《移居上海》访谈录

2010年5月

艺术家需要人文思考
移居上海：你在这么多年的艺术生涯里，你觉得你的艺术观念有一些什么变化？
陆云华：每个艺术家都有他自己的一个立足点，艺术家与美术爱好者的区别，在于思考方式的不同，艺术家是从文化的、人文的角度去思考。从艺术本身来说，艺术观念是艺术家个人的事情，但从文化的角度而言，艺术观念又不仅仅是艺术家个人的事情，它是一种文化现象，作为一种文化现象，艺术观念就上升到了意识领域的层面，那么，就要考虑到艺术家自己的作品能不能被社会的某个环节所接受，这个很重要。而很多美术爱好者是不会去思考这种问题。
我个人是对人文方面深感兴趣，我考虑的是对人文的那种关怀和形成，我的绘画变化也是沿着这个脉络过来的。从具象到抽象，其实，思维和观点是一样的，只是艺术表达的路径不一样，前者是用具象切入人文，后者是用抽象介入人文，所以我这些年的艺术观念变化不太大，但我在文化的、人文的渗透性上做了不少的功课。

抽象精神不是舶来品
移居上海：在你的艺术人生中，哪些人对你的影响是最大的？
陆云华：第一就是中国的八大山人。我和八大山人艺术的表达路径不一样，他是悲情泄愤，而我则是乐观歌颂，但是，这两种艺术表达路径也有很多相通之处，那就是我从他那里学到很多东西，其中一点就是中国艺术家的一种精神。

移居上海：很多人认为抽象艺术是外来的东西，那么这种所谓的舶来的抽象文化是否曾经对你构成影响？
陆云华：我认为，如果说抽象艺术是外来的东西，这个说法有点含糊。抽象艺术的表达形式可能是外来的，但抽象艺术的内在精神，我认为不是外来的，在中国早就有了，可能我们今天用的是架上材料艺术表达路径进入的，仅此而已。因此，除了绘画材料以外，其他没有什么是学习西方的。

踏踏实实走自己的路
移居上海：你认为哪个人对你的评价比较切合你自己对艺术观念的理解？
陆云华：这个很难说，因为很多人是站在他自己的立场上去评价的，目前没有美术评论家对我的作品有正面的评论，这个可能和我的生活方式有关系。我不去跑圈子，我也不去跑场面，我就画我的画。我的画许多人都看过，但就是没机会把我的思想串联起来。
但是有一点我知道，在六七年前就有人说陆云华的东西很漂亮，像奶油蛋糕一样，这个评判我认为是贬义的。可我不在乎他们说什么，为什么呢，因为我从人文关怀的角度切入的，我不可能为了迎合他们的观点把我的路径改变了，改成另一种我不喜欢的东西，再说我也没有那个必要。所以，我是踏踏实实走自己的路。到现在，人们才说原来陆云华的路径是有意义的。就是以前用贬义来评价的那些人，现在的态度也发生了变化，感觉我是有想法的，是有观点的。

骨子里渗透中国文化
移居上海：什么原因使你进入这个“后园”？
陆云华：这个也不是我要刻意进去的，就像我刚才讲了，它是一个文化的、个人的领域，其实我们骨子里都满满地渗透这种中国文化，就如同《琵琶行》里的那句“犹抱琵琶半遮面”。中国文化就是一种比较含蓄的文化，含蓄的文化里面包含很多的可能性。

移居上海：用其他的各种艺术与你的艺术相匹配，你认为哪一种是匹配的？
陆云华：如果用音乐来比喻，我认为是在通俗与古典之间。绘画就是看你从哪个表达方式介入，现在很多画家找到了表达路径之后，不能够长期坚持，过不多久后又换了另一种表达路径，所以他们老是在找路。现在的艺术形式几乎都被人家走过了，那么，你就得踩在人家肩膀上才能看到路，你才能判断你的艺术是否有价值。其实艺术表达形式已经很多了，如果你再要去找一种新形式是一件很徒劳的事情。你想，西方艺术，中国艺术，每个位置都有人占在那里了，你想要改写历史呀？

移居上海：你的艺术有这样几个特点，第一是唯美，第二是优雅，第三是神秘。
陆云华：这就是我的元素，我不是装腔作出来的，我的内心就是这样，所以有人说，看你这个人和你的画不搭界，我这个人很粗犷，很多人说我像北方人，可我画的东西又很女性化，这令人有些诧异，感觉是表里不一。这没什么奇怪的，我就是这么一个特例！

Talk with Artist Lu Yunhua by Emigrate to Shanghai
May 2010

Artists need macroscopic perspective way of thinking
Emigrate to Shanghai: Could you talk about some changes in your artistic ideas in so many years’ art career?
Lu Yunhua: Well, I think every artist has his or her own foothold and the difference between artist and art lovers and art amateurs is the way of thinking. Artist is to think from cultural and humanistic perspectives. Artistic idea could be artist’s personal way of thinking as referring to art itself. When talking about culture matters, it becomes a cultural phenomenon and artistic idea has risen up to ideology level and the essential issue of whether artists’ artworks could be accepted by some certain links of society or not should be considered. Most of the art lovers and amateurs wouldn’t consider about this issue.
Personally speaking, I am fond of humanity matters, the formation of humanistic care. I changed my painting style towards this aspect. Figural art and abstract art, in fact, share same art ideas but different in way of art expression. The former one took concrete figures to explain humanities whereas latter one took abstract means. I didn’t have distinct changes in my artistic idea but expressed it in more cultural and humanistic ways.

Abstract is not an exotic thing
Emigrate to Shanghai: who influenced you most in your art career?
Lu Yunhua: I think the first person is Badashanren (original name Zhu Da, a painter in Qing Dynasty). He took a revenge attitude in his tragic life which was very different with me in way of artistic expression, mine is an optimistic and praising attitude. But despite the difference that one thing can be sure is I have learned a lot from him, that is, Chinese artists’ spirits.

Emigrate to Shanghai: Many people think that abstract art is an exotic thing and such so –called cultural phenomenon had ever influenced you?
Lu Yunhua: I think it is somewhat ambiguous if we called abstract art is alien. Abstract art might have foreign elements in its external forms but not in its inner spirits which I believe existed in China for a long time. The abstract art that we performed today is using the easel painting materials, this is the only difference. Therefore, there is nothing we could learn from West but painting materials.

Pursued my own way steadily
Emigrate to Shanghai: whose comments are more in line with your own understanding of artistic idea?
Lu Yunhua: Well, it’s hard to say, because many people are standing on their own positions to do judgments and currently there is no art critic gives positive comments on my work. This might ascribes to my way of living since I am not a social animal or exhibition-lover or occupying a position in art circle. I paid all my attentions on painting. Someone might see my works but there is no chance to link it up to my thoughts.
But one thing I know is that someone said in 1960s and 1970s that Lu Yunhua’s paintings looked as beautiful as a cream cake. I think it is a derogatory comment. But I don’t care because I am seeking humanistic cares in my artistic style and there is no way to change my point of view and style only for catering to some critics and turned into another way I don’t like at all. It is unnecessary to do so. I’d rather take a down-to-earth attitude in pursuing my own way. Up to now, people realized that Lu Yunhua’s artistic style and idea has his unique connotations and expressions. Those who once criticized me have turned to praised me now and they began to identify me with my thoughts and opinions.

Chinese culture is in my heart of hearts
Emigrate to Shanghai: What makes you created “Backyard” series?
Lu Yunhua: I didn’t deliberately create “Backyard” topic as my theme, as I mentioned, the theme has cultural implications. Traditional Chinese culture has penetrated in my heart and soul. As an ancient Chinese poet once described the character of Chinese culture in his famous poem the Song of A Pipa Player (wrote by Bai Juyi in Dang Dynasty): her face half hid behind a Pipa, what he meant Chinese culture is very subtle and implicative one which contains many possibilities.

Emigrate to Shanghai: If we choose one of art forms to match your art, which one is the best?
Lu Yunhua: Well, I would like take music as an example, it likes going between classic and pop music. Art or painting need a unique way of expression and more important is to hold your way consistently. But now some artists are too soon to change to find a suitable way of expression with unique characteristics for themselves. One of Chinese famous writers Lu Xun once said: no path in this world didn’t come out of a trail left by numerous footsteps. It is the same in seeking the path of art. Art, being developed today, has many way of expressions and been performed by many forms, the path of art has numerous footsteps of artists. Only did you can understand the real meaning of art that you would know where you are in art path. Since Western art and Chinese art had been performed by artists in many ways, it is hard to get a new way.

Emigrate to Shanghai: There has three words that might describe your art: aesthetic、elegant and mysterious.
Lu Yunhua: These are my characteristics which are not unaffected or unnatural and it is from my heart. Some people said I like a northerner with unsophisticated character. It is true that the painting is not like painter. They are somewhat surprised that my paintings showed feminine features. There is nothing strange, I am very special and that is what I am.