I almost finished reading Xu Yisheng's poems in one breath, and gained not only knowledge, but also shock. I can't afford his expensive paintings, so I have to buy a picture album to console myself. I came across this collection of poems in the gallery where I bought the album, and I have a deeper understanding of Xu Yisheng since then. He is not only a painter, but also a poet. If I used to know him only by his exquisite painting and calligraphy techniques, now I have been completely moved by his poetic talent. Painters can succeed by copying and learning, but poets cannot. Without passionate feelings, strong love and hate, rich experience is absolutely impossible.
In the postscript of Xu Yisheng's Poems, there is a very impressive passage: the hero is poor, the scholar is down and out, he abandons his wife in my heart forever, the ordinary people take risks, the people are wronged, the strong man is in danger, the hero is killed in the line of duty, the old monk is silent, and the fisherman is tottering, which reveals all aspects of all kinds of people in society through the ages without exception. It is true that grief and indignation make poets. Without sadness, pain, love and hatred, how can there be poetry? As Xu Yisheng said, poetry is almost useless to society. It is purely self-centered and stems from feelings that others may not understand. Sometimes it's self-consolation, sometimes it's blessing and warning, but more often it's a sigh looking up at the sky, an unforgettable wail, and a long whistle climbing a mountain stream. . . . .
People live to be happy, which is not in contradiction with magnificent poetry which is also saturated with bitterness and meditation, because poetry is bitter, but people's emotions are sincere. There is no strict boundary between happiness and pain. It can be said that joy begets sorrow, and so do those who suffer. In the collection of poems, several experts and professors who wrote prefaces objectively and accurately discussed Xu Yisheng's poems and paintings, but today I'm going to talk about people in Xu Yisheng. People are character. Although character cannot be equated with painting, there are many people who draw well but have poor moral character in history, but people with poor moral character rarely become poets, and there are precedents for famous sentences to be passed down to future generations. In Xu Yisheng's poems, such wonderful words can be seen everywhere: "I am torn to pieces, and I will see new things after the rain", which is comparable to Wang Wei's "An empty mountain after the rain stands in late autumn". "There are new chrysanthemums in the east and crows in the smoke cage bamboo forest", which is very idyllic. "A bowl of wine is clear, and a hundred springs lock the rock." With Li Bai's elegant poetic style. "A flower's face can't bear to open in front of the mirror, like water flowing for years." "Fortunately, the new autumn is infinitely good, and the green hills can be relied on at night." "The eyes of the world are empty and the world knows very little." Every sentence is simple and beautiful. Another example is his gratitude, friendliness, low-key and frankness in Shi Lu's poems. Compared with those painters who are afraid that people don't know his teacher, Xu Yisheng is obviously much more low-key. His memory of Shilu is only expressed in his poems, instead of being a son of so-and-so who is always far-fetched.
Li Keran paints well, but Li Xiaoke doesn't.
Fu Baoshi paints well, but Fu Ershi doesn't.
Lin Sanzhi's books are good, but Lin Xiaozhi is not.
Song Wenzhi paints very well, but Song Yulin can't.
Wei Zixi paints well, but Wei Zhen doesn't.
Zhao Wangyun paints well, but Zhao Zhenchuan doesn't.
This phenomenon is very similar to the rich second generation in calligraphy and painting. Three Cao, Three Su and Father and Son, which once appeared in history, are all literary giants, but that was in the field of literature, and the inheritance of calligraphy and painting was unprecedented and needed to be studied. If the above can be said from the genetic perspective, then those who learn from master XXX easily cannot justify themselves. First of all, it is not necessarily good for a master to be an apprentice. Secondly, there is no way to verify the names of the master and apprentice, because some great painters have passed away. In addition, there is a time relationship. It is also a day of worship and a decade of worship. Now the "remote guidance" on the computer is also a teacher, and there is a big difference between teachers and teachers. But in any case, for some people who are not related by blood and want to be attached to celebrities, this is the only way. It's really hard for them. In fact, if they really have the strength, why not change "promoting my name in the name of my teacher" to "promoting my name in the name of my teacher"!
Xu Yisheng learned painting from Shilu at the age of 17. It should not exist in name only. Now his poems are well preserved, and his paintings are pure and green. He can make a name for himself, because he can write and draw. There are many such talents in history. There was Wang Wei in the Tang Dynasty and Qi Baishi recently. Due to historical reasons, the former is famous for its poems, while the latter has declined because of its unique talent as a painter. So later generations know that he is just a pure painter. I have read Qi Baishi's poems, which are well written and rhythmic. Yes, they are the top grade in poetry, just as he said, "My poems are the first and the second are printed."
In fact, as a literati, Qin, Qi and calligraphy have never been separated. Ancient prostitutes were proficient in melody, poetry and painting, but how many painters can have both today? They have nothing but a few pens. What they lack in their paintings is not poetry, but soul. Imagine, how can things without souls last long? On the other hand, Xu Yisheng's paintings, with pictures in poems and poems in paintings, are fresh and lively, which is refreshing. As far as brushwork is concerned, Xu Yisheng is second to none in today's painting world. For example, the seven-character painting "Frost leaves are half yellow and the water is still warm", "Today, the green hills return to their hometown" and "You are far from the gorge". The flowers and purple flowers are still clear, the year of Mo Wen is the end, the green hills are not old, the new lotus flowers are clear in the rain, the apricot blossoms are misty and rainy, and Chi Pan listens to the rain. At first glance, these are painting names, which are simply beautiful poems. Let's look at the names of six calligraphy and painting: Walking over the Mountains in the Evening, Taibai Angel Guest House and Murphy under Lianbi Peak. Five calligraphy and painting titles: Lueyang Jiahe, Gaogang pine and cypress, high-rise buildings with deep colors, and blue mountains in the evening. The four calligraphy and painting titles are: Laver in the Garden, Clear Autumn in the South of the Yangtze River, Simplicity and Simplicity, Abandoned City of Old Rain, Jade in Joan Hinton, Returning to the Mountain at dusk, Talking about Old Spring in the Wind, Sparse Autumn Wind, Time has changed, and a couple in Chuanjiang River. A closer look at these beautiful words is actually a painting with deep artistic conception.
The themes of Xu Yisheng's paintings and calligraphy are also very diverse. Unlike some painters, the theme remains the same, and even the brushwork is verbatim. It is completely step-by-step and workshop-style production. Don't think that these pure words are simpler than drawing. Some painters paint very well, but they can't draw money. Lin Yong, a famous painter, published a book to help painters draw money, which is full of famous sayings in Tang poetry and Song poetry. Some painters are completely materialistic and even don't understand poetry. The average person can't understand the painting, and the style of painting comes step by step in the book. What is artistic creation?
When it comes to Xu Yisheng's poetry collection, so many messy things are suddenly associated with it. Its purpose is only to hope that the painter can correct his creative attitude. Of course, most painters are competent. What I'm talking about here is only a few phenomena, so please don't sit in the right place.
In fact, I hope that Xu Yisheng can be crowned as a great poet by history, so as to revitalize the declining classical poetry. However, history will not change because of my wishes. In today's money-oriented society, history can only give Xu Yisheng the title of a painter. As the saying goes:
It's not that I didn't like painting since I was born, but now I don't have a painting home.
Art is so heavy that few people deserve it.