匠心读人

王智媛

邬大勇和他的人物画

邬大勇的作品《图像志——我的大学》入选第七届全国青年美术作品展，并被列入直送作品名单。为此，我们专门采访了这位年轻有为、以油画人物创作见长的艺术家，倾听其“匠心读人”的心路历程。他将他读到的人，用他最擅长的语言呈现出来。我们透过他的作品，可以读到历史，读到青春，读到丰盈而有趣的灵魂。

读人亦读史

邬大勇总是笑称，他和中国美术学院早已在冥冥之中注定了不离不弃的缘分。很小就展现出绘画才华的邬大勇，初习绘画时的两位老师就来自中国美术学院油画系，现如今邬大勇成了他俩的同事。1992年，邬大勇顺利地考入了中国美院附中，后又顺利地拿下了中國美术学院的学士、硕士、博士学位。在中国美术学院油画系求学期间，邬大勇的本科老师和研究生导师都是以创作人物画、历史主题画为主的，这就潜移默化地影响了邬大勇的创作题材与风格，致使他后来更侧重于重大题材油画的创作。留校任教至今，“三十年了，不曾离开，这也许就是冥冥之中的缘分吧”。

他扎实的绘画功底和勤奋的工作态度，深得时任中国美术学院院长许江先生的赞许。一次幸运的机会，他与许江、孙景刚、崔小冬合作国家重大历史题材美术创作工程《1937·12·南京》（现收藏于中国美术馆）。这幅油画在场景表达上，呈现出战争中狼烟冲天、残阳如血的远景与尸骸堆积如山的近景;在构思设计上，突出坑里坑外的对比，给观者带来视觉和心灵的双重震撼。他们希望通过这幅作品向世人传递真相，每一个人都不该忘记1937年12月的南京。这幅作品的横空出世，引发了社会各界的强烈反响，也为该团队后续展开更深度的合作奠定了基础。

随后，他与许江、孙景刚再度合作，参与了中华文明历史题材美术创作工程项目，诞生了巨幅油画《天地悠悠——文天祥过零丁洋写照》（现收藏于中国国家博物馆）。这幅采用棕红色色调、笔触凌厉而不失精到的油画，融入强烈的东方写意感，运用极具人物肖像表现力的创作手法，穿越历史的云烟，生动地还原了南宋宰相文天祥为抗击外敌被俘的场景，充分展现了古代民族英雄拯救国家的坚定信仰和视死如归的高风亮节。“人生自古谁无死？留取丹心照汗青。”人生激荡，英雄从未彷徨。

再后来，他三次参与了“百年追梦”浙江美术创作精品工程项目。其中，群像油画《文军长征——1940年国立浙江大学西迁》（现收藏于浙江美术馆）的诞生在邬大勇的艺术创作生涯中别具意义。这不仅是邬大勇独立完成的省部级绘画创作项目，也是邬大勇十分热爱和擅长的静态人物群像组合。这幅作品生动地描绘了国立浙江大学师生西迁办学途中的场景，彰显了浙大师生“以天下为己任”的使命与担当。此时的邬大勇，也是中国美术学院的师者，他深受文军长征精神的影响，在艺术教育事业中践行着自己的初心与诺言。

“历史画是一个宏观概念，既有古代的、近现代的，也有当代的。”2020年初，新冠病毒肆虐全球，没人知道这场没有硝烟的战“疫”要持续多久。正当人们感到不安和焦虑的时候，传来了一则新冠肺炎孕妇成功诞下健康男婴的新闻，这新生，像一道冲破阴霾的光芒，为人们带来了生命的鼓舞与希望。邬大勇深受触动，当即决定要用画笔来还原这个特殊时期的特别故事，以鼓舞人们保持乐观心态，共同抗击疫情。在这次创作中，他“将一些抽象元素，譬如具有冲击力的色块组合运用到主题性绘画中去，而不是完全由内容去牵引创作构思，既是一种尝试，又是一种实践”，于是就有了新作《浙里抗疫——新生》（现收藏于浙江展览馆）。

读他的人物画，就是读一段历史、读一个时代，读其情怀之“大”。

读人之青春

在重大历史题材创作过程中，邬大勇深深感到，尘封的是历史，长明的是青春。他开启了一系列青春题材的创作，而其中，最具代表性的作品莫过于为第十三届全国美展创作的油画《觉醒——1919青年中国》和为第五届全国青年美展创作的油画《90后有约》。

他在与许江、孙景刚参与建党百年大型美术创作工程的三年时间里，他通过查阅大量史实文献，观看大量电影和纪录片，诞生了巨幅油画《红潮——五四运动》，从正面视角呈现了游行队伍的宏大场面。那些振臂高呼、步履铿锵、目光坚定的热血青年深深烙印在他心中，于是他就从侧面视角特写了几位走在游行队伍前列的青年，独立创作了油画《觉醒——1919青年中国》，以纪念五四运动100周年。无论是正面的还是侧面的，无论是远景还是近景，它们都记录了一代青年的觉醒。

“无论是历史题材创作，还是青春题材创作，都有一致的趣味在里头，都是偏平面性的，都不是靠大家公认的某种细腻让画面深入，而是靠对比、靠推敲形态来让画显得耐看。”这类成功实践的作品中，就有入选第五届全国青年美展并获优秀奖（最高奖）的作品《90后有约》。以学生为原型创作的《90后有约》，呈现了一位身姿秀丽、面容皎洁的姑娘临去赴约前的提鞋瞬间，古典的线条结合柔和的色调，富有很强的个人主观感受，静中有动、动中有静，美得自然、舒畅，闪耀着青春的光泽。

在他的画中，青春迸发着“一身能擘两雕弧，虏骑千重只似无”的力量;在他的画中，青春镌刻着“草长莺飞二月天，拂堤杨柳醉春烟”的美好年华;在他的画中，青春激荡着“进前而勿顾后，背黑暗而向光明”的梦想。

读他的人物画，就是读青春之泉，读其喷“勇”不息。

读人亦读己

创作人物画，先要读透人，读《觉醒——1919青年中国》中的热血青年也好，读《90后有约》中的韶光美好也罢，其实都是在读人。读人的过程，何尝不是观照自己、涵养本心的过程。

在完成一系列历史题材作品和青春题材作品的创作后，邬大勇开始认识自己，他久久地审视着自己的灵魂。“我开始思考，是什么构成了我成长进步和自我超越的宝贵养分”，于是，他回顾青春时期对自己产生深刻影响的文艺作品和人物，打破常规历史画创作的思维模式限制，让老舍、傅雷、肖洛霍夫、加缪、罗曼 · 罗兰、马奈、萨特、鲁迅、陀斯妥耶夫斯基、塞尚、索罗利亚这些不同年代、不同国度的人物，穿越时空会聚在他的青春图腾上，他将这幅作品深情地命名为《图像志——我的大学》。1A5914E9-C578-4358-99C3-F023FF0A7C1C

于是我们不难理解，缘何他的《图像志——我的大学》入选第七届全国青年美术作品展。“我希望可以将其作为个人叙事的一个小结，也希望唤起某种文学感和仪式感。”邬大勇成功地做到了。从学理维度来看，《图像志——我的大学》是一幅群像式的个人叙事作品;从空间维度来看，《图像志——我的大学》更是一个“邬”托邦的艺术厅堂。置身其中，你会惊奇地发现，在大的群像“叙事”中又铺陈着诸多小的细节“叙事”，例如画面细微之处可见其大学时期深爱的弗里德里希的名画《雾海中的旅行者》以及Nirvana、Metallica等乐队主唱的照片和唱片封面。

在邬大勇的画室，一幅正处于创作初期的巨幅油画十分醒目，我们又见到从不同年代、不同国度穿越时空会聚而来的人物，我们又读到很多大“叙事”中的小“叙事”，這应该是《图像志——我的大学》的姊妹作，我们期待这幅作品早日问世。交谈中，谈及其被收藏于中国国家博物馆、中国美术馆、浙江美术馆、浙江展览馆、中国美术学院美术馆的作品时，我们惊异于这位青年艺术家所取得的艺术成就，他却云淡风轻地将其归功于幸运。而笔者认为，幸运，从来都是能者的谦辞。

读他的人物画，就像步入一个“邬”托邦的艺术厅堂，读其丰盈而有趣的灵魂。

“精华在笔端，咫尺匠心难。”如今，人们仿佛很难静下心来把一本心爱的书读完，而他，却愿意用几个月甚至几年的时间来打磨一幅人物画。这个创作的过程，就是匠心读人的过程。没有情怀之“大”，没有青春之泉的喷“勇”，何以构建一个“邬”托邦的艺术厅堂！

链接：

邬大勇，现任中国美术学院绘画艺术学院副院长，油画系第一工作室教授、博导，油画历史画创作研究所负责人。

作品《致青春·勇者有约》获第十三届浙江省美展铜奖并入选第十二届全国美展获奖提名。

作品《觉醒——1919青年中国》获第十四届浙江省美展银奖并入选第十三届全国美展。

作品《故事》入选第四届全国青年美展获优秀奖（最高奖）。

作品《90后有约》入选第五届全国青年美展获优秀奖（最高奖）。

Ingenuity to Read People：

Wu Dayong and His Figure Paintings

By  Wang Zhiyuan

Wu Dayongs Iconography — My University was selected into the Seventh National Youth Art Exhibition and shortlisted for the 14th National Art Exhibition. In a special interview with this young and promising artist who excels in figure oil paintings， Wu shared his journey of “reading people with ingenuity”. Through his works， one can learn history， youth as well as rich， interesting souls.

Wu Dayong said with a smile that he was destined to an indissoluble bond with China Academy of Art （CAA）. Showing his talent for art at an early age， he was initiated by two teachers from the Oil Painting Department of CAA. After finishing its affiliated high school in 1992， Wu was enrolled to CAA， where he obtained the bachelors， masters and doctorate degrees， and was assigned to teach after graduation. During his days in the Oil Painting Department， both his undergraduate and postgraduate tutors were specialized in figure painting and historical theme painting， which subtly influenced Wus creative themes and painting style： he would be focused more on oil painting with major themes later.

Wus solid painting skills and diligence won the praise of Xu Jiang， the then CAA president， with whom he cooperated afterwards. Together with Sun Jinggang and Cui Xiaodong， the four of them worked on a national major historical art project Dec. 1937， Nanjing （now collected by the National Art Museum of China）. In the background， the setting sun， silhouetted against smoke from war fire， is like blood， whereas in the foreground， bodies are heaped up like a mountain. There is also a sharp contrast between the inside and outside of the corpse pit， bringing both visual and spiritual shock to the viewers， reminding the Chinese people not to forget the humiliation. It has aroused strong responses from people of all walks of life， laying the foundation for the team of four in engage in more in-depth cooperation.1A5914E9-C578-4358-99C3-F023FF0A7C1C

Subsequently， Wu， Xu and Sun worked in cooperation again on a project with the theme of Chinese civilization and history， which gave birth to the huge oil painting The Eternal Heaven and Earth — A Portrait of Wen Tianxiang Sailing Through the Lingdingyang Bay （now collected in the National Museum of China）. In crimson tones with sharp， precise brushstrokes， the painting incorporates a strong sense of oriental freehand brushwork， which endows its figures with impressive expressiveness. It vividly restores the scene of Wen Tianxiang （1236-1283）， the last prime minister of the Southern Song dynasty （1127-1279）， being captured in his fight against invaders， which reflects the steadfast determination of ancient national heroes to save their country.

Wu thereafter participated in Zhejiangs boutique project “A Centurys Dreams” three times. His oil painting Long March by a Literary “Army”： National Zhejiang University Relocates to Western China in 1940 （now collected in Zhejiang Art Museum）， with a combination of static figures in which Wu excels， demonstrates the mission of teachers and students of Zhejiang University to “take the world as their own responsibility”. At this time， Wu， a teacher at China Academy of Art， deeply influenced by this spirit， pursued his original aspirations in the cause of art education.

“History painting is a macro concept with a time span from the ancient to the present.” In early 2020， word came that a pregnant woman affiliated with COVID-19 successfully delivered a healthy baby boy. This new life， like a ray of light breaking through the darkness， brought the hope of life. Deeply touched， Wu decided instantly to reproduce the special story in this special period， encouraging people to maintain optimism， which resulted in his new work Fight Against the Pandemic in Zhejiang — New Life （now collected in Zhejiang Exhibition Hall）. Here he tried to incorporate some abstract elements， such as impactful color blocks， into a thematic painting”. Admiring Wus figure paintings is to admire a piece of history and an era in his “big” vision.

In creating major historical subjects， Wu understood that though history could be sealed in dust， youth would always shine. During his three-year cooperation with Xu Jiang and Sun Jinggang， Wu independently created Awakening – the Youth of China 1919， featuring several young people walking in the front of a parade from a side perspective. This commemorated the centennial of the May Fourth Movement， recording the awakening of a generation of youth.1A5914E9-C578-4358-99C3-F023FF0A7C1C

“Whether its history theme or youth theme， the interest is the same to me. Both are two-dimensional and about the contrast and scrutiny of form to make the painting appealing， instead of some usual subtlety.” Among such successful works is A Date of a Girl Born after the 1990s with Wus student as his prototype， which pictures the moment when a rosy-cheeked， delicate-looking girl checks up her shoes for dating. The classical lines combined with soft tones， with movement and stillness intertwined， so that the painting shines with the luster of youth perceptible from his strongly subjective strokes. Youth presented in Wus art bursts with power， engraved with beautiful days and stirring aspirations. Admiring Wus figure paintings is to admire the energy fountain of youth.

To execute figure paintings， one must first read people thoroughly. The process of studying people is also a process of self-reflection and self-improvement. After completing a series of historical and youth-themed works， Wu began to read himself. With a review of literary and artistic works and figures that had had a profound influence on him during his youth， Wu broke through the limitations of conventional thinking in historical painting， and brought together Lao She， Fu Lei， Sholokhov， Camus and other figures from different ages and nations in a new work， which he affectionately entitled Iconography — My University.

“I hope it serves as a summary of my personal narrative， evoking a literary and ritual sense.” Wu made it. Theoretically， this is a personal narrative of group portraiture， yet it is spatially more of an art hall of Wu-style utopia， as the big narrative of group portraits contains many a small， detailed narrative. For example， theres C. D. Friedrichs Wanderer above the Sea of ??Fog and the photos and album covers of the lead singers of bands such as Nirvana and Metallica hidden in the details.

In Wus studio， a huge oil painting in its early stage of creation is very eye-catching， with also figures from different eras and countries， who have come together through time and space. This should be a sister work of Iconography — My University. Though the artistic achievements of the young artist are amazing， during the interview， Wu light-heartedly attributed all these to luck. Luck is always the humble mantra of the talented.

Nowadays， its difficult for people to calm their minds and finish reading a book， but Wu is willing to spend months or even years polishing a figure painting. This creative process is one of reading people with ingenuity.1A5914E9-C578-4358-99C3-F023FF0A7C1C