读拥抱世界的艺术——马新民

记录者

斯蒂格奥克·斯铎纳克

(Stiq-Åke Stålnacke)

缘起马新民的艺术世界

     一次又一次地与艺术相逢让我懂得，人的自由存在于艺术之中。同样数以千计的艺术文章、艺术家人像和艺术评论也让我懂得，爱常常通过艺术来塑造。艺术可以作为归宿和舞台，属于人的存在的最温馨时刻。

    丹麦诗人言斯·奥古斯特·夏德 (Jens August Schade) 曾写道：“人与人相遇，甜美的音乐由此而生”。但我想说的是：“人通过图画来表达，爱浮现其中”。当我站在中国画家马新民的作品面前时，这些是我的感受和体验。

      这里展示的若干幅画作，仅仅是一个压缩的尝试，描述他的作品所要赋予的关于快乐和苦难的、浓烈富集和颠覆三观的感受，赋予那些想要打开自己的心扉、想要成为一名探寻者的人。

      这是因为：很长时间以来，我一直在观察艺术，例如报刊杂志、广播电台和电视节目中的艺术评论。我经历过无数次引人入胜和扑朔迷离的绘画探险的体验。

      我曾相遇过打开通向爱的冒险之窗的绘画和艺术作品。

    （但不幸的是，我也相遇过太多枯燥无味的程式化操作。见识了毫无意义的东施效颦般的艺术。)

     但此时此刻 - 终于姗姗来迟 - 我相遇了一种以力量和原创性攫住我的艺术。这位艺术家的名字叫马新民。

      与他的绘画相遇，感觉如饮一杯清凉的甘泉，清爽提神。这正是那种我需要让我得以继续呼吸的相遇和补给。

      作为艺术家而言，马新民是一位探寻者。他将自己敏感的触角，伸向外界，伸向内心。他是渴望着进行全方位搜索的探寻者。他尽情抛洒自己的追求，为了找到能够给他精神食粮的种子。马新民是如饥似渴地找寻精神和诗的力量的艺术家。

    他的绘画中的追求者/探寻者形象，我们可以在他的那些充满关爱的地图中看到，这是关于我们生活的财富的寻宝图。这是每时每刻指向心灵中那首歌的寻宝图/艺术品。这是不时地慢慢融化我心灵的冰霜的艺术品和绘画。这位艺术家在自己的艺术中，聚焦于内心的旅行。

      但即便如此，它们也不是缺乏真实的绘画。

    作为艺术评论家，我不会并且从不 - 请原谅我说从不 - 将一件艺术品剖解成凋零的碎片。我们要观察整体。这就是我的所见。

看过马新民的艺术之后，我有一种强烈的愿望要引用一下我自己。以前我曾为一个艺术创作写过：

     这种艺术涉及悲天悯人的关照和敏锐、激情四射的强烈欲望情愫：

欲望的图像

生命的心觉

生命的搏击

生命的搏击，我汲取营养的源泉。

难道真是这样如此简单吗？

是的，就是这样简单。

马新民揭示了简单的魔术。

       但这不能也绝不会隐藏，在马新民的创作中存在的、关于痛苦和脆弱的有意义的印记。在光鲜的火红绘画里面，我们可以从闪闪发光的美丽中，窥见绘画如何也作为载体，承载着那些受伤与脆弱。

      我看过许多许多他的绘画，我想要指出的是，我已经很久都没有经历过，在马新民的艺术作品中给我带来的那种震撼心灵的相遇。正是在这里，我看到了一个艺术家的全部率真。

      我真的不知道在我作为艺术评论家六十年生涯中，有曾看到过马新民的令人受煎熬般美丽的系列作品中，那种具有如此强烈动力的艺术。这是艺术在表白赤裸裸的真实。

      还有比建立在对生活的热爱之上的艺术更伟大的吗？

      马新民的艺术正是拥有这样的根基。这对我而言高山仰止，对许许多多其他人亦如此。简单的美丽和诗意时有出现。

      马新民的艺术是一种活在心中的艺术。

      对艺术作品的评论、介绍和审视，可以有多种不同的方式。人们可以显示自己的博览群书、见多识广和艺术科学见解，并且将艺术作品淹没在一片抽象中。这甚至可以意味着，把艺术家包裹在云里雾里，让别人无法企及。当我站在艺术作品之前，当我相遇这些有着高度抽象性的绘画时，我常常不得不展露我自身的不足。

     当我们谈到马新民的艺术时，第一次相遇他的作品，丝毫没有任何难以言状。但当我试图形容他的作品时，我想重申一下艺术家卡勒·海德伯格(Kalle Hedberg) 的经典名言。

     他曾说道：“技能固然重要。但意愿和张力具有更大价值。作为一位艺术家而言，与其混迹于一群庸碌无为的芸芸大众，莫如牺牲在壮烈的搏斗中。”

    卡勒·海德伯格的话，再适合马新民的艺术不过。在他的绘画中，恰恰存在着搏斗与张力。这些是他的艺术的深刻内涵，使其时时既丰富多彩又动人心弦。

      历久弥新。

斯蒂格奥克·斯铎纳克

     Thousands upon thousands of meetings with art have taught me that man's freedom may be found in the art. Likewise thousands of art articles, artist portraits and reviews have taught me that love can often be embodied in the art. Art can be the home and stage for the most tender moments of existence.

     The Danish poet Jens August Schade wrote: “People meet and sweet music fills the heart”. I would like to say: “People talk through an image and love emerges”. Such is my feeling and experience when I find myself before the Chinese artist Ma Xinmin’s works.

     Here, on a few sheets, a compressed attempt to describe the rich and dramatic feeling of happiness and pain that his works bestow – bestow upon those who open their minds – who want to be a scout.

    This was the background: For a very long time, I have been looking at art, as a reviewer in daily newspapers and magazines and on radio and TV. I had several exciting and tumultuous experiences of image adventures.

     I had met images, works of art that have opened windows to the adventure of love.

    (But unfortunately, I had also met too much of a tiresome rut. Had met art that was meaningless repetitions.)

      But then came – at long last – the meeting with an art that took hold of me with power and originality. The name of the artist is Ma Xinmin.

      The meeting with his images felt as refreshing as a glass of cold spring water. It is that kind of meetings and consumption that I need to have the strength to go on breathing.

     As an artist, Ma Xinmin is a scout. He directs his sensitive tentacles outwardly as well as inwardly. He is the scout who eagerly seeks in all directions. He throws his quest out there to find the seed that will give him spiritual nutrition. Ma Xinmin is the artist who eagerly seeks mental and poetic power.

     The searcher/scout in his images we can in his tender charts about our lives’ riches. It is charts/works of art that constantly point inwards toward the heart's song. Sometimes it is about artwork, images that thaw the frozenness of my soul. In his art, this artist brings the inner journey into focus.

      And yet not an image that is not true.

      As an art critic, I do not want to and never – say never – break a piece of art into details that tear to rags. We see a wholeness. That is what I see.

      I see Ma Xinmin's art and get a strong desire to quote myself. Thus, I once wrote about an artistry:

     (the below also applies to Ma Xinmin's art)

      “This art is about the partly careful and partly blazingly strong lust sensations:

Lust images 

Life sensations 

Life boosts 

Life boosts that I draw nutrition from. 

Maybe it is as simple as that? 

Yes, that is how simple it is. 

Ma Xinmin reveals the magic of simplicity.

      But is must and shall never be concealed that there is, in Ma Xinmin’s creations, significant elements of pain, vulnerability. In flaming red images we can, in the midst of the brilliant beauty, see how the image also becomes a bearer of the ravaged and fragile.

     I see many, many of his images and I want to say that it was a long time since I saw such a gripping meeting in artwork as I see with Ma Xinmin, in his artistry. That is where I see the total sincerity in an artistry.

    I frankly do not know if I have ever, during my sixty years as an art critic, actually seen art with such a strong dynamic as in Ma Xinmin’s suite of painfully beautiful works. It is art that speaks the straight truth.

     Is there anything bigger than an art that builds on the love of life?

     That is the foundation of Ma Xinmin’s art. It is big enough for me and for many, many. Not rarely does it own the beauty and poetry of simplicity.

      Ma Xinmin’s art, art that lives close to the heart.

      Commenting on, highlighting, reviewing artwork can be done in many different ways. One can demonstrate erudition, broad knowledge, artistic insights and drown artworks in abstractions. It may even entail cloaking the artist in a haze that no one can reach. I often have to disclose my own insufficiency when I am faced with artwork, when I encounter images that have a high degree of abstraction.

      With regard to Ma Xinmin's art, the works can, at the first encounter, appear slightly difficult to describe. But when I try to describe his art, I recall the artist Kalle Hedberg's classic words.

     He said:“Talent means something. But the will, the tension, has greater value. It is bigger to see an artist fall in battle than walk in single file in an idle mass.”

     These words by Kalle Hedberg can easily be adapted to Ma Xinmin’s art. There in his images was the struggle, the tension. It carries his art and occasionally makes it rich as well as exciting.

     Utterly alive.

Stig Åke Stålnacke