联合早报 (Lianhe Zaobao): Painting in Motion: Chen Shi Jin and the Discipline of Field Sketching

以写生寻找风格变化

陈士仅尝试把传统笔墨融入景物的写生，既保留和发挥笔情墨趣的优点又不失画家所贯注的无形内在精神

采访美术活动多年，慢慢也发现，艺术创作是一种发明，也是一种追求。对于画家陈士仅来说，情况更是如此。比如，当他发现到笔墨当随地域和时代改变时，他刻意去把热带的题材大量带进画面；当他发现只有写生才能捕捉景物的原汁原味时，他马上付诸行动，改用现场作画的方式来创作。

谈到水墨画创新的问题，他说，中国水墨画历史悠久，如果还在题材上一再重复，因袭之气难免过重。中国画从清代到今天，一直还停留在梅兰竹菊的窄小范围，这也造成艺术生命力的严重欠缺。更何况，梅兰竹菊也不是到处一样、一成不变，它也会受到环境的左右。

他提到，传统美术教育上，应该注意到绘画的基本功训练，到成为独当一面的专业画家时，就要努力去加以创新，其中最应该注意的，莫过于创作自己身边的熟悉题材。也不尽如此，他还尝试把传统笔墨融入景物的写生，也既保留和发挥笔情墨趣的优点又不失画家所贯注的无形内在精神。

反对在现代作品中加入古诗文

同样道理，他不赞成在画中加入诗文题辞，反对凡是花鸟画一定要有诗有文，而且是搬来古代的文学作品。

原因，这些古今名家之作，并非是画家个人的感受，用多反而是一种败笔。另外一点，作品是出自现代人之手，画的又是现代题材，采用古代诗文就更加没有道理了。

此外，他也重申，水學画要有日本画家追求精致的精神，日人在完成一张作品前，常常是经过多次的草稿，他喜欢竹内柄凤，认为他的风格清新博丽，具有很高的境界，也是他自己追求的一个方向。

陈士仅毕业自南洋艺术学院，后到杭州中国美术学院深造。1988年回国后，一直在母校任教，中间还去过位于巴黎的“南艺画室”常驻作画。他描绘马来西亚东海岸，印尼峇厘岛的作品，占有极高比例。

多写生、多创作

也许因为受到中国画牛胜手黄胃某些看法的影响，因此他要争取多写生，多创作。黄胄在62岁时到云南去写生作画，这才发现到，有些题材是在年纪大时爱莫能助，无法创作。

当时黄胄的感慨是：“可惜年轻时未到云南，至此已无能为力。”陈士仅的画，基本就是他多年来旅游行程与心情纪录，尤其是这次展出的作品，全部是和旅游有关。

到底，他的“游兴”有多浓？

他一年出国4次，每次的时间是10到20天，去的国家是中国、东南亚和欧洲，最喜欢的地方是中国。

但，他的看法是：“如果太过好玩又好吃，往往会精神分散，无法作画。要画好画，还要另找地方。” 有些地方，还一再重访，毫无倦意。

把宣纸放在旅行箱上面作画

前面提到，陈士仅的近作是以现场写生为主，而且是“就地解决”。解决的方法是，他把宣纸放在旅行箱上挥毫作画。

问题是，他坚持采用水墨，很多时候，周围的环境不一定适合他作画。更何况，有轻作品是多层熏染和多次加工，难度又高出许多。

他说，现场写生必须注意到许多细节，好处是，它可以捕捉到当时的气氛和现场的感受，后者在画面上占有重要位置，一旦失掉，就回天乏术，很难再退回。在这种时候，也许要靠速度较快的摄影来从旁协助，在处理人物时，有时拿捏不准，一举一动，也只好借助于相机和相片。

也有这样的时候，当场画画时可能会一时冲动，在布局上存在一些敏点，最后只能成为备用的稿本。这是因为，眼前所见大多是杂乱无童，入画时就要重新做出安排，像画聚埔寨的群象作品，那些列队而行的动物，就要重新处理，前后画了两次才告满意。

生性爱好热闹笔下没冷感画面

在画画时，他说，由于生性喜欢热闹，见到村庄里举行的节庆和早上的市集或描绘其他小、小生物时，也没有做单一、冷感的呈现，而是营造出万紫千红、生机勃发的场面。

有时为了捕捉某些地方上的节日，等待的时间又比作画时间长。有些作品也费时数年，像很简单的华人新年岁朝清供图，真是一幅不折不扣的“三年之作”。

陈士仅“热带彩墨”画展：

日期：已经开卷，将展至8月31日
时间：上午11时至晚上7时
地点：新闻、通讯及艺术部大厦 雅殿 (Hill Street, MICA Building)

Original publication: 联合早报 (Lianhe Zaobao)
Date: August 25, 2005
Republished for archival purposes

Painter Chen Shi Jin explores how traditional Chinese ink techniques can be reinterpreted through on-site sketching, preserve the expressive qualities of brush and ink while retaining a sense of atmosphere.

Having covered art events for many years, I have gradually come to realize that artistic creation is both an act of invention and a pursuit. This is especially true for the painter Chen Shi Jin. For instance, when he realized that brushwork and ink techniques should evolve with changes in geography and the times, he deliberately incorporated a large number of tropical subjects into his paintings; when he discovered that only on-site sketching could capture the authentic essence of a scene, he immediately put this into practice, switching to creating works through on-site painting.

When discussing innovation in ink wash painting, he noted that Chinese ink wash painting has a long history; if artists continue to repeat the same subjects, the work will inevitably feel overly conventional. From the Qing Dynasty to the present, Chinese painting has remained confined to the narrow realm of the “Four Gentlemen” (plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums), which has led to a severe lack of artistic vitality. Moreover, even the “Four Gentlemen” are not uniform or unchanging everywhere; they too are influenced by their environment.

He noted that traditional art education should emphasize foundational training in painting techniques. Once an artist has become a professional capable of standing on their own, they must strive for innovation. Among the most important aspects of this is creating works based on familiar subjects from one’s immediate surroundings. Beyond this, he also experimented with integrating traditional brushwork and ink techniques into landscape sketches, thereby preserving and enhancing the expressive qualities of brush and ink while retaining the intangible spiritual essence infused by the artist.

Opposing the Inclusion of Classical Poetry and Prose in Modern Works

By the same token, he does not approve of adding poetic or literary inscriptions to paintings. He opposes the notion that all flower-and-bird paintings must include poetry or prose, especially when these are borrowed from ancient literary works.

The reason is that these works by renowned masters of past and present do not reflect the artist’s personal feelings; overuse of them actually detracts from the work. Furthermore, since the artwork is created by a modern artist and depicts modern subjects, the use of ancient poetry and prose is even less justified.

Furthermore, he reiterated that watercolor painting should embody the Japanese artists’ pursuit of refinement. Japanese artists often produce numerous sketches before completing a single work. He admires Takeuchi Heihō, whose style he considers fresh, elegant, and of a high artistic caliber—a direction he himself strives to emulate.

Chen Shi Jin graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and later pursued advanced studies at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou. After returning to China in 1988, he has taught at his alma mater, and during that time, he also spent a period as a resident artist at the “Nanyang Art Studio” in Paris. A significant portion of his works depict the east coast of Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Bali.

Travel, Observation, and the Discipline of Sketching

Influenced in part by painter Huang Zhou’s emphasis on field sketching, Chen prioritizes direct observation and travel-based creation. He cites Huang’s late-life regret at not having sketched certain regions earlier, reinforcing his own commitment to working while time and physical ability allow.

At the time, Huang Zhou reflected: “It is a pity I did not visit Yunnan in my youth; now it is too late.” Chen Shi Jin’s paintings are essentially a record of his travels and emotions over the years, and the works on display in this exhibition are all travel-related.

On-site Painting and the Discipline of Adaptation

For Chen, travel is not leisure but a working method. His paintings function as visual records of movement, observation, and emotional response accumulated over years of travel.

Chen travels frequently—approximately four times a year—for periods of 10 to 20 days across China, Southeast Asia, and Europe. China remains his preferred destination, though he notes that excessive comfort or leisure can be counterproductive to artistic focus, often leading to distraction rather than productivity.

However, he believes: “If a place is too entertaining or the food is too good, it often distracts me and prevents me from painting. To create good art, I need to find a different place.” There are some places he revisits time and again, never tiring of them.

Painting on Rice Paper Placed on Top of a Suitcase

As mentioned earlier, Chen Shi Jin’s recent works primarily consist of on-site sketches (“en plein air”), which he “completes on the spot.” His method involves placing rice paper on top of his suitcase and painting directly on it.

The challenge is that he insists on using ink wash painting, and often the surrounding environment isn’t necessarily conducive to his work. Moreover, some of his works involve multiple layers of shading and repeated refinements, making the process significantly more difficult.

He explains that on-site sketching requires attention to numerous details. The advantage is that it captures the atmosphere and the immediate sensation of the moment—elements that hold a crucial place in the composition. Once lost, they are irretrievable, and it is difficult to return to that state. In such cases, he may rely on the speed of photography for assistance. When depicting figures, he sometimes struggles to get the proportions just right; for every gesture and movement, he must turn to the camera and photographs.

There are also times when painting on the spot can be impulsive, resulting in some flaws in composition, and the work ends up serving only as a preliminary sketch. This is because what one sees before one’s eyes is often chaotic and disorganized; when translating it into a painting, one must rearrange the elements. For instance, when painting the work depicting a herd of elephants in Cambodia, the animals marching in formation required reworking, and it took two attempts before he was satisfied.

Liveliness as a Visual Principle

When painting, he says, because he naturally loves liveliness, whether depicting village festivals, morning markets, or other small creatures, he avoids presenting them in a monotonous or cold manner. Instead, he creates scenes bursting with color and vitality.

Sometimes, in order to capture local festivals, the waiting time is longer than the time spent painting. Some works take years to complete; for instance, a seemingly simple painting of New Year’s offerings is truly a “three-year project” in every sense.

Exhibition:
Chen Shi Jin: Tropical Ink

Dates: Now open, runs through August 31
Hours: 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Venue: Hill Street, MICA Building, Gallery Hall (Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts Building)