刘昌文笔下的故城时光

◇ |文本刊记者 | 图

在刘昌文画室，一幅皑皑白雪覆盖吊脚楼的作品被精心装裱，挂在进门处。

这幅名为《山城雪花飘》的油画，是刘昌文上个世纪90年代的作品。

“1991年底，重庆下大雪。从没见过渝中区下那么一场大雪，雪刚停，我就背上 120海鸥照相机，满大街拍照寻找创作素材。”刘昌文在朝天门、解放碑、临江门一带，拍了无数张照片。最后的成果之一，就是这幅《山城雪花飘》——积雪覆盖下的临江门一带，一坡坡的梯坎以及房屋层层叠叠、错落有致，画面安静、沉稳。

事实上，只要空闲，刘昌文就会背着相机走街串巷采风，以城市为背景的作品也贯穿了刘昌文的整个创作，“我就是用手中的画笔记录重庆这座城市的时光。”

A painting of a stilted building covered by pure-white snow is mounted and hung at the door of Liu's studio.

It is an oil painting called Snow Flies in the Mountain City, which was drawn by Liu in the 1990s.

"There was a heavy snow in Chongqing in the end of 1991. I have never seen a snow that heavy in Yuzhong District in my life. Once the snow stopped, I immediately took my 120 Seagull Camera to take photos for my creation as many as possible." Liu has taken numerous photos in areas around Chaotianmen, Jiefangbei, and Linjiangmen. One of his achievements is this Snow Flies in the Mountain City. Stairs and houses that are wellproportioned in Linjiangmen area covered with snow form a picture of tranquility.

In fact, Liu, once has free time, would bring his camera to take photos across the streets and alleys. Therefore, works in the background of city are very common among Liu's entire creation. "I just use my brush to record the time in Chongqing."

最爱临江门吊脚楼 Loves the Stilted Building in Linjiangmen Most

在外人眼里，《山城雪花飘》这样的作品，无疑是刘昌文的冷门之作，因为他为外界熟知的，更多是如《红流》《夜行列车》《豆角熟了》等这一类作品。

但实际上，刘昌文一直把自己当作城市记忆的记录者，自1977年四川美院毕业到东方红电影院（即后来的国泰电影院）当美工开始，他就习惯背着画箱、揣着速写本，有时脖子上还挂个120相机，在重庆的大街小巷、车站码头、田野江边，画了许多色彩写生和速写，如今，它们成了珍贵的记录。

“我从小长在解放碑，我还有无数以重庆为题材的作品，比如这幅《山城雪花飘》。这里是我生长的地方，除了这里，你再也找不到这样错落有致、层层叠叠、变幻莫测的城市景观。”

这些作品中，出现最多的，是临江门、一号桥一带的吊脚楼，错落有致、鳞次栉比，“上世纪七八十年代的临江门，与现在迥异，非常有特色。我最喜欢这里层层叠叠一直延伸到江边的吊脚楼，尽管吊脚楼看上去破败了，但住户很多，而且这一带隐藏着几十条街巷，市井味浓厚。”

透过刘昌文的这些作品，我们寻见了老重庆的旧时光：龙门浩渡口对岸房子布满山坡，江北城的老城墙树影稀疏；那时，凯旋路上的东华观藏经楼还很完整，两路口的急救中心鹤立鸡群格外高大；我们看到了还是一片农田的松树桥，看到了大溪沟被洪水淹没的厂房和民舍；画里还有磁器口的石桥，有十八梯的小巷……

几十年过去，这些当年练手的速写和写生，还被刘昌文完完整整地收藏着，有时还会拿出来一页页地翻看，就像是翻看珍藏的老照片，回忆于是也一点点展开：“我走过许多地方，但要说最能触动我的，还是重庆。我从小就在解放碑练笔，几乎背着画夹走遍了这里的大街小巷，这里是我艺术生涯启蒙的地方。”

For laymen, works like Snow Flies in the Mountain City is undoubtedly one of Liu's works which are not popular. He is more famous for works includingHongliu,Train at Night, Ripe Beansetc.

However, Liu is always thinking himself as a recorder of the city's memory.Since he worked as an art worker in Dong Fang Hong Cinema (the Cathay Cinema) after graduated from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute,he has got used to carrying a painting box, a sketch book, and sometimes an 120 camera around his neck, to make many paintings in streets, alleys, stations, docks, fields,riverside in Chongqing. Now, they've become the most precious records.

02/03/04 刘昌文笔下的临江门街巷和吊脚楼，现在都已消失了

"I grew up in Jiefangbei, so I have plenty of other works themed with Chongqing, such asthe Snow Flies in the Mountain City. This is where I grew up. You can never find another place like this where cityscape is so well-proportioned, so tiered, and so unpredictable."

The stilted buildings in areas around Linjiangmen and No.1 Bridge appear the most in Liu's works. They are wellproportioned and tiered. "It is very amazing that the Linjiangman nowadays is so different from the Linjiangmen in 1970s and 1980s. My favorite thing here is the tiered stilted buildings that extend to the riverside.Although they seem shabby, there are still a lot of people living there. Besides, there are dozens of streets and alleys hiding in the area, which are full of civil life."

Through the paintings of Liu Changwen,we have seen the old times in Chongqing:houses behind Longmenhao ferry cover the hillside, and tree shadows are sparse on ancient walls of Jiangbei town; at that time,the Donghuaguan Depository of Buddhist Sutras on Kaixuan Rd. was still complete, and the emergency center on Lianglukou stood tall among other buildings; we saw farmland which now is Songshuqiao, plants and villages submerged by flood in Daxigou; there are also stone bridges in Ciqikou and alleys in Shibati...

05 若瑟堂

06 龙门浩码头

Decades later, the sketches and paintings Liu made before were collected safe and sound by him. He sometimes would take them out and flip them page by page just like appreciating old photos. In this way did his memory unveils, "I have been to many places, but only Chongqing can tug at my heart." I have been practicing in Jiefangbei since I was a kid, so I have basically been to every street and alley with my painting box. This is where my art career starts."

跟上城市发展的节奏 Keep Up with the Pace of the City Development

刘昌文记忆中的城市岁月，除了沉静安详的老城老街，还有火热的城市建设场面。

“那个年代，各地经常组织美术工作者到重钢厂采风。”刘昌文兴奋地回忆，“上世纪七十年代，我们都很羡慕在这里工作的工人，那时候的重钢厂是一个热火朝天的地方。”

在刘昌文的这幅《钢铁年代》中，描绘了这样一个场面：一艘大船行驶在江上，背景中重钢的两根巨大烟囱正冒着浓浓的白烟。

与直接描摹工厂不同，刘昌文从不同的角度，记录下了当年重钢厂的热闹景象。在刘昌文看来，这样的意象能够反映重钢厂当年为整个重庆所做的贡献。

07 1981年的洪水，淹没了大溪沟一带的厂房、民舍

除了钢厂，在刘昌文的写生中，还有修建中的石板坡长江大桥。

大桥建设阶段，刘昌文几乎每周都会到珊瑚坝参加修桥的义务劳动。“到了周末，我会选一个角落，画这座长江大桥。”刘昌文至今都还记得，长江大桥通车仪式上，上万名群众赶来看热闹。

08 嘉陵江大桥

当然，作为城市的记录者，刘昌文并没有把眼光局限于对老重庆的记忆，高楼林立、日新月异的城市如今也出现在他笔下，“1997年，我第一次去纽约，夜晚的纽约灯火通明，深深震撼了我。没想到，不过短短二十年，重庆的夜景同样美轮美奂。”

The city life in Liu's memory is,apart from the ancient town and streets in tranquility, the busy scenes of city construction.

“Back in that time, art workers in many places were frequently organized to go to Chongqing Steel Plant for inspiration," says Liu in excitement, "We were all envious of the workers working here in 1970s, because Chongqing Steel Plant at that time was a popular place."

In his workSteel Age, a scene was portrayed: a giant vessel was traveling on the river with two big chimneys on it emitting thick white smoke.

Unlike direct portray of factories, Liu Changwen recorded the busy scenes of Chongqing Steel Plant. In his eyes, such images can show how Chongqing Steel Plant has contributed to entire Chongqing.

Apart from the steel plant, in his works, there is also Yangtze River Bridge of Shibanpo.

During the construction period, Liu basically participated in voluntary labor of bridge construction in Shanhuba every week. "I would choose a corner in weekend to draw the Yangtze River Bridge." Liu remembers until now that thousands of people celebrated the opening ceremony of Yangtze River Bridge.

However, as the recorder of the city,Liu definitely looks beyond the memory of old Chongqing. The rapidly-changing and skyscraper-standing cityscape also shows up in his works, "I've been to New York for the first time in 1997. The bright evening in New York shocked me a lot. It never occurs to me that in just two decades, the night view of Chongqing is as beautiful as that of New York."