no delusions at forty

四十不惑 ~

香港現代水墨畫會年展序

《論語．為政篇》有云：「四十而不惑」。意思是說君子到了四十歲，知識和人生歷練已經有穩健成長基礎，也達至不會為外物所困惑的境界，從而踏上人生另一個階段。香港現代水墨畫會在今年亦踏進成立四十載的慶典。四十年來畫友的互相砥礪，在畫藝上孜孜求索，各有成就，在香港藝壇留下印記和作出貢獻。畫會此後不但能夠「不惑」，更會在其穩固根基上精益求精，奮力邁向未來的發展。

香港現代水墨畫會是由劉國松和其學生們於一九七七年間促成創立。享有「現代水墨畫之父」美譽的台灣畫家劉國松於一九七一年來港，任教於香港中文大學藝術系凡二十餘年，曾任系主任及首創「現代水墨畫課程」及多屆「現代水墨畫文憑課程」。他在水墨畫自動和半自動技巧方面多所創新，並在觀念和題材上迭有突破，將中國水墨畫的表現力和語境提昇至前所未有的境界層次。其推動和鼓吹現代水墨的前衛理論、教學方法和對學生的啓發，更在國內和國際藝壇引起極大迴響，締造了中國現代水墨畫的新面目。

在劉老師的啓迪下，多位學生均能致力創作，不斷拓境開新，令現代水墨畫生生不息和持續發展，充滿活力和創意。香港現代水墨畫會每年均舉辦展覽，呈示會友的新創作和成果，各具風格。例如陳成球近年來從中國扶乩取得靈感，以色墨筆觸寓宇宙大地意象於畫中；陳君立描繪雲水變幻，水墨渲染靈動流淌而詩情墨韻兼備；李君毅以印章字符締造山水結構和四季色彩變化，別開生面；夏碧泉(已故)以書法筆觸結體入畫，具有古拙符號的象徵意味；郭漢深(已故)繪寫佛象，意境深遽而禪意昇華；劉金芝擅長利用水紋肌理的自然變化，班駁抽象；楊國芬以電腦字體和塊面構成，探究時代和地域性的當代意義；梁棟材畫作豪邁不羈、用色強烈；極具動感張力。這批劉氏資深弟子的創作，不但反映傳承老師的創意觀念，也展示其勇於開拓的獨創精神。

畫會吸納畫友也殊為嚴謹，以前祇維持約十五人左右；千禧之後才較廣泛地接受新會員加入，但必須是具有相當繪畫訓練和不斷求索的精神的畫家。這些新畫友未必曾得劉氏親傳，但均受現代水墨所感染而從事創作，努力不懈，取得相當成就。派瑞芬好遊歷，又汲取西畫技法，結合攝影、拼貼、西畫色彩和水墨來描繪山水、城市景觀，締造別具面目的意象。康雁屏畫作光影流動、彩墨渲染充溢，抽象靈動。陳燕雲擅用墨分五色的用筆施墨技巧，描寫大地山河的空濛靜靄。高杏娟亦好用墨色深淺變化、章法層次簡約清靈，極具詩意和雅逸的文人氣質。簡志雄山水畫作貼近傳統，用筆細緻，章法層次分明。陳澤輝在其科研基礎上，將線條、渲染和點畫予以另類演繹，力求不落窠臼。冼紈挪用白描線條和類似剪紙效果，建構畫面元素和空間的依存相互關係，遊走於城市生活和植物、水紋間，別具創意。杜之外作品如夢似幻、在虛靜中沉思冥想，具有禪、道之境；江玉庭探索色墨水痕的無限變化，形成抽象無垠的不定形山水煙雲意象。畫友眾多，未能一一闡述；但他們的創作意向均反映其能努力拓境開新的氣象，為現代水墨的發展前景增添更豐富的可能性和提昇藝術語境。

香港現代水墨畫會除結聚畫友，互相切磋外，近年來亦致力於作兩岸四地交流和教育推廣活動；其所舉辦展覽，也不祇局限於畫友的活動，而是以開放相容的態度，廣納百川、薈萃精英，為推廣現代水墨作出努力和貢獻。謹此衷心祝願畫會會務更上層樓，在香港力圖成為國際文化大都會的願景中扮演積極角色；也祝願畫友們藝術長青，迭有創新，在藝術路途上更創高峰。

鄧海超

香港浸會大學視覺藝術院客席教授

2017年2月16日

No Delusions at Forty ~

Foreword for the Annual Exhibition of

Hong Kong Modern Ink Painting Society

The Chapter “Political Administration” in Classic Analects says: There is no delusion at the age of forty. It means either knowledge or life experience will have a solid foundation for growth when one reaches the age of forty, and will achieve the realm of not being confused by any outside matters, and thus set foot on another stage of life. Hong Kong Modern Ink Painting Society is going to celebrate her 40th anniversary this year. Over the last four decades, mates of the Society encouraged each other, pursue assiduously in art and have attained their own achievements, leaving a remarkable mark and contribution in the Hong Kong art scene. The Society has no doubt entered a stage of no delusion, and will proceed progressive development in the years to come. Hong Kong Modern Ink Painting Society was facilitated to establishment by Liu Kuo Sung and his pupils in 1977. Liu Kuo Sung, a master from Taiwan who is reputed as “Father of Modern Ink Painting”, came to Hong Kong in 1971. He taught at The Chinese University of Hong Kong for 20 years, once appointed department head, and introduced “Modern Ink Painting Course” and “Diploma Course of Modern Ink Painting”. Liu created various innovative automatic and semi-automatic techniques in ink painting, and came to a breakthrough in concept and allowing the vocabulary and expression of Chinese ink painting to access an unprecedented horizon of artistic creation. Liu promoted and advocated the avant-garde theory in modern ink painting, teaching methods and inspiring students; all these caused great repercussions in the local and international art scene, pronouncing a new face of modern Chinese ink painting.

Under the enlightenment of Liu, a number of his pupils are in pursuit of new attempts and work on their creativity; allowing modern ink painting sustainable development and endless innovations. Members of The Hong Kong Modern Ink Painting Society displayed their creation of artworks and achievements in the annual exhibition, and they are having their individual identity in it. Like Chan Shing-kau gets inspiration from Chinese fuji (a kind of Daoist magic writing) in recent years, expressed the imagery of universe on painting by means of ink, color and brushwork; ink rendering on changes of water and cloud on hand of Chan Kwan-lap swiftly flow and comes to be poetic and with ink rhyme; and it is spectacular that Li Chun-yi creates landscape structure and with colorful charm of four seasons by his unique technique of seal-marks and Chinese characters; the late Ha Bik-chuen had vigorous calligraphic strokes on his paintings, generating the symbolism of archaic aesthetics; Buddhist images in the late Kwok Hon-sum’s works carry tranquility of Zen Buddhism and enlightenment; Lau Kam-chee excels in modulating the natural changes of watermark texture, abstract motley; Yeung Kwok-fan makes use of computer

fonts and blocks surface composition, to explore senses and meanings of the contemporary era; Leung Tung-choi paints with bold brushwork and strong colors, conveying a sense of dynamism. The creations of the above senior disciples of Liu, not only reflect the creative concept of their teacher, also have shown their spirit of creativity.

The Society is quite strict for members recruitment and it kept only around 15 members for all these years; after the millennium the Society started to accept more applications, yet applicants must be with considerable painting

training and spirit of sustainable artistic cultivation. These new members may not have been taught by Liu personally, but they are all inspired by and endowed with the spirit of modern ink art and have their own creations,

their hard working pay them off with considerable success. Nina Pryde loves travelling, she combined photography, collage, western coloring techniques and ink rendering on her landscapes and cityscapes to create a unique imagery and personal characters. We found light and reflection flowing, ink and color rendering around on Hong Ngan-ping’s painting, abstract and animated. Chan Yin-wan is prolific in manipulating brushstrokes and tonal gradations of ink to depict the emptiness and transcendence of lands. Ko Hang-kuen is also skilled to make use of ink diffusions and gradations, giving the pictorial elements an aura of emptiness and simplicity with the essence of poetic literati temperament. Kan Chi-hung’s style of landscape painting reflects the legacy of Chinese ink painting tradition, strokes are meticulous with clear perspective treatment of landscape elements. With his training in science, Chan Chak-fai has an alternate interpretation of lines, renderings and dots on his works, so as not falling into the traditional boundage. Sin Yuen was graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong before Liu retired. She excels in modulating plain lines with somewhat simulated paper-cut effects on her works, exploring the relation and space between pictorial subjects such as urban images of plants and watermarks, and conveying a strong personal identity. Jiwye To’s works are dream-like, revealing the essence of Buddhist and Daoist spiritual cultivations with tranquility and quietness. Chiang Yu-ting explore the infinite changes in color, ink and watermark, and form the abstract menageries indefinite landscape, mist, water and cloud. It is impossible to introduce one by one because there are quite a number of members; however, their creativity reflects their efforts to explore the creative vocabulary of modern ink art, bringing it new possibilities for progressive development and a new artistic horizon.

Apart from gathering artists together and create more chances for mutual artistic communication, The Hong Kong Modern Ink Painting Society also promote exchanges and education activities in Hong Kong, Macau, China and Taiwan in recent years. The exhibitions held is not only confined to the works of members only, but with open and free ambiance to invite other members of the art community to join with the aim for contribution and promotion of modern ink. I sincerely wish The Society would progressively foster and develop in the coming years, and play a vital role in realizing Hong Kong’s vision to become a hub of art and culture in the international arena. I also wish the art fanciers an evergreen artistic career with unbound creations, reaching new dimensions on the road of art.

Tang Hoi Chiu

Adjunct Professor, Academy of Visual Arts

The Hong Kong Baptist University

16th February, 2017