Random Thoughts - Tong Wang
随想录 - 王彤
无论什么年代，总得有人画画，我就是这个人。所以，我不介意讨论架上绘画的生存或灭亡的问题。
No matter the era, someone has to paint — I am that person. Therefore, I don’t concern myself with debates about the survival or extinction of easel painting.
我也不在意艺术中神似与形似的问题。因为它们两者都可能成为好的作品，就像艺术可以是为政治的，可以是为宗教的，也可以是为工农兵大众和你的邻居的。无论它为了什么，都可能出现好的艺术。好与坏的艺术标准正象体面的艺术宣言一样乏味。
Nor do I care about the debate between spiritual resemblance and physical likeness in art. Both can lead to good works — just as art can serve politics, religion, the working class, or even your next-door neighbor. Whatever its purpose, good art may still arise. Standards of good and bad in art are just as tedious as polished artistic manifestos.
艺术中的表现或再现的关系与我无缘。让我试着解释我的艺术，我想她该是一个夹在沉思和无为之间的自由。它亦可能是出于我个人的原因所造成的自相矛盾。
The debate between expression and representation in art is not something I relate to. If I were to describe my art, I would say it is a kind of freedom — suspended somewhere between contemplation and non-action. Perhaps, it is also a contradiction born of my own nature.
无论如何，我是自由的。我不认为上天象给我们一片云彩那样轻易赐给我们自由和自由的心态，它一定要靠努力而不是强求才能得到。
In any case, I am free. I don’t believe that freedom — or the mindset of freedom — is given to us as easily as a passing cloud. It must be earned through effort, not forced through will.
我所崇尚的自由在舞蹈在平衡木上女孩子的脚下。至于我，局限性之内才有无限的发挥和创造的可能性。
The freedom I admire dances beneath the feet of a girl on the balance beam. As for myself, it is precisely within limitations that I find infinite room for expression and creation.
我不相信有一种适合所有人的传统绘画和学习方式。精通宋人绘画固然有它的好处，但一生不用上等的英国水彩纸也未必画不出好画来。
I don’t believe there is a single traditional way of painting or learning that suits everyone. Mastery of Song dynasty painting certainly has its merits, but one might still create excellent art without ever using fine British watercolor paper.
按照我童年的教育，我该是一个坚定的共产主义者。按照我大学的课程，那么我该是一个传统的中国画家。我们大多数人也只有在做了爷爷和奶奶的时候，才知道应该怎样做父母亲。
According to the education I received in childhood, I was meant to become a staunch communist. According to my university curriculum, I was meant to become a traditional Chinese painter. Most of us only learn how to be parents when we’ve already become grandparents.
莫非所有的这些教育模式和生活经验，都是为了使人在不同程度上更好的认识自己。
Perhaps all these models of education and experiences of life exist simply to help us, in different ways, better understand ourselves.
我们是否永远属于生来的那个样子，或是天生丽质，或是一块朽木。
Do we forever belong to what we were born as—whether blessed with natural grace or doomed to be a decaying piece of wood?
是什么样的童年使人在成年后不敢去承担幸福，是什么样的教育又使人在奇迹面前宁愿相信自己疯了。
What kind of childhood makes a grown person afraid to embrace happiness? What kind of education makes someone, when faced with a miracle, choose instead to believe they’ve gone mad?
在外来文化的冲击和比较之下，我们才能更好的意识到自己的传统。在国外生活了多年之后，我更清醒的认识了我的中国人的面目。
It is through the collision and comparison with foreign cultures that we come to more clearly recognize our own traditions. After many years living abroad, I’ve come to see my Chinese identity with greater clarity.
我有理由喜欢谢赫的气韵生动，我喜欢森林里的水蒸气中的绿色，我喜欢博物馆里的陈列品，我也喜欢农村炕上的小猫，不过，我是尽量用我自己的方式去喜欢的。
I have good reason to appreciate Xie He’s spirit resonance in painting. I love the green of forest vapor, the artifacts in a museum, and the kitten sleeping on a rural kang bed. But I try to love them in my own way.
笃守夫妻间相敬如宾的人们可以弘扬举案齐眉的传统，仍然信奉三寸金莲才是最美的黄金律，那么，就让他裹自己的脚好了。
Those who uphold the courteous harmony between husband and wife are welcome to honor the tradition of mutual respect. And if anyone still believes that three-inch bound feet are the ultimate golden standard of beauty—well, let them bind their own feet.
艺术创作的题材不重要，皇帝与乞丐的意义之于我想同。
The subject matter of artistic creation is not important—an emperor and a beggar hold equal meaning for me.
我很少有创作前的彷徨和冥思苦想，好比作诗，如唐诗的格律适合我，那么，我不妨以李白为楷模。好比绘画创作，若文艺复兴的严谨更与我贴切，那么我便拿它为典范。
I rarely experience hesitation or deep contemplation before creating. It’s like writing poetry—if the structure of Tang verse suits me, then I may take Li Bai as my model. Likewise in painting: if the rigor of the Renaissance aligns better with me, I take it as a reference.
我相信对人类，环境和动物的热爱，我相信人性中最伟大的品德仍然是诚实、宽容和善良。
I believe in love—for humanity, for the environment, for animals. I believe the greatest virtues of human nature are still honesty, tolerance, and kindness.
我没有任何宗教信仰，但是，我相信上帝。
I don’t follow any religion, but I believe in God.
我不知道是否艺术家在生理上比其他人更具有想象力和创造力，那么多的围绕艺术家健康的文学作品着实让人感动，同时，使人搞不清究竟是艺术为艺术家健康的最大隐患，还是属于身体发育健全之外的一批人选择了艺术。
I don’t know whether artists are biologically more imaginative and creative than others. The many literary works that revolve around artists’ well-being are touching, but they also raise the question: is art the greatest threat to an artist’s health, or is it that those who feel somehow out of step with their physical selves are the ones who choose art?
在每天经过同一个面包店，每月按时交电话费，早晨醒来听收音机里的新闻的日子里，让自己对绘画的热情不变，使心中对美的创造的火焰不熄，都不是容易的事。
In the daily routine—passing the same bakery, paying the phone bill on time every month, waking up to the news on the radio—it is no easy task to keep one’s passion for painting alive, to keep the creative fire for beauty burning in the heart.
我曾对孔子的“君子不迁怒，不二过”有过异议。我还以为君子应该有多么高深莫测的准则呢。
I once disagreed with Confucius’ teaching that “the noble person does not transfer anger nor repeat the same mistake.” I had assumed that being a gentleman required a far more inscrutable code.
我的艺术与世界上的许多事物和人相关，它特别符合我的心情。就象我的日记，近似于平铺直叙般的记录了我的生活。
My art is connected to many things and people in the world. It matches my state of mind. It’s like my diary—plainly and directly recording my life.
它与美一定最相关。在美丽面前，甚至死亡微不足道。
It is, above all, related to beauty. In the face of beauty, even death seems insignificant.
我曾试着去寻问艺术和人生的许多问题的答案。后来，我觉着能够提出问题我就满足了。
I once tried to find answers to many questions about art and life. Later, I realized I was satisfied just being able to ask them.
上等的武林高手一定没有敌人，一首忧伤的诗歌何必加入有关愁苦的词句。我们所体验大自然的力量不是她的山崩地裂，而是她的沉默。
A true martial arts master has no enemies. A sorrowful poem need not contain words of grief. The power of nature that we experience is not her thunderous collapse—but her silence.
艺术的整个创作过程是一个孤独的过程。心灵是作品的第一个感叹者，所有的不明确的思维不需要任何解释、宣扬和顿悟，它多象无论是精神还是肉体在一无所求的状态中的结果。
The entire creative process in art is a lonely one. The soul is the first to sigh before the work. All the vague thoughts require no explanation, no declaration, no sudden insight—they are like the result of spirit and body existing in a state of pure non-desire.
你能感觉到外面的微风一直刮到你的心里。它使你成为第一个感到春天即将到来的人。
You can feel the breeze outside sweeping directly into your heart. It makes you the first to sense that spring is coming.
你在看到窗外纷飞的雪后，你想说，上帝啊，看一看你所创造的这般美好的世界，你真该与我们住在一起。
When you see the snow swirling outside your window, you feel like saying: God, look at the beautiful world you’ve created—you really should come live among us.
你甚至介意陌生人对你身体的一次偶然的触摸。那时，你身体的每一寸肌肤都响应着，每一根毛孔都能发出吼叫，你也不会畏惧哪怕是雪崩把你压倒在千年的冰雪之下。
You even mind a stranger’s accidental touch. In that moment, every inch of your skin responds, every pore could scream—and yet, you wouldn’t fear even an avalanche burying you beneath a thousand years of snow.
艺术家的灵感则是天使对心灵的访问，一位不速之客的到来。
An artist’s inspiration is like a visitation from an angel—an uninvited guest arriving at the door of the soul.
在一个充满弹性的生活里，加上气候宜人，身体健康，你是不会觉得身体的分量和存在的。一个感恩的平和的心境，一顿可口的午餐，都可能是创作出佳作的前提。
In a life full of elasticity—with pleasant weather and a healthy body—you become unaware of the weight and presence of your physical self. A grateful and peaceful state of mind, a delicious lunch—these could very well be the conditions for creating a masterpiece.
每次与税务部通过电话后，我会马上觉得拿笔的手腕发沉。
Every time I speak with the tax office on the phone, my wrist suddenly feels too heavy to hold a brush.
我不认为我的绘画是这个世界上非有不可的东西，对于我来说是，它即不高尚，也不卑微，它是我的职业，我的一日三餐。所以说，它必然是我生活和生命的一部分。
I don’t believe my painting is something the world cannot live without. To me, it is neither noble nor trivial—it is my profession, my daily bread. And so, it is inevitably a part of my life and being.
我曾邀请过一个做糕点的姑娘去看我在她隔壁画廊的展览，她微笑着告诉我说，对不起，我从来不去画廊，我不喜欢艺术。那一刻，我的心里是很不愉快的。但是后来，我依然不得不买她的极可口草莓蛋糕。生活里显然可以没有艺术，但不能没有蛋糕。
I once invited a pastry girl to visit my exhibition in the gallery next door. She smiled and said, “Sorry, I never go to galleries—I don’t like art.” At that moment, I was quite disheartened. But later, I still had to buy her delicious strawberry cake. Clearly, life can go on without art—but not without cake.
在我的作品中我没有任何使命和责任感。历史与当代的重大事件和偶像远远不及我静物中的核桃大。
There is no sense of mission or responsibility in my work. Historical and contemporary events or icons mean far less to me than the walnut in one of my still-life paintings.
人类仍然不断重复着对灾难的恐惧，爱情的向往，丰收后的喜悦和临入冬时的忧郁。
Humanity continues to repeat its fear of disaster, its longing for love, the joy after harvest, and the melancholy before winter.
我的所想和所说古人大都已经说过了。
Most of what I think and say has already been said by the ancients.
我把自己是否满意我的作品永远作为要求自己的最高准则。
My highest standard has always been whether I myself am satisfied with my work.
我不敢强求观者对我作品的理解，也不敢奢望别人对我作为艺术家甚至一个普通人的理解。因为我自己不能够很好的理解别人。
I dare not demand viewers to understand my work, nor do I expect others to understand me—either as an artist or simply as a person. Because I myself cannot fully understand others.
我能做到替其他人着想。而不能站在其他人的角度而思想。
I can be considerate of others—but I cannot think from their point of view.
我在绘画中所需要的不是真实，那个我能用身体所触及的只是这现实的一半，另一半需要想象力来完成。
What I seek in painting is not reality. What I can physically perceive is only half of reality—the other half must be completed through imagination.
我需要的是一个合乎情理的虚幻世界，一个生活以外的生活。
What I need is a plausible illusion—a life beyond everyday life.
把历史与自然都转换为主观现象，并使它成为心灵的一部分。
To transform history and nature into subjective phenomena, and let them become part of the soul.
用我所体验到的和在学校里学习到的知识，使它们归纳成为一种语言，这个过程就象一个浑身是土的淘金者的劳动，也是自然中从葡萄到酒的过程。
To distill what I’ve experienced and what I’ve learned into a language—this process is like that of a gold miner covered in dust, or like grapes becoming wine through nature’s course.
于是，我们才有了科学家的预言，思想者的行为，儿童的鲁莽，英雄的胆怯和艺术家的灵感。
Thus we come to have the scientist’s predictions, the philosopher’s actions, the recklessness of children, the cowardice of heroes, and the inspiration of artists.
我绘画中的结构就象音乐的旋律，小说的情节一般重要。
The structure in my painting is as vital as melody in music, or plot in a novel.
我喜欢在我作画当中出现问题，是画面上的问题。一帆风顺的画就象缺少生活阅历的人一样平淡。
I like encountering problems while painting—visual problems. A smooth, trouble-free painting is like a person with no life experience: flat and dull.
作品该象一个人在灾难平定之后，所有的事情都变成了他的财富一样。
A work should be like a person who, after surviving disaster, sees everything as part of their treasure.
我从不在绘画中刻意的追求什么，恐怕这个世界和大脑的神秘就在这里。我的思想常常来源于我行为上的无助。
I never deliberately pursue anything in my painting. Perhaps that’s where the mystery of the world and the mind lies. My thoughts often arise from the helplessness of my actions.
人的一生中大致能做到他想做的事情，假如他追求的话，但是到你专心想睡觉时却有那么多的不眠之夜在等着你。
In life, one can generally achieve what they pursue—if they truly pursue it. But when all you want is a good night’s sleep, it is then that sleepless nights come to find you.
任何行业中的天才不需要任何机构和组织的证明，它只体现在辛勤的工作之中。
Genius in any field needs no endorsement from institutions or organizations—it reveals itself through hard work.
我的心是舒坦和无奈的，当我作画的时候，我深知我的有限的能力，我了解我的求之不得之苦。
My heart is both content and helpless. When I paint, I’m fully aware of my limited abilities. I understand the pain of desiring what I cannot attain.
无论我做出多大的努力，调色盘上的所有的颜色也抹不掉我窗外漫长的、灰暗的冬天。
No matter how hard I try, all the colors on my palette cannot wash away the long, gray winter outside my window.
人不是仍有品尝秋天里果实的快乐吗？
Yet doesn’t a person still take joy in tasting the fruits of autumn?
我无疑是快乐的，在我作画和作完画的时候，我多么喜欢在一块有限的空间里展开我的内心世界，同时，听着毛笔在画布上声音和我喜欢的音乐。
I am undoubtedly joyful—both while painting and after finishing. How I love to unfold my inner world within a limited space, listening to the sound of my brush on the canvas and the music I enjoy.
我的快乐虽然不比拥有万亩良田的地主，但我愿意把我的快乐通过我的作品传达给世界上任何好人和坏人。
My joy may not match that of a landowner with ten thousand fertile acres, but I wish to share this joy through my art—with every good person, and even with those who are not.
感谢上帝和各路神灵对我的偏爱，感谢旧雨今来轩画廊和朋友们对我作品的欣赏。说了上面的话，不知大家是否会更好的了解我的作品。
Thank God and all the spirits for their favor toward me, and thank you to Jiuyujinlai Gallery and all my friends for appreciating my work.
Having said all this, I wonder if it might help you understand my paintings a little better.
王彤 Tong Wang ，2005年4月
赫尔辛堡，瑞典 Helsingborg, Sweden
赫尔辛堡，瑞典 Helsingborg, Sweden