By Han Xiaoling & Sun Qiaoyan

In his studio in Wuhan on June 11, 2019, the 65-yearold Tan Shengqiang indulged himself in painting. With a few strokes of his brush, two giant bamboos and a brood of chickens appeared on the paper, adding a sense of coolness to the hot summer.

He has dedicated his life to his beloved art of traditional Chinese painting. Most of his works are brush paintings of birds and flowers, and occasionally portraits.

Tan Shengqiang was born in a well-educated family and learned to paint under the influence of his uncle Zhou Tianlin. Tutored by Mr. Xu Song’an, a prominent Chinese painter, Zhou Tianlin pursues the art of implanting tradition into daily life. Both Zhou Tianlin’s hard work and the innovation of “depicting the view in your mind by drawing inspiration from nature and tradition” have been engraved on the heart of Tan Shengqiang. In 2014, Zhou Tianlin and Tan Shengqiang had a joint painting exhibition, a valuable memory for the two artists.

Another important person who influenced Tan Shengqiang was his aunt, a famous Han Opera performer. Consequently, Tan Shengqiang loves traditional opera and has been a loyal opera fan for many years. He believes that there is some connection between Chinese painting and traditional opera, and thus often integrates operatic elements into his paintings.

Tan Shengqiang shared one of his anecdotes with us during the interview. He once attended an activity organized by Beijing Opera Club. He completed an ink painting of peony while the opera fans were performing on the stage. The fans praised his painting, and he replied in a humorous way, “It’s the wind not me that draws the painting. A painter’s heart should be dancing with the wind while drawing; otherwise the painting would be a lifeless item.”

在笔墨之间接续传统——谈盛强的中国画艺术

文/韩晓玲 孙巧岩

6月11日，在中国武汉市的一间画室里，65岁的谈盛强挥毫泼墨。寥寥数笔，两竿劲竹、一群小鸡便跃然纸上，为夏日增添一抹清幽之意。

这位勤奋的画家，将半生时光托付给了自己钟爱的国画艺术。他的作品，多为写意花鸟，有时也画人物。

谈盛强幼承庭训，舅舅周天林对他的影响至为深刻。周天林是著名国画家徐松安的弟子，在老师的言传身教下，一直坚持继承传统、深入生活的艺术创作思想。周天林“以自然为师，以传统为基因，写胸中丘壑”的艺术追求，使谈盛强从小受到潜移默化的影响；舅舅深夜在灯下勤奋作画的背影，也令他一生难忘。2014年，周天林、谈盛强还举办了水墨联展，成为舅甥俩艺术生涯的珍贵记忆。

身为汉剧演员的一位姨母，对谈盛强也影响颇深。他因此热爱传统戏曲，多年来不仅是一名忠实票友，艺术创作中也时常融入戏剧艺术的元素。在他看来，国画和戏曲在艺术上有着相通之处。

谈盛强为记者讲述了一件趣事。2017年，在一家京剧社的活动中，票友们吹拉弹唱，而他现场挥毫画下一幅水墨牡丹。众人称赞牡丹画得好，他风趣地说：“不，是风画得好。心要灵动起来，否则画的就是死物。”

讲到得意处，这位花甲老人哈哈大笑，竟有几分孩童般的纯真。

正是这样的纯真，使他在几十年的艺术生涯中，一直保持着年轻的心态，以及不为世俗所动的坚定。

A Childhood Memory by Tan Shengqiang 谈盛强画作《为君记取少年时》

The old artist laughed cheerfully as he recalled the scene.

It’s the pure-mindedness of his heart that sustains his young mind and his passionate pursuit of art over the decades.

Tan Shengqiang started his career at Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Institute of Wuhan and was responsible for drawing the Chinese paintings which were exported to the foreign market. His experience of copying famous traditional paintings enabled him to learn the masters’ skills in sketching, inking, coloring and framing. While copying the paintings, he was also mentored by several notable painters, such as Mr. Liu Zizhu in portrait, Mr. Xin Shi in landscape, and Mr. Tang Dakang in birds and flowers.

Blooming Chrysanthemum at the Double Ninth Festival by Tan Shengqiang谈盛强画作《花开正重阳》

Tan Shengqiang also followed Zhou Tianlin and his other teachers to do outdoor sketches in Three Gorges, Guilin, Huangshan Mountain, Lushan Mountain and other scenic locations. Where the nature became an open studio, he appreciated and depicted its beauty in a poetic manner.

For years, Tan Shengqang has been committed to the brush painting of birds and flowers. His works are clear and elegant. He is good at painting plum blossom, bamboo, lotus, chrysanthemum, peony and wisteria, as well as chicken. Under his brushes, even the simple chicken becomes vibrant and delightful; presenting a unique painting with the decoration of blooming peony and swaying bamboo leaves.

Professor Lou Yu from the School of Fine Arts, Central China Normal University, once commented on Tan’s paintings that, “In terms of tradition and artistic feature, Tan Shengqiang’s painting style is more like the literati painting of Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1912), which places emphasis on personal expression and sketching skills. While the fellow painters try to innovate and modernize the landscape painting, he reserves the traditions and borrows techniques from past painters from the Five Dynasties (907-960) to Song (960-1279), Yuan (1271-1368), and later dynasties. He is good at drawing inspiration from nature and life, and has established a fresh and free personal style.”

Li Shoukun, a Chinese calligraphy and painting master, said that Tan Shengqiang constantly improves himself while staying true to tradition, untarnished by fame or material gains. He attributed Tan’s progress to his modest attitude in artistic learning and practice. Only by working hard and persevering can one truly benefit on the long and arduous path of art.

Despite of the old age, Tan Shengqiang is still passionate about his painting. He values traditional culture and is worried about the trend of panentertainment in society. He’s afraid that some people have confused entertainment with art, fearing such confusion will become a social problem which needs to be discussed. And he believes that real art makes people feel noble and pleasant.

(Translation: Li Li)

青年时代，谈盛强进入原武汉市中国书画院，从事绘制中国画出口工作，大量临仿历代名画。这段特殊的工作经历，使他得以在反复临摹中，向古人“学习”笔法、墨法、用色、构图等。其间，他还求教于名家，向刘子铸学习人物画，向辛石学习山水画，向唐大康学习花鸟画。

谈盛强曾经随诸师和周天林，多次赴三峡、桂林、黄山、庐山等地写生，在大自然的“画室”里，感受和描绘自然诗意之美。

多年来，谈盛强醉心于写意花鸟，作品多清润雅致。他擅长画梅、竹、荷、菊、牡丹、紫藤等，以鸡为主角的花鸟画也不少。在他笔下，小鸡笔墨虽简，形态却富有灵动感，憨态可掬，往往与怒放的牡丹、摇曳的墨竹等相映成趣。

华中师范大学美术学院娄宇教授曾这样评价：“从传承的角度和画艺的特质看，谈盛强的画风接近于追求意趣、讲究笔墨的明清文人画。在水墨画不断求新求异的当代实验格局中，他甘于守望传统，广泛汲取自五代至宋元以来的诸家之长。他善于撷取丰富的自然生活，直通写意的境界，建立了清新隽逸的个人风格。”

A Peaceful Lotus Pond by Tan Shengqiang 谈盛强画作 《清气满乾坤》

书画家李寿昆感慨地说，谈盛强在艺术追求上，不慕时利，不求虚名，坚持在继承传统的基础上稳步前进。他的虚心学习，使得他能够不断进步，这是可喜的。艺术道路是漫长的、无止境的，只有勤奋努力才能有所收获。

谈盛强年逾花甲仍充满激情，孜孜不倦地创作。热爱传统文化的他，对近年的泛娱乐化现象表示忧虑。他说，社会上有些人把娱乐和艺术混为一谈，这值得讨论。真正的艺术是能够使人高尚、感到愉悦的。