清風遠逸

策展人／劉素玉

「我認為一幅畫應該像一首詩，一闋歌，或一篇美的散文。因此，寫一幅畫就應該像作一首詩、唱一闋歌，或做一篇散文。」— 傅抱石

郭凱的繪畫作品給人的第一印象，就是像一首詩，一闋歌，或一篇美的散文。「畫中有詩」向來是中國品畫的要項之一，郭凱的繪畫尤其含有濃得化不開的詩意，平淡樸實的畫名，不論是「春溪」、「冬水」、「橋影」、「靜亭」…，搭配他的繪畫，就像是一首首的「無聲詩」，更遑論是古意盎然的名稱，如「曉春煙雨」、「秋峰晴雪」、「幽谷雪霽」、「空山流泉」…，容易令人沈入唐詩宋詞的意境之中。

西洋的風景畫直到十七世紀融入了豐富的個人感情而引起世人驚嘆，如義大利的羅倫(Claude Lorrain, 1600-1682)、 荷蘭的路斯達爾(Jacob van Ruisdael, 1628-1682)，英國藝術史學家宮布利希(E. H. Gombrich, 1909-2001)認為路斯達爾：「發現了北方風景的詩意，就如同羅倫之發現義大利景致裡的詩意，也許在他之前，沒有一個藝術家能像他一樣，在畫筆所反映的自然裡表現這麼多的個人感受與情懷。」[i]

路斯達爾曾被德國大文豪歌德稱讚為「畫家中的詩人」，他的繪畫主題以風景為主，從森林、空地到海岸、大海，不一而足。與同時代荷蘭畫家不同的是，他並不參照現實的真實風景，而任意安排畫中的樹木、植物、雲彩和光線等細部，還非常善於刻劃天空和雲朵。

同樣是以風景為主題的郭凱，也總是依靠直覺進行感性地繪製具有詩意的畫作，他主張「自覺的風景」，自謂「自覺才能自省，自省豐富玄想的感知，滋養心靈的風景」。[ii]他反覆思索當代美國攝影家法蘭克(Robert Frank)所說: 「我總是嘗試著從外表看到內部的東西，我試圖講出那真實的東西。但也許，除了那些外在的東西，並沒有什麼真正的真實；而那些外在的東西，正飛快的改變著…。」作品其實就是內在世界的投射，這與郭凱的創作理念「重要的不是風景，而是內心的景象」不謀而合。

郭凱也極力刻劃天空和雲彩，甚至在作品畫面中出現的比例高達一半以上，如《雪霧》、《紫雲》、《秋霧》等，這些佔據半個畫面的天空、雲彩使視野拉得很遠，作品看來高遠空曠，增添無限的詩意。宋代韓拙《山水純畫集》即曰: 「夫通山川之氣，以雲為總也。」雲在山水畫中不僅「通氣」，而且「助勢」，亦即增加動勢，因為相對於靜態的山石樹木，雲是動態的，白雲蒼狗使畫面生機靈動。

相對於風景中的實際景物，如天空、雲彩一樣的空虛之物，就是霧氣、煙雨、山嵐之屬了，而這在郭凱的作品中也佔有相當份量，而且由於運用得當，因而畫面別有一種朦朧、蒼茫、空靈的美感，這與古人「虛則實之，實則虛之」的審美觀念頗有相通之處。實際上，郭凱致力於「捕風捉影」、「無中生有」，研發一套獨特的美學標準及技法，如淡雅簡約的用色、謹慎節制的筆法，或是採用留白、飛白、刮痕、揉抹、擦拭、滴染等技巧，表現捉摸不定卻又變幻萬千的虛物，這是山水畫中的氣韻，風景畫中的氛圍，整體畫面中的詩意。

「一生癡絕處，無夢到徽州」[iii]，徽州到處有古蹟、遍地多美景，郭凱徜徉其中，創作靈感取之不盡，用之不竭。他經常帶著學生，或獨自一人，到皖南寫生，往往一待就是十天半個月，這種習慣已經維持一、二十年。皖南的每一處美景幾乎都被他踏遍，春夏秋冬景色各異，總是百看不厭。他不但現場寫生，也搭配拍照，捕捉瞬間變化的風光，作為創作題材。

不過他的繪畫作品並非依樣畫葫蘆般的寫實，而更注重寫意。在他的作品中，徽州的經典素材，如黑瓦白牆、宗祠古塔，及至小橋流水，都一一重現，但都已精心重組，有些景色甚至是他營造虛構的，看起來如夢似幻，但卻又逼近真實，如近作《遠村如煙》就是他根據一些圖像的碎片，拼接而成的村落。郭凱很重視「直覺性的判斷」，「直覺會牽動一種真實的感受和自我。」他強調：「只有了解自己的感受，才能在畫面中表達出真誠。」這與古人「聊以寫胸中逸氣」的精神十分接近，而郭凱並未放棄「不求形似」，所以作品才常令人覺得既寫實，卻又夢幻。其實，郭凱的作品之所以迷人，除了高明的審美判斷之外，更在於「情景合一」，而且，除了真情流露之外，還傳達了他的生活態度，及至對大自然、人類生命的哲思。

例如他那些站在高遠的角度俯瞰的作品，既展現了比較大的企圖心，也唱出他的田園之歌，如《浮雲淡影之一》、《浮雲淡影之二》、《閑嶺初雪》等，遠近景色盡收眼底，將徽州山水及建築美好的元素融為一體，素樸的黑瓦白牆村落散佈在平疇綠野與群山之中，他營造了一個在深山腹地之中，遺世而獨立的世外桃源，風景優美，氣氛寧靜，令人看了也心嚮往之。

他也經常使用橫幅的水平構圖，將畫面拉得很平，景物向左右兩邊延伸，產一種開闊感，畫中心點明顯呈現一條水平線，將畫面分為上下兩半，鱗次櫛比民宅屋頂所形成高低起伏的動線，與其背後密密麻麻的樹林、層巒疊嶂的遠山所形成的動線互相呼應，形成一種錯落有致的韻律與節奏感，使畫面更有和諧之美。為了強調畫面向兩邊無限延伸的視覺效果，他甚至以雙連作表現，而且畫面上下扁平，特別狹長，如《秋霧》、《秋宅》，這種構圖方法，特別能呈現比鄰而立的徽宅在田野之間連綿不絕。

皖南境內流水多、小橋多，住宅更常沿著水岸而建，「小橋、流水、人家」已然是天然美景，而郭凱特別迷戀水面倒影，在他的橫幅水平構圖中，往往倒影就佔了一半的畫面，如《秋枝逆影》、《靜影No. 2》、《彩影》、《夢徽州》等，在他的畫筆下，波光瀲灩之美往往更勝實景，還有一種浪漫的夢幻氣氛。

郭凱雖然研讀的是西畫，甚至為了畫藝精進，遠赴巴黎訪學，但血液裡畢竟被源遠流長的徽州文化所浸潤，對於故里的青山綠水、花草樹木都有深情，至於被歲月與文化洗禮的古宅、祠堂更是迷戀，他用畫筆一再地呈現這種情懷，村落前的石牌坊、莊嚴大氣的祠堂，他用各種形式反覆呈現，如《徽州印象No. 1》、《氤氳古坊》是從遠處視角入畫，畫出了牌坊矗立在低矮的民宅之中，顯現高大雄偉的氣勢；而《徽州No. 2》、《古祠春意》則單純描繪牌坊的正面，把巨大方正的牌坊放在畫面的正中心，但是畫面卻不流於呆板，因為郭凱注入了許多迷人的元素，而顯得很有看頭，如《徽州No. 2》構圖嚴謹而複雜，畫中有畫，繁複的建築圖案簡化為各種幾何形層疊交錯，而古老牆面的錯落斑駁也以大大小小的方塊，表現歲月的滄桑；《古祠春意》也採用許多獨特的技法，如在畫布上刮、塗、揉、抹、擦等，畫面上的肌理變得層次豐富，表現出光陰摧殘的痕跡，又有一種朦朧之美。古祠前方有橫空而出的繽紛枝葉，點點滴滴的桃紅與翠綠，就把春天的生機盎然呈現無遺。

色彩淡雅、畫面迷濛是郭凱作品的一大特色，中性的灰色一直是他作品的主調，但是近兩、三年來，以灰色調為主的畫面中，也出現了繽紛燦爛的色澤，如《古祠春意》、《彩影》、《白橋No. 2》、《塔山爛漫》、《秋宅》等，雖然色彩鮮麗豐富，卻一點也不顯俗氣，這可歸功於他對於色彩運用遊刃有餘，例如他從不大片揮灑，而是點到為止；而不同顏色的搭配及比例也恰到好處。更重要的一點是，整個畫面上都加了工，即以色彩而言，從來不是單純的原色，而是精心調和過、漸層豐富的顏色；而肌理的層次變化更是豐富，他很少塗以厚重的油彩，而是稀薄、清新、明淨，有時甚至出現如國畫的留白、飛白，或是特意用紙巾或刮刀將畫布上的顏料塗掉，露出粗糙樸實的痕跡。

近年來他更潛心研究丹培拉(Tempera)技法，費心地以蛋白、蛋黃、纖維素或乾酪素[iv]等媒介，加上天然色粉，調製出穩定又美麗的色彩。丹培拉顏料可使畫面透明流暢，也可以飽滿沈穩，產生如絲綢般的悅目光澤，自然、柔和，而且十分穩定。郭凱朝夕研究，如今更加得心應手，使得他的創作有更新的突破。他認為技術本身可以變成內容，而技術的提升讓創作內容更加豐富。他的作品總是很有看頭，而往往讓人在第一眼就好奇到底怎麼畫的，郭凱不諱言，這正也是他努力想要達到的目標之一，以突出繪畫性本身的表達。

郭凱經常在古宅、祠堂間留連忘返。他覺得古宅裡的先人其實離他不遠，他甚至感覺到可以與那些先人溝通，古宅宗祠裡的傳家訓詞、箴言都還歷歷可見，那些古宅雖然都已歷經三、五百年的歲月，但較諸千百年的歷史長河，其實都還算年輕。郭凱這種對於時空的看法，很接近神秘主義，他並未加以深究。無論如何，愈是古老的、滄桑的文化總是一再地吸引著他，他光是拍攝徽宅古牆的照片就累積上千張，速寫更是無數。這一、兩年，他甚至穿越明清，與宋元畫家心領神會，而這種精神感應不知不覺呈現在他最新的作品之中，近作如《霧松》、《秋峰晴雪》、《藍山》、《空山流泉》等，俱皆古樸素雅，清幽迷濛，意境高遠。一直以來，郭凱的作品總予人清風徐徐之感，沁人心脾，如今他的作品古意益加盎然，宛如清風遠逸，直追宋元精神。

[i]E. H. Gombrich(宮布利希，又譯貢布里希)著《藝術的故事》第二十章<自然之鏡：17世紀的荷蘭>，

台灣聯經出版公司出版。

[ii]郭凱於2014年在台北高士畫廊個展即命名為「自覺的風景」，2014年高士文化藝術有限公司出版

《自覺的風景》。

[iii]明湯顯祖《遊黃山白岳不果》: 「欲識金銀氣，多從黃白遊。一生癡絕處，無夢到徽州。」「黃白」

指黃山、白嶽山(齊雲山) ，此詩將徽州描繪為富貴之鄉，但常被引之為贊美徽州風光。

[iv]乾酷素，又稱「酪蛋白」，從牛奶中提取。

 

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Faraway Breeze

“I believe a painting should be like a poem, a song, or a beautiful prose. That is why painting a painting should be like writing a poem, singing a song, or writing a piece of prose.” – Fu Baoshi (1904 – 1965).

The first impression given by Guo Kai’s paintings is like that of a poem, a song, or a beautiful piece of prose. Poetry in painting has always been an integral part of classical Chinese painting, and Guo Kai’s paintings are particularly poetic. Plain and unadorned titles, such as Spring Stream, Winter Water, Reflection of the Bridge, or Quiet Pavilion, paired with his paintings become pieces of silent poetry. Not to mention the more classical titles, such as Early Spring Rain, Autumn Mountain Peak,Snowfall in Secluded Valley, or Empty Mountain Spring, which resonate strongly with the poetry of the Tang (618 – 907) and Song (1127 – 1279) Dynasties.

Landscape painting in the Western tradition was not embedded with strong poetic and personal emotion until the Seventeenth Century, with artists Claude Lorrain (1600 – 1682) and Jacob van Ruisdael (1628 – 1682). The art historian E. H. Gombrich said, “…it was [Jacob van Ruisdael] who discovered the poetry of northern landscape as much as Claude discovered the poetry of Italian scenery. Perhaps no artist before him had contrived to express so much of his own feelings and moods through their reflection in nature.”^[1]

Jacob van Ruisdael was praised by the writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe(1749 -1832) as a poet among painters. The subject matter of van Ruisdael’s paintings was almost exclusively landscapes, ranging from pastoral to marine. Unlike other Dutch painters of the period, van Ruisdael did not depict the scenery realistically as it appeared, but instead rearranged the compositional structures such as trees, clouds, and natural light as he saw fit, especially in his depictions of the sky.

Guo Kai, whose subject matter is also landscape, also draws upon personal emotion and intuition for his poetic images. Guo aims to maintain a “conscious landscape,” which he describes as “conscious and thus introspective, introspective and fanatic perceptions nourish the mind’s landscape.”^[2]He repeatedly reflects on a quote by the contemporary photographer Robert Frank (b. 1924): “I am always on the outside, trying to look inside, trying to say something that is true. But maybe nothing is really true. Except what’s out there. And what’s out there is constantly changing.” An artwork is a projection of the artist’s inner world, and this coincides with Guo Kai’s artist statement: “what is important is not the landscape, but the image in one’s mind.”

Like for Jacob van Ruisdael, the sky and clouds also play important roles in Guo Kai’s compositions, often to the point of dominating over half of the image. In Snow & Mist, Purple Cloud, and Autumn Mist, the sky’s large ratio over the land creates a distant field of vision, poetically rendering the scenery grand and vast. Han Zhou (c. 1094 – ?) of the Song Dynasty wrote in his treatise on landscape painting: “the essence of mountains and rivers [i.e. the landscape] lies in the clouds.” The role of clouds in Chinese landscape paintings is not only a pictorial device for negative space, but also for the sense of movement. In comparison to stationary elements such as rocks and trees, clouds are uniquely dynamic and constantly changing, and with correct use bring the painting to life.

In contrast with the physical elements within a landscape, other elements that share the same semi-physical qualities as sky and clouds are mist and rain, which play important roles in Guo Kai’s paintings. Mist and rain gives Guo’s images an atmospheric sense of vastness and obscurity, which is reminiscent of the Taoist (Daoist) concept of Yin and Yang, and the balance between the physical with the non-physical. In order to represent the non-physical, Guo Kai developed an unique set of painting techniques specifically designed for this aesthetic, such as light muted colors, controlled and highly-articulated brushwork, the use of a very dry brush, wiping excess paint off the canvas, or allowing the paint to run freely down the canvas. From this idiosyncratic oeuvre of personal techniques, Guo Kai transmits the essence of traditional Chinese landscape painting in an aesthetic that is poetic and distinctly his own.

 “The place of a life time, the dream of Huizhou.” Southern Anhui province, known in the past as the ancient state of Huizhou, is rich in historic buildings from the Ming (1368 – 1644) and Qing (1644 – 1911) Dynasties, as well as beautiful natural scenery, from which Guo Kai draws inexhaustible inspiration. Guo often travels to the countryside of southern Anhui to sketch from life, either with students or by himself. Going for weeks at a time, he has maintained this practice for over twenty years, and has set foot in every corner of the countryside, in every season, through rain and snow. In addition to sketching, he also takes photographs to capture the moment for further inspiration back in his studio.

However, Guo Kai’s paintings are not realistic representations of the scenery, as he is far more interested in representing the conception of the scenery and what it conveys. In his works, the classic features of Huizhou, dark ceramic tiles and whitewashed walls, ancient temples and pagodas, or bridges and canals, are faithfully captured but deliberately reconstructed. Some compositions are simply the artist’s own imagination. Take for example, the village in the recent Misty Remote Village; the line of houses is a reconstruction of several structures from different photographs. Guo Kai values “intuition, such that intuition activates an authentic understanding and self.” He believes, “only through self-understanding can truth be expressed in painting.” This notion coincides with the ancient Chinese belief of painting from the heart, rather than the eye. However, Guo Kai does not abandon painting what he sees, and therefore his works appear seemingly realistic and yet surreal at the same time. In fact, the appeal of Guo’s works, besides to his heightened sense of aesthetics, is his unity of emotion and scenery, which in turn is a revelation of his outlook on life, in terms of nature, human life, and philosophy.

The use of high perspective overlooking a distance in certain works is a projection of Guo Kai’s grand outlook on nature and life. In works such as Pale Shadows of Floating Clouds I, Pale Shadows of Floating Clouds II, and First Snow Over the Ridge, the foreground and mid-ground is placed uniquely low, thereby raising the vantage point. The natural landscape and historic architecture is blended together in the distance, where black ceramic tiles and whitewalls walls are nestled between stretches of green fields and a backdrop of a rising mountains. By placing the viewer on a high vantage point overlooking the landscape from afar, Guo creates a vision of a distant utopia, seemingly accessible to the viewer.

Guo Kai also makes use of long horizontal compositions. By structuring the composition on an expanded horizon, a panoramic sense of openness is created. Buildings of various heights are lined on the horizontal axis and set in front of densely packed trees, bobbing up on down across the axis. The undulating lines of buildings and trees are in turned echoed by the mountain ranges in the background, forming a visual rhythmic pattern in which every element is in perfect harmony. In order to further illustrate the sense of expansiveness, he often splits the composition onto two canvases. The visual advantage of a diptych is the sense of expansion created by the composition’s continuation from one canvas to another, as seen in Autumn Mistand Autumn Estate, in which the field of vision covering buildings and fields seem unbound and endless.

Where the Yangtze River cuts across southern Anhui, the land is ridden with rivers, waterways, and bridges. Traditional houses are often built right on the edge of the river, in a picturesque fashion. Guo Kai is particularly interested in the reflections in the water. In long horizontal compositions, he often reserves half of the image for the water’s reflection alone. In Autumn Reflection, Tranquil Landscape No. 2, Colors in Shadows, and Dream of Huizhou, more emphasis is placed on the water’s reflection than the scenery above, demonstrating Guo Kai’s interest in the water’s wavy and dreamy projection of the world, rather than the actual world itself.

Although Guo Kai’s field of study has always been Western painting, for which he went to Paris to perfect, his roots lie deep in the land of Huizhou, where the history and culture stretches back thousands of years. His identification with his homeland, his love for the native flowers and trees, his knowledge of the historical architecture are all recorded by his brush and canvas. Local icons such as monumental gateways or grand ancestral halls are repeatedly portrayed in his paintings. In Impression of Huizhou No. 1and Ancient Square, the subject is represented from a distance, in which the monumental gateway stands out and dominates the composition, thereby symbolizing its social role in the village. On the other hand, in Huizhou No. 2and Ancestral Temple in Spring, the building’s facades are directly presented in two-dimension. However, Guo Kai infuses the seemingly simple image with other painterly elements. In Huizhou No. 2, the composition is a complex deconstruction and reconstruction of various architectural details, symbolizing the building’s growth and decay over hundreds of years. Ancestral Temple in Springdemonstrates several of Guo Kai’s painting techniques, especially the technique of wiping paint off the surface of the canvas, while allowing a remainder of paint in the fine creases of the canvas. This creates a weathered look, which perfectly resembles the patina on an antique wall. In contrast with the aged building, bright colors and flowing lines of flowers and vines are added to the facade, thereby livening the composition.

Elegant colors are major features in the art of Guo Kai, in which the neutral color gray is a prominent theme. However, in the past three years, his overall gray-toned images are starting to show hints of bright colors, such as Colors in Shadows, White Bridge No. 2, and Autumn Estate. Despite the brighter palette, the painted image remains soft and elegant, due to his restraint in the use and placement of these colors, never in large clumps, and always neutralized by softer tones. More importantly, Guo Kai is particular in mixing the perfect tone before applying it to the canvas, and never allows paint to mix while on the canvas. Despite the use of thin paint, Guo’s paintings are far from being without surface texture. His textures are usually created by altering the paint after it has been applied, with different utensils, including a painting knife or paper towels. By removing paint rather than adding it on, the texture of his paintings recalls his restraint and control with color, as well as his general less-is-more approach and philosophy to painting.

Also in recent years, Guo Kai has devoted himself in studying the medium of tempera, which requires mixing powdered color pigments into egg yolk, the binding agent for the pigments. Tempera allows the image to become more transparent and smooth, as paint itself is more translucent compared to oil paint, and therefore reflects light in a soft and silky manner. Guo Kai’s extensive study of the medium has allowed him mastery over the technique, as well as innovations in his art. He believes painting technique itself can become a subject matter, and the advancement in technique elevates the subject. Ultimately, his art speaks for itself, and always captures the viewer’s attention in wondering how it was painted, which has always been a personal goal of his.

Guo Kai often finds himself lingering in historic buildings and ancestral halls. He feels that the former inhabitants of the buildings are not distant from him, and can imagine the tales of the great families or the precepts of the ancestors being handed down to him. Although most of the historic buildings of Huizhou have stood there for three to five hundred years, compared to the long length of Chinese history, which traces back over four thousand years, the buildings are relatively recent and close to our times. This understanding of time is alarmingly close to mysticism, but Guo Kai does not delve into it. In any case, the ancient and bygone have always attracted him, and his photograph studies of patina on the antique walls number to the hundreds. In the past two years, his journey through ancient China has taken him pass the Ming and Qing dynasties, into the golden age of Chinese painting during the Song and Yuan (1271 – 1368), and the spirit of past masters are born again in his recent works. In Mist & Pine, Snow Over Autumn Peak, Blue Mountain, andEmpty Mountain Spring, one can sense elegant and enigmatic nature of ancient paintings reemerging on Guo Kai’s canvases and brought back to life by the touch of his brush, like a faraway breeze gently carrying the spirit of the Song and Yuan dynasties.

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