我喜欢耿晓刚近期的纸上油画。秋天的残荷、瓶中的插花、绵延起伏的远山和山坳里炊烟袅袅的农舍，在他的笔下充满了诗一般的意象。荷花是他眷顾最多的题材。现实中的荷花，因为时光的流逝而暗淡，总是使人联想起历史的沧桑和生命的无常。而晓刚的荷花，却洋溢着生命的律动，寥寥几笔过后，竟能获得拟人化的品格，足见晓刚作画时的心境。说晓刚的心境平静如水，绝无溢美之嫌，单看他对物象的形象的概括手法之洗练，便可略知一二。所有物象在他的笔下，被还原为轮廓和线条。没有了明暗体积的描绘和塑造，有的只是类似中国画用笔的逸笔草草。暗褐色的线条内敛中不失洒脱，大片的空白处偶尔敷之以淡淡的暗色，画面空灵剔透，却丝毫没有单薄的感觉。我感叹于晓刚这种对物象近于神化的概括本领，因为我知道画面中能够达到这样的水平，此人内在的心境通于传统审美意识非浅。回望传统，脱身当下，而又充满对事物的依恋，才能成就如此这般的潇散简远的气象。
我更喜欢晓刚为了准备纸上油画而作的钢笔小画。用笔三两，却能捕捉住景物在大千世界中的方位，以水染之，又能传递出物象的姿态神韵，真是美不在于大，而在于妙；神不在于似，而在于味。既曼妙婉约又韵味无穷，我猜想晓刚的前世没准有女人的缘分。
看多了也看惯了时下视艺术为当代社会生活的镜子的种种艺术样式和形式，面对晓刚这样的艺术家的画，重新使我们找到了绘画的真正理由和目的，那就是要通于心而达于境。
高 岭
About Xiao-gang’s Painting
By Gao Ling
I like Geng Xiao-gang’s recent oil paintings on paper. The sparse lotus of autumn, the flower arrangement in the vase, the winding mountain in distance, and the farmhouse in the mist of chimney smoke, are ubiquitously endowed with an impression of poetry. Lotus is his favorite. In reality, lotus vanishes as time goes by, making people often to emphasize with the eternality of time and uncertainty of life. Xiao-gang’s lotus, however, is rich in rhythms, and after a few random brushes, personated with strong characters, in which we could envision his peace of mind when painting. It’s fair enough to say that Xiao-geng’s mind runs as deep as still water. Easily comes to mind is the candidness and conciseness in his way of portraying an object. All objectives, under his brush, are revivified to basic outlines and shapes. Without drawings of shadows and lights on the surface, his depiction is reminiscent of those wayward strokes in traditional Chinese ink painting. The lines in dust color are cautious yet run free. Large blank space scattered with light dark colors looks thin and empty, nevertheless not any lacking of sophistication. I appreciate Xiao-gang’s capability in capturing the characters of objectives in a nearly divinely way, because I know painting of this pinnacle requires a strong traditional aesthetics sense. The phenomena of simplicity and profoundness that underlies in Xiao-gang’s painting, is forged by this traditional sense, the ability to adapt it to nowadays, and of course, his sentimental attachment towards the objects of portrait.
Furthermore, I like the pen draft that Xiao-gang improvises upon preparation for his oil painting. The positions of objectives are pinched down within several scratches, saturated by water, the characters of objectives are vividly presented. Beauty is not measured by size, but its delicacy; preciseness not only refers to the resemblance, but also the style. For this talent and amazing grace, Xiao-gang, in my bold guess, was perhaps a lady with such unrivaled sophistication in his previous life.
Getting used to those various art forms that are currently flourishing to mirror the modern life, we will rediscover the real reason for painting in the works of an artist such as Xiao-gang: to reach to beauty through heart.
