良月流暉

文/周 澍

在今年的中國第17個“文化和自然遺產(chǎn)日”，央視《新聞聯(lián)播》頭條報道的開篇，亮相的第一個畫面就是杭州良渚古城遺址公園的標(biāo)志性雕塑《良月流暉》。這座雕塑以其靈動與厚重深深吸引了人們的目光。

著名藝術(shù)家、清華大學(xué)文科資深教授韓美林，就是這座雕塑的設(shè)計(jì)者。韓美林是一位孜孜不倦的藝術(shù)實(shí)踐者和開拓者。創(chuàng)作涉及廣泛，包括繪畫、書法、雕塑、陶瓷、設(shè)計(jì)以及寫作等方面。他藝術(shù)風(fēng)格獨(dú)到，致力于從中國文化傳統(tǒng)和大眾藝術(shù)中汲取精髓，并轉(zhuǎn)化為體現(xiàn)當(dāng)代審美理念的藝術(shù)作品。

美麗洲的“大篷車”

2019年的5月，韓美林首次把他的藝術(shù)大篷車開進(jìn)杭州良渚美麗洲。

韓美林考察杭州良渚博物院。Han Meilin visits the Liangzhu Museum in Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province.

了解韓美林藝術(shù)的師友，無人不知他藝術(shù)大篷車的奧秘，大篷車行進(jìn)的線路，也即韓美林挖掘汲取民間藝術(shù)資源和養(yǎng)分的征途。多年來，這位沒有留過洋、自稱“土八路”其實(shí)是名?？瓢喑錾淼乃囆g(shù)家，正是帶著他融合了“古老與現(xiàn)代”的極具東方美學(xué)價值的作品，漂洋過海走向全球，并日漸贏得眾多粉絲和世界性的影響與聲譽(yù)。

于韓美林而言，那些蘊(yùn)藏于華夏大地的民間藝術(shù)的精髓宛如安德烈·紀(jì)德寓意的“人間食糧”，它們無論自帶光彩還是暫時被隱沒，都閃爍著無法阻擋的“泥土的光芒”?！叭碎g的食糧，來自生命最深處”—那位獲得諾貝爾文學(xué)獎的法國作家在他著作的序言里這樣寫道：“當(dāng)你讀完這本書時請丟下它。然后出發(fā)?！?/p>

速度與激情

從最初被題材吸引，到置身良渚古城遺址進(jìn)行創(chuàng)作情緒體驗(yàn)，再到確立在申遺一周年時落成良渚主題雕塑，整個周期滿打滿算也不過一年左右的時間。

好在韓美林是快手，像香港才子、金庸好友倪匡一樣的快手。

傳說中的倪匡是這樣創(chuàng)作的：10萬字的長篇小說10天搞定，吊打業(yè)內(nèi)所有人。至于劇本，他的書桌有8個抽屜，一個抽屜一個劇本，每天一個抽屜寫一小時，寫完就去找朋友喝酒。

韓美林的“抽屜”寶藏和倪匡一樣多，也許更多。不同的是，韓美林不喝酒，他瘋狂創(chuàng)造。

2019年5月，是韓美林進(jìn)行庚子年郵票設(shè)計(jì)最為緊張的時刻，方寸乾坤，他在杭州植物園內(nèi)的藝術(shù)館畫了700多張的樣稿。其間常受“頭暈”和“耳鳴”的困擾，去良渚博物院考察的前一天還在浙二醫(yī)院診斷出膜迷路水腫。為了不影響工作，醫(yī)生開出了一周的激素治療劑量。5月底回北京的前一刻，韓美林還在畫運(yùn)河南端的白馬雕塑設(shè)計(jì)稿，那是他獻(xiàn)給杭州和愛情的禮物。7月至8月上旬，完成浙江文投標(biāo)志設(shè)計(jì)，同期鼠年郵票開機(jī)儀式在國家博物館盛大舉行；中旬擔(dān)綱杭州亞運(yùn)會吉祥物評審委員會主席并牽頭評審；10月1日，中華人民共和國成立70周年華誕，他作為杰出藝術(shù)家代表受邀參加國慶觀禮。

然而，于如此紛繁的頭緒和陀螺般極速旋轉(zhuǎn)的時光中，步履即使再匆忙，也擋不住他對探尋良渚古老國家形態(tài)及先民生存足跡的無限熱望。5000多年深邃的時光，天書般的文字記載的天書般的歷史，神秘器物上的刻畫符號與精致紋樣，以及那巧奪天工和冥冥中操控一切的超自然之手—這一切與他多年來踐行的東方美學(xué)夢想，和他龐大的藝術(shù)體系有著天機(jī)般的玄妙姻緣。他和他的視線與精神所觸摸到的良渚一見鐘情，良渚成了他夢縈魂?duì)康氖澜纭?/p>

杭州良渚古城遺址公園前的主題雕塑全貌。The sculpture by Han Meilin stands in front of the Liangzhu National Archeological Site Park in Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province.

從那以后，韓美林便孜孜不倦地從一切可獲得的史料和音像資料里汲取養(yǎng)分，而他愈學(xué)習(xí)，就愈覺得認(rèn)知的匱乏與不足。8月，他借亞運(yùn)吉祥物評審之機(jī)再次深度考察了良渚。10月底去宜興參加籌建的紫砂館開館儀式時，還時時感覺自己掌握的良渚出土文物形象太少，不斷找更多輔助資料來學(xué)習(xí)感悟，同時產(chǎn)生了要將良渚介紹給馮驥才、白巖松等一眾文化名人的想法。

“要碰撞?！表n美林說，“要讓更多的人走進(jìn)良渚，互相激發(fā)”。當(dāng)他那樣說時，他的雕塑設(shè)計(jì)也進(jìn)入了一個特殊的時期，并把它稱作“黎明前的黑暗”。“不過這沒有問題，一定能找到解決方案，因?yàn)樗囆g(shù)是自由的。”他像自言自語，又像是對每一個和他探討良渚文化的人們說。

這個構(gòu)思上的瓶頸及其突破大概整整花去了韓美林?jǐn)?shù)月時間，其間他一如既往地像倪匡一樣往每個“抽屜”里充實(shí)新內(nèi)容，包括杭州藝術(shù)館3期開館，向杭州市捐贈500件多類別的作品。2020年3月，在幾乎所有人的關(guān)注重點(diǎn)都還在新冠疫情上時，韓美林發(fā)布了他已完成良渚雕塑設(shè)計(jì)并進(jìn)入泥稿制作階段的消息。

戰(zhàn)勝病痛的工作

疫情肆虐的2020年春節(jié)，韓美林在北京度過除夕夜后，毅然決然登上了前往泰國的航班。精通中國文化的泰國公主和泰國民眾正熱切等待由文化旅游部主辦的韓美林生肖水墨作品海外巡展。無論身處異國，還是回京后開設(shè)面向青少年的線上美術(shù)公開課，他對良渚雕塑的思考從未停止。

然而就在那時，他病倒了，而且似乎并不那么輕松。2020年3月中旬，因?yàn)橥壬嫌袀枰刻鞊Q藥住進(jìn)醫(yī)院。雪上加霜的是有一天走路時突然變得不能自控地往一邊傾斜，這讓醫(yī)生和夫人周建萍都非常擔(dān)心：難道是微循環(huán)系統(tǒng)出問題進(jìn)而影響到身體的整體平衡功能了？

為爭搶時間，韓美林早已偷偷地把他的設(shè)計(jì)搬到了北京醫(yī)院。另一方面，各種篩查和檢測也連帶診斷出，他“頭暈耳鳴”的癥結(jié)除了美尼爾綜合征還因?yàn)樽祫用}初始端狹窄，如果因此要采用放支架的方案來進(jìn)行治療，意味著良渚的創(chuàng)作很可能被暫時中斷。緊急時刻，曾同樣到過良渚，同樣獲聯(lián)合國和平勛章的老戰(zhàn)友、原衛(wèi)生部副部長黃潔夫來到了韓美林的身邊。

杭州良渚古城遺址公園秋景。黃德燦/攝The Liangzhu National Archeological Site Park in autumn. Photo by Huang Decan.

杭州良渚古城遺址公園內(nèi)的鹿苑。A deer enclosure at the the Liangzhu National Archeological Site Park.

“醫(yī)生負(fù)責(zé)你的健康，你負(fù)責(zé)良渚雕塑?！本瓦@樣，北京醫(yī)院、協(xié)和醫(yī)院和阜外心血管醫(yī)院的醫(yī)生共同攜手，用最先進(jìn)的藥物球囊解決了椎動脈狹窄的問題。當(dāng)醫(yī)生說一切順利，他可以像平常一樣該干什么就干什么時，韓美林的眼淚灑落在他多次修改過的設(shè)計(jì)圖紙上。在那里，基于良渚漆器紋樣設(shè)計(jì)的火焰圖案，正以不可阻擋的態(tài)勢向天空升騰。

面對高強(qiáng)度工作給身體帶來的各種“抗議”和配合治療，他是樂觀聽話的。在北京醫(yī)院，他就經(jīng)歷了處理腿上傷腐肌肉組織時故作輕松談笑風(fēng)生的階段，以及之后術(shù)中疼痛難忍，拿紙筆改編《兩只老虎》，請求主治大夫紀(jì)泉痛快利索，還高歌吆喝自己要做真爺們的勵志橋段。那個曾使全身血流短暫停頓的藥物球囊放置，因?yàn)槭莻€半麻的手術(shù)，患者意識極度清晰，更是痛苦萬分，直接挑戰(zhàn)生命耐受力的極限。

韓美林設(shè)計(jì)手稿。The design manuscript by Han Meilin.

2020年4月23日，出院以后的韓美林馬上和“同學(xué)們”一起著手制作3米高的玻璃鋼雕塑小樣。25日晚，完成了雕塑闡釋的系列手稿，23時，手稿電子版正式形成。次日凌晨，他將所有匯總編輯完成的資料發(fā)送到杭州良渚遺址管理區(qū)管委會。5月22日，他和夫人周建萍一道在藝術(shù)館的空曠處審視已經(jīng)加上基座的雕塑小樣。

29日上午，良渚古城遺址公園再次迎來了韓美林和他的工作團(tuán)隊(duì)。仰望藍(lán)天，已經(jīng)相當(dāng)熟悉遺址公園正門周邊環(huán)境的韓美林徐徐松開手中懸吊氣球的線索，并讓氣球最后停留在一個高度。6月18日，韓老師隔空對雕塑安裝進(jìn)行“云指揮”。當(dāng)20米高的主題雕塑“良月流暉”終于在正門開外40米的大地上屹然挺立，他也在心中默念，愿良渚先民感知華夏子孫穿越時空的致敬！

文明之源的藝術(shù)表達(dá)

浩瀚古良渚幾何形的東西多，形象的東西少。還不能讓雕塑長得足夠高。這是讓韓美林一度一籌莫展的地方。

而大師之所以是大師，也許就在于他們能夠忽略限制，大膽想象，從而回到問題的本源。

雕塑究竟是什么？

有人說：雕塑是存在于空間中的實(shí)體，它占有空間，影響空間，同時改造空間。有人說：雕塑在古代與建筑結(jié)合，當(dāng)?shù)袼軓摹八铩敝歇?dú)立出來成為視覺的中心，它也具有了象征的意味，并產(chǎn)生紀(jì)念性的觀感。還有人說：由于雕塑易于與形而上的東西結(jié)合，雕塑也更具有敘事性和感染力。

韓美林在北京醫(yī)院堅(jiān)持工作。Han Meilin continues his work even as he is hospitalized in Beijing.

在更具體的層面，雕塑還跟風(fēng)力、材料、應(yīng)力和氧化有關(guān)。

“雕塑跟這個時代有關(guān)?！表n美林補(bǔ)充說。

良渚的雕塑，主題是文化，是文明之源。

如果說水是生命的起源，那么火則是人類文明的起源，當(dāng)人類與火連在一起時，人類文明便踏上了一個全新的偉大轉(zhuǎn)折點(diǎn)。對文明本源的探尋，讓藝術(shù)家理性回歸，洞若觀火。憑著詳盡科學(xué)的考古體驗(yàn)與精準(zhǔn)的資料史實(shí)把握，他以直接純粹的文化符號敘述與有機(jī)銜接，重建他心目中的古國葳蕤與璀璨華光。通過良渚最具代表性的“神人獸面”圖騰和玉琮等經(jīng)典器物，融合太極陰陽、天人合一思想，構(gòu)建出一個極具辨識度的古代東方華美世界。

由火焰、玉器、基座和水池構(gòu)成的《良月流暉》彰顯了良渚文明的價值內(nèi)核和精神延展。頂端跳躍靈動的火焰，象征著中華文明生生不息、蓬勃向上的原動力。圓形的玉璧既代表上天，也是古文字“良”的變形。居于中間的三叉形器，代表人與天地的相互呼應(yīng)。玉器的組合，融合了天地人的意象。琮形基座，象征矗立良渚大地的古城和水利系統(tǒng)?？淘谟耒系纳衩胤枺瑏碜赃h(yuǎn)古的良渚陶器。

在所有這些元素和意象中，“火”是一個意外，一種超越。它越過一切思維和想象的樊籬；它輕盈，靈動，閃耀，燃燒；它是文明的火種，又是奧林匹克圣火的烈焰；它超越“水”，同時更點(diǎn)亮“水”。

這就是《良月流暉》，馮驥才認(rèn)為“韓美林最有靈氣的作品”。這就是《良月流暉》，一件無所謂體積大小，也無所謂規(guī)模震撼，卻依然在它有限的尺度內(nèi)實(shí)現(xiàn)造型上的抽象性與自我表達(dá)的韓美林新作。走過盛夏的熱烈，迎來秋日的涼爽，它還是那么適合與它迎面相視，還是那么倔強(qiáng)那么我行我素。

它是良渚的前世與今生。

一切曾經(jīng)一籌莫展的，就那樣慢慢解開與成就。

Thus Shines the Bright Moon

By Zhou Shu

On China’s 17th “Cultural and Natural Heritage Day” in 2022, the first image featured in the opening of the CCTV (China Central Television) news headline report is the sculpture “Liangyue Liuhui” (the Bright Shining Moon), the symbol of Liangzhu National Archeological Site Park in Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province. This sculpture deeply attracts people’s attention with its subtlety and profoundness.

Han Meilin, a renowned artist and senior professor of liberal arts at Tsinghua University, is the designer of this sculpture. As an assiduous pioneer of fine arts, Mr. Han has created a wide range of works, including painting, calligraphy, sculpture, ceramics,design and writing. He has a unique artistic style, through which he is dedicated to bringing out the best of both Chinese cultural traditions and mass culture and transform it into artworks that reflect contemporary aesthetic concepts.

In May 2019, Mr. Han drove his art caravan into the Beautiful Island Park in Liangzhu, Hangzhou for the first time.

Mr. Han’s teachers and friends who appreciate his art are all familiar with his art caravan, the traveling route of which also describes how he has journeyed through the folk art garden and been nourished by it. The artist, who has never studied abroad and modestly calls himself a “countryman”, actually came from a prestigious art school with a serious academic background.Over the years, he has taken his works, which are imbued with great oriental aesthetic value and integrated “the ancient with the modern”, across the oceans to the rest of the world, and has gradually won worldwide popularity and reputation.

For Mr. Han, the essence of the folk art hidden in the land of China is like the “fruits of the earth” implied by André Gide(1869-1951), which shines with an unstoppable “l(fā)ight of the earth”whether it is self-luminous or temporarily hidden. “The fruits of the earth come from the deepest part of life,” the French writer who won the Nobel Prize for Literature wrote in the preface of his book.“When you finish reading this book, leave it behind. And set out.”

From the initial establishment of the subject matter to visiting Liangzhu for first-hand experience and sensation, and then completing the Liangzhu-themed sculpture on the first anniversary of its recognition as a world cultural heritage site, the full cycle set aside for Mr. Han was only a year.

Fortunately, Mr. Han is a fast writer, like Ni Kuang (1935-2022), a Hong Kong talent and Jin Yong’s (1924-2018) best friend.

Legend has it that Ni created like this: 100,000 characters of a novel in 10 days, beating everyone else in the industry. He had eight drawers in his desk, each drawer keeping a script, and every day he gave each drawer one hour and then went to drink with his friends afterward.

Mr. Han’s “drawers” contain as many treasures as Ni’s, maybe more. The difference is that Mr. Han does not drink: he creates like crazy.

May 2019 was also the most intense period for Mr. Han.Working on the stamp design for the Year of the Rat, he drew over 700 proofs in the art gallery inside the Hangzhou Botanical Garden and often suffered from dizziness and tinnitus. In the same year, from July to early August, he completed the logo design for Zhejiang Cultural Industry Investment, and the launch ceremony of the Year of the Rat stamp was held at the National Museum during the same period. In the middle of August, he chaired the committee for reviewing the mascot designs of the Hangzhou Asian Games; on October 1, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he was invited to attend the National Day celebrations as a representative of outstanding artists.

Even at his busiest, Mr. Han still kept his enthusiastic exploration of the ancient state form of Liangzhu and the footprints left by local ancestors. A profound time course of 5,000-odd years, a heavenly history recorded in a heavenly book, the symbols and exquisite patterns engraved on mysterious artifacts, and the unbelievably wonderful workmanship excelling nature — all these perfectly meshed with his long pursuit of oriental aesthetics and vast art system. He fell in love at first sight with Liangzhu, visually and spiritually, and it thus became the world of his dream.

Since then, Mr. Han has been tirelessly drawing inspiration from all available historical materials. The deeper he dug into it,the stronger he felt about lacking relevant knowledge. In August,he took the opportunity of reviewing the Asian Games mascot designs to revisit Liangzhu in depth. Later he went to Yixing city, Jiangsu province at the end of October to prepare for the opening of the Purple Clay Museum, yet things about Liangzhu were always hovering on his mind: he was worried that the current image collection of Liangzhu’s excavated cultural relics was not wide enough and was constantly looking for more supporting information to take in. At the same time, the idea of introducing Liangzhu to Feng Jicai and Bai Yansong, among other cultural celebrities, arose.

“We want sparks,” Mr. Han said. “We want more people here in Liangzhu to inspire each other.” Just as Mr. Han made that announcement, he encountered a special phase with his sculpture design, which he called “the darkness before the dawn”.

“But it’s no problem, we can de finitely find a solution because art is free,” Mr. Han seemed to be talking to himself and also to everyone else with whom he discussed Liangzhu culture.

Overcoming this conceptual bottleneck took Mr. Han several months, during which he continued to fill each “drawer” with new contents. In March 2020, while almost everyone’s attention was still focused on COVID-19, Mr. Han released the news that he had already completed the design of the sculpture and proceeded to make bozzetto.

After spending the Chinese New Year’s Eve in Beijing during the epidemic-ridden 2020, Mr. Han resolutely boarded a flight toThailand. The Thai princess and her people, who are well-versed in Chinese culture, were eagerly awaiting the overseas touring exhibition of Han Meilin’s inkworks on Chinese zodiac signs, an event sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism.Whether he was in a foreign country or back in Beijing offering online art public classes for young people, Mr. Han never stopped thinking about the Liangzhu sculpture.

However, it was then that Mr. Han fell ill, and it seemed not a minor one. In mid-March, he was admitted to the hospital because of a leg injury that required daily medication. To race with time, Mr. Han secretly moved his design materials to the hospital.

Bearing various painful “protests” from his body caused by heavy workload and treatment, Mr. Han managed to keep his optimistic and cooperative attitude.

On April 23, after being discharged from the hospital, Mr.Han immediately worked with his “classmates” to produce a small sample of the 3-meter-high fiberglass sculpture. On the evening of April 25, he completed a series of manuscripts for the sculpture’s interpretation, and at 23:00, the e-version of the manuscript was officially formed. On May 22, Mr. Han and his wife, Zhou Jianping, examined the pedestal-added sculpture prototype in an open space of the Hangzhou Art Museum.

On the morning of May 29, the Liangzhu National Archeological Site Park once again welcomed Mr. Han and his team. Looking up at the blue sky, Mr. Han, who was already quite familiar with the surroundings of the main gate of the park, slowly released the suspended balloon in his hand. Watching the balloon fly up and finally rest at a certain height, he also chanted in his heart: may the Liangzhu ancestors perceive the tribute of Chinese descendants that transcends time and space.

Of all the artifacts from the vast land of ancient Liangzhu,geometric things outnumber figurative ones. Plus, the sculpture could not be made as tall as he had wished. This is where Mr. Han was once at a loss.

And perhaps what makes masters masters is their ability to ignore limitations, imagine boldly, and restart from the very beginning.

What exactly is sculpture?

It has been said that sculpture is an entity existing in space while occupying, influencing and transforming space all at once. Or, as others suggest, in ancient times when a sculpture was combined with architecture, it became the center of vision,which gave it independence from the “others” and a symbolic,monumental temperament. It is also believed that sculpture is deeply narrative and compelling because it integrates easily with metaphysics. On a more specific level, a sculpture is also related to wind, materials, stress and oxidation.

“Sculptures relate to their era,” Mr. Han added.

The sculpture of Liangzhu centers on culture and the source of civilization.

If water is the origin of life,then fire is the origin of human civilization. The moment human beings were connected with fire,the human civilization began to embark on a new and great turning point. The search for the origin of civilization has brought Mr. Han back to reason and insight. With his detailed scientific archeological experience and precise grasp of historical facts,he reconstructed the grandness of the ancient state in his mind with a direct and pure narration of cultural symbols. Through its most representative “god with animal’s face” totem, jadeand other classic artifacts, he integrated the ideas of,and the “man-is-an-integral-part-of-nature”theory to build a highly recognizable ancient oriental world of splendor.

Consisting of flame, jade, pedestal and pond, “Liangyue Liuhui” manifests the core value and spiritual expanse of the Liangzhu civilization. The flame leaping and moving at the top symbolizes the vitality of Chinese civilization. The round jaderepresents heaven and is also a variant of the ancient Chinese character “Liang”. The trident-shaped vessel in the middle represents the connection between man, heaven and earth. The jade combination integrates the imagery of heaven, earth and man. The jade--shaped pedestal symbolizes the ancient city of Liangzhu and its water conservancy system. The mysterious symbols engraved on the jadecome from the ancient Liangzhu pottery.

Among all these elements and imagery, “ fire” is an accident,a kind of transcendence. It transcends all barriers of thought and imagination; it is light, flowing, shining and burning; it is the fire of civilization and the flame of sacred fire; it transcends “water”and lights up “water” at the same time.

This is “Liangyue Liuhui”, which Feng Jicai considers “Han Meilin’s cleverest artwork”. It is not about size or scale, but about abstract aesthetics and self-expression, which it manages to achieve with its limited figure. From spring to winter, it is always there,welcoming visitors with a stubborn expression of its own. It is Liangzhu’s past and present. Everything that was once inexplicable is slowly unraveled and accomplished.

作者與韓美林。Han Meilin with the author.