写气图貌:中国传统绘画的写真观念

Qi-based Chinese Painting:The Idea of Truth in Traditional Chinese Painting

20世纪以来,在实业救国的紧迫形势下,中国画学界仓促地认“实”为“真”,以西方写实绘画为衡量标准,遮蔽了中国画独特的求真意志。实际上,中国画在气论哲学的影响下,将气作为生成万物的本体概念,超越了形似标准。它从万物起源的根基处,进一步追问万物的生成机制,即“生机”。作为生成万物的场域,气化流行的宇宙充满生机,处于其中的万物,又以其内在的生机推动形貌不断变化,任何具体的形貌都只是万物的某个时空片断。相比于西方写实绘画的视觉之实,中国画更强调完整的生命现象之真。就画面而言,中国画超越形似,以造化全像为背景,以虚实相生为内在机制,呈现万物生生不息的生命动态过程。这是一种更具本体论倾向、更加追求整体性的写真观念。它不是根据“形”,而是根据“气”,来图画万物的面貌,借用刘勰的表述,即“写气图貌”。“写气”并非复制视网膜映像的“写实”,也非20世纪所谓一任性情的“写意”,但它与“写实”一样,具有强烈的探索自然之理的求真意志。

In the early 20^(th) century,under the great pressure of saving the nation by engaging in industry,the Chinese painting circles hastily regarded“reality”as“truth”,took the Western realistic painting as the measurement standard,and ignored the unique criterion of seeking truth in the Chinese painting.In fact,under the influence of the philosophy of Qi,the Chinese painting regards Qi as the noumenon of all things,which goes beyond the standard of resemblance.From the origin of all things,it further inquires into the formation mechanism of all things,namely“vitality”.As the field of producing all things,the universe of Qi is full of vitality,in which all things,with their internal vitality,promote the continuous change of their appearance.Any specific appearance is just a spatial-temporal fragment of a certain thing.Compared with the visual reality of the Western realistic painting,the Chinese painting emphasizes the complete truth of the phenomenon of life.As far as the picture is concerned,the Chinese painting transcends the similitude of appearance,takes the whole image of nature as the background and the virtual and the reality as the internal mechanism,and presents the everlasting dynamic process of life of all things.This is a concept of truth which has a clear ontological feature and a devoted pursuit of integrity.It is not based on“shape”,but on“Qi”,to depict the appearance of all things,as Liu Xie said“devoted to the Qi-based painting of things”.Qi-based Chinese painting is not a copy of the“reality”in the retina,nor the free-style painting in the 20 th century,but a devoted pursuit of truth of nature.