艺术家 雁北雁北，本名张国辉，字雁北，号壘。北京市平谷人。1986 年毕业于首都师范大学美术系。曾经从事美术教师、记者、职业画家等工作，创办广告公司和环境艺术公司，现旅居欧洲潜心创作。
飘逸的笔墨与多维的人生——关于雁北和他的绘画
文/杨卫
雁北是一位很有故事的人。我说他有故事，并不是说他的人生有多么大的跌宕起伏，而是就他的职业身份而言，比较丰富，不只是作为画家，而且还当过教师、做过记者，等等，涉及的工作，可谓多种多样。他的成就，也不只是局限于艺术领域，其它方面，也都是成绩斐然，甚至可以成为一个励志的样榜。
yanbei is a man with a lot of stories。 By saying this， I do not mean that his life has been full of ups and downs。 What I am referring to is how diversified his career identities have been over the years。 Apart from being an artist， he used to be a teacher， a journalist， and was even once in the real estate business。 It is not only the field of art in which he excelled， his achievements in other areas are also remarkable – one might even say to the extent of having become a role model。
不过，尽管雁北做过许多职业，尝试过多种不同类型的工作。但他所做这一切物质铺垫，都是为了能够让自己有充分的条件从事艺术创作。所以，连贯起来看，张国辉所做的其它工作，也是他艺术人生的一部分，甚至是非常重要的一部分，我们不能分割来看。
Although yanbei has set foot on many career paths and attempted a variety of different occupations， what he has always been meaning to do is to lay a foundation solid enough to support his artistic pursuits。 Therefore， in the long run， all other careers yanbei ever pursued are of great significance。 They must be seen as an integral and indispensable part of his life as an artist。
雁北出生于二十世纪六十年代。跟这个年龄段的几乎所有中国人一样，雁北也经历了“文革”的动荡，以及门户再度开放以后的社会变迁。不过，雁北不是被动的经历，而是主动地参与，尤其是后来把握社会开放的契机，双管齐下，既搞艺术创作，又兼及其它工作，从而使他的艺术人生，变得非常之饱满，同时，也获得了世俗意义上的成功。
Yanbei was born in the 1960s。 Same as almost all Chinese people of the same generation， yanbei went through the turbulent years of the Cultural Revolution as well as the significant social transitions following the opening-up。 What made his experience different was that he did not passively get involved， instead， he was actively participating in the ups and downs of the era。 In particular， seizing the great opportunity of China’s opening-up， yanbei divided his attention between artistic creation and other business pursuits。 Such pursuits greatly complemented his life as an artist， and earned him “success” in the secular sense in the business field。
早在八十年代，雁北就开始学习绘画，并以优异成绩考上了首都师范大学美术系。那时，正值中国的“文化热”，全国上下掀起了学习的高潮，都要将“文革”所耽误的时间抢回来。在这样的背景下，能进入到大学系统地学习，无疑是一种幸运。雁北正是把握了这个机会，一方面从西方现代艺术中吸取营养；另一方面从自己的传统艺术中发现价值，互为补充地进行学习，不仅为自己拓宽了艺术的视野，也由此打下了坚实的造型基础。
Having started to learn painting since as early as the late 1980s， yanbei was admitted to Beijing Normal University with high grade honors to study fine art。 It was right amidst China’s “cultural heat”， in which the passion for higher education swept every corner of the country。 Men and women in their youth were determined to take back the years impeded by the Cultural Revolution。 Under such circumstances， it was undoubtedly a blessing to be able to enter the university for a systematic education。 Zyanbei Guohui seized and made the most of such opportunity。 On one hand， he assimilated nutrients from Western modern art； on the other， he uncovered values from traditional Chinese art。 The two aspects complemented each other， broadened his artistic horizon， and lay a solid foundation for his figurative formation。
我看过雁北当年的一些创作，有水墨、有油画、也有水彩、素描、插画等等，语言形式可谓多种多样。由此，我感受到了雁北的绘画才能，不是局限于一计之长，而是全面地、立体地向纵深发展。这正是师范生的特点，由此带来的益处，就是有很强的综合能力。雁北那时的作品，大都倾向于写实，与当时画坛盛行的乡土绘画与风情画相关联，表达了那个时期的整体审美倾向。
I have had the honor of seeing Zhang’s works from earlier years。 There were ink paintings， oil paintings， watercolor paintings， sketches， illustrations etc。， and the formative language was indeed greatly varied。 I realized that Zhang’s painting talent was not restricted to any specific painting category。 Rather， it was developed in a comprehensive and full-bodied way into vertical depth。 This is a feature that students at the Normal University are equipped with， and it results in very strong comprehensive abilities in painting。 Influenced by the popularity of rustic themes in pictorial art at the time， the majority of works from Zhang’s early years tend to be realistic， reflecting the aesthetic taste of the period。
大学毕业之后的雁北，曾做过美术教师，其间创作了大批风情画作品，也拥有了一定的市场。不过，雁北显然不满足于此，更不愿意为市场而画画。他希望有遭一日能够完全为自己创作，画自己所思、画自己所感。于是，他趁着商业大潮来临之即，尝试过记者、设计等多项工作之后。可尽管雁北那些年身在其他领域，但心却一直在艺术之中，多年来始终坚持创作，笔耕未停。画画不仅成了他生活的兴趣，也成了他的精神寄托。
After graduating from the university， yanbei became an art teacher， and produced a large quantity of vulgar paintings in the mean time。 His paintings developed a certain market base。 However， yanbei was not content with what he had achieved， nor did he wish to create paintings to meet the market demand。 He dreamed that one day he could paint entirely for himself – his every thought and feeling。 To move towards that goal， yanbei seized the opportunity of the massive market expansion and worked as a journalist and a designer before going into real estate development。 Although those years were spent outside the art field， he maintained fervent interest in art and never gave up on the painting brush。 Painting had not only become the interest of his life， but it became a spiritual harbor for him。
正是因为雁北心有所系，对艺术一直情有独钟。所以，当他在商界摸爬滚打多年，打下了一定的经济基础之后，最终还是决定放弃经商，回到艺术的自由状态。雁北的这种选择，无疑使他的艺术人生变得更加丰富，也更加精彩。因为有了经济基础，他可以从容不迫地为自己创作了；同时，由于有过教书、做记者、从事环境艺术等诸多社会经验作为铺垫，又使得雁北的笔下，有了丰富的生活意向与饱满的生命内容。所以，他的创作一发不可收拾，短短几年时间，便画出了百多幅作品。
After spending many hard-fought years in real estate and establishing a substantial economic foundation， yanbei determined to give up being a businessman and return to a state of freedom as an artist thanks to his persistence and unforgotten passion in art。 The experiences he has had and the choices he has made undoubtedly enriched and added interesting diversity to his artistic career。 Due to the economic foundation he has accumulated， yanbei could finally paint freely for himself。 Due to the abundant social experience he had acquired in previous careers， his paintings were charged with rich content and diversified inspirations from real life。 The outpouring of his sparkling creativity led to the production of hundreds of paintings in just the last few years。
就雁北的新作而言，主要还是倾向于水墨。但他的水墨画，又不是走的传统水墨的路径，而是以新水墨为语汇，来表现自己的生命情绪。无疑，新水墨带有的实验性，更加吻合雁北的内心需要。因为传统水墨经过历史的演变与沉淀，早已形成一套完整的程式，艺术家在这套程式里进行创作，必然会受其束缚。而新水墨则是对传统水墨的一种解放，是将其他艺术的表现手法收入进来，丰富水墨画的语言形态。二十世纪以来，以徐悲鸿、林风眠等为代表的新派艺术家，提倡水墨画的革新，不仅只是为了迎合时代需要，更为重要的是，希望藉此来表达自己的存在经验，反映自己对时代的真实感受。
Ink painting is still the emphasis of yanbei’s most recent works， though his ink paintings do not follow the traditional path。 They employ the visual language of modern ink paintings to display his life and emotions。 Needless to say， the experimental nature of modern ink paintings conforms more to yanbei’s inner need。 The art of traditional ink painting has undergone hundreds of years of transition and accumulation， and has developed a fixed set of patterns and rules。 Artists who work within the rules inevitably feel restrained。 Modern ink painting， which absorbs the means of expression of other art forms， is a liberation of traditional ink painting， and it enriches the artistic language of this ancient painting form。 Since the 20th century， innovative artists led by Xu Beihong and Lin Fengmian had called for the innovation of ink paintings。 Their effort was not merely to conform with the taste of the era， but to express the experience of their existence and to reveal true feelings towards their time。
雁北的水墨画，上承了林风眠一路，但没有林风眠作品中的朴拙、凝重和晦暗，代之而出的，是一种绚丽、灿烂，甚至情绪激昂的画面。这当然跟人的性格和经历有关，林风眠生逢乱世，后又经历了一个极度压抑的时代，他作品中出现的那种阴郁气质，正是他的切身体验。而雁北却是赶上了一个社会开放的时候，他能穿梭于各种职业之间，甚至还能游走于世界各地，正是开放时代带来的自由与解放。所以，他的艺术语言奔放、热烈，充满澎湃的激情，正是这个开放时代的反映，也是他性格的一种真情流露。
Yanbei Guohui’s ink paintings take inspirations from Lin Fengmian， but are absent of Lin’s simpleness， thickness， and duskiness。 Instead， yanbi’s paintings are occupied with splendidness， glamor， and emotions。 There is no doubt that a painter’s style has to do with his or her own personality or experience。 Lin was born in a chaotic time and spent many decades living in severe social suppression。 It is inevitable that his paintings carry a sense of gloominess， which conforms to his personal experience。 On the contrary， Zhang Guohui is living in an age of openness。 He could switch between professions and travel around the globe。 These are all outcomes of the freedom and liberation brought about by the opening-up。 As a result， his artistic language appears to be bold， unrestrained， forceful and passionate。 This is a reflection of the open age， and a revelation of his true emotions and sentiments。
就我个人而言，比较喜欢雁北表现乱草丛生的那批作品，尤其是他的侧锋用笔，抑或是侧锋泼墨，犹如刀劈，给人一种强烈的气势；同时，他作品的色彩，也非常饱满，清新而不柔媚，艳丽而不喧闹。可谓洒脱飘逸，酣畅淋漓。我以为，从这个角度出发，向纵深探索和拓展，是最有可能走出自己的一片新天地。因为就其语言方式而言，雁北的绘画已经超越了笔墨关系，而跟西方的表现主义绘画打通了经脉。
Personally， I would say that yanbei’s paintings featuring disorderly grass are the favourites of mine。 His brushwork and ink splashes using the blade of the brush are as forceful and imposing as knife cuts。 Meanwhile， the use of color in his paintings is extremely rich – fresh but not gaudy， bright but not disruptive – it is entirely elegant and free， expressive and delightful。 In my view， developing along this path has the greatest potential of establishing an artistic world of his own。 This is because in terms of artistic expression， yanbei’s paintings have leapt beyond a mere correlation of ink and brush， and have found a path toward western expressionism。
事实上，水墨画的发展，已经面临一个新的瓶颈，包括新水墨，如何跳出传统笔墨的理解，来表现当代人的生命经验与思想情感，已是一个迫在眉睫的话题。雁北打破身份的限制与艺术门类的束缚，借用多种方法和手段，尤其是以西方表现主义绘画来充实水墨的语言，拓展自己艺术表现的张力，至少提供了一种可能性。至于他的作品是不是水墨画，已经不重要了。因为对于变换过多种人生角色，而今旅居在海外的雁北而言，他要的仅仅只是艺术的表达。
In truth， the development of ink paintings has reached a bottleneck。 This applies to modern ink paintings as well。 How to break free from people’s rigid understanding of conventional ink paintings and inject the life experience and emotions of a modern man into this ancient art form has become a heated topic for discussion。 Zhang broke free from the restraints of identity and artistic modes。 He made use of various means and methods， in particular， he assimilated western expressionism to enrich the artistic language of ink paintings and to extend the powerfulness of his artistic expression。 As to whether or not his works still count as ink paintings， it appears to have become less of an important question。 For Zhang， who has experienced multiple life identities and has now settled down far overseas， all he cares about and asks for is nothing but free artistic expression。
2017.2.16于通州
February 16， 2017
Tongzhou， Beijing
