的个人特色。他十分重视传统花鸟画的时代风貌,强调生活气息,在调和古今、折衷中西上迈出了重要的一步,在中国现代美术史上留下重要的一页,并在花鸟画领域产生深远的影响。”

丁宁认为:“很多国画家直至七八十岁画艺才渐入圆熟之境,张书旂中年就能取得如此成就,实在非同寻常。可惜他英年早逝了。”

2009年10月初,丁宁应邀参加美国华盛顿特区美国艺术博物馆召开的国际学术会议时,认识了张书旂的儿子——斯坦福大学历史系教授张少书。“那次会上,张少书以《张书旂的绘画和文化外交》为题进行了演讲,使得我对张书旂有了进一步了解。”丁宁说。

其后,丁宁和张少书多次交往,渐成好友。2010年4月,丁宁来到美国盖蒂研究中心作为期3个月的短期研究,其间张少书不仅带他去斯坦福大学看了张书旂捐赠给胡佛研究院的一箱子日记、信札,还请他吃饭,聊起了父亲张书旂的许多事情。

也正是通过张少书的描述,丁宁深深感受到了张书旂的故土乡情。

张书旂曾经在南京中央大学任教10年。张少书告诉丁宁,1952年,张书旂在自己肖像上作了这样的题记:“此系余三十岁时像。是年,余达南京中央大学任教。当时艺术系主任为李毅士。秋季某日,天高气爽,李先生邀余同至鸡鸣寺茶叙。李先生一时画兴正浓,随笔为余写此。不数分钟完成,神情逼肖。此二十二年,已往事也。今李先生已早归道山。余亦两鬓如霜,无复昔日少年气象矣。怃覽此像,怀念往事,不禁神往。”

作为斯坦福大学历史系教授,张少书主攻中美关系史。“由于受父亲影响,张少书彬彬有礼,是位谦谦君子。能感觉得出来,骨子里他们父子就是地地道道的中国人,虽然张少书从小在美国长大。”丁宁说。

其间,丁宁还了解到,张书旂有两大遗愿:一是如果将来能够回到中国办展览,首选地是重庆,因为他曾经在重庆度过了许多重要的日子;二是如果可能,应该回报浙江、回哺浦江,毕竟那是养育他成长的地方。

张少书曾经告诉丁宁:“现在,父亲所有的东西都在我这儿。作为儿子,我也应该为英年早逝的父亲做点事情了。”

“如今,张书旂的遗愿已经实现。自2012年重庆三峡博物馆‘张书旂中国画艺术展后,相关展览已在国内举办多次。继今年8月浙江美术馆举办‘仙华双甲纪念吴茀之、张书旂诞辰120周年特展后,最近‘纪念张书旂诞辰120周年艺术展又在中国国家博物馆举行,展览中35幅作品就是当初张少书代表张书旂在美国的家属捐赠给浙江美术馆的。”丁宁说,“在这个特殊时刻,也算是表达了我们对书旂先生的敬意。甚慰,甚慰!”

山城飞出的“和平信使”

同样感到欣慰的,还有四川美术学院中国抗战美术研究中心主任、教授、首席专家凌承纬。

此前,凌承纬是西南大学重庆现当代美术研究所所长。从20世纪80年代开始,他一直进行着中国抗战时期的美术研究。“关于中国抗战时期大后方的美术研究,过去非常薄弱。”凌承纬告诉笔者,“我带领一批研究生到图书馆、档案馆查资料时,发现了《百鸽图》的史实。当时(指1941年),新闻上长篇累牍报道的都是张书旂用艺术支援抗战的事情。此事我们觉得很有意义,想做更进一步的深入研究。可惜他后来去了美国,国内关于他的作品并不多,相关研究更少。一直以来,我们都苦于找不到有关张书旂的史料。”

凌承纬和丁宁,是国内研究美术史论的同行,都是顶尖专家,来往较为密切。

2009年10月,凌承纬接到丁宁从美国打来的一个电话。“就是丁宁去华盛顿开会那次。他在电话里非常兴奋地大声告诉我:‘你猜我碰到谁了?张书旂的儿子张少书!”凌承纬开心地告诉笔者,“我一听,立马就来劲了。真是踏破铁鞋无觅处啊……”

就这样,在丁宁的介绍下,凌承纬跟张少书建立了联系。了解到张书旂的第一个遗愿后,凌承纬就一直想着要尽力促成“在重庆举办张书旂作品展”这件事。

思前想后,凌承纬以重庆市文史馆馆员的身份向重庆市市长建言,建议由重庆来举办这个展览。“市长很重视,很快召集重庆市外办、文史馆等单位开会讨论,与会人员都很支持。会后,一致决定由重庆市政府拨款举办展览,重庆市文史馆、西南大学和重庆现当代美术研究所具体承办。”

此后,凌承纬开始了“张书旂中国画艺术展”的筹备工作,由他与大洋彼岸的张少书保持联系。一年时间里,双方电子邮件往来足足有几十件。经仔细协商,张少书同意拿出60多件张书旂作品(包括斯坦福大学相关藏品)前来展出。凌承纬说:“有这60多件,我心里就有底了!”

他们找到位于中国台湾的中国文化大学,成功地从那里借得学校美术馆收藏的40件张书旂作品。

2011年12月,他们一行5人飞往美国。先是去了纽约海德公园罗斯福总统图书馆,商讨把《百鸽图》原作借回国内展览一事。“馆长亲自出面热情接待,并且让我们欣赏了保存完好的《百鸽图》原作,当场同意‘借画。”凌承纬回忆说,“就在罗斯福总统图书馆,我们查到了当年张书旂赠画时写给罗斯福的信件,也看到了罗斯福写给时任美国驻华大使约翰逊的信(信中,罗斯福总统托他转达对创作者的感谢)。”

稍后,他们又去了张少书工作的斯坦福大学,与之商谈展览筹备细节,还确定同时举办一个国际研讨会。

2012年5月2日,“张书旂中国画艺术展”在重庆三峡博物馆隆重开幕,展览共展出121件(套)张书旂作品(7件原为三峡博物馆珍藏)。“张书旂中国画艺术及其传承国际学术研讨会”同时举行。来自中国大陆、台湾地区以及美国的数十位著名美术史论家参加了此次论坛,这成为当年中国美术界最重要的活动之一。

开幕那天,当3米多长的《百鸽图》原作呈现在观众面前时,山城重庆轰动了。“该画1940年作于重庆,以和平鸽为载体,橄榄树和杜鹃花为衬托。整个画面百羽翔集,鸽鸣咕咕,神态各异,设色典雅,栩栩如生。可谓百态缤纷妙入神,‘祈求和平跃然纸上。”凌承纬说,“当地媒体甚至用了这么一个新闻标题:《70年前从山城飞出的‘和平信使又飞回来了》。”

张少书作为家属代表前来参加了展览开幕式,并在研讨会上作了发言,深情讲述了“张书旂的绘画和文化外交”。此外,张少书还带来一部1943年加拿大人拍摄的反映张书旂在国外教授绘画的纪录片在会上播放,现场反响十分热烈。

“也是由展览牵线,时任浙江美术馆馆长马锋辉在重庆与张少书见面,双方约定其后将展览全盘复制到浙江美术馆继续展出。”凌承纬说。

使者中的佼佼者

2012年6月8日,由浙江美术馆、浦江县政府主办的张书旂作品展在浙江美术馆隆重开幕。

也是在这个展览上,当年55岁的毛琳第一次看到了亲戚们交口称赞的这位堂舅舅的作品。

毛琳是中央文史馆原馆员、著名国画家张世简的外甥媳妇。“张世简是张书旂的堂弟,所以从辈分上来说,我得喊张书旂‘堂舅舅。”毛琳说。

受家族影响,草根出身的毛琳现在也颇懂绘画,尤擅画鸡和老鹰。她说当自己站在《百鸽图》原作前时,唯一的感觉就是震撼!“大概丈二尺幅吧,堂舅舅居然画了100只神态各异的和平鸽,真的太厉害了。”

作为旅居美国的中国花鸟画画家,张书旂不仅让亲戚们折服,更令美国观众着迷。在张少书撰写、丁宁翻译的文章《张书旂的绘画》中有这样的描述:

初到美国的5年时间里,他在美国各地旅行并在主要的博物馆里举办展览,并且与这些展览相聯系,他还对公众示范作画。数千人参加了这些活动,吸引了来自大众和艺术评论方面的广泛注意。

他投入地推进文化外交。他参加诸如1943年由纽约大都会博物馆组织的当代中国画群体展。他也在美国的各种博物馆多次举办大型个展,包括若干次在旧金山笛洋艺术博物馆、西雅图艺术博物馆、芝加哥艺术学院博物馆、堪萨斯城奈尔逊美术馆、巴尔的摩艺术博物馆、洛杉矶县艺术博物馆和多伦多的安大略博物馆的个展。在其画展上,他也当众示范作画,吸引了数以千计的观众,而他们又是第一次目睹中国毛笔画的画是怎么回事儿。他们全神贯注地注视着眼前的艺术家魔术般地画出了一幅幅的画。

……張书旂因为出众的技巧和作画速度而闻名,甚至连《生活》杂志也在1943年以横贯两版的篇幅对他作了报道。

有许多东西令其观众着迷:材料的处理,尤其是毛笔、用色及其构图等。他对自然美的简约场景的描绘让人着迷。

旧金山的艺术家和作家约翰·加斯(John Garth)也报告了观看张书旂在笛洋艺术博物馆作画的情景:“张教授通过一系列优雅的曲线、涡形线和点缀等而使画面在其手下一步步地优美地呈现起来的用笔方式,极为奇特地令人想起某些古典芭蕾舞大师或女大师看似无拘无束而恰恰是控制到位的高难舞蹈。”

就这样,他以前所未有的广泛程度将中国画带给了各个阶层的美国人。与其同时代的中国人一样,他努力为中国画赋予新的活力,同时,又影响美国人,推动艺术的国际化。

Exhibition in Beijing Hails Zhang Shuqi

By Shen Aiqun

In commemoration of Zhang Shuqi (1900-1957), an artist whose ancestral roots were in Pujiang, a county in central Zhejiang, an exhibition now unfolds at the National Museum of China. The year 2020 marks the 120thanniversary of the birth of the artist. Jointly hosted by the National Museum of China and Zhejiang Art Museum and assisted by Pujiang County Art Museum, the exhibition started on October 1 and will go through December 16. On display are 86 pieces and sets of Zhangs artworks and 30 plus related artworks. Three important artworks of Zhang Shuqi were donated to the National Museum of China for the exhibition by the artists son Zhang Shaoshu on behalf all the family of Zhang Shuqi in the USA.

Few people in China today know about Zhang Shuqi, but back in 1940, the artist made his name by donating also known as to American President Roosevelt. The piece is more than three meters long. It was presented to the American ambassador in China a few days before Christmas. The ambassador then delivered it to the White House in celebration of the reelection of President Roosevelt. The painting then appeared at the presidents library at FDR Library & Museum at Hyde Park, New York. In 1942 it was briefly on display at an art gallery in New York.

Zhang was born in 1900 in Lizhang, a village in Pujiang County in Zhejiang Province. He grew up to be a quite prominent artist in the flower-bird genre in the traditional Chinese painting.

Zhang owed his success partly to some masters of the past: Xu Xi (?-975), Li Shan (1686-1756), Ren Bonian (1840-1895), and Wu Changshuo (1844-1927). He integrated western sketching techniques with his flower-bird paintings. He was especially celebrated for the doves he painted. His artworks appeared at all the three national art exhibitions held during the years of the short-lived Republic of China (1911-1949). With the assistance of Xu Beihong and Liu Haisu, his works were featured at contemporary Chinese art shows in Paris, Berlin and Moscow. He won international honors and some foreign art institutions garnered his artworks as collection items.

In the autumn of 1941, Zhang Shuqi visited the United States as a cultural envoy of China. His mission was to promote Chinese-American friendship, present Chinas war efforts against Japanese invaders, and seek assistance from the USA. He planned to return to China soon but got stranded in the United States for five years due to the Pearl Harbor incidence. After the end of World War Two, he returned to China. In 1949 he went to the United States again where he stayed until he passed away in 1957.

Ding Ning, a professor with Peking University, made it possible to exhibit Zhangs artworks in China. Ding was the first person in China who came into contact with Zhang Shuqi, the son of the artist. In October 2009, Ding attended an international seminar in Washington DC and met Zhang Shaoshu, a professor of history with Stanford University. At the seminar the son gave a speech about Zhang Shuqi. Ding had known about Zhang Shuqi for a long time. He thought Zhang was an important chapter in the modern history of Chinese art, but unfortunately little was known about the prominent artist. After attending the speech given by Zhang Shuqis son, Ding was excited. He wasted no time to call Ling Chengwei, a professor with Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts. Specialized in the history of Chinas War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and situated in Chongqing, the war-time capital of the country, Ling had read a great deal about the newspaper dated 1941 about Zhangs painting gift to FDR. Professor Ling came into contact with Zhang Shaoshu.

In April 2010, Ding Ning came to the Getty Center for a three-month study. Zhang Shaoshu introduced Ding to a whole carton of journals and letters donated by Zhang Shuqi to Hoover Institution. Ding learned a lot about the artist from the son. Among the facts he learned about the artist were two wishes Zhang Shuqi hadnt been able to accomplish in his lifetime. If there was a chance in the future to hold an exhibition of his artworks, he would like that exhibition to be held in Chongqing where he had stayed during the wartime. If possible, he would like to do something for Zhejiang and Pujiang. Zhang Shaoshu said to Ding, “My father left all things to me. He passed away in his prime years. As his son, I want to do something for him.”

Ling talked with the mayor of Chongqing about hosting an exhibition of Zhangs artworks in Chongqing. With the approval of the government, Ling started to make preparations. For a year, Ling and Zhang worked together through emails. In December 2011, Ling and four colleagues flew to the United States. Their first stop was the FDR Library & Museum in New York to see if it was possible to loan Zhangs painting to be exhibited in China.

With the assistance of Professor Ling and Professor Ding and Professor Zhang Shaoshu, an exhibition of Zhang Shuqis artworks was held in May 2012 at Three Gorges Museum in Chongqing. One hundred and twenty-one pieces and sets of artworks, including seven from the collection of the Three Gorges Museum, were on display., the over-three-meter-long masterpiece gifted to FDR, caused a stir in Chongqing. A seminar was held, attended by dozens of art historians at home and abroad. Zhang Shaoshu spoke at the seminar and screened a documentary made by a Canadian director in 1943 featuring Zhang Shuqi teaching how to paint. The speech and the documentary caused a sensation among experts.

In October 2011, Ma Fenghui, then curator of Zhejiang Art Museum, learned from Shu Jianhua, curator of Asian Art Center in Silicon Valley, that the members of Zhang Shuqis family intended to donate some artworks to Zhejiang. In October 2011, Ma and his colleagues visited the art center where they attended an exhibition featuring Zhang Shuqis art works. A donation ceremony was held at the center. The Zhang family donated 35 artworks and 16 drafts of Zhang Shuqi to Zhejiang Art Museum. It was the first time that Zhejiang Art Museum received donations from overseas.

On March 22, 2012, Zhejiang Art Museum signed an agreement with FDR Library & Museum to loan for an exhibition in Zhejiang. On April 19, the masterpiece reached Zhejiang Art Museum.

On June 5, 2012, Zhejiang Art Museum and Pujiang County Government jointly hosted the exhibition at Zhejiang Art Museum.

Exhibitions featuring Zhang Shuqi have been held several times across China since the debut in 2012.

The exhibition now going on in Beijing presents artworks, including 35 pieces and sets of artworks by Zhang Shuqi donated to Zhejiang Art Museum in 2011.

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